A.I. Evolution Creates New Form Of Online Sexual Abuse
Laws are being passed to combat a growing trend among teens sharing fake nude photos generated by AI.
A new form of “image-based sexual abuse” is on the rise among American teens using AI “nudification” apps to taunt female students.
New research shows a growing trend among high school students across the country who are using these apps to generate and share fake naked photos of their classmates, Vox reports. Students in schools from California to Illinois have fallen victim to deepfake nudes being shared without their consent.
While revenge porn has been an issue for years, the emergence of deepfake technology makes it so that “anybody can just put a face into this app and get an image of somebody — friends, classmates, coworkers, whomever — completely without clothes,” said Britt Paris, an assistant professor of library and information science at Rutgers who has studied deepfakes.
Male students at Issaquah High School in Washington used a nudification app to “strip” photos of girls who attended their homecoming dance last fall. 10th-grade boys at Westfield High School in New Jersey shared fake X-rated photos of their female classmates around the school. The heightening fad is leading to legislation that would impose penalties on those found guilty of sharing fabricated images.
Washington, South Dakota, and Louisiana have already passed laws against generating and sharing fake nudes with states like California and others following close behind. Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-NY) recently reintroduced a bill that would make sharing deepfake nudes a federal crime.
While legislation will help, many are calling for a closer look at the apps behind the growing AI nudification trend. Amy Hasinoff, a communications professor at the University of Colorado Denver, believes the laws would only serve as a “symbolic gesture” unless something is done to combat the apps being used to generate the images.
“I am struggling to imagine a reason why these apps should exist,” Hasinoff said.
Lawmakers are also working to regulate the app stores that offer the nudification apps to bar them from being carried without clear consent provisions. Apple and Google removed several apps that offered deepfake nudes from the App Store and Google Play.
Fifteen-year-old Westfield student Francesca Mani was a victim of a deepfake image and shared how traumatic the experience was for her.
“I was in the counselor’s office, emotional and crying,” Mani said. “I couldn’t believe I was one of the victims.”
Even when the images are fake, the victims can deal with “shaming and blaming and stigmatization,” brought on by stereotypes that sexualize the female victims and make them appear more sexually active, Hasinoff notes.
“These images put these young women at risk of being barred from future employment opportunities and also make them vulnerable to physical violence if they are recognized,” Yeshi Milner, founder of the nonprofit Data for Black Lives said.
To combat deepfake images, nine states have passed or updated laws to penalize those involved, with more states on the rise. A federal bill introduced in 2023 would give victims or parents the ability to sue perpetrators for damages and press criminal penalties. While it has yet to pass in Congress, the bill has growing bipartisan support.
Some remain skeptical about the impact of the laws as AI nudification apps remain available for use.
“Until companies can be held accountable for the types of harms they produce,” Paris said. “I don’t see a whole lot changing.”
The “My Block” rapper recently appeared on “The Fly Zone Radio Show” with Trick Trick where he unleashed his gripe with the current state of hip-hop that allows “people that don’t look like us” to control the industry.
“It seems like the whole culture is being dumbed down now, and I want to be as offensive as I possibly f*king can when I say this, again… The culture is being so f*king dumbed down and manipulated and controlled by people that don’t look like us,” Scarface said.
“So these motherf*kers don’t look like me, they’re not creators of this culture, but they want to control it and dictate who come in, how they come out, the stream… We don’t f*king stream, man, we buy records, we ride this sh*t around in our car.”
The Houston native directed his rant against the streaming platforms that have altered the amount an artist can make from their music. What used to be dollars has turned into cents, and Scarface isn’t a fan.
“We can’t sell a $10 record no more, we got to sell an under-a-penny stream, you tell me where the dk is and how we *uck this dk,” he continued. “We getting f**ked. … Ain’t no money in the streams for us, but it’s money in subscriptions for them.”
What’s the solution? Scarface is encouraging a boycott of streaming platforms where artists pull their music and force the companies to pay them their worth. He also would like to see the return of record stores and small businesses that were wiped out by streaming.
