Let's Get HEALTHY!

[KitKat]

Wow! That's great.

[KitKat]

Half a glass of wine every day' increases breast cancer risk



Further evidence has emerged of the link between alcohol consumption in women and an increased risk of breast cancer.

According to a report from the World Cancer Research Fund, half a glass of wine or a small beer a day increases the risk of breast cancer.

It also backs up research showing that regular intensive exercise can reduce the risk of the disease.

But is it really that simple?

Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in women in the UK with one in eight women developing the disease during their lifetime.

But scientists say they can't explain why the cancer occurs in some people and not in others.

There are numerous causes and lots of factors to take into account, including lifestyle, hormone levels and other medical conditions.

Basically, it's a complex picture and there's no point focusing on one factor only.


Full Article
https://www.google.com/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/39998678

[ChirpingGirl]

So we should throw out our expensive wine? 

[KitKat]

No, just be aware. Cut down to lower the chances.

[RopeFiend]

I've been continuing my research into what's going on with me (Hashimoto's Disease, an autoimmune condition killing my thyroid).  Remember my earlier prediction that MANY of us will be on gluten-free diets within 20 years?  Here's some scary statistics on why it's a good idea to start NOW, before you have problems:

50 million people in the US have one or more autoimmune conditions... about 1 in every 6 people.  Most of them are undiagnosed until the symptoms get bad enough to force you to a doctor.  If you're lucky, they'll eventually figure out it's an autoimmune condition, but that's a blind-spot with a lot of physicians.   Mine didn't think it worth looking at until I forced her hand and insisted on a visit to an endocrinologist, who said that autoimmune disease accounted for 90% of the people with thyroid problems.  Oops.  20 million people have (or will have) thyroid issues during their life.

Enter a fairly new branch of medicine called 'epigenetics'.  They say that gene expression (turning on pieces of faulty genes that causes us problems) requires 3 parts for autoimmune problems:

1) the right genes (you can't change that in this century; Star Trek science doesn't exist)
2) the 'trigger' that causes gene expression (once turned on, it stays on)
3) intestinal permeability, aka leaky gut syndrome

Roughly 20% of people with European heritage (lots of us in the USA) have the genetic sequence that makes us sensitive to gluten; it's the 'trigger' for intestinal problems as well as many other autoimmune conditions.  That 20% (1 in 5) is damned close to the 1 in 6 of us (total) with autoimmune problems.

None of us have the enzymes and bacteria to break gluten down properly, and ONE of the protein fragments that can be released is called Zonulin.  That's the key to the doors  in your gut... it allows incompletely digested food to pass into the bloodstream, triggering the autoimmune reaction.  That's the 'leaky gut' part of the equation.  The intestinal lining (the filter that keeps undigested food out) is only one cell thick, and either Zonulin or damage due to inflammation (a more extreme reaction to gluten) can cause that leaky gut.  Gluten is both the autoimmune 'trigger' and the cause of leaky gut, 2 of the 3 parts required to fire off autoimmune conditions.  There are numerous secondary 'triggers', but gluten is the primary cause.

Most doctors aren't looking at diet to solve medical problems, they're simply treating the symptoms with the latest wonder-drug of the week.  For autoimmune conditions, fixing your diet can halt and sometimes REVERSE the problems you have, eliminating the need for drugs.  You might need the drugs until you get the condition halted, but diet is a vital step if you want to get back to true health.

So, 1 in 6 of the people reading this RIGHT NOW will eventually have problems because they're eating wheat, rye, barley or spelt.  For us, it's as healthy as eating rat poison.  It's a delayed reaction, taking months or years of continual exposure to manifest an actual problem in most people.  Do you truly want to play that Russian Roulette, or would you rather start looking at going gluten-free, and save yourself the issues that KitKat and I have?

[KitKat]

Gluten free for me & my family.  Great info.

[KitKat]

I know. You hate to hear this, but I feel the need to share.

The Unfortunate Health Risks Of French Fries


Our favorite terrible-yet-delicious food—French fries—now has another sad strike against it. A new study finds that fries, along with other types of fried potatoes, increase our risk of mortality over the years. Other types of potato preparation didn’t seem to have the same risks involved, which suggest there’s something intrinsic about the fried-ness of French fries that makes them not just unhealthy, but actually (well, potentially) deadly. The study was published this week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/14/the-unfortunate-health-risks-of-french-fries/#d32c3b31bdfa

[ChirpingGirl]

I know. You hate to hear this, but I feel the need to share.

