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Published on Leave a comment on Drinking Alcohol Is Beneficial For Cholesterol Levels
Credit: Wikipedia

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.

From Ars Technica: Large study shows drinking alcohol is good for your cholesterol levels

Drinking alcohol is bad in many ways; raising a glass can raise your risks of various health problems, such as accidental injuries, liver diseases, high blood pressure, and several types of cancers. But, it's not all bad—in fact, it's surprisingly good for your cholesterol levels, according to a study published today in JAMA Network Open. ...continue reading "Drinking Alcohol Is Beneficial For Cholesterol Levels"

Published on Leave a comment on A Site That Collects Stories of Treatments For Rare Diseases

Some people have unexplainable or mystery illnesses - whether it is unknown what exactly they have, but also how to treat the rare disease. And if somehow a doctor figures out how to treat the disease, then they may not know how to get the word out to other medical professionals. But it turns out there is a way to tell others this valuable information - CURE ID.

It turns out that within the FDA there is federal official Heather Stone who has worked tirelessly on this problem - that is, to help doctors find new treatments  for rare, deadly diseases. A site and app called CURE ID has been developed by her small team to collect such stories (it collects stories because studies haven't been done). To keep it in perspective - there are about 10,000 known rare diseases. 

The following tells the incredible story of a devastating mystery disease (brain-eating amoeba called Balamuthia) in a young girl, a treatment that finally worked, and the role that CURE ID could play in the future. CURE ID is especially interested in repurposing existing medicines, that is, using medicines already in existence, but now for rare diseases (this would be an off-label use).

Excerpts from Michael Lewis's article in the  Washington Post: The free-living bureaucrat

"...The FDA couldn’t allow just anyone to post anything. CURE ID — as the site and app became known — needed to be at least lightly refereed to keep the kooky stuff out. The point was to collect the stories that weren’t collected in medicine because they were stories, not science. Case studies, not randomized controlled trials. “Most journals won’t publish case reports because they don’t think they are valuable because they are merely anecdotes,” Heather said. For rare diseases, these anecdotes were all you had to go on, and some of them certainly had value — even if they told you about some treatment that had failed. You didn’t want people saying you could cure covid by drinking bleach. But short of that, what doctors had done with patients dying from rare diseases, and how those patients responded, had obvious value." ...continue reading "A Site That Collects Stories of Treatments For Rare Diseases"

Published on Leave a comment on Indoor Air From Scented Products May Be More Polluted Than Outdoor Air

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.

From Science Daily: Air inside your home may be more polluted than outside due to everyday chemical products

When you walk through a pine forest, the crisp, fresh scent is one of the first things you notice. ...continue reading "Indoor Air From Scented Products May Be More Polluted Than Outdoor Air"

Published on Leave a comment on Good Book About Ultra-Processed Food

There is much concern with the amount of highly or ultra-processed foods the typical American eats - over 50% of the calories eaten daily! A very good book about ultra-processed food is Ultra-Processed People, by Dr. Chris van Tulleken. This book discusses the history of ultra-processed foods (e.g., coal to make "synthetic butter" or margarine), the health harms, and why they are such a big part of our diet.

Ultra-processed foods are food products manufactured with all sorts of ingredients (additives) not normally found in our kitchens. Examples of such ingredients are: emulsifiers, carrageenan, mono- and diglycerides, soy lecithin, polysorbate, cellulose, colors, titanium dioxide, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, dextrose, whey protein, nitrates, flavors (artificial and natural), colors, etc.

These ingredients have typically been added to extend shelf-life or manipulate the taste, flavor, or appearance. Ultra-processed foods are "formulations of ingredients" that result from a series of industrial processes (thus "ultra-processed"). Researchers say that "ultra-processed foods are not real food" due to all the modifications and alterations.

One large review of studies (none of which were affiliated with companies producing ultra-processed foods) found that eating ultra-processed foods are linked to over 30 health harms. Some of the health harms: early death, death from heart disease (cardiovascular disease), type 2 diabetes, adverse sleep outcomes, wheezing, cancer (e.g., colorectal cancer), and obesity. In general, the more ultra-processed foods one ate, the higher the risk for harms (a dose-dependent effect).

Chris van Tulleken - Ultra-Processed People. Published by Cornerstone Press in the UK, and W.W. Norton in the US in 2023. Lots of references to back up what he writes.

Published on Leave a comment on Exposures to Pesticides and Childhood Cancer Risk

The US is awash in pesticides - whether used on farms, in homes, on lawns, right-of-ways, on flea collars, etc., etc. They are used for specific reasons (e.g., to kill specific pests or weeds), but they also cause harms. People have more exposure to pesticides than they realize, and this results in health harms, especially to children and during pregnancy.

For example, people are exposed when there is drifting of pesticides to non-target areas when applied, or there is contamination of drinking water, or from the pesticide residues in the foods we eat, touching dogs wearing flea collars, or when children play on treated lawns.

A large study found that exposure to multiple pesticides results in an increased risk of childhood cancers - brain cancer by 36%, leukemia rates by 23%, and overall pediatric cancer rates by 30%. The study was done in Nebraska, the state with the second highest cancer rates. Many scientists, and also researchers of the study, believe this is from extensive use of multiple pesticides on crops.

Unfortunately, the government only looks at exposure to one chemical at a time - not the mixtures we are exposed to on a daily basis. Also, the most toxic pesticides (dicamba, paraquat, glyphosate) are more regulated or banned in Europe, but not in the US. (Remember: $$$ first in the US).

