Genetically modified foods:what are the health risks?

Image via WikipediaDid you know that approximately 70 percent of the processed foods on American supermarket shelves contain ingredients from genetically modified soy, corn, canola and cottonseed?  This means that foods such as a snack items, baked goods, tomato sauce and breakfast foods all contain genetically modified ingredients as well. With such use comes questions: what are the health risks? What are genetically modified foods?

This post will examine these questions.

What are genetically modified foods?

Genetically modified foods contain ingredients that are genetically engineered so that they are bug,  herbicide and disease resitant. In addition to the list of foods above, also included in this designation are crookneck squash, zucchini and Hawaiian papaya which are all sold in the United States.

According to Michael K. Hansen, PhD, senior scientist with the Consumers Union, a nonprofit independent testing and advocacy group for product safety based in New York, in the article "Banned in Europe, Okay Here?" "These crops are not required to go through a mandatory safety assessment before going on the market."  He further adds. "There are still serious questions about health consequences that can arise when you genetically engineer an organism, then eat it." Now, how good does that make you feel about the food your family consumes?

In Europe, if a food contains more than .9 percent genetically modified ingredient, it must be labeled as such.  In the US, no such mandate exists.

What are the health risks?

Unfortunately, there hasn't been a lot of research available to say for sure but an early example includes a research study from the 1990s when researchers inserted a then not known highly allergenic protein from Brazil nuts into soybeans.  Due to this subsequent discovery, the bean was discarded due to possible severe allergic reactions.

The bottom line appears to be to shop where the food is certified-organic.

Sources:

Harrar, Sara, "Banned in Europe, Okay Here?" "O" Magazine

How Argan oil benefits your hair

I have been doing a lot of reading on natural hair care products since the start of this blog.  And,  I never cease to be amazed at all of the natural and health and beauty promoting products out there that have been used for women for centuries. (All without chemical preservatives). An example of one is Argon Oil.

Let's take a look at information regarding this beauty oil that has been used by women for centuries.

Argan Oil

Women of Morocco have been using this amazing oil for centuries. It is known world wide for its restorative effect on hair, skin and nails.

Argan oil grows on the Moroccan Argan tree.  It is high in vitamin E, which promotes hair health and growth.  It is also supposed to reduce drying time up to 40-50%.

On the hair, after short use, it reverse the appearance of dry, sull and frizzy hair.  It slao adds luster and softness to the hair without weighing it down or making it appear greasy.  It also detangles and helps prevent splint ends. Anything that helps reduce tangling is helpful to our hair so as to avoid tearing and breaking when hair is wet.

In Summary

Now, to be quite honest, I have not used argan oil yet, but, I have used many of the other healthful oils such as amla, argan oil and olive oil, all of which provide vitamins A and E, antioxidants.  These oils help to promote hair growth by curbing breakage. Hair is also soft, shiny and friz free.

I invite any reader who has used argan to leave a review regarding the product.

Caramel food coloring and your health

Information on a commonly used food coloring has come under the scrutiny of the microscope.  The heated discussion focuses on 4-mei, the ingredient that gives caramel color to soft drinks such as coke and pepsi.

Actually, the controversy is not new, this stuff has been in use for years and questions have been raised in the past regarding its safety . What's disconcerting is the fact that the chemical has been linked to cancer in mice according to a 2008 study. This is recent.  What's happened to the information and results from previous studies that have pointed out the danger of this chemical? Why has it been allowed to remain on the market?

According to one researcher, Michael Jacobson of CSPI, an occasional soda isn't hazardous.  However, like everything else, the more soda you drink, the more danger you face.

One doctor commenting on the study states that it would take 1,000 sodas to face the cancer dangers of the caramel food coloring.  Further, repeated drinking of sodas puts the individual at risk of other more immediate life endangering disease such as diabetes and high cholesterol.  According  to Dr. Lisa Ganjhi, of St. Luke's and Roosevelt Hospital, an individual would face toxicity from the high fructose corn syrup long before imbibing enough soda to get cancer from the food coloring.

Caveat emptor.  Consumers beware.

Cell phone and your health

Everyone is abuzz this week about the latest findings on cellular phone use and brain cells.  It seems that cell phones cause increased brain cell activity which may have adverse effects on health.  No definitive associations with disease have been made, however.

This study has immense interest to all of us what with our fascination with mobile phones.  Cell phone usage stats released by the CTIA's semi annual US wireless industry survey for last half of 2009,  reveal that 91% of Americans are mobile subscribers.  And, on average, these callers used 1.12  trillion minutes of talk time in the same year.  This breaks down to 6.1 billion minutes per day or 21 minutes per person, per day.("Wireless survey:91% of Americans use sell phones" http://www.arstechnica.com/)

According to the article "What cell phone use does to brain cells" by Dr. Jay Adlersberg of ABC TV, Dr. Rose Lai, of NY Presbyterian, states that we really don't know what the consequences are when a brief exposure to cell phones occurs.  It has been noted that brain cells do fire more often when lengthy conversations occur. The impact that this finding has on human health is uncertain although it has been speculated that brain tumor growth could be stimulated.  Another disease possibility is epilepsy.  Again, the doctor states that this is not definite.

Dr. Lai does however suggest using earpieces and texting instead of talking.  She closes her remarks in the article by stating that it is not certain how long brain cells remain active nor on effect in young and growing brain. It was reported that conversations over 50 minutes were noted to stimulate the excess brain activity.

