tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64046582839511075502024-03-05T14:06:46.822-06:00Environment, Nutrition and Human HealthHow the environment, diet, exercise, parasites and other factors influence human healthABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-4784550772897197362012-09-25T11:04:00.001-05:002012-09-25T11:04:15.780-05:00About Correlations: Alcohol and Diabetes/BPA and Endocrine Disruption<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
From a purely health-oriented perspective, alcohol is one of those things where a little seems to be good and more than a little puts you at risk for a bad health outcome. One of the positive things small regular intake can do for you is protect you from diabetes. There is good epidemiological evidence that this is the case. Light drinkers are less likely to develop diabetes than those who abstain.
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As most people know, just because two things occur together does not mean that one caused the other. Correlation and causality are two different things. It is important to keep this in mind when reading about human health studies in the news. Epidemiology is a wonderful tool however, and provides clues to problems that might have gone unnoticed. In addition to identifying potential problems correlational (and epidemiological) studies are important in evaluating how a problem identified in the lab may be harming people in the real world. Are light drinkers more likely to eat better, exercise better, be healthier than those who drink more alcohol or even none at all?<br />
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An important next step is figuring out why the correlation exists. Here is a case where epidemiology observed something (low alcohol = less diabetes, high alcohol = more diabetes) and experimental study identified a physiological reason that explains those observations. He et al. (2007) discovered that light alcohol intake activates a biochemical pathway that has a positive influence on removal of blood sugar from the blood stream. Higher alcohol intake disrupts glucose management by activating an additional protein that blocks the positive effects seen with light alcohol intake. This discovery helps explain why you can see two different outcomes with alcohol. At first light it may have seemed that scientific studies conflicted each other. The appearance of contradiction may lead some people to throw up their hands and decide to disregard health news or science in general.<br />
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Sometimes we need to keep working at the puzzle. <br />
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There may be a similar issue with environmental contaminants. Sometimes a relationship is observed and someone publishes on it, and there there are a flurry of other studies that confirm or don't confirm the relationship, expand it or limit it. Identifying the mechanism and understanding how it works under varied circumstances becomes essential. There are now many correlational studies that show that Bisphenol A (BPA) intake is associated with health problems. There are also mechanistic studies that show how BPA interacts with estrogen receptors and causes things to go arwy. One could stop here and take steps to remove BPA from use. Environmentalists and children's health advocates could claim victory. This might result in fewer birth defects, less obesity, less diabetes, fewer behavioral problems in children etc. But it might not. <br />
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Plastics are more complex than they seem. Even without BPA many of the chemicals that go into or are released from different plastics may be may activate estrogen receptors. Would people be exposed to less estrogenic chemicals if BPA is banned? We still don't know. While many studies have used data on concentrations of BPA or BPA-metabolites, to the best of my knowledge no one has looked at total exposures to estrogenic chemicals originating from plastics. (There are also estrogenic chemicals from sources other than plastics too). Does removing BPA from a plastic actually make it less estrogenic? Is BPA, rather than other chemicals coming off of plastics, the main source of dietary exposures to estrogenic compounds?<br />
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Plastics are amazing, really, and have made many positive and important contributions to our economy and quality of life. For information on how plastics benefit the environment and contribute to quality of life take a look at this <a href="http://www.bpf.co.uk/industry/benefits_of_plastics.aspx" target="_blank">pdf from the British Plastics Federation</a>. Its taken tremendous effort and ingenuity to develop polymers. We can figure out where they might cause problems in the environment or in human health by continuing polymer research and including within, cell and molecular studies. We should not have to leave epidemiology to discover problems that could have been avoided after the fact. <br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Molecular+endocrinology+%28Baltimore%2C+Md.%29&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F17622585&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Dose-dependent+effects+of+alcohol+on+insulin+signaling%3A+partial+explanation+for+biphasic+alcohol+impact+on+human+health.&rft.issn=0888-8809&rft.date=2007&rft.volume=21&rft.issue=10&rft.spage=2541&rft.epage=50&rft.artnum=&rft.au=He+L&rft.au=Marecki+JC&rft.au=Serrero+G&rft.au=Simmen+FA&rft.au=Ronis+MJ&rft.au=Badger+TM&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health%2C+Nutrition"></span>
