Current Health News and Studies Concerning Nutrition & Exercise

May 14, 2010: Type 1 diabetes unexplainably is on the rise. Although type 1 diabetes is not nearly as common as type 2, accounting for 5 to 10 percent of all diabetes, its rate is increasing.

Between 2005 and 2020, type 1 diabetes is anticipated to double in children under 5 years of age. And among children under 15 years of age, it is expected to rise by 70 percent. This all according to a study by the Lancet.

Type 1 diabetes is actually an autoimmune disease. The immune system attacks the pancreas which make insulin. The progression of this disease is fairly rapid, and therefore needs to be diagnosed early.

Type 1 diabetes can lead to severe consequences including blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and stroke.

People with type 1 diabetes have pancreas which do not produce any insulin. They are therefore dependent on insulin shots several times a day.

Type 1 diabetics are virtually unheard of the closer one gets to the equator. This has led to speculation that the upsurge in this disease is related to inadequate levels of vitamin D. Studies have shown that many people are not getting enough sunshine to produce the amount of vitamin D necessary to fight chronic disease like type 1 diabetes and cancer.

Children who receive enough vitamin D from the age of 1 year old have a 80 percent decreased risk of developing type 1 diabetes. This is according to one of the world's leading authorities on vitamin D, Dr. Michael Holick.

There are steps that mothers and expectant mothers can take to substantially lower the risk of their baby developing type 1 diabetes.

(1) Babies should be breastfed. Babies who are bottle-fed tend to put on weight too quickly. Though you might expect that to be a positive, it is not. Babies who put on a lot of weight in their first year may be at an increased risk of type 1 diabetes.

Another reason why breastfeeding is preferrable in regards to type 1 diabetes is that exposure to pastuerized milk-based formula early in life may also lead to an increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

(2) Don't feed your infant cereal. Even though many pediatricians encourage mothers to begin feeding these foods to their child at 4 to 6 months of age, grains are not the best choice of food. Infants who are fed cereal have an increased risk of type 1 diabetes.

A much better choice of food for infants is vegetables.

(3) Speculation is growing that the increase in autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, is being fueled by the growing number of vaccinations children receive. Type 1 diabetes has grown from 1 out of every 7100 children in the 1950s to 1 in 400 today. This translates into a 17-fold increase. This correlates to a rise in vaccines according to Donald W. Miller, Jr., MD.

May 21, 2010: According to the Cornucopia Institute, almost all non-organic so-called veggie burgers that are on the market are processed with the chemical hexane. Hexane is a neurotoxic. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies hexane as a "hazardous air pollutant."

Besides being used as an industrial cleaning agent and a solvent for glue and varnish, hexane is also used to extract oil from soybeans, peanuts, corn and other seed and vegetable crops. Extraction is the principal use for hexane.

The Cornucopia Institute says that grain processors, which inclues soy, account for over two-thirds of the hexane emissions in the United States.

The Cornucopia Institute put out a report called Behind the Bean. This report said in part: "the widespread use of a toxic and environmentally damaging chemical, hexane, in the manufacturing of 'natural' soyfoods such as vegetarian burgers, nutrition bars, and protein shakes a 'dirty little secret.'"

The majority of the research of the health effects of the toxic chemical hexane is via inhalation which is thought to be the primary route. The EPA says:

"Acute (short-term) inhalation exposure of humans to high levels of hexane causes mild central nervous system (CNS) effects, including dizziness, giddiness, slight nausea, and headache.

Chronic (long-term) exposure to hexane in air is associated with polyneuropathy in humans, with numbness in the extremities, muscular weakness, blurred vision, headache, and fatigue observed. Neurotoxic effects have also been exhibited in rats."

Any other possible health effects are unknown at this time. The research is totally lacking concerning the ingestion of hexane via eating. The Cornucopia Institute further states:

"The effects on consumers of hexane residues in soy foods have not yet been thoroughly studied and are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Test results obtained by The Cornucopia Institute indicate that residues�ten times higher than what is considered normal by the FDA--do appear in common soy ingredients."

Almost all veggie burgers are soy-based which means that they are processed with hexane. Manufacturers soak the soybeans in hexane to separate the oil from the protein and to reduce the amount of fat. Even if the non-organic burger contains texturized vegetable protein, it is given a hexane bath.

