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Fri, 29 Oct 2021
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Bacon

It's bread and pasta that is killing us, not fatty foods

Eric Thorn
Washington Times
Sun, 08 Jul 2018 17:26 UTC
heart carbs
© Linas Garsys/The Washington Times
Illustration on the harmful effects of carbohydrates
This year, more than 610,000 Americans will die from heart disease. It's the leading cause of death for both men and women.

For decades, doctors and nutritionists prescribed low-fat diets to people trying to lower their risk of heart disease. Saturated fats in meats and dairy products were thought to clog our arteries. Grains - especially "whole" ones - were thought to help everything from high cholesterol to digestion.

A growing body of research suggests this advice was wrong. For most people, it's carbohydrates, not fats, that are the true cause of heart disease.

Consider a report published last year in The Lancet that studied nutrition among more than 135,000 people across 18 different countries - making it the largest-ever observational study of its kind. The researchers found that people who ate the least saturated fat - about the same amount currently recommended for heart patients - had the highest rates of heart disease and mortality. Meanwhile, people who consumed the most saturated fat had the lowest rate of strokes.
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Health

Can we agree to demonize processed food, not saturated fat?

Zoe Harcombe
The BMJ
Tue, 26 Jun 2018 00:01 UTC
saturated fat steaks
"Animal fats, for instance, are the main sources of saturated fats in many modern diets, but some animal fats are higher in monounsaturated fats than saturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils will typically contain both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in different concentrations."

Much of the demonization of saturated fat derives from a misunderstanding of what saturated fat actually is. A clarity of understanding and terminology could facilitate agreement. The extract from the paper quoted above contains a number of such examples:

Comment: The case against saturated fat has always been dubious and, as we see above, the foods the public is being told to avoid doesn't make sense even assuming saturated fat is somehow detrimental. But the exact opposite is true - wholesome natural animal foods should be indulged in, not avoided.

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Pills

Probiotic intake cuts age-related bone loss in elderly women

Mae Chan
Prevent Disease
Thu, 28 Jun 2018 14:57 UTC
probióticos
For the first time in the world, researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have demonstrated that probiotics, dietary supplements with health-promoting bacteria, can be used to affect the human skeleton.

There are over 400 species of bacteria in your belly right now that can be the key to health or disease. The genomes of the bacteria and viruses of the human gut alone are thought to encode 3.3 million genes.

Among older women who received probiotics, bone loss was halved compared to women who received only a placebo. The research opens the door to a new way to prevent fractures among the elderly.

Brittleness of the bones, or osteoporosis, is characterized by porous and weak bones, which can cause them to break even when subjected to low loads, such as a fall from standing height. The proportion of the population with osteoporosis increases with age, and a majority of women over 80 years of age have the disease.

"Today there are effective medications administered to treat osteoporosis, but because bone fragility is rarely detected before the first fracture, there is a pressing need for preventive treatments," says Mattias Lorentzon, who is a chief physician and professor of geriatrics at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.
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Lemon

Juice: A gateway beverage?

Erika R. Cheng, Lauren G. Fiechtner & Aaron E. Carroll
The New York Times
Sat, 07 Jul 2018 15:38 UTC
juice
© Nicolas Ortega
Obesity affects 40 percent of adults and 19 percent of children in the United States and accounts for more than $168 billion in health care spending each year. Sugary beverages are thought to be one of the major drivers of the obesity epidemic. These drinks (think soda and sports drinks) are the largest single source of added sugars for Americans and contribute, on average, 145 added calories a day to our diets. For these reasons, reducing sugary beverage consumption has been a significant focus of public health intervention. Most efforts have focused on sodas.

But not juice. Juice, for some reason, gets a pass. It's not clear why.

Americans drink a lot of juice. The average adult drinks 6.6 gallons per year. More than half of preschool-age children (ages 2 to 5) drink juice regularly, a proportion that, unlike for sodas, has not budged in recent decades. These children consume on average 10 ounces per day, more than twice the amount recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Comment: Juice, not such a healthy beverage:

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Life Preserver

Aptamil new baby milk formula is making babies sick, parents claim

Sofia Petkar
The Sun
Sat, 07 Jul 2018 18:08 UTC
Aptamil baby formula
© MEN Media
The new formula (right) has started making babies unwell

Babies have suffered diarrhoea and vomiting just weeks after the new formula hit shelves

Furious parents have slammed baby formula makers Aptamil after dozens babies became unwell after allegedly consuming one of their products.

The company's Facebook page has been flooded with complaints just weeks after the manufacturer changed the recipe of their First Infant milk powder.

