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    The Weekly Skinny: All the healthy news you need (8-28-09)

    By | Healthy Living – Fri, Aug 28, 2009 7:17 AM EDT





    Can you believe the Step has been around for 20 years? It's time to celebrate... but we gotta cut way back on sugar, says a major heart group. FatFighterTV has a look at some of the diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

    Cut WAY back on sugar, says American Heart Association
    Have you seen the video report about all the hidden sugar in so many foods out there? You might be shocked at some of the places we found it! Now, the American Heart Association says most Americans are getting 22.2 teaspoons a day of added sugar and it's time to cut way back. The AHA's report finds most of that extra sweet stuff comes from soft drinks and candy and adds up to 355 calories every day. Instead, the group recommends most women get no more than 100 calories a day from added sugar and most men limit their intake to 150 calories.

    FDA investigates possible liver damage link in diet drug, Alli
    The Food and Drug Administration is looking into reports of liver damage in patients taking the over-the-counter weight loss drug, Alli, and its prescription equivalent, Xenical. Between 1999 and 2008, the FDA has received 32 reports of serious liver damage in patients taking the drugs, including 27 people who were hospitalized and six who had liver failure. The FDA says it has not found a definite link between liver damage and the weight loss pills. If you're taking either Xenical or Alli, the agency recommends you continue to take them as directed.

    The Step turns 20!
    Last year, the hula hoop turned 50. This year, one of my favorite ways to exercise - step aerobics - turns 20. In 1989, Reebok and the creator of step training, Gin Miller, launched the elevated platform, and it is still going strong. The workouts have changed through the years to keep things interesting, but you can still find the classic moves - L steps, V steps, and of course, the basic right... or left.

    Happy Birthday, Step! Thanks for helping me burn all those calories over the past 20 years!

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    [photo credit: Getty Images]