The following products are processed with hexane:

• Amy's Kitchen
• Boca Burger, conventional
• Franklin Farms
• Garden Burger
• It's All Good Lightlife
• Morningstar Farms
• President's Choice
• Taste Above
• Trader Joe's
• Yves Veggie Cuisine

Although products carrying the '100% organic' label aren't allowed to be made with hexane, that doesn't apply to products labeled made with organic ingredients.

But be aware that the National Organics Standard Board has allowed certain ingredients that are hexane-extracted to remain on the list of approved substances for organics "if the organic version is commercially unavailable and it is deemed safe."

Infant formula may even contain hexane-processed soy. A form of DHA and ARA oils commonly used in infant formula is a prime example of substances that are 'deemed safe' by the National Organics Standard Board.

Cornucopia Institute's report says concerning DHA and ARA:

"Other hexane-extracted ingredients that many industry experts believe should not be present in organic foods, especially organic infant formula, are algal DHA and fungal ARA oils.

These oils-nutritional supplements containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids�are produced by Martek Biosciences Corporation by way of a process that immerses fermented algae and soil fungus in a hexane bath.

The Cornucopia Institute is especially concerned with evidence obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request with the FDA that these DHA and ARA oils, when added to infant formula, are linked to serious health complications experienced by some infants. Organic foods should be a refuge from chemically processed additives in foods: consumers expect nothing less."

I long ago ditched veggie burgers. This was even before I was aware of the hexane issue. Unformented soy is destructive to your health. Read the truth about soy. This article details the problems associated with unfermented soy products, including the ever popular soy milk.

May 25, 2010: AstraZeneca's blockbuster antipsychotic drug Seroquel is in the news. AstraZeneca has been found guilty of shady marketing practices, and fined to the tune of over $1/2 billion. However, considering that this drug raked in $4.9 billion last year, the fine is little more than the cost of doing business for this drug giant.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved Seroquel in September 1997 for the treatment of manifestations of psychotic disorders. In January, 2004, Seroquel was approved for the for the short term treatment of acute manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder (bipolar mania.) Two years later it was approved for bipolar depression.

In their quest for ever-increasing profits, AstraZeneca has proposed Seroquel for the treatment of anger management, ADHD, Alzheimer's disease, and even sleeping diiificulties.

Marketing-wise, Seroquel has been aimed at children and seniors. These two groups exhibit far more side effects from this drug than any other group.

Seroquel has not been approved for seniors who have lost touch with reality as a result of dementia. They have an increased risk of death.

Seroquel can increase the the risk of suicidal thoughts and actions among children, teenagers, and young adults. Below are more disturbing side effects:

• High triglycerides in 23 percent of patients
• Weight gain in 23 percent of patients
• Agitation in 20 percent of patients
• High cholesterol in 17 percent of patients

May 30, 2010: What has been in existence since Biblical times, and used by natives around the world to brush their teeth with? Salt.

Believe it or not, but salt is highly effective in teeth cleaning, and a lot less expensive than your typical toothpaste. Salt will freshen your breath, whiten your teeth, toughen your gums, cure gingivitis, and protect your enamel.

Use sea salt if possible. It is free of chemicals used in processing and loaded with minerals like magnesium and potassium. You can obtain sea salt that has iodine added too. Due to soil depletion, we're not getting it in our diet anymore and it needs to be supplemented.

There are different kinds of sea salt on the market. These include Mediterranean, Himalayan, Pacific, and many others. Simply choose whichever appeals to your taste buds.

For extra whitening, once a week, mash a strawberry into a pulp and make a paste with the sea salt. Strawberries contain malic acid which will increase the whitening effect of the sea salt.

June 3, 2010: Getting your compliment of B vitamins is essential for good health. Many people though are unaware of all of the B vitamins, and their source. The table below will remedy this lack of knowledge.

A 14-year study which tracked B6, B9, and B12 consumption led to astonishing results. When folic acid was high, a man's risk of having a heart atack is cut in half; a woman's risk drops by 43 percent while her stroke risk drops by 33 percent.