Simple steps you can do to lower your pesticide exposure: 1) Eat as many organic foods as possible. Pesticide levels in the body will rapidly go down. 2) Use non-toxic Integrated Pest Management (IPM) or organic methods for pest problems. 3) Don't use pesticides on the grounds where you live. View lawns as having wildflowers (bee habitats!) and not weeds. 4) Take your shoes off at the door (so you don't track in pesticides). 5) Use some sort of water filter for drinking water if you suspect that there are pesticides in your water.

From The Guardian: Exposure to combination of pesticides increases childhood cancer risk – study

Exposure to multiple pesticides significantly increases the risk of childhood cancers compared with exposures to just one pesticide, first-of-its-kind research finds, raising new fears that children are more at risk to the substances’ harmful effects than previously thought. ...continue reading "Exposures to Pesticides and Childhood Cancer Risk"

Published on Leave a comment on Silver Supplements Build Up In the Body
Man with argyria Credit: Wikipedia

The use of silver instead of antibiotics is incredibly popular as an alternative medical treatment for various ailments. It can be taken by mouth and swallowed (colloidal silver supplements) or applied to skin wounds. However, when colloidal silver is ingested, it stays in the body and builds up over time - in the skin, the organs, fingernails.

It's not clear how much colloidal silver you can ingest before it's harmful. But in large amounts it can result in a blue-gray tint of the skin, eyes, organs, nails, and gums - this condition is called argyria. Unfortunately, even if a person stops taking silver, the blue-gray tint remains. There have been a number of cases reported in the medical literature of argyria, for example a man who ingested it daily for one year ("to ward off infections").

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that colloidal silver isn’t safe or effective for treating any disease or condition and has taken action against a number of companies for making misleading claims about colloidal silver products.

The following article describes one such case in an elderly man in Hong Kong. Excerpts from Ars Technica: Man turns irreversibly gray from an unidentified silver exposure

When an 84-year-old man in Hong Kong was admitted to a hospital for a condition related to an enlarged prostate, doctors noticed something else about him—he was oddly gray, according to a case report in the New England Journal of Medicine. ...continue reading "Silver Supplements Build Up In the Body"

Published on Leave a comment on Dairy Foods Benefit Our Gut Microbes

It's good to eat and drink dairy foods! Consuming dairy foods is beneficial for the gut microbiome, but each dairy food - whether milk, cheese, or yogurt - appears to have  different effects on the composition of the gut microbiome (the community of bacteria, viruses, fungi).

A recent small study found that consuming higher amounts of dairy foods is beneficial for the gut microbiome, and resulted in a greater variety of bacterial species (this is considered good for health). There was more abundance of the beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium, a bacteria associated with digestive health and immune support.

Consumption of milk was especially beneficial in boosting a variety of beneficial bacteria (Faecalibacterium) known for their anti-inflammatory properties.

Higher amounts of total dairy foods consumed was associated with lower levels of Bacteroides, which are linked to inflammatory conditions and colorectal cancer.

Excerpts from news-medical.net: Milk boosts gut-friendly bacteria while cheese alters microbiome balance, study reveals

In a recent study published in the journal Nutrients, researchers in the United States explored the influence of dairy consumption on colonic mucosa-associated gut microbiota. By investigating specific bacterial composition changes linked to dairy intake, they highlighted its implications for individual and public health. ...continue reading "Dairy Foods Benefit Our Gut Microbes"

Published on Leave a comment on Study Finds Common Pesticide Has Effect On Pregnancies and Babies

The US uses massive amounts of the pesticide glyphosate (commonly known as Roundup) on farms, the sides of roads, and even by homeowners on their properties. More than 127,000 tons of this weed-killer (herbicide) is used just on US farm fields! But studies, including this recent study, find that glyphosate is also linked to health harms, including lower weights and earlier birth of babies.

The recent research found that increased glyphosate applications on farm fields in the last two decades (especially due to genetically modified crops and preharvest use) has especially impacted pregnancies and babies born in rural areas of the United States. That is, pregnant women in farm areas are the most impacted by glyphosate - it's not just used on the fields nearby (they get exposed from pesticide drift), but also in the non-organic foods that they eat. Lower birthweights are generally considered a predictor of health problems (and higher health care costs).

Evidence for health harms from glyphosate are increasing each year, such as an increased risk of cancer (e.g., non-Hodgkin lymphoma), premature births, endocrine disruption, and even disruptions of the gut microbiome (it kills beneficial microbes in the gut, including such important keystone bacteria as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.) The percentage of people with glyphosate detected in their urine, and the amount (concentration) has been rising over time. It can now be detected in almost all of us, including children.

By the way, the US allows much higher levels of glyphosate residue on foods than countries in other parts of the world, including Europe. But in Brazil it's even worse with levels much higher than in the US, and with higher rates of childhood cancer and infant mortality.

Organic food production does not allow the use of glyphosate. To lower glyphosate levels in your body - increase the amount  of organic foods that you eat.

Excerpts from Science: Common weed killer may be harming infants

Babies in rural counties of the United States that use a common weed killer are born slightly earlier and underweight, a large study finds. These changes, although small on average, could result in learning disabilities and an increased risk of infection, researchers reported last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, resulting in more than $1 billion in health care costs nationwide each year. ...continue reading "Study Finds Common Pesticide Has Effect On Pregnancies and Babies"