Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
No single diabetes diet fits all
Bonnie - This is the quote of the week: For the first time, a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association admitted that "there is no one diet that is consistently better at helping people manage diabetes." It based upon individual needs.
I'm glad they are finally coming into the 21st century!
I'm glad they are finally coming into the 21st century!
Arsenic in brown rice syrup
Bonnie and Steve: An Environmental Health Perspectives study released ahead of print today found high levels of arsenic in brown rice syrup products, including two organic infant formulas. Similar to a study about arsenic found in apple juice, this definitely has the public uneasy.
The study did not released the brand names of the cereals, energy bars, athletic food products, and infant formulas. For our clients: the baby formula we recommend, Baby's Only, states their products do not have detectable arsenic levels: http://www.naturesone.com/pdf/N1_Response_Arsenic_and_Other_Toxins_in_US_Food_Supply.pdf
Hopefully, we can learn more about the brands in question. If you are worried about any products you consume with brown rice syrup, contact the manufacturer and ask them if their brown rice syrup comes form California. If it does, then it should be fine. This was one study was on brown rice syrup, not brown rice. That is a major distinction. Feel free to avoid any products you may consume with brown rice syrup until this is sorted out.
If you are concerned for yourself or your child, you can do a simple serum or hair analysis test to screen for arsenic.
Here's the abstract:
BACKGROUND: Rice can be a major source of inorganic arsenic (Asi) for many sub-populations. Rice products are also used as ingredients in prepared foods, some of which may not be obviously rice-based. Organic brown rice syrup (OBRS) is used as a sweetener in organic food products as an alternative to high fructose corn syrup. We hypothesized that OBRS introduces arsenic into these products.
OBJECTIVE: We determined the concentration and speciation of arsenic (As) in commercially available brown rice syrups, and in products containing OBRS including infant formula, cereal/energy bars, and high energy foods used by endurance athletes.
METHODS: We used ICP-MS and IC-ICP-MS to determine total As (Astotal) concentrations and As speciation in products purchased via the internet or in stores in the Hanover, NH area.
DISCUSSION: We found that OBRS can contain high concentrations of Asi and dimethylarsenate (DMA). An ‘organic’ infant milk formula containing OBRS as the primary ingredient had Astotalconcentrations up to six times the EPA safe drinking water limit. Cereal bars and high energy foods containing OBRS also had higher As concentrations than equivalent products that did not contain OBRS. Inorganic As was the main As species in the majority of food products tested in this study.
CONCLUSIONS: There are currently no US regulations applicable to As in food, but our findings suggest that the OBRS products we evaluated may introduce significant concentrations of Asi to an individual’s diet. Thus, we conclude that there is an urgent need for regulatory limits on As in food.
The study did not released the brand names of the cereals, energy bars, athletic food products, and infant formulas. For our clients: the baby formula we recommend, Baby's Only, states their products do not have detectable arsenic levels: http://www.naturesone.com/pdf/N1_Response_Arsenic_and_Other_Toxins_in_US_Food_Supply.pdf
Hopefully, we can learn more about the brands in question. If you are worried about any products you consume with brown rice syrup, contact the manufacturer and ask them if their brown rice syrup comes form California. If it does, then it should be fine. This was one study was on brown rice syrup, not brown rice. That is a major distinction. Feel free to avoid any products you may consume with brown rice syrup until this is sorted out.
If you are concerned for yourself or your child, you can do a simple serum or hair analysis test to screen for arsenic.
Here's the abstract:
BACKGROUND: Rice can be a major source of inorganic arsenic (Asi) for many sub-populations. Rice products are also used as ingredients in prepared foods, some of which may not be obviously rice-based. Organic brown rice syrup (OBRS) is used as a sweetener in organic food products as an alternative to high fructose corn syrup. We hypothesized that OBRS introduces arsenic into these products.
OBJECTIVE: We determined the concentration and speciation of arsenic (As) in commercially available brown rice syrups, and in products containing OBRS including infant formula, cereal/energy bars, and high energy foods used by endurance athletes.
METHODS: We used ICP-MS and IC-ICP-MS to determine total As (Astotal) concentrations and As speciation in products purchased via the internet or in stores in the Hanover, NH area.
