Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

At the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society scientists expressed concern over the environmental and human health risks of nanotechnology, microscopic particles used in personal care products like sunscreen and cosmetics that are highly effective at penetrating the skin. Researchers suggest the chemicals many nanoparticles contain, like nano-titanium dioxide, which blocks ultraviolet rays, may harm the environment, such as possibly disrupting beneficial soil microbes; via EurekAlert!

Like many experts, Dr. Fuhrman acknowledges the potential of nanotechnology, but urges caution. Saying nanoparticles are 70 times smaller than a red blood cell allowing them to penetrate the skin, possibly elude the immune system and reach the brain. Nanotechnology in food packaging has already drawn heavy scrutiny by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Carbon nanotubes, used to make car bumpers, computer displays and bicycle components, pose health risks similar to inhaling asbestos. So many factories manufacture nanoparticles in closed chemical reactors and require workers to wear respirators.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Bad news for fisherman, sampling by the Environmental Protection Agency discovered fish caught near freshwater treatment plants serving major U.S. cities, like Chicago and Philadelphia, contained residues from pharmaceuticals in them, such as medications used to treat high cholesterol, depression and high blood pressure, as well as trace amounts of soap chemicals. Even minuet concentrations of these compounds can harm aquatic life and contaminate drinking water; the Associated Press reports. 

It gets worse! Pay attention guys. All the chemicals in our environment are causing more hermaphrodites in the animal world and in human populations in the United States and Japan the number of male births is on the decline, but girl babies are on the rise. Scientists suspect female hormones from contraceptive pills reentering the water supply are to blame.

In related news, perfluorinated compounds, fluorine-containing chemicals used to make products like shampoo and dental floss may cause infertility in women. That means one thing. We all better start having sex before it’s too late. Do it for the species!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Some people think love handles are cute, but a new study claims carrying extra weight around the abdomen impairs lung function. Published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, researchers examined data on 120,000 people in France, assessing smoking history, alcohol consumption and lung function with respect to Body Mass Index, determining participants with chubby waists, over 35 inches for women and over 40 inches for men, had impaired function; Reuters reports.

Belly fat gets a ton of bad press. In February, a study of 22,211 people with migraines revealed those with bigger waists had more headaches. According to Dr. Fuhrman a diet full of toxins, like alcohol, contributes to headaches and migraines as well. Belly felt has also been linked to greater risk of death.

I can relate to this. When I was slimming down and running a lot my breathing felt sort and shallow, but now it’s much deeper, especially when I do Yoga and I recover a lot faster after a run too.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

• In college I knew a guy who ate Lucky Charms and hotdogs for dinner. Sodexo, a company that provides food to college campuses, compiled a list of student’s top 10 foods, it’s an odd mix, but surprisingly, number one is locally-grown fruits and veggies; via Slash Food.

• Speaking of hotdogs and cereal, new research in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reveals despite attempts at improvement, many U.S. schools still offer horrible food, loaded with saturated fat, salt and sugar, boosting obesity; HealthDay News reports.

• A recent release by the American Psychological Association reveals many Americans cope with stress by ditching healthy habits and gorging on chips, bread and macaroni and cheese. The stress hormone cortisol is to blame; from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

• In an upcoming issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research scientists have determined alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a better predictor of children’s problems than assessing individual alcohol-related risk factors; Reuters investigates.

• Time for some flu news, a new study in New England Journal of Medicine shows 98.5% of U.S. influenza A viruses are gaining resistance against Tamiflu, the popular drug used to treat and prevent the flu virus, previous reported indicated only 12%; via Booster Shots.

• More gross news from the infamous peanut plant responsible for the deadly salmonella outbreak stemming from contaminated peanut butter, investigators claim dead mice and rodent droppings were found throughout a Texas plant run by the company; from Reuters.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

Okay guys, a few drinks with friends and flirting with girls might sound like a good time, but a new survey of 1,580 men suggests a correlation between drinking and erectile dysfunction (ED). Published in UroToday, the findings indicate if kept to the current guidelines drinking was associated with a low-risk of ED, which implies if you drink more you’ll have a greater risk of underperforming. But even if the risk is low, experts warn this is not encouragement to start drinking; Medical News Today explains.

Talk about a catch-22! Now, if you’re looking to live healthfully, boozing isn’t going to help. Previous studies link alcohol consumption with high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and belly fat. As for erectile dysfunction, ED is seen as a predicator of cardiovascular disease. So drink pomegranate juice instead, it’s good for your heart and your wiener. Yippee!

In related news, last week researchers determined women who drank just one glass of wine per day had an increased risk of cancer, in some cases as high as 22%.

Via Health and Men.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (1)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

We all hate traffic. But unborn babies hate it more. According to a new research in the journal PLoS One exposure to traffic pollution in the womb may increase a child’s risk of developing asthma later in life. The suspect pollutants are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the byproducts of incomplete combustion of gasoline, which scientists believe cause genetic disturbances leading to asthma. This information is extremely pertinent to families living in high-traffic areas; HealthDay News reports.

Car pollution is only one of a long list of asthma-causing chemicals. Previous studies have associated acetaminophen, a.k.a. Tylenol, to a higher incidence of asthma-related symptoms in children ages 6 to 7 years. And even the season change is to blame! Believe it or not, babies born in the fall have a 30% greater risk of developing asthma.

Here’s some advice. Dr. Fuhrman insists it’s the parents’ job to shield kids from harmful environments. That means in the womb too. Oh, cockroaches have been linked asthma-risk too.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

While not claiming a direct link between mad cow and Alzheimer's disease, a new study in the journal Nature suggests prion protein, an infectious agent associated with the neurodegenerative illness Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human equivalent of mad cow, may relate to mad cow disease itself. Prion protein is a misfolded protein that can arise from genetic mutations or can be contracted by eating tainted meat, such as cattle infected with mad cow disease; The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This summer South Koreans went berserk when officials began renegotiating beef imports with the U.S. fueled by fears over a 2003 outbreak of mad cow disease in the United States. Before that, the Bush administration backed a federal appeal to stop meatpackers from testing their animals for mad cow.

With in the past few years both the U.S. and Canada reported incidents of mad cow disease. I don’t eat red meat. I’m way too crazy already. Eek!

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link