Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017
Thursday, February 09, 2017
Thursday, February 02, 2017
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Monday, January 30, 2017
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Monday, January 23, 2017
Friday, January 20, 2017
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Why the ‘gluten-free movement’ is less of a fad than we thought
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/01/13/why-the-gluten-free-movement-is-less-of-a-fad-than-we-thought/?utm_term=.8033855e228b
Totally disagree with writer's statement about gluten intolerance: "In the absence of diagnostic clarity, most people who suspect they have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity confirm the finding with an inexact test. They eliminate gluten from their diet and see if their symptoms improve after that."
She is only partially right: removing gluten is the gold standard for knowing if you react. The problem is that many people remove it and never reintroduce it. To truly know if gluten is the issue, you must remove it for a period of six months, and then reintroduce it. If you get symptoms again, then you have a gluten issue, period.
Totally disagree with writer's statement about gluten intolerance: "In the absence of diagnostic clarity, most people who suspect they have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity confirm the finding with an inexact test. They eliminate gluten from their diet and see if their symptoms improve after that."
She is only partially right: removing gluten is the gold standard for knowing if you react. The problem is that many people remove it and never reintroduce it. To truly know if gluten is the issue, you must remove it for a period of six months, and then reintroduce it. If you get symptoms again, then you have a gluten issue, period.
Friday, January 13, 2017
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Monday, January 09, 2017
Friday, January 06, 2017
Thursday, January 05, 2017
Wednesday, January 04, 2017
Monday, January 02, 2017
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Friday, December 09, 2016
Thursday, December 08, 2016
Using Adverse Event Reports to Monitor Cosmetic Safety
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Using Adverse Event Reports to Monitor Cosmetic Safety
December 8, 2016
It’s not an exaggeration to say that everyone uses cosmetics, be it shampoo, mouthwash, a moisturizer or deodorant. The FDA monitors cosmetics on the market to ensure that they are safe for consumers.
One way in which FDA finds out about a safety issue is when an adverse event report (AER) is filed by a consumer, manufacturer, or health care professional. An adverse event could be any problem experienced when using a cosmetic product. On Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, FDA announced that it is making public certain data that the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) receives about adverse events associated with the use of its regulated products, which include cosmetics.
Why FDA Is Making Data Extracted from Reports of Adverse Events for Foods and Cosmetics Available to the Public
Using Adverse Event Reports to Monitor Cosmetic Safety
December 8, 2016
It’s not an exaggeration to say that everyone uses cosmetics, be it shampoo, mouthwash, a moisturizer or deodorant. The FDA monitors cosmetics on the market to ensure that they are safe for consumers.
One way in which FDA finds out about a safety issue is when an adverse event report (AER) is filed by a consumer, manufacturer, or health care professional. An adverse event could be any problem experienced when using a cosmetic product. On Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, FDA announced that it is making public certain data that the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) receives about adverse events associated with the use of its regulated products, which include cosmetics.
Why FDA Is Making Data Extracted from Reports of Adverse Events for Foods and Cosmetics Available to the Public
Tuesday, December 06, 2016
Monday, December 05, 2016
Thursday, December 01, 2016
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Monday, November 21, 2016
Friday, November 18, 2016
Monday, November 14, 2016
Friday, November 11, 2016
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Vitamin D Eases Depression, Fatigue in Spinal Cord Patients
For patients with spinal cord injury who have insufficient levels of vitamin D, supplements can improve symptoms of depression and fatigue, according to a report presented to the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2016 Annual Assembly.
And in these patients, pain severity scores were significantly better with high-dose supplements than with low-dose supplements.
"We need to screen everyone with spinal cord injury for vitamin D," said the lead author.
In the study, all patients had levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were below 30, even those that hailed from "sunny California".
Patients randomly allocated to the low-dose group received 800 IU of vitamin D daily for 6 months. Those randomly assigned to the high-dose group received 2000 IU daily for 6 months if their baseline blood levels were 20 to 30. They received 4000 IU daily for 1 month and 2000 IU daily for 5 months if their baseline blood levels were lower than 20.