“Pull that sh*t off them f*king platforms, and don’t allow them to stream your sh*t for free,” he said.
“You f*ked a whole lot of people when you f*ked over the mom and pops. You f*ked them. You knocked them people out of jobs. Ain’t no records being sold no more.”
“If I sell 65 million albums, then I ain’t got to make no more f*king albums,” he said. “If I sell 65 million f*king singles at a dollar, then why am I rapping? I ain’t got to do it no more. … You’re not finna prostitute me. And I wish that they would stop letting them prostitute my f**king people, bruh.”
Apple Music pays double what Spotify pays with artists receiving an average pay-per-stream rate of $0.01–one cent. With the current rates, a single requires 150 million streams to reach platinum status and an album needs 1.5 billion streams for the same accolade.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams Defends NYPD’s Arrests Of Pro-Palestinian Protestors At Columbia University
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is standing behind the NYPD for its actions that resulted in the forceful arrests of pro-Palestinian protestors at Columbia University and City College of New York.
Covered in riot gear, groups of police officers took over Columbia’s campus around 9 p.m. on April 30 after demonstrators charged through Hamilton Hall and barricaded themselves inside. Officers moved through the building, arresting protestors, going room to room.
During a May 1 press conference, Adams, a former NYPD officer, praised the NYPD.
“They are attempting to disrupt our city, and we are not going to permit it to happen,” said Adams, referring to the protestors. “And we’re proud to say they have been removed from the campus. The NYPD’s precision policing ensured that the operation was organized, calm and that there were no injuries or violent clashes.”
“We saw a shift in tactics that were being used, and when you start using the intelligence that Intel was able to supply, we knew it was time to communicate directly with the school and say you have more than a peaceful protest on your hands,” he said.
Police body cam footage posted on Twitter shows how officers moved to get inside Hamilton Hall in preparation for the arrests, moving outside furniture. Once inside, cameras caught glimpses of some of the arrests.
Then, a video obtained by the New York Post shows the destruction created post-arrests as furniture was ransacked.
Columbia University’s iconic Hamilton Hall was left looking like a war zone after pro-terror activists smashed windows, set up barricades and destroyed furniture. https://t.co/VNuR5OcSlnpic.twitter.com/ntDtBzRNIa
Police is still working to determine how many protestors were students, as protests have been under surveillance for the past several days.
According to Politico, Kaz Daughtry, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of operations, introduced potential charges for future demonstrators if police is called back onto campus. Those in barricaded buildings face charges of third-degree burglary, trespassing, and criminal mischief. People in tent encampments would be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.
FDA Disregards Deadline To Ban Cancerous Formaldehyde Found In Hair Relaxers
The FDA is remaining silent on why the agency missed its deadline to ban formaldehyde found in hair-straightening products.
The Food and Drug Administration missed its own deadline to ban formaldehyde in hair-straightening products.
The proposed ban was scheduled to go into effect in April; but with the month coming to a close and May beginning, its become more clear that the agency missed its own deadline, NBC News reported. The FDA hasn’t released a statement on why the ban has yet to go into effect after previously announcing the Unified Agenda’s plans for an April action date.
“We are still developing the proposed rule and cannot comment further about questions of timing or content at this time,” the FDA said at the time.
The proposed ban came in response to studies that found a link between some of the ingredients in hair-smoothing and hair-straightening products — commonly used by Black women — and cancer. A decades-long study released by the National Institutes of Health in 2022 on over 33,000 Black women found an increase in uterine cancer among those who regularly used hair relaxers.
A number of women who developed uterine cancer or other severe illnesses joined class-action lawsuits against beauty corporations like L’Oreal and Revlon accusing them of selling hair products with ingredients that caused them to develop uterine cancer or other acute health problems.
Revlon denies the allegations, saying the company does not “believe the science supports a link between chemical hair straighteners or relaxers and cancer.” L’Oreal welcomed the ban and said their hair products don’t contain formaldehyde.