DISCUSSION: We found that OBRS can contain high concentrations of Asi and dimethylarsenate (DMA). An ‘organic’ infant milk formula containing OBRS as the primary ingredient had Astotalconcentrations up to six times the EPA safe drinking water limit. Cereal bars and high energy foods containing OBRS also had higher As concentrations than equivalent products that did not contain OBRS. Inorganic As was the main As species in the majority of food products tested in this study.
CONCLUSIONS: There are currently no US regulations applicable to As in food, but our findings suggest that the OBRS products we evaluated may introduce significant concentrations of Asi to an individual’s diet. Thus, we conclude that there is an urgent need for regulatory limits on As in food.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Lipsticks have lead
While many of you have known this for a while, the cosmetics manufacturers have done nothing to remove lead in over 400 kinds of lipsticks tested by the FDA. Five lipsticks made by L’Oreal and Maybelline, two Cover Girl, two NARS lipsticks, and one made by Stargaze also landed in the top 10 most contaminated of the cosmetics.
Babies on probiotics have significantly lower allergies: study
Infants exposed to probiotics (lactobacillus strain) through dietary supplements from 35 weeks' gestation through 2 years of age had a significantly lower risk for eczema and rhinoconjunctivitis. The protective effect lasted until the children were at least 4 years of age, according to a study published in Clinical and Experimental Allergy.
425 infants were followed for 4 years after daily supplementation with probiotic or placebo. Mothers received supplements from 35 weeks' gestation until their child's birth, continuing to 6 months after birth if they were breast-feeding, and all infants received supplements from birth until age 2 years.
The cumulative prevalence of eczema by age 4 years was significantly reduced in the children taking the probiotics compared with children in the placebo group. The prevalence of rhinoconjunctivitis at age 4 years. In addition to significantly reducing the risk of eczema by 4 years of age, the use of the probiotic also provided some protection against wheeze and atopic sensitization.
Eat less, gain memory?
Older people who consumed more than 2,143 calories a day had more than double the risk of a type of memory loss compared to those who ate fewer than 1,500 calories a day, according to a study being released by the American Academy of Neurology. Mild cognitive impairment is the condition between normal forgetfulness due to aging and early Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers divided the participants into three equal groups. The first group consumed 600 to 1,526 calories daily; a second between 1,526 calories and 2,142 calories and a third, more than 2,143. The odds of having MCI more than doubled in the highest calorie group compared to the lowest calorie group.
Researchers divided the participants into three equal groups. The first group consumed 600 to 1,526 calories daily; a second between 1,526 calories and 2,142 calories and a third, more than 2,143. The odds of having MCI more than doubled in the highest calorie group compared to the lowest calorie group.
Fantastic voyage through the gut
Processed food like ramen noodles and gummy bears are bad for you. Now, for the first time ever, you can see how for yourself. Artist and provacateur Stefani Bardin‘s newest project M2A™:The Fantastic Voyage offers a graphic look at how the gastrointestinal tract (GI) processes a meal of Top Ramen, Gummy Bears and Blue Gatorade versus a meal of hand made noodles, pomegranate/cherry juice gummy bears, and hibiscus gatorade.
Bardin worked in collaboration with gastroenterologist Dr. Braden Kuo of Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital to launch the first ever clinical study using the M2A™ Capsule (mouth-to-anus) to record video of the digestion process. They also used a SmartPill wireless gastroenterology device to capture rich time, pressure, and pH data of how the GI tract reacts as each kind of food is digested.
While the final results are not published yet- Bardin and Kuo are raising money to run more trials- the video is a disturbing look at how difficult it is for the body to break down food made for shelf-life. Which makes sense, given the ingredients used to preserve and give them their color are derived from petrochemicals and butane. Perhaps more disturbing, however, is that fact that “since artificial colorings and flavorings are considered the intellectual property of a company, manufacturers are not required to divulge this information since it could potentially do economic harm to their business if someone stole their trade secrets,” says Bardin.