During the study period, all patients experienced a significant increase in average 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. High-dose supplementation was associated with a significant decrease in depression and fatigue.
And in these patients, pain severity scores were significantly better with high-dose supplements than with low-dose supplements.
"We need to screen everyone with spinal cord injury for vitamin D," said the lead author.
In the study, all patients had levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were below 30, even those that hailed from "sunny California".
Patients randomly allocated to the low-dose group received 800 IU of vitamin D daily for 6 months. Those randomly assigned to the high-dose group received 2000 IU daily for 6 months if their baseline blood levels were 20 to 30. They received 4000 IU daily for 1 month and 2000 IU daily for 5 months if their baseline blood levels were lower than 20.
During the study period, all patients experienced a significant increase in average 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. High-dose supplementation was associated with a significant decrease in depression and fatigue.
Thursday, November 03, 2016
Wednesday, November 02, 2016
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Friday, October 21, 2016
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
Friday, October 14, 2016
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Why Stop at Sugary Drinks?
Tax sugary drinks to fight obesity and diabetes, World Health Organization says.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-sugar-idUSKCN12B0ZB
Coke and Pepsi Give Millions to Public Health, Then Lobby Against It.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/10/well/eat/coke-and-pepsi-give-millions-to-public-health-then-lobby-against-it.html?_r=0
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-sugar-idUSKCN12B0ZB
Coke and Pepsi Give Millions to Public Health, Then Lobby Against It.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/10/well/eat/coke-and-pepsi-give-millions-to-public-health-then-lobby-against-it.html?_r=0
Friday, October 07, 2016
Tuesday, October 04, 2016
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Monsanto Bought Out
Monsanto has accepted Bayer AG’s $66 billion takeover offer, which will make the new entity the largest seed and pesticide company in the world.
If the merger goes through, we’ll be left with just four companies providing 59 percent of the global seeds and 64 percent of the world’s pesticides, which some predict will be a disaster for the global food system.
If the merger goes through, we’ll be left with just four companies providing 59 percent of the global seeds and 64 percent of the world’s pesticides, which some predict will be a disaster for the global food system.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
How Top Restaurants Rate on Reducing Use of Antibiotics in Their Meat Supply
Not surprisingly, Panera and Chipotle were rated the best.
http://webiva-downton.s3.amazonaws.com/877/c1/e/9136/1/NRDC_ChainReaction2_ExecSumm.pdf
http://webiva-downton.s3.amazonaws.com/877/c1/e/9136/1/NRDC_ChainReaction2_ExecSumm.pdf
Monday, September 19, 2016
Friday, September 16, 2016
Splenda Naturals: Here We Go!
Due to declining sales of their flagship artificial sweetener, Splenda has produced a rival to Truvia and PureVia.
It has the same ingredients as the other two: stevia extract and erythritol.
They market it as a natural non-caloric sweetener, but as you know now, erythritol is anything but natural.
https://www.splenda.com/naturals
Don't buy into the hype!
It has the same ingredients as the other two: stevia extract and erythritol.
They market it as a natural non-caloric sweetener, but as you know now, erythritol is anything but natural.
https://www.splenda.com/naturals
Don't buy into the hype!
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Huge Lancet Review on Statins Littered With Conflict of Interest
There was a ton of press on statins a few weeks ago. Take any of it with a grain of salt. Look at the conflict of interest with the authors of the study!