Hair straighteners aren’t the only products that contain formaldehyde. Household and beauty items like nail polishes, hair gels, baby shampoos, and others include components that, once heated, can release formaldehyde. The National Cancer Institute links the highly toxic chemical to certain forms of cancer.
It’s argued that more beauty products with the controversial substance are marketed to Black women than white women.
“About 50% of products advertised to Black women contain these types of chemicals, compared to maybe only 7% that are advertised to white women,” Tamarra James-Todd of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health said in 2020.
Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts is urging the FDA to finalize the ban sooner rather than later.
“The FDA’s proposal to ban harmful chemicals in hair relaxers is a win for public health — especially for the Black women whose health has been disproportionately put at risk due to systemic racism and anti-Black hair sentiment,” she said.
“We have been pressing for this and the Administration should finalize this rule without delay.”
The Grammy-winning singer sat down with Atlanta’s V-103 to reveal the early investment he made into his Las Vegas residency one year before it dominated Sin City’s live show scene. Usher secured the first run of his “My Way: The Vegas Residency” at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in 2021. He didn’t know exactly what to expect but he knew he wanted to ensure his audience received the show of a lifetime.
The “Confessions” singer had no issue going into his own pocket to invest in his “legacy”
“I made it known if I do this, spend every dollar that we have. Yeah, we don’t make no money this first run because I want people to love this show. I have to invest in this show,” Usher explained.
“I got to invest in this future because what’s going to happen a year from now is why I’m making this investment. It wasn’t even intended. There was no way to even make any money, you know, and we didn’t have a lot of merchandise and things like that, but it was an investment. It was an investment in the future. It was an investment in my legacy. It was an investment in the songs that you had sang. It was an investment in my audience because they meant that much to me. I want to make certain that if I brought you here it was faith, it was belief.”
Usher’s residency ran from 2022 to 2023 and became one of the most sought-after shows on the Las Vegas Strip. He sold out 18 of his 20 shows in his first Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
While at the Colosseum, Usher raked in $18.8 million from 84,000 tickets sold. His move to the Park MGM Hotel and Casino earned $95.9 million from 394,000 tickets sold. In total, he made $114.7 million.
The “My Way” singer closed out his 100-show residency in December 2023. Each show earned an average of $1.198 million. The amount he earned from his Vegas residency is more than any tour Usher’s done to date.
When looking at the financial success of Usher’s Las Vegas residency, he made the right choice moving on faith and investing in its initial run.
Sony Pictures Taps Tahra Grant As New EVP, Chief Communications Officer
Sony Pictures CEO Tony Vinciquerra says Grant's forward-moving strategies have already strengthened the narrative of the business.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has promoted Tahra Grant to the pivotal role of chief communications officer, a groundbreaking appointment that shatters barriers.
In her new capacity, Grant will report directly to Tony Vinciquerra, the chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Variety noted Vinciquerra’s statement to colleagues, expressing his confidence in Grant. “With her strong relationships and partnership with Tom Rothman and our MPG leadership, Tahra has strengthened the narrative around the vitality, sustainability, and forward-looking strategies of our motion picture business while navigating some of the most complicated industry events of our time, including the COVID pandemic and the historic double strikes last year.”
Grant has already amassed an impressive portfolio overseeing corporate communications for the mass media and entertainment group, reporting to previous leader Bob Lawson, who will now be based in Tokyo following his promotion to head the communications efforts for the entire Sony Group Corporation.
As noted by Afrotech, Grant’s ascension to chief communications officer makes her the only Black woman to assume the role at a major Hollywood studio. This achievement underscores the significance of her appointment in an industry where diversity at the highest echelons has been historically lacking. As previously covered by BLACK ENTERPRISE, efforts toward diversity, equity, and inclusion in Hollywood were reinforced by The Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences in a 2023 letter from the Academy’s CEO and President, Bill Kramer, and Janet Yang.