The Unfortunate Health Risks Of French Fries


Our favorite terrible-yet-delicious food—French fries—now has another sad strike against it. A new study finds that fries, along with other types of fried potatoes, increase our risk of mortality over the years. Other types of potato preparation didn’t seem to have the same risks involved, which suggest there’s something intrinsic about the fried-ness of French fries that makes them not just unhealthy, but actually (well, potentially) deadly. The study was published this week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/14/the-unfortunate-health-risks-of-french-fries/#d32c3b31bdfa

 

[KitKat]

I know, it sux.

[RopeFiend]

Part of the problem is the frying process.  Holding ANY oil at 325 to 375 degrees for a long period of time closes off all of the electron-bond sites on the oil.  It becomes as nutritious as crank case oil.  Even if you start off with a 'good' oil, it's pure crap after hours at temp.  So sayeth a friend that's a nutritionist at a hospital, and she actually STUDIES this stuff for a living.  She told me a decade ago to cut out french fries, but I'd already stopped eating them (and other deep-fried food) about 15 years before that.

I won't go into potatoes much.  It's pretty much pure starch, and converts into sugars and then fat in the body.  You need a little sugar in your diet, but not much.  If your metabolism is burning sugars instead of fats, then you're prone to cancers and a whole host of other metabolic problems (like excess weight).  The sugar cycle is what fuels cancer growth, so our typical American diet is like a feeding farm for cancers.  Want to cure cancer?  Fix your diet.  Drugs sure won't do it.

-------------------------------------

I'm in the process of converting my diet and body right now.  The first step 3 weeks ago was to cut out ALL forms of excess sugar.  I gave a half-case of Coke to the neighbors, as I won't be drinking it any longer.  Within 2 days, constipation was a regular friend.

Two weeks ago I cut out all grains.  Within about a week, the typical travel-time through my gut changed from 12-16 hours to 24 hours, and little of what I'm eating is expelled.  I'm metabolizing most of the food now, and the constipation eased off some.  At the same time, I started weaning myself off of coffee: from 4-5 cups/day down to 1 at the moment.

Last weekend I went full autoimmune Paleo.  The constipation is gone.  The only other effect I can tell is that my heart rate has dropped by about 5 to 8 bpm on average.  It's been elevated by almost 20 bpm since I started the thyroid hormone.  I don't expect miracles, as the different books I've read recently say that the immune system won't stop producing antibodies against my thyroid until somewhere between 6 months and 2 years after stopping the 'trigger' food(s).  That's cool, I have time at the moment.

[RopeFiend]

I stopped by Wally World on the way home, for a lark.  Since going Autoimmune Paleo last week (more restrictive than standard Paleo), I haven't bothered with Walmart, and bought only at a farmer's market on the way home that has a great organic produce section.  Here's Wally's rendition of Paleo:

Ingredients

Seasoned Pork (Seasoned Pork [Pork, Salt, Spice], Smoke Flavor), Potato Medley (Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Maltodextrin, Salt, Potato Flour, Onion and Garlic Powder, Marjoram, Chicken Broth, Natural Flavors), Mango, Tomatillo, Water, Onion, Red Peppers, Lime Juice, Cilantro, Scallions, Garlic Puree (Garlic, Water), Chicken Base Flavor (Flavor, Salt, Yeast Extract, Rendered Chicken Fat, Dextrose, Potato Starch, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Spice Extracts), Blend of Canola Oil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Jalapeño Pepper, Spices, Salt, FreeHand Gum.

All of the stuff in RED is either blatantly non-Paleo or probably so.  Unspecified 'natural flavors' could be ANYTHING.  Gee, isn't plutonium a naturally-occurring element?  Couldn't that be hidden in the 'natural flavorings' or 'spices' gobbledy-gook?

The packaging is 100% BPA-free, but they don't say SHIT about whether the pork had steroids, antibiotics or was grain-fed (neither does the Tasterfully Plated website).  Knowing Walmart, I'd guess all three.  I've seen a few things this last week that try to sneak by with "vegetarian fed" on the meat, which is another phrase for corn or mix-grain fed.  I'm having a helluva time finding grass-fed ANYTHING in Dallas.  I can find free-range chicken and some (unspecified) bacon at the farmer's market, but no beef with a pedigree.  I want chicken legs or thighs (high fat) and all I can find are breasts.  Grrr.