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(16)31357-5/fulltext
"Declaration of interests from the authors
JA, CB, LB, RC, JE, RP, DP, and CR work in the Clinical Trial Service Unit & Epidemiological Studies Unit (CTSU) at the University of Oxford. The CTSU has received research grants from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Schering, and Solvay that are governed by University of Oxford contracts that protect its independence, and it has a staff policy of not taking personal payments from industry (with reimbursement sought only for the costs of travel and accommodation to attend scientific meetings). RC is co-inventor of a genetic test for statin-related myopathy risk, but receives no income from it. DP has participated in advisory meetings for Sanofi related to PCSK9 inhibitor therapy in his previous employment. The CTT Collaboration, which is coordinated by CTSU with colleagues from the University of Sydney, does not receive industry funding. JD has received research grants from, and served as a consultant to, Merck and Pfizer. GDS has twice received travel and accommodation funding and honoraria from Merck; DD receives compensation for serving on data monitoring committees for clinical trials (including of statins) funded by Abbvie, Actelion, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Sanofi, and Teva. NW and ML are inventors of a combination formulation for the prevention of cardiovascular disease that includes a statin, covered by patents licensed to Polypill in which they both hold shares and which owns the website polypill.com. SMac has received research grants for research on statins and polypill development from Bristol-Myers Squibb and BUPA. SMar is co-inventor on a pending patent for a LDL cholesterol estimation method, and has served as an advisor to Sanofi, Regeneron, Quest Diagnostics, Pressed Juicery, and Abbott Nutrition. NP has received research grants and honoraria for participating in advisory meetings and giving lectures from Amgen, Lilly, Menorini, and Merck. PR has received investigator-initiated research grants from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Kowa, Novartis, and Pfizer. PSe has received research grants and honoraria for consultancies from Amgen and Pfizer. LS has undertaken advisory work unrelated to statins for AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline. SY has received a research grant from AstraZeneca through Hamilton Health Sciences. AR declares that George Health Enterprises, the social enterprise arm of The George Institute, has received investment to develop combination products containing statin, aspirin, and blood-pressure-lowering drugs. JS has received grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia; Bayer Pharmaceuticals; Roche; and Merck Serono. RB, SE, BN, IR, and PSa declare no competing interests."
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(16)31357-5/fulltext
"Declaration of interests from the authors
JA, CB, LB, RC, JE, RP, DP, and CR work in the Clinical Trial Service Unit & Epidemiological Studies Unit (CTSU) at the University of Oxford. The CTSU has received research grants from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Schering, and Solvay that are governed by University of Oxford contracts that protect its independence, and it has a staff policy of not taking personal payments from industry (with reimbursement sought only for the costs of travel and accommodation to attend scientific meetings). RC is co-inventor of a genetic test for statin-related myopathy risk, but receives no income from it. DP has participated in advisory meetings for Sanofi related to PCSK9 inhibitor therapy in his previous employment. The CTT Collaboration, which is coordinated by CTSU with colleagues from the University of Sydney, does not receive industry funding. JD has received research grants from, and served as a consultant to, Merck and Pfizer. GDS has twice received travel and accommodation funding and honoraria from Merck; DD receives compensation for serving on data monitoring committees for clinical trials (including of statins) funded by Abbvie, Actelion, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Sanofi, and Teva. NW and ML are inventors of a combination formulation for the prevention of cardiovascular disease that includes a statin, covered by patents licensed to Polypill in which they both hold shares and which owns the website polypill.com. SMac has received research grants for research on statins and polypill development from Bristol-Myers Squibb and BUPA. SMar is co-inventor on a pending patent for a LDL cholesterol estimation method, and has served as an advisor to Sanofi, Regeneron, Quest Diagnostics, Pressed Juicery, and Abbott Nutrition. NP has received research grants and honoraria for participating in advisory meetings and giving lectures from Amgen, Lilly, Menorini, and Merck. PR has received investigator-initiated research grants from Amgen, AstraZeneca, Kowa, Novartis, and Pfizer. PSe has received research grants and honoraria for consultancies from Amgen and Pfizer. LS has undertaken advisory work unrelated to statins for AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline. SY has received a research grant from AstraZeneca through Hamilton Health Sciences. AR declares that George Health Enterprises, the social enterprise arm of The George Institute, has received investment to develop combination products containing statin, aspirin, and blood-pressure-lowering drugs. JS has received grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia; Bayer Pharmaceuticals; Roche; and Merck Serono. RB, SE, BN, IR, and PSa declare no competing interests."