They stated, “Our DEAI-focused work is a continuous journey that requires sustained attention, commitment, and resources across Academy departments.” Actress and singer Coco Jones recently acknowledged the progress in the industry toward dark-skinned Black women. “I think the more…positions of power that are told from a woman of color’s perspective, the more opportunities [there are] for women to play those roles and to hire women that would understand those storylines,” Jones said in December 2023, according to BE.
Black women like Grant, who joined Sony in 2016, have contributed to the forward movement of diversity in the industry. Vinciquerra affirmed that Grant and Lawson “will continue to work closely together in their new roles, creating more opportunities for Sony Group Corporation and Sony Pictures Entertainment to align and collaborate.” This strategic alignment comes at a pivotal juncture when Sony’s entertainment companies are becoming an increasingly integral part of the Sony Group Corporation’s overall business operations.
FreedomPop Partners with Julius “Dr. J” Erving To Bring Affordable Phone Service To Seniors
Julius Erving is a star on a new team—FreedomPop, a wireless service provider dedicated to meeting the needs of America's seniors.
With a career defined by soaring dunks and breathtaking athleticism, NBA legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving is channeling his passion for service into a partnership with FreedomPop, a wireless service provider dedicated to meeting the needs of America’s seniors.
FreedomPop is explicitly built to serve America’s growing number of seniors whose wireless needs have been overlooked for too long. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the senior population (65 and older) in the United States has grown nearly twice as fast as the youth population (under 18) since 2010.
Seniors are among the most loyal customers in the world. They often live on fixed or limited retirement incomes. They need reliability and convenience because they may lack the mobility to travel to retail stores or service locations for upgrades or repairs. They deserve attentive, patient customer care when they need help or tech support. And they need to trust their carrier to tell them how they can save money on their bill—and not keep those options hidden.
BLACK ENTERPRISE talked to Erving about his fervor for this endeavor and the importance of reliable communication, affordability, and inclusivity in empowering seniors nationwide.
Communicating Confidently
FreedomPop understands technology can improve in-person and virtual communication and strengthen relationships with loved ones, especially seniors. However, seniors are less confident using technology. About 26% of seniors feel very confident, compared to 41% of those aged 50– 64, and 74% of those aged 18–29.
“Many seniors have trouble with the functionality of cell phones, which makes it more cumbersome to use,” Erving says.
Some individuals find technology daunting, particularly with tiny text, intricate user interfaces (UI), or frequent changes accompanying each new operating system update. This challenge is especially pronounced among older users, who may feel less at ease with smartphones.
FreedomPop was built to address the overlooked needs of this community.
“They deserve attentive, patient customer care when they need help or tech support,” says Erving, 74. “I’m a senior who has been around for a long time, and I thank God for it. Unfortunately, many people my age and older can’t get out to service locations and retail stores to troubleshoot upgrades and repairs.”
Affordability and Financial Relief
Erving’s endorsement of FreedomPop extends beyond mere promotion; it stems from his genuine belief in the service’s affordability and accessibility. He underscores its financial relief, saying, “You’re slicing the fee from a minimum of $30 coming from the government to $10.”
Erving recognizes the tangible impact this reduction can have on seniors’ monthly bills, including his own. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 17 million Americans 65+ are economically insecure—living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL) ($29,160 per year for a single person in 2023).
“I can relate personally because my wife and children are associated with my phone bill, which costs me a few hundred dollars a month,” Erving says. “I’m looking forward to getting signed up with FreedomPop and getting that $10.00 bill monthly, and I know how greatly this will impact others!”
Reliability and Authenticity
Throughout his illustrious career, Erving has established himself as a credible and authentic spokesperson. Drawing from his experience with various endorsements, he emphasizes the importance of aligning with products and services he genuinely uses and believes in. “My brand has crossed over between ethnic groups and those with money and without money,” says Erving, whose endorsement of FreedomPop stems from his conviction in its ability to genuinely benefit seniors.
Erving’s involvement with FreedomPop extends beyond mere advocacy and spokesperson. It embodies his commitment to promoting inclusivity and accessibility across diverse demographics.
