 | Kent Richardson graduated from the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy in 1972. Kent has owned and operated Richardson's Pharmacy, a retail independent pharmacy, and Richardson's Medical, a Durable Medical Equipment and Oxygen company in Wichita, KS since 1973. He also owns Custom Rx, Inc., a compounding only pharmacy in Wichita, KS. Since 1988, Kent has served on the Board of Directors of PACE Alliance, the largest retail pharmacy-buying group in the United States, and is currently Vice Chairman of that organization. He has also served as President and Chairman of the American College of Apothecaries, an international professional association of pharmacists, and has served on their Board of Directors for 14 years. Kent holds memberships in the National Community Pharmacists Association, American Pharmaceutical Association and the Kansas Pharmacy Association and has served and is still serving on various committees for these organizations. His employment history includes serving as Marketing Director for a regional Prescription Benefit Management Company (PBM) for twelve years. For the last seven years he has been instrumental in the development of Right Choice Pharmacy, a totally unique concept in the cost-effective provision of maintenance prescriptions via community pharmacies. You can reach Kent Richardson at Richardson's Custom Rx Pharmacy (316) 721-2626 located at 3510 N. Ridge Rd. in Wichita, or visit their website at www.customrx.net |
Pharmaceuticals
2005-01-01 09:20:00
Stop drinking sweetened sodas?
ANSWER: A study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Society suggests that some of the simplest and best advice that can be given to overweight individuals is to stop drinking sweetened sodas. In the study conducted by Harvard University's School of Public Health in Boston, sweetened sodas and fruit drinks were linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes.The study tracked the medical records and dietary habits of 91,000 female nurses for eight years. The research team compared nurses who drank less than one sugar-sweetened soda a month to those who consumed one or more sodas daily. Regardless of whether the women were obese or not and whether they were physically active or not, those who consumed more soda and other sugared drinks were linked to diabetes. Women consuming the most soda had an 83% increased risk of type 2 diabetes as compared with those drinking the least. Fruit punch was linked to a doubled risk of diabetes as well, whereas 100% fruit juice was not.Soft drinks have a high content of rapidly absorbable carbohydrates derived form high-fructose corn syrup. Corn syrup affects blood glucose in a manner similar to sucrose, and sweetened drinks cause a rapid and dramatic increase in both glucose levels and insulin concentrations. Nurses in the study who had a stable pattern of soft drink consumption did not gain weight. However, those who went from one drink a week to one or more a day gained almost 20 pounds over the eight-year period. In addition, those with a higher intake of sodas were more likely to be less active, smoke more, and drink more alcohol.The American Beverage Association attacked the findings, citing an unhealthy lifestyle rather than over-consumption of a particular beverage as the culprit for increasing the risk of diabetes. An endocrinologist at Boston University responded, saying that soft drinks contribute 7.1% of the total energy intake and the largest single source of calories in the U.S. diet. Whether a coincidence or not, the rise in obesity and diabetes parallels the increase in sweetened soft-drink consumption in the United States.
