• High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
• Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
• Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
• Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
• Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body's requirement for B12.
• Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D.
• Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
• Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
• Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.
• Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

Paris - Long-term exposure to pesticides may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, according to a study released Thursday.

Workers "directly exposed" to bug and weed killers while toiling in the prestigious vineyards of Bordeaux, France were five times more likely to score less well on a battery of neurological tests than those with minimal or no exposure, the study found.

As revealing, this high-exposure group was twice as likely to register a significantly sharp drop in a key test - frequently used to diagnose dementia - repeated four years after the initial examination.

The drop "is particularly striking in view of the short duration of follow up and the relatively young age of the participants," mostly in their late 40s or 50s, the authors said.

People who are overweight or obese are more likely to die sooner from varying causes than those with healthy weight, according to the first government study to pinpoint risks from findings on 1.5 million white Americans.

Women who never smoked and were classified as merely overweight and not obese -- a 5-foot 5-inch female weighing 150 to 179 pounds -- had a 13 percent greater risk of dying sooner than normal weight peers, the research found. Women who were obese -- 5-foot 5-inches and more than 180 pounds -- had a 44 percent higher risk. The results for men were similar.

A study of ancient bodies has determined that cancer is a man-made disease, one fueled by the excesses. Tumors turn out to be extremely rare until very recent times, when pollution and poor diet became issues.

Researchers analyzed potential references to the disease in classical literature, and also searched for signs in the fossil record and in mummified bodies. But despite examining tissue from hundreds of Egyptian mummies, they confirmed only one case of cancer

According to the Daily Mail:

"Dismissing the argument that the ancient Egyptians didn't live long enough to develop cancer, the researchers pointed out that other age-related disease such as hardening of the arteries and brittle bones did occur ...

Fossil evidence of cancer is also sparse, with scientific literature providing a few dozen, mostly disputed, examples in animal fossil".

Sources:

Daily Mail October 15, 2010

Nature Reviews Cancer October 2010; 10: 728-733

Cancer September 1977; 40(3): 1358-1362

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation approved the use of methyl iodide for strawberry farmers this week. The pesticide is a fumigant that kills insects, weeds and bacteria. There is also research showing it causes cancer in rats and mice. The EPA's website says, "In rats that received subcutaneous injections, subcutaneous sarcomas and pulmonary metastases were reported. An increased incidence of lung tumors was reported in mice exposed to high levels of methyl iodide by intraperitoneal injection."

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment published a document listing the type of toxicity for methyl iodide as "cancer." The 2008 document's title is Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity.

The EPA also says chronic inhalation of the pesticide may impact the human central nervous system. Skin contact for long periods can cause burns in animals and humans, though the length of time to cause burns is not specified. A material safety data sheet, which is a document used by people who handle chemicals regularly such as lab workers, states skin burns can occur on contact. If inhaled for longer periods, it can cause, "pallor, giddiness, dizziness, ataxia, sleepiness, irritability, drowsiness, incoordination, slurred speech, muscular twitching, and even death." Ingestion causes vomiting, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea. It can also be fatal.

While over 200 organizations lobbied on the Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510), no one seemed to notice an unconstitutional section in the bill until after it passed on Tuesday. That day, Roll Call advised that the bill contained a provision, Sec. 107, allowing the Senate to raise revenues. This violates Article I, Section 7, of the U.S. Constitution, granting that power exclusively to the House. S.510 opponents now celebrate the House's use of the "blue slip process" to return the bill to the Senate.

The Alliance for Natural Health figures that:

"The only possible 'quick fix' would be a unanimous consent agreement in the Senate to strike that revenue-raising provision from the bill - but Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has already stated that he will oppose, so unanimity will be impossible."

ANH believes it is unlikely that the Senate will return to a debate on S.510, given its full agenda. Its only other option is to "allow the bill to die at the end of this Congress [which means] a new Food Safety Bill will be introduced next year."

After S.510 passed, President Obama issued a statement: "I urge the House - which has previously passed legislation demonstrating its strong commitment to making our food supply safer - to act quickly on this critical bill, and I applaud the work that was done to ensure its broad bipartisan passage in the Senate."

Apparently, the Senate moved too quickly. Their overreach only supports the natural foods movement assertion that the entire bill is over-reaching as the federal government seeks complete control over local foods.

Chemicals found in cleaning products may be harming the health of children and adults, new research suggests.

A study shows that young people who are over-exposed to the soap agent triclosan are more likely to suffer allergies.

The chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which is used in plastics and to line food cans, may suppress the immune system of adults.

Green tea polyphenols combined with a form of vitamin D called alfacalcidol could boost bone structure and strength, according to a new study in mice.

The mixture may reverse damage to bones caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced chronic inflammation, which could in turn reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

Chronic inflammation causes bone loss through oxidative stress and excessive production of pro-inflammatory molecules.

According to NutraIngredients:

"The researchers reported that both extracted green tea polyphenols and alfacalcidol supplementations reversed LPS-induced changes in bone structure, whilst a combination of both was shown to sustain bone micro-architecture and strength."

Sources:

NutraIngredients November 2, 2010

Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry October 29, 2010

According to Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, life-threatening diseases such as diabetes once consigned to adults are becoming alarmingly common in childhood. Asthma, allergies, endocrine irregularities, behavioral problems and a host of other maladies in children have reached epidemic proportions. Nonetheless, Dr. Dean argues, prevention and reversal are possible with sound nutrition and common sense.

Dr. Dean's new booklet, Kids' Health - A Doctor's Guide for Parents, published by Better Nutrition magazine, offers clear-cut guidelines for achieving, maintaining or restoring children's health.

Here's a little something that can help you make it through the holidays.

I'd like to introduce you to magnesium, the fourth most abundant mineral in your body. Magnesium is the most critical mineral for coping with stress.

That's right. Number one for helping you handle stress.

With the adrenaline-fueled rush of shopping and partying, stress levels go up, up and away. Taking a little magnesium or eating magnesium-rich foods could help bring stress down to a manageable level, and even let you enjoy the holidays more.