“We’re also speaking to adult children of seniors because we want to ensure that their parents or older relatives have a suitable carrier that cares and caters to them,” says Erving. “It also gets adult children out of the role of being tech support, and what adult child wouldn’t love that.”
Tyler Perry Studios To Produce Unscripted Programming In New Joint Venture
Tyler Perry studios has entered into a joint venture with Asylum Entertainment Group.
Tyler Perry Studios has teamed with the non-scripted production company Asylum Entertainment Group in a joint venture to produce unscripted series for global distribution.
Antoinetta Stallings, Tyler Perry Studios VP of Unscripted Programming, will lead the project. Stallings joined TP studios in 2019. Her production credits include Black Girls Rock,Take Me Out and The Price of Silence, the documentary film that earned her an Emmy nomination last year.
Asylum Entertainment Group has produced documentaries such as Netflix’s Naomi Osaka and HBO’s Being Serena, and the 2013 docuseries Being Mike Tyson. Asylum CEO Steve Michels said this collaboration represents their shared passion for storytelling; together they hope to entertain and inspire audiences with this new content.
“I’m excited to bring the world of unscripted content to Tyler Perry Studios,” Perry said in a statement. “We’ve never tapped into this area of entertainment before and we’re looking forward to working closely with Asylum to bring unique real world stories to life. I’m also proud to recognize the work that Antoinetta has been doing at the studio and promote her to this position of overseeing this new creative arm at the studio,
The media mogul recently struck a deal with Bet Media Group which renewed all eight of his shows on BET and BET+ . Perry’s popular television shows include The Oval,Sistas,Zatima ,and All The Queens Men, which is among the top-ranking series on the platform, Ranker reports.
Earlier this year, Perry also expanded his eight-movie deal with Netflix to include a scripted series called Beauty In Black, which tells the story of Kimmie (Taylor Polidore Williams,) and Mallory (Chrystle Stewart). The six-episode hour-long drama series was written, produced, and directed by the prolific Perry, whose voluminous credits of acting, directing, and writing credits include the long-running series of Madea films.
Hydration is an overlooked part of a healthy life. Here's how to do it right.
Originally Published April 13, 2020.
Water.
We all need it—and know we need it—for optimum health and wellness, but a shocking few live daily life (and those work hours) in a properly hydrated state and certainly not with appropriate consistency. One doctor-driven report revealed that a staggering 75% of Americans may suffer from chronic dehydration.
“Over time, failure to drink enough water can contribute to a wide array of medical complications, from fatigue, joint pain and weight gain to headaches, ulcers, high blood pressure and kidney disease,” the report read.
Apparently, this is the tip of the proverbial dehydration-induced illness iceberg.
“During a normal day, we lose about two liters of water just through breathing, sweat and other bodily functions,” notes board-certified internist Dr. Blanca Lizaola-Mayo. “Even while sleep, we can lose over one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of water-weight not just through sweating, but respiration as well. Even air conditioning has drying effects on our body. The health implications of dehydration are vast and can range from mild to severe, including problems with the heart, blood pressure and breathing, headaches and cognitive issues like concentration…just to name a few. Those who’ve felt that ‘afternoon slump’ should know that dehydration is the No. 1 cause of daytime fatigue. And, it’s important to understand that when we first start to sense thirst, we are already close to 2% dehydrated.”
For all of its importance, proper hydration is a delicate balance to uphold. An Institute of Medicine report cited the fragility of keeping the body duly hydrated, noting, “Over the course of a few hours, body water deficits can occur due to reduced intake or increased water losses from physical activity and environmental (e.g., heat) exposure.” So, a perfectly hydrated body can tip the scales into a dehydrated state in a fairly short amount of time, whether actively (as with exercising), or passively (as with breathing).
Here are some insights and tips from preeminent health experts to help you stay happily hydrated:
How Much Water Do You Need?
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “Many factors impact how much water you need, including your age, gender, activity level, and overall health. For women, the amount of total water is about 11.5 cups per day and for men about 15.5 cups. These estimates, however, include fluids consumed from both foods and beverages, including water. You typically get about 20% of the water you need from the food you eat. Taking that into account, women need about nine cups of fluid per day and men about 12.5 cups in order to help replenish the amount of water that is lost.”
