Author: Sima
Happy Holidays!High Fat Cheese and Lower Risk of Dementia
Great news for cheese lovers! A recent study found regularly eating full-fat (high-fat) cheese and cream was associated with a lower risk of developing dementia. Some examples of full-fat cheese include cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan, Brie, Gouda, Provolone, Colby, Havarti, Mozzarella (full-fat), and cream cheese.
This was a long-running study (27,670 persons for 25 years) conducted in Sweden. High-fat cream and cheese consumption was inversely associated with dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia. Eating more than 50 grams (about 1/3 cup or 2 slices) of full-fat cheese per day was associated with a 13% to 17% lower risk of Alzheimer's, and more than 20 grams (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) of full-fat cream was linked to a 16% lower risk of dementia overall.
However, consumption of low-fat cheese, low-fat cream, milk (low or high fat), and butter showed no association with dementia.
From Science Daily: Study links full-fat cheese to lower dementia risk
...continue reading "High Fat Cheese and Lower Risk of Dementia"
Pesticide Exposure Greater In Conventional Farmers Than Organic Farmers
It turns out that wearing silicone wristbands is a great way to measure a person's exposure to pesticides that are inhaled or absorbed in the skin - whether you are farmer, living near pesticide treated farm fields, a pet owner, or a member of the general population (consumer). Another source of pesticides is food and water, but the silicone wristbands don't measure that.
A recent European study, using the silicone wristbands, found that conventional (non-organic) farmers are exposed to the greatest number and concentration of pesticides, followed by organic farmers and farm neighbors, and the fewest in ordinary consumers (the general population). The wristbands revealed that pesticide use, whether as a farmer or in the home, and having pets predicted greater pesticide exposure.
The researchers looked for the presence of 193 pesticides and found 172 of them. People are typically exposed to mixtures of pesticides. Keep in mind that many pesticides banned in the European Union are not banned in the US, and are routinely used in the US.
Pesticide use, whether as a conventional farmer or in the home, and having pets predicted a greater pesticide exposure. Organic farmers had lower levels of pesticides, and were exposed to fewer pesticides than conventional (non-organic) farmers. This is because organic farmers are not allowed to use the many pesticides that are routinely used by conventional (non-organic) farmers.
A nice summary of the research from Beyond Pesticides: Lower Pesticide Exposure Documented For Organic Farmers, Elevated For Others
Published in Environment International, a study utilizing silicone wristbands provides a snapshot of chemical exposure in over 600 participants across 10 European countries. Using the wristbands as passive and noninvasive samplers, the researchers find that organic farmers’ wristbands contain lower pesticide levels than other groups, offering insight into the benefits of organic and disproportionate risks to farmers using chemical-intensive methods. The results further reveal prevalent environmental pesticide mixtures, in addition to highlighting exposure to current-use pesticides (CUPs) and legacy (banned) pesticides that occurs through multiple exposure routes to workers, residents, and consumers. ...continue reading "Pesticide Exposure Greater In Conventional Farmers Than Organic Farmers"
Flame Retardant Levels In the Body Go Down When Old Sofas Are Replaced
Worried about being exposed for years to sofas filled with flame retardants? The dust from the foam in these sofas release flame retardants into the air, which then get into people's bodies. Flame retardants are linked to all sorts of health problems (cancer risk, hormone disruption, and neurodevelopmental effects). But finally, there is some good news.
A recent study found that just one year after getting rid of old flame retardant filled sofas and chairs (and replacing them with flame retardant-free furniture) resulted in a huge decline in flame retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the body. The levels of PBDEs declined in half in 1.4 years.
The use of use of organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in foam products (e.g., the foam in upholstered furniture) is also declining in upholstered furniture, but the levels in the study participants didn't decline as much. This is perhaps because OPFRs are still used today in many other products (e.g., as a plasticizer, a coating for electronic devices, in car furnishings).
Bottom line: When buying new sofas and upholstered chairs, look for flame-retardant free furniture. A label commonly on the bottom of the furniture will tell you if they contain flame retardant chemicals or not. [NOTE: Upholstered furniture made between 1970 and 2014 probably contains flame retardants.] Also, wash hands before eating. Vacuum with a HEPA filter.
From Medical Xpress: Swapping old sofas and chairs reduces body levels of harmful flame retardants
New research led by the California Department of Public Health and partners has found that replacing foam-containing furniture made before 2014 would cut in half levels of certain harmful flame retardants in people's bodies in just over a year.