When B6 consumption is high, a man's chance of having a heart attack is reduced by over 60 percent; a woman's risk of having a heart attack drops by over 50 percent. And a woman's risk of having a stroke drops by 33 percent.

June 5, 2010: The United States has the distinction of being the world's leader on so many fronts. The following study now shows that it has a negative global distinction as well.

A new study shows that U.S. produced cigarettes tend to be higher in carcinogens than cigarettes made elsewhere in the world.

Specifically, US made cigarettes contain more TSNAs (tobacco-specific nitrosamines) than other cigarettes tested. TSNAs are the major cancer-causing substance in tobacco.

According to Paging Dr. Gupta:

"The cigarettes smoked by the study recruits represented some of the more popular brands for each country including: Players light and DuMaurier in Canada; Marlboro, Newport Light, Camel Light in the U.S.; Peter Jackson and Peter Stuyvesant in Australia; and Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut Purple in the United Kingdom."

The study which discovered this saddening fact was conducted and released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.) 126 smokers in five cities - Waterloo, Ontario; Melbourne, Victoria (Australia); London, England, Buffalo, New York, and Minneapolis, Minnesota - were recruited for this study.

CDC researchers discovered three times higher levels of the carcinogen in US smokers' mouths than the levels found in the mouths of Canadian and Australian smokers. Mouth levels are an important indication of what is finding its way into smokers' lungs.

June 10, 2010: Angiogenesis is a process your body uses to build blood vessels. The body has about 19 billion capillaries (the body's smallest blood vessels.)

Cancerous cells, as well as other cells in your body, are unable to thrive without the oxygen and nutrients supplied by capillaries. When angiogenesis is out of balance, disease results.

Too few blood vessels can lead to: chronic wounds that will not heal, heart disease, stroke, neuropathy, and erectile dysfunction. Too many blood vessels promote cancer, blindness, arthritis, endometriosis, and multiple sclerosis.

It is not well known by the average person that the majority of people have microscopic cancer cell clusters in their bodies. But not everyone who does actually develop cancer.

As long as your body has the astounding ability to balance angiogenesis, cancer will not form. It will stop the formation of blood vessels that feed microscopic tumors.

"Anti-angiogenic therapy is the method of cutting off blood supply to the cancer. This can be done because tumor vessels, unlike healthy vessels, are abnormal and poorly constructed, and because of that, they're highly vulnerable to treatments that target them," explains Dr. William Li.

Angiogenesis is also the basis for obesity. So a diet that is effective in preventing cancer is also effective in preventing obesity.

According to Dr. Li, "mother nature has laced a large number of foods, beverages and herbs with naturally occurring inhibitors of angiogenesis."

By consuming the anti-angiogenetic foods you can naturally boost your body's defense system and prevent blood vessels from forming and feeding the microscopic tumors that exist in your body at any given time.

Diet is responsible for 30 to 35 percent of all cancers that develop as a result of the environment. Specifically eating to starve cancer can have a dramaric impact on cancer rates globally.

Dr. Li says that resveratrol from red grapes can inhibit abnormal angiogenesis by up to 60 percent. A more potent natural inhibitor is ellagic acid which is found in strawberries.

Other anti-angiogenetic foods includes the berries: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries. Also, red grapes, kale turmeric, nutmeg, artichokes, parsley, garlic, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
See vitamin D.

June 15, 2010: The year 2010 is seeing the deployment of not only 3D movies for home viewing, but also 3D Blu-ray players, A/V receivers, and flat screen TVs. I have watched a demo at my local Best Buy, and it is truly amazing.

But along with this new technology comes health side effects. A study conducted by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley discovered that 3D can cause headaches and blurred vision in some people. Italy's ministry of health also found that recycled theater 3D glasses can cause outbreaks of herpes on the forehead.

Samsung has posted a warning on its Australian website about the possible side effects of watching 3D televisions. The manufacturer said that 3D may cause epileptic seizure, stroke, altered vision, light headedness, dizziness, eye or muscle twitching, confusion, nausea, loss of awareness, convulsions, cramps, disorientation, motion sickness, perceptual aftereffects, eyestrain, decreased postual stability, damage to eyesight, headaches, or fatigue.