America’s growing sweet tooth is super-sizing waistlines and the nation’s health care price tag, warn University of California researchers.

People in the U.S. are eating 21 times more sweet stuff today than the pilgrims and pioneers did, according to data presented by scientists at a symposium on sugar and other sweeteners, sponsored by the Center for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment (COAST) at UCSF, the UC Office of the President, UC Berkeley and UC Davis.

The result of Americans’ appetite for sugary foods is a spiraling number of people with “metabolic syndrome,” a litany of ailments that includes diabetes, fatty liver, high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity.

Some 50 million people in the U.S., including 35 percent of adults, now suffer from metabolic syndrome, according to the American Heart Association. And the annual medical costs for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes alone have soared to $400 billion.

The problem is now so weighty that one researcher urges the government to act aggressively to help alter diets.

“Everyone wants to make obesity about personal responsibility, something that’s your fault, but that’s a waste of time,” said Robert Lustig, a UCSF professor of pediatrics and a COAST researcher, at the March 17 symposium — the first by COAST and UCOP to focus on dietary sugar and metabolic outcomes — at UC Davis. “Enough people are sick that we need a societal and government intervention on the scale of that mounted against tobacco and alcohol.

“The government pays twice for obesity: first for the corn subsidy (to make high-fructose corn syrup), and then for emergency room heart attacks and health care,” said Lustig to the 150 conference attendees, including health care professionals, dietitians, graduate students, policymakers and even members of the sugar industry.

Go to the UC Newsroom to read Ariel Rubissow-Okamoto’s full report.

The April meeting of the OP Staff Assembly is scheduled for Wednesday, April 13, 12 to 1 p.m., in Room 10325 of the Franklin Building.

The Staff Assembly is an organization dedicated to promoting the interest and welfare of all staff employees at UCOP. It is led by a steering committee of employees from across UCOP’s units and departments. Meetings are open to all staff.

For questions, contact Andrea Gerstenberger at andrea.gerstenberger@ucop.edu or 510-287-3807.

If you don’t already know about Michael O’Keefe, you will now have two days a week to get acquainted with him and his strong, healing hands.

Every Wednesday since 1999, O’Keefe has brought his massage chair and masterful touch to 7307 Franklin. He now offers appointments on Wednesdays and Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days, beginning Friday, April 1.

A certified massage therapist who practices what he calls “conscious touch,” O’Keefe says massage can help ease the stress and sore muscles that often come with office work.

“Conscious touch means that I’m paying attention with my hands and my whole consciousness,” he says. “From the work I’m doing I can feel what is going on in that person’s body and use that to guide the massage.”

O’Keefe uses an upright massage chair rather than a flat table, which allows him to access the neck, shoulders, back, arms and hands—body parts that take plenty of abuse in an office setting. A baker for nearly 20 years, O’Keefe was supervising the night shift at Acme Bread in Berkeley when the nighttime schedule just became too difficult to manage.

“I tell people I went from kneading dough to kneading muscles,” O’Keefe says. He trained in massage therapy and set up his own business, Back Basics. He also offers his chair massage services at offices in Hayward and the South Bay as well as at studios in El Cerrito and Mill Valley.

For novices who may be somewhat apprehensive about massage, O’Keefe says not to worry. “I always ask people what level of pressure they want and can offer light, medium or heavy and anything in between,” he says.

O’Keefe takes appointments by posting a signup sheet on the door of room 7307 at about 9 a.m., or you can call him for a slot at 510-384-9068. He divides the day into increments of 20 minutes, but some clients book multiple slots. Act fast, as his days usually book up by mid-morning. Cost is $1 per minute, and gratuities are welcome.

Massage therapy: 7307 Franklin Building
When: Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Cost: $1/minute; minimum 20 minutes recommended; gratuity appreciated
Discount: $5 discount for first-time clients
Appointments: Call 510-384-9068 or go to 7307 Franklin to sign up

Nathan Brostrom, executive vice president for Business Operations, will hold a Brown Bag Lunch on UCOP’s budget Tuesday, April 12, 1 to 2 p.m., in the new Franklin Lobby 1 conference room.

Brostrom will discuss UC’s plan to address an expected $500 million cut in state support, including how UCOP intends to deal with a $50 million local budget reduction.

The discussion is expected to touch on impacts to programs and services UCOP currently provides, spending restrictions for departments, and the possibility of layoffs. EVP Brostrom will also help explain the new model for how UCOP will be funded going forward and describe new tools that OP is developing to help departments manage budgets.

Please note the time for the event will be 1 p.m. rather than the customary 12 p.m., due to scheduling needs.

Communications is exploring the possibility of providing remote access to the event for anyone unable to attend in person. More information on this will be available in future updates.