Health & WellnessS


Microscope 2

Air pollution's affect on DNA and the increased risk of neurodegenerative disease

Bailey Kirkpatrick
What is Epigenetics?
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 00:00 UTC
air pollution
Not only is air pollution a major environmental concern, but it poses major health issues. New research suggests that inhaling extremely small particles known as fine particulate matter could add epigenetic marks to DNA. This may potentially lead to stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, cognitive impairments and neurodevelopmental disorders.

We're certainly learning more about how our exposure to environmental toxins, especially pollution, affects the chemical tags that attach to our DNA and our health. Previous studies have linked traffic-related air pollution to an increase in histone acetylation, an epigenetic mark found on histone proteins. Similar research uncovered an association between inhaling diesel exhaust fumes and epigenetic changes that affected around 400 genes.

In a new study published in Toxicology, a team of researchers set out to investigate the role of oxidative stress and DNA hydroxymethylation caused by particulate matter from air pollution, in the development of neurodegenerative disease. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) is an interesting epigenetic modification and its potential function continues to be explored.

Comment: So we have yet another reason for working to prevent - or helping to mitigate - the effects of oxidative stress that comes from pollution. Especially if one lives in an area with heavy industry.

See:

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Health

How eating less slows the aging process


Nutrition Review
Sat, 18 Feb 2017 07:10 UTC
meat and veg
© unknown
There's a multi-billion-dollar industry devoted to products that fight signs of aging, but moisturizers only go skin deep. Aging occurs deeper — at a cellular level — and scientists have found that eating less can slow this cellular process.

Recent research published in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics offers one glimpse into how cutting calories impacts aging inside a cell. The researchers found that when ribosomes — the cell's protein makers — slow down, the aging process slows too. The decreased speed lowers production but gives ribosomes extra time to repair themselves.

"The ribosome is a very complex machine, sort of like your car, and it periodically needs maintenance to replace the parts that wear out the fastest," said Brigham Young University biochemistry professor and senior author John Price. "When tires wear out, you don't throw the whole car away and buy new ones. It's cheaper to replace the tires."

So what causes ribosome production to slow down in the first place? At least for mice: reduced calorie consumption.

Comment: See also:

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Health

Sunlight: A key factor the breast cancer awareness movement ignores

Dr. Dennis Clark
Natural Blaze
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 20:28 UTC
breast cancer
The breast cancer awareness movement continues to miss out on what may be the single most important factor for preventing breast cancer: sunshine.

Sunshine is not even included in the list of factors currently under study, according to the Susan B. Komen Foundation.

Nevertheless, the potential role of sunshine for reducing the incidence of breast cancer has been known for decades. That's not all. Sunshine plays an important role in reducing other kinds of cancer as well.

THE IGNORED RESEARCH

In 1990, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, showed that the risk of fatal breast cancer in the U.S. followed a north-south gradient. Northern areas (New York, Chicago) were associated with up to a 1.8-fold higher rate of mortality in comparison with southern areas (Phoenix, Honolulu).

Lower mortality corresponded to higher levels of sunlight.

The same research group immediately followed up with a similar study of breast cancer incidence in the former Soviet Union. Results showed the same trend as in the U.S.

The survey expanded worldwide in 2005 to compare the incidence of breast cancer in 175 countries relative to their distance from the equator. In the northern hemisphere, the highest cancer rates were found in Norway, Iceland, Sweden, and Canada. These countries are all located above 60º North latitude.

Comment: Further reading:

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Attention

Just say 'no' to Nutella

Natasha Longo
Prevent Disease
Wed, 22 Feb 2017 19:12 UTC
nutella
55% of Nutella is sugar based.
Who didn't love Nutella as a child? That chocolatey smooth texture which spreads so perfectly on any food. Contrary to what its manufacturers promoted for decades, Nutella is not a health food at all. With the exception of margarine, it's the closest thing to spreadable junk food packed with sugar and one toxic ingredient in particular that has been linked with cancer.

Nutella was introduced in 1964 by the Italian company Ferrero who still manufactures the product, however they do have local manufacturers in many countries.

On their website Nutella claims "We choose only the freshest raw materials, carefully selected according to a sustainable sourcing and a great attention to their quality."

Two moms took Ferrero to court over false advertising and won their case. Their goal was to get the maker of Nutella to admit that, contrary to its ads, the product is no more healthy than a candy bar.
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Health

EU warns of alarming threat from superbug bacteria which has evolved to resist many widely used antibiotics

Kate Lelland
Reuters
Wed, 22 Feb 2017 10:24 UTC
superbug
Superbug bacteria found in people, animals and food across the European Union pose an "alarming" threat to public and animal health having evolved to resist widely used antibiotics, disease and safety experts warned on Wednesday.