This "Tastefully Plated" brand appears to ONLY sell via Walmart.  I'd shy away if I were you.  Pre-processed crap food is still crap, no matter what the label touts itself as.  Some of the "Udi's" items I saw while I was at Wally World were possibly Paleo, but most had potatoes in the mix or other no-no ingredients.  From the looks of them, they sell "Udi's" for the Celiac and Gluten-Intolerant crowd (most of us...).  At least I didn't see Maltodextrin or other anti-foods in the Udi's product, unlike the 'Paleo' thing above.

[RopeFiend]

Something I found at the Environmental Working Group site: their yearly list of the 'Dirty Dozen'; the produce most heavily contaminated with pesticides.  The right side of the image is the 15 'cleanest' produce items.  Anything on the 'dirty' side you FOR SURE need to buy from an organic grocer, the 'clean' side you can comfortably buy at your normal grocer.

from https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/guide.php

Apples always show up on the list 'cos the trees are so long-lived.  Crap that they were fed or had sprayed on them in the '50s and '60s is still coming out in the fruit today.  Enjoy your Recommended Daily Allowance of DDT with that Dunkin' Donuts apple fritter!

[KitKat]

Something I found at the Environmental Working Group site: their yearly list of the 'Dirty Dozen'; the produce most heavily contaminated with pesticides.  The right side of the image is the 15 'cleanest' produce items.  Anything on the 'dirty' side you FOR SURE need to buy from an organic grocer, the 'clean' side you can comfortably buy at your normal grocer.

from https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/guide.php

Apples always show up on the list 'cos the trees are so long-lived.  Crap that they were fed or had sprayed on them in the '50s and '60s is still coming out in the fruit today.  Enjoy your Recommended Daily Allowance of DDT with that Dunkin' Donuts apple fritter!

Very important info. Thank you.

[KitKat]

Avoid these chemicals found in everything from shampoo to kitchen counters


Products containing triclosan, triclocarban and other antimicrobials should be labeled

Two antibacterial chemicals, triclosan and triclocarban, can be found in personal care products and a variety of other places.

Back in fall of 2016, the Food and Drug Administration put out an important new rule telling companies they had to remove certain chemicals from their antibacterial soaps, or else not market them at all.

Two of the most common anti-bacterial chemicals, triclosan and triclocarban, are usually found in both liquid soaps and bar soaps, the FDA noted then.

Products containing triclosan, triclocarban and other antimicrobials should be labeled

Two antibacterial chemicals, triclosan and triclocarban, can be found in personal care products and a variety of other places.

Back in fall of 2016, the Food and Drug Administration put out an important new rule telling companies they had to remove certain chemicals from their antibacterial soaps, or else not market them at all.

Two of the most common anti-bacterial chemicals, triclosan and triclocarban, are usually found in both liquid soaps and bar soaps, the FDA noted then.

But what the regulator didn’t say is just how many other places those chemicals can be found, everywhere from clothing to body products, household items, playgrounds, exercise equipment and more.

More than 200 scientists and medical professionals from around the world have signed on to a statement warning about the chemicals could have harmful effects on humans and the environment.

Released on Tuesday, the statement — dubbed “The Florence Statement” and published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives — calls for limiting use of the chemicals and labeling them, along with measures to curtail their environmental impact.

The chemicals haven’t been studied enough to state outright that they cause certain health problems, the statement said, but important links have been made.

“In most cases, these are unnecessary ingredients in products that are not providing any benefit and may even be causing harm,” said David Andrews, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group and one of the statement’s authors. So “at this point there really is enough evidence that we think people should move away” from them.

When the FDA issued its rule in September on antibacterial soaps, it said that there was no proof the products worked better than normal soap or that they were safe for frequent use.

“In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term,” the FDA’s Dr. Janet Woodcock said then.

But there’s evidence that these antibacterial chemicals have no major health benefits for consumers, the Tuesday statement said, referring to epidemiological studies and a 2003 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee report.

But they’ve been linked to increasing allergen sensitivity and disruptions to hormones, the endocrine system and possibly the reproductive system, the statement said, though some of the evidence is from animal studies and may not transfer over to humans.

Because of their possible role in hormone disruption, these chemicals may be especially harmful for pregnant women and children.




http://www.marketwatch.com/story/people-should-avoid-these-chemicals-found-in-everything-from-shampoo-to-kitchen-counters-200-scientists-warn-2017-06-20

[RopeFiend]

BTW, nearly all soaps (including the stuff you're washing your dishes in) contains sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).  There's been ALL sorts of grief about that in the last few years.  There are 20 or 30 AKAs for it so you can't tell from the label what's inside.  I wash myself with Doctor Bonner's castille soap, since you absorb just about anything through the skin.  The dishes get only water and elbow grease.