Yucky Federal GMO Bill Becomes Law
Aside from overriding state and local laws, what are some of the DARK Act’s other fundamental deficiencies?
- There is no requirement for on-package labeling of GMO foods.
- As many as 100 million Americans lack the ability to find out product specifics by not being able to access QR codes.
- The biotech-friendly USDA – not the FDA – is charged with creating the law’s actual labeling rules over the next two years.
- The bill leaves totally unclear what will be considered a GMO food and/or ingredient. According to the FDA, most foods typically thought of as being produced or made with GMO ingredients will not be covered by the bill’s narrow definition of genetic engineering. The USDA might raise the threshold for incidental GMO contamination from the currently accepted .09% to as high as 30% while still calling that non-GMO!
- The bill suggests that the USDA harmonize its ultimate definition of genetic engineering with the organic law’s definitions – something that could create a huge loophole into organic’s current strict prohibitions on GMO technology.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Monday, September 05, 2016
Friday, September 02, 2016
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Monday, August 29, 2016
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Sugar, Artificial Sweetener Addiction Treatment
Neuroscientists said in a study in PLOS ONE, drugs used to treat nicotine addiction could be used to treat sugar addiction in animals. The study coincides with another paper by the same neuroscientists in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
Once and for all, we can admit that long chronic sugar intake can cause eating disorders and impact on behavior.
Excess sugar consumption elevate dopamine levels which control the brain's reward and pleasure centers in a way that is similar to many drugs of abuse including tobacco, cocaine and morphine. After long-term consumption, this leads to the opposite, a reduction in dopamine levels. This leads to higher consumption of sugar to get the same level of reward.
The found that FDA approved drugs like varenicline, a prescription medication trading as Champix which treats nicotine addiction, can work the same way when it comes to sugar cravings.
To the researcher's surprise, the study also found that artificial sweeteners could produce effects similar to those obtained with table sugar.
Once and for all, we can admit that long chronic sugar intake can cause eating disorders and impact on behavior.
Excess sugar consumption elevate dopamine levels which control the brain's reward and pleasure centers in a way that is similar to many drugs of abuse including tobacco, cocaine and morphine. After long-term consumption, this leads to the opposite, a reduction in dopamine levels. This leads to higher consumption of sugar to get the same level of reward.
The found that FDA approved drugs like varenicline, a prescription medication trading as Champix which treats nicotine addiction, can work the same way when it comes to sugar cravings.
To the researcher's surprise, the study also found that artificial sweeteners could produce effects similar to those obtained with table sugar.
Vitamin C Lowers Cataract Risk
A diet rich in vitamin C could cut risk of cataract progression by a third, suggests a study published in a recent issue of Ophthalmology. The research is also the first to show that diet and lifestyle may play a greater role than genetics in cataract development and severity.
From more than 1,000 pairs of female twins analyzed, diets rich in vitamin C were associated with a 20 percent risk reduction for cataract. After 10 years, there was a 33 percent risk reduction of cataract progression.
Genetic factors accounted for 35 percent of the difference in cataract progression. Environmental factors, such as diet, accounted for 65 percent.
From more than 1,000 pairs of female twins analyzed, diets rich in vitamin C were associated with a 20 percent risk reduction for cataract. After 10 years, there was a 33 percent risk reduction of cataract progression.
Genetic factors accounted for 35 percent of the difference in cataract progression. Environmental factors, such as diet, accounted for 65 percent.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Extra safety for female joggers
Due to the recent tragic slayings of two NY joggers, it is more important than ever that runners take the necessary safety precautions when running/walking/hiking outdoors or on campus. These horrific events have people asking themselves "are we really safe when we run?"
SABRE, the world's number one pepper spray has released an athletic line of safety products to help deter danger. They have a Runner Personal Alarm with Adjustable Wrist Strap and their Runner Pepper Gel.
