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Published on Leave a comment on Eating Ultra-Processed Plant-Based Foods Is Not Healthy

Eating plant-based foods has health benefits. But only if it's from real foods, and not ultra-processed. A recent study found that the more not ultra-processed plant-based foods a person ate (and the less ultra-processed plant-based foods), the lower their risk of cardiovascular disease  and early death.

The results show that eating minimally processed food is heart protective. And the reverse is also true: higher consumption of plant-based ultra-processed foods was associated with a greater risk of heart disease (including heart attacks and strokes) and early death from heart disease.

Read the ingredient lists! When there are ingredients that are not normally found in your kitchen (e.g., carrageenan, artificial or natural flavors, titanium dioxide, soy lecithin, high-fructose corn syrup, cellulose) - then they are ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processing strips away a food's nutrients, as well as fiber.

Yes, trying to lower consumption meat consumption and eating more plant-based foods is a good goal. But...Many meat-free foods (e.g., boxed macaroni and cheese), dairy substitutes, and plant-based "meats" are not healthy. Lots of chemicals were added to make it more meat-like or a dairy substitute - thus they are ultra-processed foods.

Packaged breads, buns, cakes, cookies and soda are meat free and plant-based foods, but they generally are ultra-processed.

Bottom line: Try to eat more fresh, frozen, or minimally plant-based foods. This is a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans), seeds, nuts. A good example is a Mediterranean-style diet, which has been shown to have many health benefits.

From Washington Post: When plant foods are ultra-processed, the health benefits disappear

Eating a plant-based diet is good for your health, but not if those plant foods are ultra-processed, a new study has found.

The findings show that all plant-based diets aren’t the same, and that plant foods can have very different effects on your health depending on what manufacturers do to them before they reach your plate. ...continue reading "Eating Ultra-Processed Plant-Based Foods Is Not Healthy"

Published on Leave a comment on Tobacco Smoke, Bladder Cancer, and the Gut Microbiome

The microbes living on and in us (the human microbiome or microbiota) play a big role in our health. Certain microbes are even implicated in cancer development and progression. Thus, it shouldn't come as a surprise that new research finds that certain bacteria are linked with bladder cancer.

It has long been known that certain nitrosamine compounds, which are in tobacco smoke, can induce bladder cancer - both in humans and rodents (e.g., mice). Nitrosamines are carcinogenic (cancer causing).

The study was done with mice given nitrosamine compounds (in their drinking water) for 12 weeks. The interesting part was that if antibiotics were given at the same time to the mice, bladder cancer did not develop in most of those mice. But it did develop in most of the mice not given antibiotics.

Since antibiotics reduce the number of bacteria in the gut, this means that gut microbes play a part in the bladder tumor onset. The researchers did find 12 bacterial species that they thought played a role in the mice, but it is unknown whether the same or different species play a role in human bladder cancer onset.

Will the use of antibiotics prevent bladder cancer also in humans? Stay tuned..

From Medical Xpress: Gut microbes implicated in bladder cancer

At any given time, over 10 trillion microbes call our guts their home. From breaking down nutrients in our food to strengthening our immunity against pathogens, these microbes play an essential role in how we interact with the world. This includes—as shown in a new study by EMBL researchers and collaborators at the University of Split, Croatia—the way the body responds to carcinogens and develops cancer. ...continue reading "Tobacco Smoke, Bladder Cancer, and the Gut Microbiome"

Published on Leave a comment on Research Says Critical Ocean Currents Could Collapse In Our Lifetime

There has been a lot of discussion recently over whether or when the Atlantic Ocean current called Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC) could collapse soon. The Gulf Stream is part of this current. This critically important current acts like a conveyor belt that brings warm water through the Atlantic Ocean up to the north Atlantic (Europe) and colder, saltier water down to the Southern Hemisphere.

A new study predicts a collapse of the current happening soon - at some point between 2037 and 2064, but most likely before 2050. The current has been slowing down in recent years due to climate change, warming oceans, and the melting of glaciers and ice sheets.

The AMOC collapse would have devastating effects not just in Europe (it brings warm temperatures to Europe), but to the world. The AMOC keeps the Northern Hemisphere warm, the Southern Hemisphere from overheating, and distributes nutrients throughout the marine ecosystem.

One result: Arctic ice and cold would creep south in Europe and North America.

Excerpts from CNN: A critical system of Atlantic Ocean currents could collapse as early as the 2030s, new research suggests

A vital system of Atlantic Ocean currents that influences weather across the world could collapse as soon as the late 2030s, scientists have suggested in a new study — a planetary-scale disaster that would transform weather and climate. ...continue reading "Research Says Critical Ocean Currents Could Collapse In Our Lifetime"

Published on Leave a comment on Brain Damage From Repeated Blast Exposures During Military Training

We've known for a while that the head trauma from playing football can lead to the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Now it turns out that some (many?) US Navy SEALS also have an unusual pattern of brain damage. It is traumatic brain injury due to repeatedly being exposed to blast waves, which occur from firing their own weapons or enemy action.