The potential dangers of blood transfusions

I just read a very interesting "Fox News" article from Tuesday, October 9, 2007, entitled, "Study finds stored blood lacks nitric oxide, may trigger heart attack, strokes in recipients" http://www.foxnews.com/  This is vital information that savvy health care consumers would want to read regarding little known issues involved with accepting a blood transfusion.

Millions of people who have accepted blood transfusions assume that the blood supply is free from contamination by HIV, hepatitis, lyme disease and other blood borne diseases. But there are other issues with blood that have not received as much attention. 

 Let's take a look at this very important substance.

Nitric oxide - how important

According to the report, most of the stored blood given to millions of people lack a component vital for it to deliver oxygen to the tissues.  Nitric oxide, a substance that helps keep blood vessels open, breaks down as soon as the blood goes into storage.  Information published by two research teams in separate studies in Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences bears this out.

Blood vessels relax and constrict to regulate blood flow.  Nitric oxide opens up the blood vessels and allows the red blood cells to deliver oxygen, according to Dr. Jonathan Stamler of Duke University, a research leader.

The second research team led by Dr. Timothy McMahon studied the changes in stored blood over time.  At present,  blood is kept in blood banks up to 42 days.  After this, it must be discarded.  According to Dr. McMahon, nitric oxygen depletion begins within 3 hours.  Researchers have long known about this fact, yet blood has been transfused without this vital substance.  Many heart attacks and strokes have been the results.

To read the entire article, go to the October 9, 2007 http://www.foxnews.com/ article, "Study Finds stored blood lacks nitric oxide, may trigger heart attack, strokes in recipients."

What is the cell saver?

Bloodless medical procedures depend upon the skill of highly trained surgeons, nurses, perfusionists and other supportive personnel. Included in the care of patients undergoing such procedures are machines and  equipment whose use requires highly technical skill  to assure positive patient outcomes after surgery.  One such tool is the cell saver. What is the function of this machine during a bloodlesss procedure?

What is the cell saver?

The cell saver is a machine that collects blood lost through surgery.   There are two types of machines that are used to perform this procedure:

1.RBC (red blood cell) washing type.  This type of machine collects, washes and removes the red blood cells by centrifuge.  It then reinfuses them. 

These RBC wahing devices can also cleanse toxins from the blood.  They also remove platelets and clotting factors (both are important in blood clotting)  These machines are also of variable design and capacity.  They are also more costly but have more positive patient outcomes.

2. Hemofiltration type.  The hemofiltration type just collects blood, filters  and reinfuses it. These machines can return all of the blood elements including the platelets and clotting factors.  The contaminants are also present.

What are indications and contraindications for Cell Saver?
Generally, cell saver use is likely if the blood loss is 1000ml (one liter) or, in the past, 20% of the patient's estimated volume.  Also, if a procedure has  usually required a blood transfusion. A list of some common surgeries where it is used are as follows:

Cardiac - valve replacement.

Orthopedic - major spine surgery.
                     bilateral knee replacement.

Urology - radical retropubic prostatetomy.
                Cystectomy

Vascular - thoraco abdominal-aortic aneurysm repair.

Contraindications

Blood that has been contaminated with urine, feces, bone fragments or amniotic fluid.

Malignancy

Hematologic disease - sickle cell or thallessemia.

If you are contemplating surgery, talk with your physician or surgeon regarding the possibility of cell saver during the procedure. As individual factors must be taken into consideration.

Sources:

Freischlag, Julie, "Intraoperative blood salvage in vascular surgery - worth the effort? http://www.ccforum.com/
Waters, Jonathan H., "Indications and contraindications of cell salvage" http://www.bplmedical.com/

Acai and your cholesterol

With the numbers of younger Americans growing that suffer from high cholesterol, the numbers of those taking the statins for this problem is likely to grow as well. Unfortunately, taking this prescription medication will likely introduce the medication user to many side effects including memory loss and depression to anaphylaxis.  As a result, people are turning to more natural and less drastic methods such as acai.*

What effect does acai have on blood cholesterol?

Acai has been dubbed the "super fruit" from Brazil. The indigenous people have consumed this food for thousands of years and have enjoyed cardiovascular protection.  New to the United States, many are discovering the immeasurable health benefits that acai bestow. One of those is the lowering of cholesterol.

Acai is high in omega 3, 6 and 9 all of which are essential fatty acids (EFA) that help clear the body of
unwanted cholesterol.  Specifically, these EFAs clear the body of the LDL (low density lipoprotein) or "bad" cholesterol that in excessive amounts can clog blood vessels and lead to heart attack, strokes and high blood pressure.  At the same time, they increase the high density lipoproteins (HDL) or "good" cholesterol.

Acai is also full of antioxidants, which battle the effects of free radical damage, thus making it an important weapon in delaying some of the effects of aging and in fighting disease such as diabetes and some forms of cancer.

Acai is also high in beta-sitosterol which also is important in lowering cholesterol . It inhibits its absorption in the small intestine.  Beta sitosterol has also received attention for its use in Europe in prostate and breast cancers.

A cause for concern in obtaining the nutritional benefits of acai has been that the fruit perishes in 24 hours.  However, with modern refrigeration techniques,  most of its beneficial protective properties have been preserved.

*Please note that this article is not intended to dissuade anyone from taking their prescription medication.  Speak to your primary care physician and nutritionist to develop an effective treatment plain if you have high cholesterol.

Related articles

• Statins Over Prescribed (mickirose.wordpress.com)
• 'Statins for all' - and billions for drug firms (telegraph.co.uk)
• Analysis cautions against widespread use of cholesterol-lowering drugs (truthonmedecine.wordpress.com)