What Are Common Causes of Dehydration?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Sometimes dehydration occurs for simple reasons: You don’t drink enough because you’re sick or busy, or because you lack access to safe drinking water when you’re traveling, hiking or camping.” While certainly not all-inclusive, known causes for dehydration can encompass sweating from exercise and playing a sport; air travel; traversing in overly hot, humid, cold or windy weather conditions; drinking too much coffee and other diuretic beverages; recovering from a hangover; and a litany of other relatively commonplace daily activities.
Do All Fluids Hydrate the Body?
No. The Cleveland Clinic is very clear with its advisory that “Some beverages are better than others at preventing dehydration,” and that “alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, teas, and colas, are not recommended for optimal hydration. These fluids tend to pull water from the body and promote dehydration. Fruit juice and fruit drinks may have too many carbohydrates, too little sodium, and may upset the stomach. Adequate hydration will keep your summer activities safer and much more enjoyable.”
What Are Some Benefits of Proper Hydration?
While the benefits of a properly hydrated body are copious, the CDC points to a few top-line health advantages, including keeping your temperature normal; lubricating and cushioning joints, protecting your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues; and getting rid of wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements. Healthline also offers a number of evidence-based health benefits of drinking plenty of water, which include maximizing physical performance; optimized energy levels and mood; and aiding digestion and elimination.
Be mindful of water intake, however, as Dr. Lizaola-Mayo warns, “Drinking too much water or fluid can lead to hyponatremia, which causes sodium in the cells to become diluted and too low and can be dangerous—and even life-threatening—if untreated.”
What Are Signs of Early or Mild Dehydration?
The Rehydration Project, a nonprofit organization, says that “the degree of dehydration is graded according to signs and symptoms that reflect the amount of fluid lost. In the early stages of dehydration, there are no signs or symptoms. Early features are difficult to detect but include dryness of mouth and thirst. As dehydration increases, signs and symptoms develop.”
According to the organization, symptoms of early or mild dehydration include the following: flushed face; extreme thirst; consuming more than normal or the inability to drink; dry, warm skin; the inability to pass urine or reduced amounts (dark, yellow); dizziness made worse when standing; weakness; cramping in the arms and legs; crying with few or no tears; sleepiness or irritableness; sickness; headaches; dry mouth or dry tongue with thick saliva.
What Are Signs of Moderate to Severe Dehydration?
According to The Rehydration Project they include low blood pressure; fainting; severe muscle contractions in the arms, legs, stomach, and back; convulsions; a bloated stomach; heart failure; sunken fontanelle—soft spot on an infant’s head; sunken dry eyes with few or no tears; skin loses its firmness and looks wrinkled; lack of elasticity of the skin (when a bit of skin lifted up stays folded and takes a long time to go back to its normal position); rapid and deep breathing (faster than normal); and a fast, weak pulse.
“In severe dehydration, these effects become more pronounced and the patient may develop evidence of hypovolemic shock, including diminished consciousness; lack of urine output; cool moist extremities; a rapid and feeble pulse (the radial pulse may be undetectable); low or undetectable blood pressure; and peripheral cyanosis,” according to The Rehydration Project. “Death follows soon if rehydration is not started quickly.”
Who is at Greatest Risk of Dehydration?
No one is immune to a dehydrated condition, but certain populations are at greater risk. The Mayo Clinic points to infants and children, older adults, those with chronic illnesses, and people who work or exercise outside.
Serious complications can ensue, which can include heat injury (ranging in severity from mild cramps to heat exhaustion or potentially life-threatening heatstroke); urinary tract infections, kidney stones and even kidney failure; seizures due to electrolyte imbalance, sometimes with a loss of consciousness; and low blood volume (hypovolemic) shock.
