You will recall that the FDA's 1994 stance on labeling of genetically modified (GM) foods was that labeling foods as GM or non-GM would be misleading because the foods are no different. Despite overwhelming evidence that the public wants to know whether foods are GM or not, GM foods do not have to be labeled. Worse, those that are labeled non-GM have to include a disclaimer that this makes no difference (I explain how all this happened in Safe Food).
At present, there is no way to know whether GM foods that have been approved by FDA (such as potatoes, tomatoes, squash, papayas) are actually in the produce section of supermarkets. When I was writing What to Eat, I paid to have some papayas tested. Most were not GM. But you have no way of knowing that.
Health & Wellness
Kelly Oram and his daughter Micaela make gluten-free bread at home. Mr. Oram suffered for years from celiac disease before a doctor thought to test him for it.
It turned out that Mr. Oram, a music teacher who lives in White Plains, had celiac disease, an under diagnosed immune disorder set off by eating foods containing gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.
© Brian Hughes, U.S. Geological Survey
The U.S. Geological Survey found mercury in waterways, sediments and fish.
The U.S. Geological Survey found mercury in waterways, sediments and fish.
Mercury contamination found in a quarter of U.S. freshwater fish exceeds federal safe levels for human consumption, according to a study released today by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The agency examined mercury in fish, sediment and water drawn from 291 rivers and streams between 1998 and 2005, finding 25 percent carried mercury at levels above the safe standard for human consumption (0.3 parts per million wet weight), while all of the fish had detectable mercury levels.
"This study shows just how widespread mercury pollution has become in our air, watersheds, and many of our fish in freshwater streams," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement. "This science sends a clear message that our country must continue to confront pollution, restore our nation's waterways, and protect the public from potential health dangers."
We've been told by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the swine flu is a pandemic and spreading rampantly, with two billion people expected to contract the virus globally in the next two years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the regular, garden-variety influenza claimed 24,000 lives during the last flu season. Yet, in what it is citing as a pandemic, WHO has attributed the swine flu with 700 to 800 deaths worldwide to date (as of Common Ground's press date July 29). Pandemic? It's difficult to understand the logic until one pays attention to the underlying motives.
© Unknown
Golden wheat fields: looks divine doesn't it? But we're not supposed to be eating the stuff!
Golden wheat fields: looks divine doesn't it? But we're not supposed to be eating the stuff!
Seems that since I've written the last few articles, I've received numerous comments on gluten. Don Shepherd, John Ho and Pat Becker all made comments on the dangers of gluten. One does not have to have Celiacs disease to be negatively affected by it.
We discussed in earlier posts how there can be many different causes for one disease. If you remember, we used the example of depression in which it could be caused by one's thyroid, a deficiency in folic acid, blood sugar disturbances, hidden infections, deficiency of omega-3 fats, low testosterone and so on.
Now let's flip the coin and turn to gluten and see how one thing can be the cause of many problems and diseases.
In fact, a recent review in the New England Journal of Medicine listed fifty-five diseases that can be caused by eating gluten!
If after a few months' exposure to our David Lynch economy, in which housing markets spontaneously combust, coworkers mysteriously disappear and the stifled moans of dying 401(k) plans can be heard through the floorboards, you have the awful sensation that your body's stress response has taken on a self-replicating and ultimately self-defeating life of its own, congratulations. You are very perceptive. It has.
As though it weren't bad enough that chronic stress has been shown to raise blood pressure, stiffen arteries, suppress the immune system, heighten the risk of diabetes, depression and Alzheimer's disease and make one a very undesirable dinner companion, now researchers have discovered that the sensation of being highly stressed can rewire the brain in ways that promote its sinister persistence.
As though it weren't bad enough that chronic stress has been shown to raise blood pressure, stiffen arteries, suppress the immune system, heighten the risk of diabetes, depression and Alzheimer's disease and make one a very undesirable dinner companion, now researchers have discovered that the sensation of being highly stressed can rewire the brain in ways that promote its sinister persistence.
A preliminary study suggests that a negative, inhibited personality type (type D personality) appears to predict an increased risk of death over four years among patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Peripheral arterial disease occurs when plaque builds up in arteries that supply blood to body areas other than the heart and brain, such as the extremities. However, patients with PAD also have an increased risk of secondary events such as stroke, heart attack and death, according to background information in the article. "Preliminary evidence suggests that personality traits such as hostility may also be associated with the severity and progression of atherosclerosis [plaque buildup] in patients with PAD," the authors write. "Another potential individual risk factor in this context is the distressed personality type (type D). Type D refers to the joint tendency to experience negative emotions and to inhibit self-expression in social interaction."
Peripheral arterial disease occurs when plaque builds up in arteries that supply blood to body areas other than the heart and brain, such as the extremities. However, patients with PAD also have an increased risk of secondary events such as stroke, heart attack and death, according to background information in the article. "Preliminary evidence suggests that personality traits such as hostility may also be associated with the severity and progression of atherosclerosis [plaque buildup] in patients with PAD," the authors write. "Another potential individual risk factor in this context is the distressed personality type (type D). Type D refers to the joint tendency to experience negative emotions and to inhibit self-expression in social interaction."
Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah have uncovered new information on the notion that sugar "feeds" tumors. The findings may also have implications for other diseases such as diabetes. The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"It's been known since 1923 that tumor cells use a lot more glucose than normal cells. Our research helps show how this process takes place, and how it might be stopped to control tumor growth," says Don Ayer, Ph.D., a Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Utah.
During both normal and cancerous cell growth, a cellular process takes place that involves both glucose (sugar) and glutamine (an amino acid). Glucose and glutamine are both essential for cell growth, and it was long assumed they operated independently, but Ayer's research shows they are inter-dependent. He discovered that by restricting glutamine availability, glucose utilization is also stopped. "Essentially, if you don't have glutamine, the cell is short circuited due to a lack of glucose, which halts the growth of the tumor cell" Ayer says.
"It's been known since 1923 that tumor cells use a lot more glucose than normal cells. Our research helps show how this process takes place, and how it might be stopped to control tumor growth," says Don Ayer, Ph.D., a Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Utah.
During both normal and cancerous cell growth, a cellular process takes place that involves both glucose (sugar) and glutamine (an amino acid). Glucose and glutamine are both essential for cell growth, and it was long assumed they operated independently, but Ayer's research shows they are inter-dependent. He discovered that by restricting glutamine availability, glucose utilization is also stopped. "Essentially, if you don't have glutamine, the cell is short circuited due to a lack of glucose, which halts the growth of the tumor cell" Ayer says.
A study in the March issue of the journal SLEEP suggests the presence of an intrinsic sleep problem specific to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and supports the idea that children with ADHD may be chronically sleep deprived and have abnormal REM sleep.
Across the Internet and in many books and magazines there are claims that people with symptoms of fatigue, chemical sensitivities, brain fog and other vague symptoms have an 'Intestinal Candida Infection' or an 'Intestinal Yeast Infection' . Despite these claims, most doctors patently reject the theory that Candida yeast can flourish in the intestinal tract and cause these symptoms. The truth may lie in the surprising findings of a condition that neither side has likely ever heard of- 'Gut Fermentation Syndrome'!