In 2016 a team of doctors put a name to the pattern of brain damage - interface astroglial scarring. It can result in such symptoms as gaps in memory, deteriorating memory, mood swings, headaches, impulsiveness, fatigue, and anxiety. The brain damage is not found in the brains of civilians, or in people exposed to a single massive explosion (e.g., from a roadside bomb). It is not PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).

Unfortunately, at least 12 former Navy SEALS with this brain damage have committed suicide in the past decade. They were an average age of 43. None of them had been wounded by enemy fire, but all had spent years firing a wide variety of weapons and using explosives.

Many SEALS now alive say they are suffering from the same set of symptoms showing deteriorating brain function. A recent study confirmed this - the more blast exposure, the more symptoms and brain injury.

It is unknown how the military will deal with this issue, and whether and how training of SEALS will change.

Excerpts from an excellent article. Also read the online comments after the article. From NY Times: Pattern of Brain Damage Is Pervasive in Navy SEALs Who Died by Suicide

David Metcalf’s last act in life was an attempt to send a message — that years as a Navy SEAL had left his brain so damaged that he could barely recognize himself.

He died by suicide in his garage in North Carolina in 2019, after nearly 20 years in the Navy. But just before he died, he arranged a stack of books about brain injury by his side, and taped a note to the door that read, in part, “Gaps in memory, failing recognition, mood swings, headaches, impulsiveness, fatigue, anxiety, and paranoia were not who I was, but have become who I am. Each is worsening.” ...continue reading "Brain Damage From Repeated Blast Exposures During Military Training"

Published on Leave a comment on A Mediterranean Style Diet Feeds Beneficial Gut Bacteria

The incidence of both intestinal bowel diseases (IBD) and colorectal cancer is rapidly increasing in developed countries (e.g., US, Canada, Europe). There are many theories over why this is occurring, with most researchers thinking a person's diet plays a role. A big suspect in promoting IBD and colorectal cancer is the Western diet, which has lots of ultra-processed foods and is also low in fiber.

A recent large study looked at 6 major diets and how they impact the gut microbiome. The six dietary patterns were: Western diet, Mediterranean diet, high-fiber diet, plant-based diet, high protein diet, and ketogenic diet.

And surprise, surprise - eating a Western diet resulted in having an increase in gut bacterial species linked to chronic inflammation, heart disease, colorectal cancer, IBD, and diabetes. The Mediterranean style diet had an increase in bacterial species linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, IBD, and type 2 diabetes. In fact, all 6 diets had distinct bacterial profiles in the gut.

Bottom line: The foods a person eats can either feed and nourish beneficial bacteria or harmful bacteria (linked to cancer and IBD). Best for health is a Mediterranean style diet (lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds, nuts), and avoiding ultra-processed foods. You are what you eat!

From Medical Xpress: Western diets pose greater risk of cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, study finds

Western diets pose a greater risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer, according to a milestone review of what people eat around the world. ...continue reading "A Mediterranean Style Diet Feeds Beneficial Gut Bacteria"

Published on Leave a comment on Where Are the Hummingbirds?
Cardinal flowers    Credit: M. Silgailis

Hummingbirds like the red Cardinal flower (also called lobelia). Really like them. Butterflies also swarm to these flowers. Usually.

But not always. Since an immediate neighbor started using a mosquito service that uses high-volume pesticide applications of a synthetic pyrethroid (think of a leaf blower on steroids), there has been an absence of butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds in my garden. Other people also report this happening.

Even though the synthetic pyrethroids (e.g., Fendona) are not neonicotinoids, which we know kills bees - pyrethroids are also toxic to bees. Pyrethroids are broad-spectrum insecticides - that is, they kill a wide variety of insects indiscriminately. This totally destroys the biodiversity of species in the environment. We need bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other species!

But what are the pesticides doing to humans? Developing children? The developing fetus? Sick people? Everyone? Yes, there is accumulating evidence of health harms to humans, especially children and babies.

Published on Leave a comment on The Two Hottest Days On Earth Were This Week

Uh-oh. The Earth is really warming up, and very rapidly. Sunday was the hottest day recorded globally. But then... Monday was even hotter! This means that in the space of several days, two global records were set in two days.

And it will continue to get warmer (hotter) in the coming months and years. We do know what is causing this climate change of increased global warmth - it's the burning of fossil fuels (e.g., gas, oil, coal). The big question - can humans change their ways?

