Sugar called 'most dangerous drug' of our time ABC News

We all know too much sugar can rot your teeth and expand your waistline. But is it "the most dangerous drug" of our time? According to the head of Amsterdam's health service, the answer is yes. Paul van der Velpen says sugar is a drug, just like alcohol and tobacco, and can be as addictive as smoking. He says it should be "tightly regulated." Added sugars are linked to obesity and diabetes, which is why van der Velpen says sweetened products should come with a cigarette pack-like warning that "sugar is addictive and bad for the health." Related Content LINK: Add ABC7 News to your Google+ circles LINK: Follow @abc7newsbayarea on Twitter According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average American man consumes 335 calories in added sugars. That's 13 percent of his recommended daily calories. Women get an average of 11 percent of their recommended daily calories from sugars added to processed foods and sweet treats like sodas, chocolates and ice creams.

MISS AMERICA - ABC News

MISS AMERICA: A Bay Area resident will be among the 53 women vying for Miss America tonight. Crystal Lee of San Francisco was crowned Miss California last year. SHARE this post to wish Crystal good luck! And cheer her on by watching the Miss America pageant tonight at 9 on ABC7. READ more about Crystal here --> http://abc7ne.ws/8i7mk PHOTOS of the contestants --> http://abc7ne.ws/uf2oc

Microwave energy offers new treatment option for cancer patients

Carolyn Johnson More: Bio, E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, News Team PALO ALTO, Calif. (KGO) -- Doctors at Stanford Hospital are refining a technique to kill tumors without major surgery. For patients with certain types of cancers, the minimally invasive technique is proving life changing. Gwen McCane is one of those patients. Golf is a passion for her and her husband Carl. But the discovery of a cancerous spot on her liver, forced Gwen to shift her focus. After surviving pancreatic cancer, the news that cancer had metastasized to her liver represented a new battle. "At that time, it was almost like a death sentence," says Gwen. Related Content LINK: Add ABC7 News to your Google+ circles Gwen turned to Dr. Gloria Hwang at Stanford Hospital, who recommended treatment with a device that delivers microwave heat to kill tumor tissue -- a process known as microwave ablation. Hwang explains how the system works. "This is her liver, and this bright spot is where some of the tumor has metastasized. In 10 minutes I can very easily encompass this tumor plus a little bit of the liver tissue around it," she said. In the second of two procedures to kill the cancer, Hwang uses imaging from a CT scanner to place two probes into the tumor from different angles. "I've essentially bracketed this tumor with these two needles," explains Hwang. The system known as Certus 140 employs a gas cooling system, which allows it to deliver higher levels of heat to a wider target area without burning surrounding tissue. Stanford's Dr. Paul Laeseke was part of the development team and is currently director of clinical affairs for NeuWave Medical, the company that manufactures the system. "This delivers up to 140 watts of power," explains Laeseke. "You need to be able to put down a lot of power to create larger volumes of tissue kill and to treat the whole tumor." Once the microwave heat is released, Hwang uses ultrasound imaging to gage how much of the tumor is being destroyed. Bubbles produced by the heat are visible as a milky area on the screen. "And that cloud of gas gives me a pretty good approximation of how large the kill zone is," explains Hwang. Over the course of about an hour, the Stanford team will confirm that the microwave heat has reached the entire tumor before removing the probes. Hwang then re-checks the images to confirm the effect. For Gwen, the procedure is part of a wider treatment plan to fight her cancer, which also includes chemotherapy. Together the treatments are allowing her to return her favorite pastime. "My husband and I are getting back on the golf course," says Gwen. "We love golf, and golf is our life. So, we're getting back on the course." The research team behind the technology hopes the microwave technique can eventually be applied to other targets, including lung cancer. Written and produced by Tim Didion

ABC News 12 killed, up to 10 wounded in Navy yard shooting

WASHINGTON -- DC mayor says that at least 12 people have been killed and as many as 10 wounded in a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. A federal law enforcement official and a Defense Department official said Monday morning that a shooter had died. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation. Two other officials have said they are looking into the possibility of a second shooter at the Navy Yard. LIVE VIDEO --> http://abc7ne.ws/7hbdv