Typically, our vitamin D levels drop in the winter months when we don't get as much sun exposure. After all, it is called the sunshine vitamin. However, a new study found that regular moderate-intensity exercise kept vitamin D levels up in the winter, even without vitamin D supplements or weight loss.
Good reason to exercise - prevent the usual seasonal decline in vitamin D. How much exercise? In the study, overweight adults had four indoor cardiovascular exercise sessions per week for 10 weeks: two treadmill walks, one longer steady-state bike ride, and one high-intensity interval bike session
Uh oh...So many environmental regulations dealing with the environment are being overturned this year. In addition to changing the mission of the EPA (it's no longer to protect us and the environment, but instead to roll back regulations and costs - in other words, pro polluters and Big Business), the Senate is doing its bit to make our air and water dirtier.
The Senate voted last week to overturn EPA rules on 7 toxic air pollutants emitted by industry, with voting along party lines - Republicans voted to weaken regulations, and Democrats voted against it. These are horrible pollutants, including mercury, lead, dioxins.
The scientific names of the 7 pollutants are: mercury, alkylated lead compounds, hexachlorobenzene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polycyclic organic matter (POM), 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofurans (TCDF), and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.
How can anyone rationalize weakening regulations on these toxic chemicals and think that allowing more to be released into the air as beneficial? These hazardous chemicals cause death, neurological problems, cancer, and so many more health problems.
This is a huge win for the chemical and fossil fuel industry, and a major loss for people (us!) and the environment.
It is expected that the House will also pass this bill. This will be the first time that the Congress weakens protections passed in the Clean Air Act. So... this will be their legacy - deliberately making our environment more polluted.
The Senate voted Thursday to overturn an Environmental Protection Agency rule limiting the seven most hazardous air pollutants emitted by chemical plants, oil refineries and other industrial facilities, reversing one of President Joe Biden’s major environmental regulations.
The 52-46 vote delivers a key victory to major companies and trade groups in the fossil fuel and petrochemical sectors that had lobbied against the regulation. It also marks the first time in the Clean Air Act’s 55-year history that Congress has scaled back protections under the landmark environmental law.
Nowadays, the scientific view is to eat some nuts frequently for all sorts of health benefits. Recently, a study found that eating walnuts helps to lowers systemic inflammation (inflammation throughout the body), and in doing so reduces colon cancer risk.
The researchers said that the beneficial health effects are from ellagitannins, plant-derived polyphenol compounds, found in walnuts and pecans. Gut microbes convert the ellagitannins into anti-inflammatory urolithins.
Ellagitannins are also found in pomegranates, some berries (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cloudberries), and muscadine grapes. They are mainly metabolized by microbes in the colon. The consumption of foods containing ellagitannins has been associated with positive effects on many diseases (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative syndromes, and cancer). Ellagitannins are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cancer preventive.
There are new findings out about the benefits of eating walnuts. Results from a UConn School of Medicine clinical trial on the cover of the April edition of the journal Cancer Prevention Research show that walnuts improve systemic inflammation while also reducing colon cancer risk. ...continue reading "Walnuts, Gut Microbes, and Lower Levels of Inflammation"
A number of hair styling productsare actually harmful to health. This includes hair straighteners, which contain chemicals hazardous to both the hairdresser applying the products, as well as the woman that is using the product in her hair. These products are especially harmful if the woman using or applying the product is pregnant (it will go to the fetus) or breastfeeding (chemicals get into the mother's breastmilk).
A number of health risks are already known from chemicals (e.g., forever chemicals, formaldehyde) in such products, such as increased risks of certain cancers. But now there is an additional concern.
A 2024 study found that hair-straightening products containing glyoxylic acid was associated with a risk for acute kidney failure. This is because it resulted in the accumulation of calcium oxalate crystals in the kidneys. While the study was done on mice, the researchers thought this could explain cases of renal damage in young women. For example, one woman who became very ill with acute renal damage after each visit to a hair salon - where she had her hair straightened.
Similar cases have been noted elsewhere after women getting their hair straightened in hair salons. Black women are especially at risk because of their frequent use of such products. [Site with more information.]
According to the researchers, it is the glyoxylic acid that is problematic, but not glycolic acid.
Glyoxylic acid is found in some cosmetic products (such as shampoo, styling lotion, and straightening products) - generally as a replacement for formaldehyde (which is irritating and carcinogenic). However, glyoxylic acid is recommended to avoid contact with the scalp. (So why is it in the products!!??)
The use of hair-straightening products containing glyoxylic acid is associated with a risk for acute kidney failure because of the accumulation of calcium oxalate crystals in the kidneys. The observation was made by a team of French researchers who tested the suspected straightening product on animals. The product is believed to be the cause of several episodes of renal damage in a young woman....continue reading "Hair Straighteners and Kidney Harm"
Our kidneys are incredibly important for our health. Unfortunately, some conditions (e.g., diabetes) and just getting older results in a decline in kidney function. Let's face it - as we age, our organs age.
But there is some good news. A recent study found that moderate and high intensity exercise slows down the risk of rapid kidney function decline in older adults. Exercise actually helps preserve kidney function.
A large study randomly assigned older adults (aged 70 to 77 years) to one of three groups: 1)moderate intensity exercise (peak heart rate 70%) for 50 minutes twice a week, or 2) high intensity interval training (peak heart rate 90%) for four minutes 4 times per week (with first a 10 minute warm-up), or 3) a control group that just received education.
There was a dose response relationship over the 5 years - the more exercise, and the more vigorous exercise - the better kidney function was, and less of a decline from aging. Also, the more exercise, the better the oxygen uptake. There were no heart disease related events (cardiovascular events) during the supervised exercise sessions.