According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s time to call a doctor if you or a loved one “has had diarrhea for 24 hours or more; is irritable or disoriented and much sleepier or less active than usual; can’t keep down fluids; and/or has bloody or black stool.”
How Can You Be a Water-Wise Shopper?
The USDA recommends consumers shop smartly. “Use the Nutrition Facts label to choose beverages at the grocery store. The food label and ingredients list contain information about added sugars, saturated fat, sodium and calories to help you make better choices.”
There are also highly efficacious and economical dehydration avoidance and treatment innovations that can be integrated into one’s lifestyle and used on a daily basis. The experts at SOS Hydration explain that its medically-formulated drink-mix powder accelerates hydration equivalent to an I.V. drip, rehydrating the body fully three-times faster than by drinking water alone. This product’s heightened hydration process leverages the body’s digestive “sodium/glucose co-transport system”—an Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
Can Foods Help You Stay Hydrated?
Yes, the body intakes hydration not only from water and other liquids but foodstuffs as well—some boasting as much 90% water content. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, those in the 90-100% water content range include fruits like cantaloupe, strawberries and watermelon; as well as vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, celery, spinach, and cooked squash. Options with a 70% to 89% water content include fruits like bananas, grapes, oranges, pears, and pineapples; vegetables such as carrots, cooked broccoli and avocados; and dairy products like yogurt, cottage cheese and ricotta cheese.
For drinks, EatRight.org advise we focus on unsweetened beverages, like water, in order to limit calories from added sugars, and to use strategies to increase water intake—like adding a flavor enhancer.
Can Sports Drinks Actually Undermine Hydration?
Yes. Why pay extra money for excess sugar when what you really need are electrolytes?
“In truth, only a very small amount of sugar is required to help transport electrolytes and water into the cells as part of the sodium-glucose co-transport system,” Dr. Lizaola-Mayo says. “In fact, this system is most effective when it utilizes one molecule of sugar and one molecule of sodium in combination, which helps create the fastest and most effective way to transport water into the cells for hydration. Even water rehydration and other drinks that do actually claim to utilize the sodium-glucose co-transport system have been shown to contain excess sugar to enhance taste, apparently discounting the fact that that this added sugar commensurately increases calorie count and actually undermines cellular H2O absorption.
“If there is excess sugar in a drink, even one engineered as a rehydration solution, then you can trigger reverse osmosis,” the doctor continues. This process occurs when there is an incorrect balance of sugar to sodium. Sodium always follows sugar and water always follows sodium. In a drink that is correctly balanced (utilizing the sodium-glucose co-transport system) then the water and electrolytes optimally flow into the cells. In high sugar ‘rehydration’ drinks there is too much sugar for the quantity of sodium and, as such, sodium and then water is actually leeched from the cells and passed out of the body as urine. This can actually cause dehydration—the opposite effect for a rehydration or sports beverage one has spent their hard-earned dollars to purchase.”
So whether indoors or out, active or at rest, suffering illness or perfectly healthy, one thing is clear: Keeping your water sources well at hand and ingesting with regularity (and consistency) can have a profoundly beneficial effect on your health and well-being.
It’s one easy and highly accessible assist for a multitude of maladies.
Mental Health Is No Joke, So BLACK ENTERPRISE Crafted A Go-To Guide For Resources
It's OK to ask for help.
Originally Published Sept. 6, 2020
Mental health has long carried a stigma in the Black community that has prevented many from seeking medical treatment.
According to a 2021 report by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide was ranked as the eleventh-leading cause of death in the United States with close to 50,000 deaths recorded in that year alone.
May is Mental Health Awareness month and BLACK ENTERPRISE is raising awareness for our community. Black Americans are more likely to experience trauma from racial encounters more than other ethnic groups. It is time to fight against the stigma by creating more safe spaces for those suffering to share their experiences. In light of the recent string of Black deaths by the hands of police officers—which have sparked nationwide protests in the midst of a deadly pandemic—it is imperative now more and than ever to take care of your mental health needs.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from mental health-related issues, please contact one of the organizations below for more guidance on how to seek out treatment.