From The New York Times, the Climate Newsletter: Earth’s Hottest Days Ever

Twice this week, global temperatures broke records, but scientists are more concerned about a longer-term pattern of hotter weather.

This past Sunday was the warmest single day ever recorded, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union-funded research organization. That is, until Monday, when global temperatures inched up a bit more. Then Monday became the hottest day in modern history, with an average global temperature of 17.16 Celsius or 62.88 Fahrenheit. Tuesday was almost as hot. ...continue reading "The Two Hottest Days On Earth Were This Week"

Published on Leave a comment on Aspirin and Lower Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Studies on aspirin keep coming. For decades, studies found that persons taking aspirin frequently have a lowered risk of developing colorectal (colon) cancer, and that they are less likely to die if they do develop colorectal cancer. A recent study confirmed these aspirin findings and looked at what is occurring.

Aspirin appears to boost or activate the immune system, which helps explain its protective effect in colorectal cancer. Clinical trials are going on now to test whether and how aspirin can be part of colorectal cancer treatment.

From Medscape: How Aspirin May Lower Risk for Colorectal Cancer

A 2020 meta-analysis, for instance, found that 325 mg of daily aspirin — the typical dose in a single tablet — conferred a 35% reduced risk of developing CRC, and a highly cited The Lancet study from 2010 found that a low dose of daily aspirin reduced the incidence of colon cancer by 24% and colon cancer deaths by 35% over 20 years.

The evidence surrounding aspirin and CRC is so intriguing that more than 70,000 people are currently participating in more than 2 dozen clinical studies worldwide, putting aspirin through its paces as an intervention in CRC.

But what, exactly, is aspirin doing?

...continue reading "Aspirin and Lower Risk of Colorectal Cancer"

Published on Leave a comment on Bees and Butterflies Now Missing From Yards

This year a number of persons reported to me that when their neighbors started with mosquito and tick control pesticide applications, they no longer have bees or butterflies in their yards. Even if they have lots of bee and butterfly friendly flowers, or lots of clover - they now rarely or never see bees and butterflies. This has also been my experience.

As I reported last year, this is because mosquito/tick services use pesticides that are highly toxic to bees and butterflies. The applicators hold pesticide sprayers at waist height that spray insecticides out at high volume, and usually walk along a property 's perimeter spraying. Looks like leaf blowers blowing out pesticides!

Typically pyrethroid and cypermethrin insecticides (e.g. made by Fendona) are used. These are broad-spectrum (kill many species, including bees), microencapsulated, long-lasting (up to 90 days) pesticides, and applications are usually every 3 weeks. So it's actually an over-application of the pesticides.

I observed an applicator walking along a neighbor's yard perimeter applying the insecticides at waist height directly into my hedges (yes, it is obvious to the applicator that they are on my property). As he walked along, I could see the hedges violently shaking from the high volume application.

By the way, that is a deliberate non-target application of pesticides, which is against the law in my state. But it's what these companies do with impunity - go look at their web-site photos. By the way, pesticide contamination of adjacent properties will always be a problem in suburban yards with this kind of application.

Bees are pollinators, and unfortunately they are in serious decline in the United States. Pesticides are a big cause. Pesticides, including pyrethroids, also have numerous health effects on humans - none of them good. Especially worrisome is exposure during pregnancy or in young children.

Interestingly, others and I have also noticed that bird species that were common in our yards no longer visit once a neighbor starts with the mosquito and tick pesticide applications. Hummingbirds, gold finches, black-capped chickadees, juncos, robins, song sparrows and other birds - all are now missing from yards.

Published on Leave a comment on Better Lung Function In Children Living Near Green Spaces

A recent large study found that exposure in childhood to more "green spaces" or a "greener neighborhood" results in better lung function in those children. Well, duh.. of course. The study needed to be done to show the health benefits of parks and other outdoor green spaces for children, and thus the need for green spaces in urban areas.

The study involved more than 35,000 children from eight European countries. They found that the more "green space" or "greener neighborhoods" exposure (meaning the more green spaces by the child's residence) that the children had in early childhood, the better it was for their lung function. On the other hand, the further away a child lived from green spaces, the lower the lung volume.

Why? The researchers point out that green spaces (parks, yards) reduce air pollution, which in turn affects respiratory health of children. It also exposes the children to beneficial microbes, which are good for their microbiome and immune system. Finally, playing outside (physical activity) is good for lung development and function.

From Science Daily: Children living in greener neighborhoods show better lung function

A large study of 35,000 children from eight countries has found a "robust" link between exposure to green spaces in early childhood and better lung function. The study, led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), has been published in Environment International. ...continue reading "Better Lung Function In Children Living Near Green Spaces"