Published in Environmental Pollution, the study is the first to show measurable health benefits from California's 2014 furniture flammability standard update, which made it possible for manufacturers to comply without adding chemical flame retardants. ...continue reading "Flame Retardant Levels In the Body Go Down When Old Sofas Are Replaced"
Pesticides and Breast Cancer
Credit: National Cancer Institute
Many studies link pesticide exposure to the development of various cancers, including breast cancer. We tend to think of pesticide exposure as occurring when there is direct contact with the pesticide - for example during application, or when walking on lawns or areas with freshly applied pesticides. Yet... there are other routes that have been neglected in studies, such as washing pesticide contaminated clothes.
At a recent webinar (42nd National Forum Series - The Pesticide Threat to Environmental Health), Carolina Panis, PhD, (Ass. Professor of Medicine at Western Paraná State University in Brazil, and Visiting Researcher at Harvard University and the University of Arizona) spoke about pesticide exposure in women and breast cancer. She discussed her recent research showing that women occupationally exposed to pesticides (e.g., as farm workers) and diagnosed with breast cancer seem to have more aggressive disease, also at younger ages, than unexposed women. An increased mortality rate went along with this.
She also discussed an interesting finding regarding women living in farm areas (with heavy pesticide use) in Brazil. Not only is occupational exposure to pesticides linked to breast cancer, but additionally - women having chronic (daily) exposure are also exposed to pesticide residues when washing clothing used by someone who had applied pesticides. Laundry exposure! Women absorb pesticide residues (e.g., glyphosate, atrazine) from the pesticide contaminated clothing, which increases the amount of pesticides in their bodies and this is also linked to breast cancer.
The women she looked at lived in farming areas, and additionally many had their residences frequently sprayed for insects. Ultimately, women exposed to high levels of pesticides tend to develop metastatic untreatable breast cancer, and at a younger age (unlike other areas where breast cancer is highly treatable). She pointed out that pesticides also have a negative effect on the immune system.
From the article by C. Pannis and B. Lemos: Pesticide Exposure and Increased Breast Cancer Risk In Women Population Studies
Women in rural regions are at risk for exposure to pesticides by equipment decontamination, unprotected clothes washing, pesticide drift, chemical spraying in the field, and other routes of exposure in the household. Pesticides can act on mammary gland cells in direct and indirect ways, augmenting the risk for breast cancer development. ...continue reading "Pesticides and Breast Cancer"
Pesticides and Pediatric Cancers
Cancer is feared by all. It seems to strike randomly, but not always. Certain cancers that occur in both children and adults, such as brain cancer and leukemia, are linked with some commonly used pesticides. Exposures to these pesticides occur many ways - whether from nearby farm use, or in foods or the water we drink, or air (pesticide drift), or residential use (e.g., the weed killer 2,4-D on lawns). Exposure is typically not to just 1 harmful chemical, but to mixtures of pesticides, especially on farms.
Children are especially vulnerable to pesticides. Research shows that there is an increase in some cancers in children in farm areas (e.g., Nebraska and the US midwest) where pesticides are heavily used. A recent study by Dr. Taiba and colleagues found that in Nebraskan counties with heavy farm pesticide use (especially Holt county) children living there had an increase not just in "overall pediatric cancers", but in specific types of cancers. These cancers included brain and other central nervous system tumors, leukemia, and lymphoma.
Keep in mind that in the US millions of pounds of pesticides are used each year, with farm areas having the heaviest use. Dr. Taiba reported that the US is the #1 country in the world in pesticide use. Among the most heavily used in the Nebraskan farms are atrazine, 2,4-D, glyphosate, dicamba, paraquat.
But don't ignore residential use of pesticides. Many of the same pesticides, such as glyphosate and 2,4-D, are commonly used in residential areas, especially for weed and insect control. Feed and Weed, which is used on lawns for weed control, contains 2,4-D. Pesticides have harmful effects on humans, and yet pesticide use is increasing annually.
From Beyond Pesticides: Dire Pediatric Cancer Risk Linked to Pesticide Mixtures, Laws To Protect Children Found To Be Lax
Childhood cancers are on the rise globally; in the U.S. cancer is the second most common cause of death in children between one and 14 years old, and the fourth most common in adolescents. A recent study of Nebraska pesticide use and pediatric cancer incidence by researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences found positive associations between pesticides and overall cancer, brain and central nervous system cancers, and leukemia among children (defined as under age 20). ...continue reading "Pesticides and Pediatric Cancers"
Male Sperm Counts Continue to Decline
When looking at the research, it is striking that so many chemicals that we are exposed to daily are harming us. Health harms include an increase in certain cancers (e.g., brain cancer and leukemia from certain pesticides) and reproductive effects. This can be seen clearly when research shows that sperm counts are declining globally 2.64% per year since 2000.
