Health & WellnessS


Question

Is Food Packaging Affecting Your Health?

Marcelle Pick, OB-GYN N.P.
Huffington Post
Thu, 19 May 2011 16:28 UTC
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© ecochildsplay.comFood Packaging is Major Source of Toxic BPA and DEHP Chemical Exposure.
Most of us are genuinely trying to do our best to be healthy -- we buy organic food, try to drink filtered water, include more fruits and vegetables with every meal, the list goes on and on. But what about the plastic our organic vegetables are wrapped in? What about the plastic bottles holding our filtered water? And the microwaveable plastic bag we sometimes use to cook our extra veggies in because it's so easy? While the science is still relatively preliminary at this point, there is a possibility that the packaging surrounding our food may be just as influential on our health as what is inside.

Chemicals like Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates and PCV (polyvinyl chloride) have all been found in plastic food packaging, the linings of soda cans and canned food. These chemicals, often referred to as endocrine disruptors, do much more than simply help to protect and contain our food. They can mimic our natural hormones, turning on or off the body's native hormone signals to block natural responses or trigger excessive action.

Comment: For a more in depth look at the toxic chemicals found in food packaging and their effects on human health read the following articles:

Food Packaging Harbors Harmful Chemicals
Toxic Glue Used in Supermarket Food Packaging 'Poses Severe Risk to Health'
Chemicals Leach From Packaging
Chemicals in Fast Food Wrappers Show Up in Human Blood
Major Producers to Ditch BPA from Packaging

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Info

5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You

Dr. Mark Hyman
Ultrawellness.com
Sat, 21 May 2011 15:40 UTC
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© unknown
If you can't convince them, confuse them. - Harry Truman

The current media debate about the benefits (or lack of harm) of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in our diet misses the obvious. The average American increased their consumption of HFCS (mostly from sugar sweetened drinks and processed food) from zero to over 60 pounds per person per year. During that time period, obesity rates have more than tripled and diabetes incidence has increased more than seven fold. Not perhaps the only cause, but a fact that cannot be ignored.

Doubt and confusion are the currency of deception, and they sow the seeds of complacency. These are used skillfully through massive print and television advertising campaigns by the Corn Refiners Association's attempt to dispel the "myth" that HFCS is harmful and assert through the opinion of "medical and nutrition experts" that it is no different than cane sugar. It is a "natural" product that is a healthy part of our diet when used in moderation.

Except for one problem. When used in moderation it is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay and more.
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Bell

GMO's Should be Banned: Found in 80% of Supermarket Foods


Dr. Mercola
Fri, 20 May 2011 17:18 UTC

Monsanto may soon be allowed to conduct its own environmental studies. Currently, the USDA is responsible for assessing environmental impacts of new GMO crops, but the agency plans to at least temporarily hand over environmental impact reporting responsibilities to the biotech companies behind GMO crops.

If this isn't the classic example of the fox guarding the hen house I don't know what is.

The two-year pilot program will allow the companies to conduct their own environmental assessments, or alternately outsource the work to contractors. The USDA will retain the final say in determining the safety of crops.

According to Fast Company:
"The USDA won't actually admit that it's bad at performing its duties -- instead, the agency claims that the move will make the environmental reporting process more timely, efficient, and cost-effective ... [But if Monsanto] has a vested interest in getting one of its crops deregulated, why wouldn't it try to fudge the numbers on an environmental review? And why wouldn't its hired contractors do the same?"
You might think that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) don't affect you. But in fact, up to 90 percent of all major U.S. grown crops are grown with genetically engineered seed, and can be used in human and animal foods without any safety testing or labeling.

This includes GM corn, soybeans, canola, and sugar beets, which have made their way into approximately 80 percent of current U.S. grocery store items.
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Ladybug

Flora on my mind

Ari LeVaux
The Durango Telegraph
Thu, 19 May 2011 16:38 UTC
mud spoon
Most children seem determined to eat dirt. It may be a coincidence, but those little mud pie makers are now being supported by a growing body of scientific evidence that early exposure to diverse microorganisms results in immune systems. Now there's reason to think that intestinal bacteria have important effects on brain development as well.

A study published in the March issue of Neurogastroenterology & Motility examined germ-free mice - i.e. mice deprived of contact with bacteria. The researchers observed changes in brain activity based on varying microbe levels. They also found germ-free mice more likely to engage in risky behavior - measured as time spent in areas where they could be seen - than mice with normal levels of intestinal flora. The study concludes this constitutes evidence of bacteria in the loop between belly and brain, influencing behavior.

A separate study, published last November in Archives of General Psychiatry, surveyed the scientific literature for evidence of a connection between gut microbes and depression, and suggested that certain bacteria might be considered as treatment for depression.

Comment: Read also:
Link between gut bacteria and behavior: That anxiety may be in your gut, not in your head
The polyvagal theory: New insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system

Read More...
Info

A new discovery about mosquitoes reveals why vampires will never exist

Esther Inglis-Arkell
io9
Fri, 20 May 2011 06:00 UTC
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© unknown
Scientists have found a type of bacteria that kills off the mosquito that carries malaria. That's good news. The way the bacteria works means it could also be used to make sure there is never a plague of vampires. That's even more good news.