The goal of this project? Bardin explains, “to present unseen and often veiled information about our food system in unexpected ways, so that the public with as much knowledge as possible in order to make informed choices about the food they eat.”
http://www.petrifiedunrest.net/M2A.html
Bardin worked in collaboration with gastroenterologist Dr. Braden Kuo of Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital to launch the first ever clinical study using the M2A™ Capsule (mouth-to-anus) to record video of the digestion process. They also used a SmartPill wireless gastroenterology device to capture rich time, pressure, and pH data of how the GI tract reacts as each kind of food is digested.
While the final results are not published yet- Bardin and Kuo are raising money to run more trials- the video is a disturbing look at how difficult it is for the body to break down food made for shelf-life. Which makes sense, given the ingredients used to preserve and give them their color are derived from petrochemicals and butane. Perhaps more disturbing, however, is that fact that “since artificial colorings and flavorings are considered the intellectual property of a company, manufacturers are not required to divulge this information since it could potentially do economic harm to their business if someone stole their trade secrets,” says Bardin.
The goal of this project? Bardin explains, “to present unseen and often veiled information about our food system in unexpected ways, so that the public with as much knowledge as possible in order to make informed choices about the food they eat.”
http://www.petrifiedunrest.net/M2A.html
Trans-fat blood levels plummet. Yeah!
Excerpts courtesy of the Washington Post
The amount of trans fat in the American bloodstream fell by more than half after the Food and Drug Administration required food manufacturers to label how much of the unhealthful ingredient is in their products. Blood levels of trans fat declined 58 percent from 2000 to 2008. The decline, unusually big and abrupt, strongly suggests government regulation was effective in altering a risk factor for heart disease for a broad swath of the population. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered the decline by analyzing blood drawn as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which interviews and examines a sample of Americans at least once a decade.
The amount of trans fat in the American bloodstream fell by more than half after the Food and Drug Administration required food manufacturers to label how much of the unhealthful ingredient is in their products. Blood levels of trans fat declined 58 percent from 2000 to 2008. The decline, unusually big and abrupt, strongly suggests government regulation was effective in altering a risk factor for heart disease for a broad swath of the population. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered the decline by analyzing blood drawn as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which interviews and examines a sample of Americans at least once a decade.
Surgery no benefit for women with noncyclic chronic pelvic pain
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, despite the frequent use of invasive surgical procedures to treat women with noncyclic chronic pelvic pain, little evidence supports a surgical approach. The new review from AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program has found in general, a lack of high quality research available to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of both surgical and nonsurgical treatment options for noncyclic (not occurring during menstruation) chronic pelvic pain.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Preventive care: co-pay or no co-pay?
We found this explanation to be very helpful:
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-health-411-20120213,0,7604082.story
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-health-411-20120213,0,7604082.story
Monday, February 13, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Wake Up to Gluten Intolerance.
--portion from eNewsletter--
"A major problem for people with gluten sensitivity is that physicians using tests for celiac disease simply state that the client does not have celiac disease, leading uninformed patients to fend for themselves. Symptoms continue, but the yet unanswered question remains: 'Are people with gluten sensitivity at risk for the same long-term, serious systematic side effects of celiac disease?'"
Bonnie: The answer is a resounding yes. We hear this frustration from clients on a weekly basis.
"It is time to not only recognize, but to treat and further research gluten sensitivity, as unconfirmed environmental factors continue to spread this problem further into the general population."
Steve: These quotes appear in an amazing report from this month's Expert Review of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, thoroughly validating what we have known for years. Here are a few more highlights from the finest report on gluten intolerance (they call it sensitivity by the way) that we have read to date.
--end portion from eNewsletter--
"Nonceliac gluten sensitivity is a separate problem from celiac disease, which emerged prior to 2008. Until this time, the medical establisment only officially recognized gluten as being problematic in people with celiac disease. It is clear that many health-insurance companies lack both the name and reimbursement coding for gluten sensitivity."
Steve: This is a huge problem when clients are trying to get reimbursed.
"People with gluten sensitivity test negative for celiac disease and wheat allergy, but experience resolution of symptoms on a gluten-free diet."
Bonnie: Clinically evident on a weekly basis here.