Think you’re better off eating foods with "natural flavor"?  Chew on this: Secretions from the anal glands of beavers produce a bitter, smelly, orange-brown substance known as castoreum that is used extensively in raspberry and vanilla flavoring.  

It's legally labeled as "natural flavoring."

Plutonium and cyanide are both natural, but I certainly don't want them in my food.  Well, maybe just a little cyanide.  It's a tiny (parts-per-million) component of almonds, and that's what gives them the characteristic almond smell.

[KitKat]

 



Great info.

[RopeFiend]

I've been continuing my research into Paleo / Keto (Ketogenic) / LCHF (Low Carb, High Fat) / <fill in the pop diet name of the week.  >  Seems like every asshole wants to name it their own way, and some of the weirder names are pure shysters.  Here's one sterling example of a profiteer cashing in on the latest health craze:
https://store.sanesolution.com/  <<  NOT given the Ropefiend seal of approval.

I've read a number of books by MDs (true allopathic medical doctors, not 'naturopaths') that are pushing this diet to cure a wide range of ills.  Got migraines?  We got the cure.  Epilepsy?  We think we have you covered, at least the kids for sure.  Any of the 140 different autoimmune diseases?  Yep, probably got the fix for that.  Arthritis, coronary artery disease, stroke?  Sure!  Oh, you're 25 to 300 pounds overweight?  Yeah, there's a solution for that.  Looks like the ticket is to get rid of the idiotic 'food pyramid' that the Food and Drug Administration has been pushing since the '50s.  These are all doctors that have made a left turn at the 'prescription drug' doorway and are recommending that you correct your diet instead of taking 'wonder drugs' to mask the symptoms of your ailment. 

Apparently you ARE what you eat.  Eat crap food, and you feel shitty and die. 

You can turn it around, though.  The jury is still out on whether I'll be able to cure my autoimmune thyroid disease in time to save the thyroid, but I'm hopeful.  Already I've had one unexpected side-benefit: my sciatica is gone.  I compressed two of the discs in my lower back ~ 40 years ago, and the sciatica comes and goes.  Until it went away last week, it'd been 'on' for about 4 or 5 years (solid).  From what they told me 40 years ago the discs will never fully recover, but I don't miss the sharp pains shooting down my ass and left leg.  The anti-inflammatory effect of the Paleo diet seems to have helped that.  Cool!  I'm on a sub-group of the Paleo diet that removes ANYTHING that people have shown a food allergy to, in an attempt to calm my immune system down.

The lady doc that says she's cured Hashimoto's disease (my autoimmune thyroid issue) has surveys from 250,000 people that have bought her book and tried the protocols.  A quarter of a million people are cured with food.  Medical science and wonder drugs haven't cured even ONE person of Hashimoto's.  I think I'll go with the crowd, here.    I wish I'd done this research several years ago!

If you've been living with a 'condition' that the doctors can't cure, give Paleo a try.

[KitKat]

"Eat crap, feel like crap."


So true.

[KitKat]

Even modest changes to diet could reduce risk of death, study finds



With more than one-third of U.S. adults suffering from obesity, it's no surprise that many Americans would benefit from healthier eating habits. Fad diets capitalize on our desire for quick results but usually fail in the long run.

Now new research adds to the evidence that a more moderate approach can make a lasting difference.

A study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health finds that improving the quality of diet over time, even with modest changes, may significantly reduce the risk of premature death.

Improvements to diet included consuming more whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fish and eating less red and processed meats and sugary beverages.

"Overall, our findings underscore the benefits of healthy eating patterns including the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet. Our study indicates that even modest improvements in diet quality could meaningfully influence mortality risk and conversely, worsening diet quality may increase the risk," lead author Mercedes Sotos-Prieto, who worked on the study while a postdoctoral fellow in the Harvard Chan School department of nutrition and who is currently an assistant professor of nutrition at Ohio University, said in a statement.

For the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Sotos-Prieto and her team analyzed data on nearly 74,000 adults over a 12-year period. The researchers assessed the participants' diet using three different scoring methods: the 2010 Alternate Healthy Eating Index, the Alternate Mediterranean Diet score, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score. Each model assigns scores to various types of food, with healthier foods receiving higher scores and less healthy foods receiving lower scores.