SABRE, the world's number one pepper spray has released an athletic line of safety products to help deter danger. They have a Runner Personal Alarm with Adjustable Wrist Strap and their Runner Pepper Gel.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Poison control centers are getting a surge of calls about ‘natural’ painkiller kratom
The herbal supplement seemed like a miracle. Trying to kick an opioid addiction, the middle-aged man found he could soothe his cravings with a tea made from an Asian plant called kratom. It relieved his pain and made him more alert.
But when he combined it with a stimulant, it also gave him a seizure that landed him in a Boston-area emergency room.
Those kinds of stories are on the rise, according to a study published Thursday in a weekly report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of calls to poison centers about problems stemming from kratom ingestion have increased tenfold over five years, from 26 in 2010 to 263 in 2015.
In many cases called into the poison control centers, the side effects of kratom were relatively mild: nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, and agitation. But there was one death, of a patient who took other drugs along with kratom. Other patients who took multiple substances suffered serious side effects — like the middle-aged Massachusetts man whose story was reported as a case study in the journal Addiction.
Kratom comes from the glossy leaves of a tree grown in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Traditionally, in countries like Thailand, the leaves have been crushed or brewed into tea and used as a painkiller or a replacement for opioids. That’s because a few of the chemicals in the leaf stimulate the same brain receptors as drugs like oxycodone and morphine.
Kratom is marketed as a natural herbal supplement, but it can be highly addictive. And clinicians and researchers worry about opioid users who try to wean themselves off drugs using kratom rather than seeking professional help.
“They want to turn their lives around, they want to get back on track, they turn to kratom,” said Oliver Grundmann, a pharmacologist at the University of Florida who was not involved in the report on poison control calls. “They take more and more and more, but it doesn’t do the job, and then they turn to heroin.”
Little is known about the exact workings of kratom on the brain, but it seems to function as a stimulant at low doses and a depressant at high doses, said Royal Law, an epidemiologist at the CDC and a coauthor of the study in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The new tally of poison center calls comes as kratom has emerged as a significant public health concern.
Six states have banned kratom, and others are considering restrictions, according to the website of the American Kratom Association. The Food and Drug Administration has banned its importation. But it is still widely available online, in tea or capsule form. Some researchers have even found packets of it sold in gas stations.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has classified kratom as a drug of concern, but that does not prevent its sale or use.
But when he combined it with a stimulant, it also gave him a seizure that landed him in a Boston-area emergency room.
Those kinds of stories are on the rise, according to a study published Thursday in a weekly report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of calls to poison centers about problems stemming from kratom ingestion have increased tenfold over five years, from 26 in 2010 to 263 in 2015.
In many cases called into the poison control centers, the side effects of kratom were relatively mild: nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, and agitation. But there was one death, of a patient who took other drugs along with kratom. Other patients who took multiple substances suffered serious side effects — like the middle-aged Massachusetts man whose story was reported as a case study in the journal Addiction.
Kratom comes from the glossy leaves of a tree grown in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Traditionally, in countries like Thailand, the leaves have been crushed or brewed into tea and used as a painkiller or a replacement for opioids. That’s because a few of the chemicals in the leaf stimulate the same brain receptors as drugs like oxycodone and morphine.
Kratom is marketed as a natural herbal supplement, but it can be highly addictive. And clinicians and researchers worry about opioid users who try to wean themselves off drugs using kratom rather than seeking professional help.
“They want to turn their lives around, they want to get back on track, they turn to kratom,” said Oliver Grundmann, a pharmacologist at the University of Florida who was not involved in the report on poison control calls. “They take more and more and more, but it doesn’t do the job, and then they turn to heroin.”
Little is known about the exact workings of kratom on the brain, but it seems to function as a stimulant at low doses and a depressant at high doses, said Royal Law, an epidemiologist at the CDC and a coauthor of the study in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The new tally of poison center calls comes as kratom has emerged as a significant public health concern.
Six states have banned kratom, and others are considering restrictions, according to the website of the American Kratom Association. The Food and Drug Administration has banned its importation. But it is still widely available online, in tea or capsule form. Some researchers have even found packets of it sold in gas stations.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has classified kratom as a drug of concern, but that does not prevent its sale or use.
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