A recent report from HEAL (Health and Environmental Alliance in the European Union) found that along with this, infertility rates, testicular cancer, and prostate cancer are increasing. This is alarming!
HEAL’s report (author Dr. Cannarella) details alarming indications of catastrophe in male reproductive health: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, crashing sperm counts, infertility, and numerous developmental problems including cryptorchidism, urogenital malformations, and hypospadias. The report highlights pesticides, microplastics, phthalates, bisphenols, PFAS and heavy metals as the likely environmental sources of the crisis. There is evidence that all of these endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) adversely affect male reproductive function.
Excerpts from the latest research on the drop in sperm counts globally and declines in male reproductive health, the science report from HEAL: Chemical pollution and men’s health: A hidden crisis in Europe
A 2023 meta-analysis by Levine et al. showed that global sperm counts declined by 52% between 1973 and 2018. European countries showed similar or even steeper declines, especially in Western and Southern Europe. ...continue reading "Male Sperm Counts Continue to Decline"
Some Foods May Protect Us From the Harms of Too Much Sitting
We all know sitting too much is not good for our health. But for many of us, it's our reality - sit all day at work, and then come home and relax by sitting all evening. But there is some good news. A recent study found that eating foods rich in flavanols, such as cocoa, may protect our blood vessels from the harms of too much sitting.
While the research occurred in young healthy men (with either high or low levels of fitness), all had detrimental effects in their vascular health (blood flow) after several hours of sitting. Drinking a flavanol rich cocoa drink at the beginning of a 2 hour sitting time prevented the decrease in blood flow ("sitting-induced vascular dysfunction") in both upper and lower limbs.
The researchers did point out though, that some exercise every hour, even 5 minutes of walking or climbing stairs, would have the same effect.
Flavanols are naturally occurring polyphenols found in various fruits (e.g., blueberries, apples, grapes), green and black tea, matcha, nuts, red wine, and cocoa beans. They have previously been linked to cardiovascular benefits, including support for the vascular system during psychological stress. Eating diverse flavanoid rich foods is best because there are so many types of flavanols.
From Science Daily: Cocoa and tea may protect your heart from the hidden damage of sitting
New findings from the University of Birmingham suggest that regularly eating foods rich in flavanols, including tea, berries, apples, and cocoa, may help protect men's blood vessels from the negative effects that occur during long periods of sitting. ...continue reading "Some Foods May Protect Us From the Harms of Too Much Sitting"
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
The Foods You Eat and Their Link to Constipation
For years it has been known that increasing the amount of fiber (and drinking enough fluids) in a person's diet helps to prevent constipation. A recent large multi-year study of 96,000 adults confirmed this: Mediterranean and plant-based diets prevented constipation, and Western and inflammatory diets (low fiber, high ultra-processed foods) raised constipation risk.
Vegetables, cruciferous vegetables (e.g., broccoli), legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas), and fruits were all associated with reduced risks for constipation. High vegetable and nut consumption was especially good for preventing constipation. Additionally, a low carbohydrate diet showed a slight increased risk for constipation. Eating a diet rich in cereal fibers (e.g., white bread, low fiber breakfast cereals) and ultra-processed foods was linked to constipation.
Besides reducing constipation, many studies show that eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, such as the Mediterranean diet, is protective for cardiometabolic diseases (e.g., heart disease, heart attack, strokes, kidney disease, and type 2 diabetes), cancer, and even early death. This type of diet is high in fiber, has positive effects on the gut microbiome, and reduces chronic inflammation.
From Science Daily: What 96,000 adults taught scientists about preventing constipation
Chronic constipation becomes more common with age. Researchers from Mass General Brigham conducted a new study examining whether five widely followed diets could help prevent chronic constipation in middle- and older-age adults. The team monitored more than 96,000 participants for several years to see how long-term eating habits influenced the likelihood of developing this persistent gastrointestinal issue. Their analysis showed that people who routinely ate a Mediterranean or plant-based diet experienced a lower incidence of constipation. The findings appear in Gastroenterology. ...continue reading "The Foods You Eat and Their Link to Constipation"