Bottom line: Exercise at all ages, including older adults in their 70s, is good for health, including the kidneys. Move, move, move!
It's a sad fact, but Americans, even the richest ones, have a shorter life-span than their counterparts in Europe. A large study found that over a 10 year period, people with more wealth tend to live longer in both the EU and the USA, but when comparing different economic levels - at each economic level they live longer in the European Union.
The most shocking finding was that the wealthiest Americans have survival rates at the same level as the poorest Europeans in western parts of Europe, such as Germany, France and the Netherlands. Hmmm... Europeans don't have to worry about paying for medical care (universal health care), while Americans do.
Comparing wealth and survival rates in the U.S. with those in Europe, researchers found that over a 10-year period, Americans across all wealth levels were more likely to die than their European counterparts.
What you eat has a major effect on your health. Many studies found benefits to health from diets rich in plant-based foods, such as the Mediterranean diet. A recent study found multiple health benefits from a traditional African diet (rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, fiber, and fermented foods) - even when eaten for as little as 2 weeks.
In comparison, people eating a Western diet had negative health effects.
Changes at all levels occurred in the 2 weeks study participants (77 healthy men in Tanzania) ate either a Western diet (low in fiber, high in calorie dense processed foods), or the African heritage diet, or their regular diet plus a daily fermented banana drink. The Western diet caused inflammation, reduced the immune systems response to pathogens, and activated metabolic processes associated with diseases. In contrast, the traditional African diet resulted in anti-inflammatory effects (a reduction in inflammatory markers).
What did they eat for the 2 weeks? The Western diet consisted of a lot of meat (daily), pizza, white rice, pasta, fries, eggs, white bread, pancakes, and few vegetables and fruits. The traditional (heritage) African diet consisted of plenty of vegetables and fruits, beans, brown rice, limited meat (twice a week), traditional grains (e.g., millet, sorghum), and fermented products - including the fermented drink Mgebe (made with bananas and millet). [2 recipe versions: Ugali Mchicha and Tanzanian recipe]
A switch of just two weeks from a traditional African diet to a Western diet causes inflammation, reduces the immune response to pathogens, and activates processes associated with lifestyle diseases. Conversely, an African diet rich in vegetables, fiber, and fermented foods has positive effects. This study, published in Nature Medicine, highlights the significant impact of diet on the immune system and metabolism....continue reading "Health Benefits From the Traditional African Diet"
What foods to avoid or to eat has long been debated in chronic kidney disease treatment. Traditionally, people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have been advised to avoid a number of fruits and vegetables. In contrast, a recent study found that eating a diet dominant in a high variety of plant-based foods, is the best for chronic kidney disease.
Eating a diet dominant in plant-based foods with more than 30 different plant-based foods each week improved the gut microbiome (with an increase in beneficial health-promoting microbes), decreased symptoms, and reduced harmful toxins in the blood and urine. The best results were found in persons with worse kidney function (more advanced kidney disease)..
In contrast, during the study period when the same persons followed a low diversity of plant-foods in the diet (less than or no more than 15 different plant-based foods per week) they had a loss in gut microbial diversity (not good for health).
What is a diet dominant in a high variety of plant-based foods? This means eating many different types of plant-based foods each week, including a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Fresh herbs also count - e.g., dill, parsley, cilantro, basil, chives. Some tips to getting over 30 plant-based foods: eat multi-grain cereals, trail mixes, nut mixtures, salads with a variety of ingredients, fruit bowls, multi-grain breads, and multi-grain or seed crackers.
The debate over alcohol continues. While drinking alcohol in large amounts is known to cause health problems (e.g., increases risk of cancer), drinking small or moderate amounts is still debated. Some studies say any amount causes harm, but other studies say "not so fast" - moderate drinking is OK and even has benefits (e.g., lower risk of heart attacks and strokes), especially when drunk with a meal.
A recent large study found a benefit to drinking moderate amounts - it is good for cholesterol levels. When nondrinkers started drinking moderately over the course of the study, it raised "good cholesterol" levels and lowered "bad cholesterol" levels. And surprisingly, when moderate drinkers stopped drinking, "bad cholesterol" levels went up and "good cholesterol" levels went down.
"Good cholesterol" is high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or HDL, and "bad cholesterol" is low-density lipoprotein cholesterol or LDL. Changes in cholesterol levels were associated with how much a person started drinking - the more one drank, the better the cholesterol levels. Improvements were better than taking medications! Results with all types of alcohol (wine, beer, spirits) were the same.
Of course scented products (air fresheners, scented candles, scented wax melts, scented oil diffusers, disinfectants, floor cleaners, personal care products) emit air pollution. Study after study has shown that for years.
A recent study further found that scented products release nanoparticles into the air that are breathed in, then travel to the lungs, and eventually to other organs in the body. Scientists say the air inside from using scented products can be worse (more polluted) than the air outside!
Scented products emit chemicals that evaporate easily (these are volatile chemicals or VOCs), which react with indoor ozone, and this generates very tiny airborne nanoparticles. The researchers stated that: "... the indoor atmospheric nanoparticle concentrations from noncombustion-based scented wax melts were similar to those emitted by combustion-based scented candles, gas stoves, diesel engines, and natural gas engines."
And yes, there are long-term health effects from breathing in indoor air pollution, especially on the respiratory tract. Besides respiratory diseases (e.g., asthma, lung effects), there are negative effects on the cardiorespiratory system.
Bottom line:Avoid fragrances and scented products! Avoid scented wax melts! Avoid aromatherapy products! Best is using unscented products. Also, open windows now and then for a few minutes (or more) to air out your home.