"It is suggested that the debate on whether or not gluten sensitivity even exists is interfering with the very real need of it being recognized, treated and researched. It is time to recognize the numerous clinical cases of gluten sensitivities in adults and the need to formally confirm this through research. In addition, a renewed recognition needs to occur of the already medically established fact that a second bimodal wave of celiac disease can occur in adults, and not just in infants and children under 3 years of age with the classic symptoms of stunted growth, emaciation, anemia, pot-belly, diarrhea and foul smelling, pale stools. The failure to recognize that celiac disease can also occur later in life, results in a time to diagnosis that is often up to a decade. Is the same scenario occurring for patients with gluten sensitivity?"
Bonnie: This is not something you can usually grow out of. And it can happen when you are older because the damaging effects add up over time.
"What is Causing the Gluten Sensitivity Problem? Human Genetics, Plant Genetic Modification, Wheat Breeding, Improving Gluten Strength, Gluten as a Food Additive, Contaminated Gluten, Hormonal influences, Intestinal Infections, and Allergic Disease."
Steve: A very good list, with human genetics being the biggest, of course.
"The curious suggestion that such a gluten-free diet is 'dangerous' is not justified considering the serious side effects associated with celiac disease. Any 'problems' are easily addressed by referring patients to a dietitian, who will customize the diet and possibly recommend specific dietary supplements such as fiber and calcium.
Bonnie: The key is to replace the gluten-related calories optimally for your individual needs.
"Treatment of Gluten Sensitivity: The current problem of ruling out celiac disease and not recommending a gluten-free diet for gluten-sensitive individuals needs to be corrected. Perhaps patients who are sure that certain foods trigger their symptoms, but are not sure of the causative factor(s), may be best served by providing them a test elimination diet. Patients need to be made aware of these side-effects of gluten so that they understand that this is not just a 'diet' in which gastrointestinal problems are the only consequence of consuming gluten. Currently, this is not the case in medical practice. In the best interest of these patients, referrals to dietitians are recommended. Gluten is not only found in wheat products, but in many hidden locations in the diet that are not easily communicated in a short office visit."
"Five Year View: Until gluten sensitivity is acknowledged, we cannot move together toward solving this problem. The gluten-sensitivity problem will continue in its current amoeba-like state, where no questions are being asked, let alone answered. It was the purpose of this paper to finally ask some of those questions, and ask more people to join in on the arduous task of answering them. In the meantime, gluten sensitivity will continue to spread silently through the unaware population, which includes many clinicians and researchers."
Bonnie and Steve: Could not have said it better ourselves.
"A major problem for people with gluten sensitivity is that physicians using tests for celiac disease simply state that the client does not have celiac disease, leading uninformed patients to fend for themselves. Symptoms continue, but the yet unanswered question remains: 'Are people with gluten sensitivity at risk for the same long-term, serious systematic side effects of celiac disease?'"
Bonnie: The answer is a resounding yes. We hear this frustration from clients on a weekly basis.
"It is time to not only recognize, but to treat and further research gluten sensitivity, as unconfirmed environmental factors continue to spread this problem further into the general population."
Steve: These quotes appear in an amazing report from this month's Expert Review of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, thoroughly validating what we have known for years. Here are a few more highlights from the finest report on gluten intolerance (they call it sensitivity by the way) that we have read to date.
--end portion from eNewsletter--
"Nonceliac gluten sensitivity is a separate problem from celiac disease, which emerged prior to 2008. Until this time, the medical establisment only officially recognized gluten as being problematic in people with celiac disease. It is clear that many health-insurance companies lack both the name and reimbursement coding for gluten sensitivity."
Steve: This is a huge problem when clients are trying to get reimbursed.
"People with gluten sensitivity test negative for celiac disease and wheat allergy, but experience resolution of symptoms on a gluten-free diet."
Bonnie: Clinically evident on a weekly basis here.
"It is suggested that the debate on whether or not gluten sensitivity even exists is interfering with the very real need of it being recognized, treated and researched. It is time to recognize the numerous clinical cases of gluten sensitivities in adults and the need to formally confirm this through research. In addition, a renewed recognition needs to occur of the already medically established fact that a second bimodal wave of celiac disease can occur in adults, and not just in infants and children under 3 years of age with the classic symptoms of stunted growth, emaciation, anemia, pot-belly, diarrhea and foul smelling, pale stools. The failure to recognize that celiac disease can also occur later in life, results in a time to diagnosis that is often up to a decade. Is the same scenario occurring for patients with gluten sensitivity?"