A report on antimicrobial resistance in bacteria by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said some 25,000 people die from such superbugs in the European Union every year.

"Antimicrobial resistance is an alarming threat putting human and animal health in danger," said Vytenis Andriukaitis, the EU's health and food safety commissioner.

"We have put substantial efforts to stop its rise, but this is not enough. We must be quicker, stronger and act on several fronts."

Drug resistance is driven by the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, which encourages bacteria to evolve to survive and develop new ways of beating the medicines.

Comment: The Health & Wellness Show: What have we done? Antibiotic resistance in the age of superbugs

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Health

Vitamin B found to significantly reduce symptoms of mental illness

Marco Torres
Prevent Disease
Mon, 20 Feb 2017 18:06 UTC
vitamin B12
We cannot escape the reality that in developed nations, people are often overfed and undernourished. A growing body of literature links dietary choices to brain health and the risk of psychiatric illness. B vitamins are required for proper functioning of the methylation cycle, monoamine production, DNA synthesis, and maintenance of phospholipids such as myelin. A review of worldwide studies has found that add-on treatment with high-dose b-vitamins -- including B6, B8 and B12 -- can significantly reduce symptoms of schizophrenia more than standard treatments alone.

The research -- on the effect of vitamin and mineral supplements on symptoms of schizophrenia was published in Psychological Medicine, one of the world's leading psychology journals.

Vitamin B is a dietary powerhouse, boosting energy levels and enhancing performance of nearly every system in the body.

The connection between mental health and B12 deficiency is staggering and yet it appears screening is rarely carried out within any division of modern healthcare.
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Airplane

Yay, Science! Boeing used potatoes instead of people to test its Wi-Fi

Catherine J. Frompovich
Activist Post
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 17:55 UTC
wifi airplane
Here's one for the record books, that's Ripley's Believe It Or Not edition, if it's still in print.

According to a December 2012 BBC news report, "Boeing uses potatoes instead of people to test wi-fi."

I wonder what those potatoes in sacks had to say about how their brains reacted. Oh, sorry!

Potatoes don't have brains—or do they?

According to the BBC,
Boeing's engineers did a number of tests to ensure that passengers would get the strongest possible wi-fi signal while in the air, all while meeting safety standards that protect against interference with an aircraft's electrical systems. [CJF emphasis] [But not protect passengers!]
Did those tests include non-thermal adverse events results Wi-Fi microwaves produce while operating at 2.4 GHz or above? Spuds cannot answer those questions or participate in such necessary tests.

According to Boeing, the spuds were perfect stand-ins for humans! However, I don't think so. How come? Let me tell you what I think.
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Info

Our modern world is radically at odds with the evolution of human senses helping to make us short-sighted, obese and depressed

Ian Johnston
The Independent
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 07:55 UTC
Chimpanzee
© Brad WilsonChimpanzee portrait - part of the Affinity collection
The 'ape that's in us' developed a taste for sugary fruits that were only available sometimes, our eyesight was not designed for staring at computers for hours in artificial light, and pollution is damaging our sense of smell

The modern world is radically at odds with the way human senses have evolved, helping to make us short-sighted, obese and depressed, scientists have warned.

Spending large amounts of time indoors under artificial light and staring at computer screens has helped produce a "myopia epidemic" with as many as 90 per cent of people in some parts of the world needing glasses.

Industrial food production has also turned primates' taste for sugar — which evolved to persuade us to gorge on healthy fruit when it was ripe — into one of the main causes of the soaring rates of obesity in the Western world.

And our sense of smell is under attack from air pollution, producing an array of different effects, including depression and anxiety.

Three experts in each of the senses spoke about their work at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston.
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Syringe

If the Auto Industry Operated Like the Vaccine Industry...

The Health Ranger
Youtube
Wed, 15 Apr 2015 15:14 UTC

This animation reveals the absurdity of the vaccine industry's legacy of harmful products and absolute legal immunity from liability.
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Attention

How clothes are polluting our food supply with microfibers and toxic chemicals

Dr. Mercola
Mercola
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 16:41 UTC
clothes
Every day, each and every one of us contribute to the ongoing destruction of the environment simply by participating in modern society.

Not only do people inappropriately dispose of drugs by flushing them down the toilet, the cleaning and personal care products we use and the clothes we wear and wash on a daily basis also contribute to the environmental pollution.

Indeed, the environmental impacts of our clothing choices are shocking, as studies assessing toxic effects of various fabric treatments (such as dyes, flame retardants and stain-resistant chemicals) to laundry detergents and the fabric fibers themselves need serious attention.
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