Anopheles gambiae, the blood-sucking, malaria-carrying mosquito has been a deadly adversary to humanity for a long time. Malaria kills almost a million people per year. Researchers have come up with hundreds of potential ways to combat the disease, from engineering a malaria-proof mosquito to shooting the mosquitos that carry malaria out of the sky with lasers. This latest effort might also fight more mythical foes of humanity.

Wolbachia is a bacteria that preys on insects. It is not carried by the type of mosquito that carries the malaria parasite. Scientists guessed that it might be fatal to this type of mosquito, and infected them with two different strains of Wolbachia, hoping for a way to kill off the carriers to stop the spread of the disease. The bacteria spread quickly, and even seemed to manipulate the mosquitos' immune systems to give itself the run of the insect's body. What's more, it inhibited the growth of malaria in the insects. But they didn't seem to die. They sucked down the sugar that the scientists provided them quite happily, and lived quite healthily. Then they were fed blood, and died in a day.
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Cow

A Metabolic Paradigm Shift, or Why Fat is the Preferred Fuel for Human Metabolism

Mark Sisson
Mark's Daily Apple
Thu, 19 May 2011 00:00 UTC
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There's a good reason so many people (mostly the sugar-burners, whose disparate group includes fruitarians, veg*ans, HEDers, body-builders, most MDs, the USDA and virtually every RD program in the country) can't seem to grasp why a lower carb, Primal approach to eating is a better choice for health and fitness: their fundamental paradigm - the core theory that underpins everything else in that belief system - is flawed. They remain slaves to the antiquated notion that glucose is the king of fuels, so they live their lives in a fear of running low. The truth is, fat is the preferred fuel of human metabolism and has been for most of human evolution. Under normal human circumstances, we actually require only minimal amounts of glucose, most or all of which can be supplied by the liver as needed on a daily basis. The simple SAD fact that carbs/glucose are so readily available and cheap today doesn't mean that we should depend on them as a primary source of fuel or revere them so highly. In fact, it is this blind allegiance to the "Carb Paradigm" that has driven so many of us to experience the vast array of metabolic problems that threaten to overwhelm our health care system.
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Health

Toxic Pesticides from GM Food Crops Found in Unborn Babies

Andy Bloxham
The Telegraph, UK
Fri, 20 May 2011 11:48 UTC
pregnant mother
© n/a
Toxic pesticides which are implanted into genetically modified food crops have lodged in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn babies, research shows.

Scientists at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at the University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre in Quebec, took dozens of samples from women.

Traces of the toxin were found 93 per cent of the pregnant mothers and in 80 per cent of the umbilical cords.

The research suggested the chemicals were entering the body through eating meat, milk and eggs from farm livestock which have been fed GM corn.

The findings appear to contradict the GM industry's long-standing claim that any potentially harmful chemicals added to crops would pass safely through the body.
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Magic Wand

Secrets of the plague revealed: Scientists discover why human cells fail to defend against killer disease


The Daily Mail
Fri, 20 May 2011 11:17 UTC
Scientists can finally explain exactly how and why a cell's defences fail against some invaders, including the plague, while successfully fending off others.

A new super-resolution microscopy technique is providing researchers with never-before-seen detail of a cell membrane.

They claim the development could open doors to new diagnostic, prevention and treatment techniques.

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© Jerl Timlin, Jesse Aaron and Bryan CarsonBefore and after: What scientists used to be able to see on a cell's surface (left), compared to what they can now see (right). Orange areas show the bacteria LPS, derived from E. coli, while the green areas show the cell's TLR4 receptors
Jesse Aaron, a researcher at of Sandia National Laboratories, said: 'We're trying to do molecular biology with a microscope, but in order to do that, we must be able to look at things on a molecular scale.'

The cell membrane is a bustling hub of activity on a minuscule scale. While providing structure and housing the cell's interior, the membrane regulates movement of materials in and out of the cell, controls adhesion to other objects and co-ordinates the cell's communications and subsequent actions through signalling.
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People

Cooked tomatoes 'as good as statins' for battling cholesterol


Daily Mail
Fri, 20 May 2011 05:54 UTC
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Healthy: Chemicals found in cooked tomatoes could be effective as statins in fighting cholesterol
They are common ingredients found in millions of kitchen cupboards.

But pasta sauces and pizza toppings could add much more than a tasty tomato flavour to a family's favourite meals.

Scientists said that cooked tomatoes can have the same benefits as statins for patients battling against high cholesterol levels or high blood pressure.

They could be an 'effective alternative' to statins, the class of drugs commonly prescribed for these conditions which can lead to heart problems, according to a study.

And just two ounces of tomato paste or a pint of juice a day could be enough to help many patients.
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Alarm Clock

US: Neighbors, farmworkers ask EPA to ban use of fumigant in California strawberry fields


Associated Press
Fri, 13 May 2011 21:22 UTC
Salinas - When Annette Danzer and her husband moved into a house surrounded by brush and strawberry fields on California's Central Coast, they were drawn by the rural feel and closeness to nature.

Three years later, the couple fears the fields near Salinas could become a health threat due to potential use of the pesticide methyl iodide.

California regulators approved use of methyl iodide in December despite opposition from scientists and environmental and farmworker groups who claim it's highly toxic and can cause cancer. The chemical would likely be used primarily in California's $2 billion strawberry industry, which last year produced nearly 90 percent of the nation's strawberries on over 37,000 acres.
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