Bonnie: This is not something you can usually grow out of. And it can happen when you are older because the damaging effects add up over time.
"What is Causing the Gluten Sensitivity Problem? Human Genetics, Plant Genetic Modification, Wheat Breeding, Improving Gluten Strength, Gluten as a Food Additive, Contaminated Gluten, Hormonal influences, Intestinal Infections, and Allergic Disease."
Steve: A very good list, with human genetics being the biggest, of course.
"The curious suggestion that such a gluten-free diet is 'dangerous' is not justified considering the serious side effects associated with celiac disease. Any 'problems' are easily addressed by referring patients to a dietitian, who will customize the diet and possibly recommend specific dietary supplements such as fiber and calcium.
Bonnie: The key is to replace the gluten-related calories optimally for your individual needs.
Benefits from an elimination diet may also be maximized by minimizing food allergens, utilizing digestive enzymes and providing omega-3 fatty acids or other dietary supplements. Additional dietary modifications may include foods that decrease inflammation, probiotics influencing gut microflora concentrations and limiting carbohydrates."
Bonnie: What a novel idea?
"Treatment of Gluten Sensitivity: The current problem of ruling out celiac disease and not recommending a gluten-free diet for gluten-sensitive individuals needs to be corrected. Perhaps patients who are sure that certain foods trigger their symptoms, but are not sure of the causative factor(s), may be best served by providing them a test elimination diet. Patients need to be made aware of these side-effects of gluten so that they understand that this is not just a 'diet' in which gastrointestinal problems are the only consequence of consuming gluten. Currently, this is not the case in medical practice. In the best interest of these patients, referrals to dietitians are recommended. Gluten is not only found in wheat products, but in many hidden locations in the diet that are not easily communicated in a short office visit."
"Five Year View: Until gluten sensitivity is acknowledged, we cannot move together toward solving this problem. The gluten-sensitivity problem will continue in its current amoeba-like state, where no questions are being asked, let alone answered. It was the purpose of this paper to finally ask some of those questions, and ask more people to join in on the arduous task of answering them. In the meantime, gluten sensitivity will continue to spread silently through the unaware population, which includes many clinicians and researchers."
Bonnie and Steve: Could not have said it better ourselves.
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Optimal vitamin D = strength and balance in elderly
According to a study in Journal of American Geriatric Society, supplemental vitamin D with daily doses of 800 to 1,000 IU consistently demonstrated beneficial effects on strength and balance. An effect on gait was not demonstrated, although further evaluation is recommended.
Tai Chi helps with Parkinson's symptoms
Tai Chi may help some of the worst physical problems of Parkinson's disease, as well as reduce the chances of a fall.
For the study, subjects with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease were assigned to one of three groups: The first took tai chi classes, the second exercised with weights, and the third was assigned to a program of seated stretching. All the groups met for 60-minute sessions twice each week. After six months, people who had been taking tai chi were able to lean farther forward or backward without stumbling or falling compared to those who had been doing resistance training or stretching. They were also better able to smoothly direct their movements. And they were able to take longer strides than people in the other two groups. Like resistance training, tai chi helped people walk more swiftly, get up from a chair more quickly, and increased leg strength.
Perhaps the most impressive benefit of tai chi, however, was that people in the tai chi group reported half the number of falls compared to those who were taking resistance training and two-thirds fewer falls than people who were doing light stretching exercises. The research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
For the study, subjects with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease were assigned to one of three groups: The first took tai chi classes, the second exercised with weights, and the third was assigned to a program of seated stretching. All the groups met for 60-minute sessions twice each week. After six months, people who had been taking tai chi were able to lean farther forward or backward without stumbling or falling compared to those who had been doing resistance training or stretching. They were also better able to smoothly direct their movements. And they were able to take longer strides than people in the other two groups. Like resistance training, tai chi helped people walk more swiftly, get up from a chair more quickly, and increased leg strength.
Perhaps the most impressive benefit of tai chi, however, was that people in the tai chi group reported half the number of falls compared to those who were taking resistance training and two-thirds fewer falls than people who were doing light stretching exercises. The research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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