Comment: It's interesting that this story hits the news at the same time as the NY Times reported US strong-arming developing nations into adopting anti-breastfeeding WHO resolution. Is the universe trying to tell us something?

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Cloud Grey

Researchers find a 'strong link' between air pollution and diabetes


Yahoo News
Sat, 30 Jun 2018 17:49 UTC
smoggy city
© AFP Photo/PUNIT PARANJPE
Air pollution contributed to 3.2 million new cases of diabetes globally in 2016, the study found.
Air pollution caused one in seven new cases of diabetes in 2016, according to a US study, which found even low levels raised the chances of developing the chronic disease.

Diabetes has primarily been associated with lifestyle factors like diet and a sedentary lifestyle, but research by the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis said pollution also plays a major role.

The study estimated that pollution contributed to 3.2 million new diabetes cases globally in 2016 -- or around 14 percent of all new diabetes cases globally that year.

"Our research shows a significant link between air pollution and diabetes globally," said Ziyad Al-Aly, the study's senior author.

Pollution is thought to reduce the body's insulin production, "preventing the body from converting blood glucose into energy that the body needs to maintain health," according to the research.

Comment: This all just speculation and estimates. Hard data would be nice.

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Bullseye

Bioengineered: Proposed labels for genetically engineered foods aim to put smiley face & sunshine on bad technology


The Organic & Non-GMO Report
Wed, 06 Jun 2018 14:54 UTC
Bioengineered
In early May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its draft proposal for labeling foods containing genetically engineered ingredients, and the 106-page document was met with criticism and many unanswered questions.

The 106-page proposed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard resulted after legislation requiring labeling of GMO foods was passed by US Congress and signed into law by President Obama in 2016. The legislation required that the law come into effect by July 29, 2018.

One of the biggest criticisms of the labeling standard was its terminology. Instead of using highly recognizable terms like "GMO," "genetically modified" or "genetically engineered," the standard uses the term "bioengineered." Proposed labels feature the acronym "BE" with cartoonish smiley faces and sunshine.

Comment: G.M.O. foods will soon require labels - but what will the labels say?

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Attention

The problem with Big Food? We think we can do better than nature

Marco Torres
Prevent Disease
Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:55 UTC
earth
The problem with our food industry and big agriculture goes far beyond foods which are genetically modified, irradiated, pasteurized, homogenized, enriched, refined, toxically preserved, or grown with antimicrobials, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or any other "cide." The problem is actually in our minds and how we think about food and nature itself. We are filled with knowledge but no wisdom. We think we can do better than nature. We think we can outsmart nature. Most of all, we think there will never be consequences to our superiority complexes in how we treat nature. Nature just waits patiently, until the day comes when she opens the door and decides to cleanse the earth and show the human species who is the smartest one of all. Nature is knocking...can you hear her?

If you don't go back to sleep, you may wake up one day to the shocking reality of what we have done to this planet. However, if you are informed and receptive to what our species has done to nature, and if you have become complacent about it, then you too may be in for a rude awakening as you are not positively contributing to a resolution to help Mother Earth.
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Alarm Clock

Boys Adrift: The boys are not alright


World Mercury Project
Tue, 03 Jul 2018 14:25 UTC
boys adrift
Over the past decade or so, the term "gender gap" has taken on a new and heretofore unimaginable usage. Instead of signaling pay gaps or gender differentials in voting patterns, "gender gap" now seems to be shorthand for male decline and weakness in domains as varied as education, employment and health. Referring to the novel Atlas Shrugged and its focus on "the motor of the world," physician-author Leonard Sax suggests that "we may be living in...a time when the motor that drives the world is running down or stuck in neutral - but only for boys."

As children's exposure to potent environmental toxicants has increased, boys appear to be shouldering a disproportionate share of the consequences.
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Bad Guys

Harvest of Greed: The Bayer and Monsanto Merger

Dr. Mercola
Wake-up World
Thu, 05 Jul 2018 12:57 UTC
monsanto merger
The Bayer-Monsanto entity is now the largest seed and pesticide company in the world, controlling more than 25 percent of the global seed and pesticide supply. Farmers are concerned about what the merger might do to prices and quality - since less competition inevitably tends to lead to price hikes while reducing incentive for innovation - the merger will also give the subsequent entity even more power to pressure and manipulate governments into accepting the unacceptable risks posed by GMOs and toxic pesticides.

The documentary, Harvest of Greed investigates a number of the many issues brought about by the merger of Monsanto and Bayer AG. The merger was initially announced in May 2016, when Monsanto accepted Bayer's $66 billion takeover offer - the largest all-cash buyout on record.1,2,3
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