The results showed that better diet quality over a 12-year period was linked to a reduced risk of death in the subsequent 12 years, no matter which method of scoring was used. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables and fish or n-3 fatty acids appeared to contribute most to an improvement in diet quality.

Specifically, the study showed that a 20-percentile increase in diet-quality scores was associated with an 8 to 17 percent reduction in the risk of death.

That can be achieved, for example, by swapping out just one serving of red or processed meat and replacing it with one daily serving of nuts or legumes.

In contrast, worsening diet quality was linked to a 6 to 12 percent increase in the risk of death.

Nancy Z. Farrell, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said the findings reinforce the work she does every day with her patients.

"Registered dietitian nutritionists practice evidence-based science every day in encouraging and educating the public on disease prevention and treatment, and we know that chronic disease increases the cost of health care and drives up insurance premiums," she told CBS News.

Farrell says everyone can benefit from making smart diet swaps as often as possible.

"Have a 'meatless Monday' dinner where you incorporate beans or legumes, such as red beans and quinoa. Or have a veggie pizza night," she suggests.

When it comes to snacking, avoid high-calorie junk foods like potato chips and opt for a handful of nuts, or make your own trail mix with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.

And if you're looking for a sweet treat, skip the ice cream and try freezing some fruit instead.

"Blueberries or blackberries offer a refreshing summer snack with a burst of coolness," Farrell said.

Importantly, experts say it's crucial to not only incorporate such changes into your diet, but to stick with them over time.

"Our results highlight the long-term health benefits of improving diet quality with an emphasis on overall dietary patterns rather than on individual foods or nutrients," said Frank Hu, professor and chair of the Harvard Chan School department of nutrition and senior author of the study. "A healthy eating pattern can be adopted according to individuals' food and cultural preferences and health conditions. There is no one-size-fits-all diet."







http://www.cbsnews.com/news/even-modest-changes-to-diet-could-reduce-risk-of-death/

[KitKat]

Powdered Mac And Cheese May Contain Toxic Chemicals Banned From Kids' Toys


Phthalates have previously been linked to pregnancy problems as well as behavioral problems in older children.

Review Of Cheese Products

You may be familiar with phthalates, but not for health reasons. Phthalates are often called plasticizers and are used in a variety of plastic products to make them more flexible. However, a new study shows that many of the cheese products in the market actually have significant traces of this chemical compound.

After testing different types of cheese products including children's favorites such as string cheese and processed cheese slices, researchers found that 29 out of 30 tested products contained phthalates. More specifically, they identified 10 different phthalates in the tested cheese products, with up to six compounds in a single product.

In fact, the highest concentrations of phthalates were found in the powdered samples from cheese where the average phthalates levels were up to four times higher than other cheese products.

Further, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was found more often in the products and in higher concentrations compared to other phthalates.

Why Test Cheese?

Researchers opted to examine cheese products after a 2014 study, which concluded dairy products to be the highest source of DEHP among children and women at reproductive age. As such, the team opted to review cheese products first in the series of dairy products testing for DEHP.

The review was carried out by four groups, namely the Environmental Health Strategy Center, Safer States, Healthy Babies Bright Futures, and the Ecology Center. The testing itself was conducted by an independent laboratory in Belgium, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research.

What Are Phthalates?

As mentioned, phthalates are chemical compounds that are often used to make plastics more flexible and difficult to break. They are used in a multitude of products including vinyl flooring, automotive plastics, lubricating oils, raincoats, and beauty products such as shampoo and nail polish.

They are also in products that children often use such as inflatables and plastic toys.

How Are Phthalates Absorbed In The Body?

More often, phthalates are absorbed through the skin via direct contact or by eating and drinking food products that have been in contact with phthalates. Though exposure to phthalates via the air occurs albeit to a lesser extent, young children may be more at risk of phthalate exposure from dust due to their hand-to-mouth habits.

Health Risks

At levels found in the environment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not expect any adverse health effects. However, more serious effects of phthalates remain to be a mystery, as human absorption and breakdown of DEHP varies greatly from that of mice and rats. As such, some of the effects of DEHP exposure to mice may not occur to humans and primates.

Even agencies are split on this matter, as the Environmental Protection Agency classifies DEHP as probably human carcinogens along with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) who classifies the chemical compounds similarly.

On the other hand, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) changed its description of DEHP from being a possible carcinogen to a product that cannot be classified regarding its carcinogenicity in humans.


http://www.techtimes.com/articles/211531/20170714/powdered-mac-and-cheese-may-contain-toxic-chemicals-banned-from-kids-toys.htm