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Molecular+endocrinology+%28Baltimore%2C+Md.%29&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F17622585&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Dose-dependent+effects+of+alcohol+on+insulin+signaling%3A+partial+explanation+for+biphasic+alcohol+impact+on+human+health.&rft.issn=0888-8809&rft.date=2007&rft.volume=21&rft.issue=10&rft.spage=2541&rft.epage=50&rft.artnum=&rft.au=He+L&rft.au=Marecki+JC&rft.au=Serrero+G&rft.au=Simmen+FA&rft.au=Ronis+MJ&rft.au=Badger+TM&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health%2C+Nutrition">He L, Marecki JC, Serrero G, Simmen FA, Ronis MJ, & Badger TM (2007). Dose-dependent effects of alcohol on insulin signaling: partial explanation for biphasic alcohol impact on human health. <span style="font-style: italic;">Molecular endocrinology (Baltimore, Md.), 21</span> (10), 2541-50 PMID: <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17622585" rev="review">17622585</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Alcohol+%28Fayetteville%2C+N.Y.%29&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F21840159&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Ethanol+causes+endoplasmic+reticulum+stress+and+impairment+of+insulin+secretion+in+pancreatic+%CE%B2-cells.&rft.issn=0741-8329&rft.date=2012&rft.volume=46&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=89&rft.epage=99&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Nguyen+KH&rft.au=Lee+JH&rft.au=Nyomba+BL&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health%2C+Nutrition">Nguyen KH, Lee JH, & Nyomba BL (2012). Ethanol causes endoplasmic reticulum stress and impairment of insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells. <span style="font-style: italic;">Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.), 46</span> (1), 89-99 PMID: <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21840159" rev="review">21840159</a></span>
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ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-46277164073618890902012-08-30T11:43:00.001-05:002012-08-30T12:00:08.947-05:00What are Endocrine Disruptors: an introduction. The next several posts will be devoted to the subject of endocrine disruption with a focus on environmental chemicals that interfere with sex steroids, chiefly estrogens and androgens.
Most people are probably familiar with estrogen and testosterone. These are steroids produced by the human body (and the bodies of other species) that play important roles in sexual development and reproduction. They also play many other related roles, influence growth and tissue maintenance, neurological function and behavior.<br />
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An endocrine disruptor is a chemical agent that interferes with very complex, inter-regulating and intertwined endocrine systems. Interference with one steroid hormone can produce chain reactions that impact other hormones that, in turn, influence other systems and other hormones. For example, Bisphenol A, an estrogen mimic will change production of Prolactin (Steinmetz et al. 1997).<br />
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The effects of endocrine disruptors can be strongest during critical periods such as fetal development, infancy, adolescence, conception and pregnancy. These are times of important changes that will have long-term consequences for a child (fry, larvae, pup, chick etc.) and its future children.
Thousands of chemicals have been found to be endocrine disruptors. Some of them are very resistant to degradation and remain in the environment and in people's bodies for decades or longer. Many of these are no longer in use even though with can still easily detect them. They were found to be a threat to health and were banned and/or replaced with something less dangerous. There are many other chemicals in use that have not been tested. There are others that are current foci of research and debate. These chemicals were not developed to cause harm to humans (at least not most of them), rather they were found to be harmful after they were already in use. An example that you may be aware of is the plastics additive Bisphenol A.<br />
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Bisphenol A is commonly called BPA. After years of debate and conflict among interested parties BPA has been banned from baby bottles in the US. Manufacturers are adapting and produced new products. Consumers can easily find BPA-Free materials and it seems likely that BPA will leave many markets. While BPA may be in decline the issue of endocrine disruptors is far from resolved. The plastic products used to make some BPA-Free plastics also appear to be endocrine disruptors (Yang et al. 2011.) Some of them appear to be more disruptive than the BPA-laced plastics they are meant to replace. It would be better to produce Endocrine-Disruptor-free products Instead of BPA-Free products <br />
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It is very difficult to pull something out of the market once it is already there. People's livelihoods have become dependent on continuing use, reputations are at stake, there may be millions of dollars spent on legal fees, on efforts to fund studies that would show that the product in question was harmless after all, and then more time and more money spent arguing why banning a product would be unfeasible and not worth the cost of replacing it, developing alternative technology, or cleaning up environmental messes. Banning chemicals after they become part of the economy is hugely wasteful, makes people on both sides of the playing field upset and erodes public confidence. We may discuss this in greater detail later, but for now, just be aware that the chemical problem of endocrine disruptors is also an economic and then a political problem as well. This should be resolved eventually, but until then, we may have a very interesting, and for some a painful, ride.<br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Endocrinology&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F9112368&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=The+environmental+estrogen+bisphenol+A+stimulates+prolactin+release+in+vitro+and+in+vivo.&rft.issn=0013-7227&rft.date=1997&rft.volume=138&rft.issue=5&rft.spage=1780&rft.epage=6&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Steinmetz+R&rft.au=Brown+NG&rft.au=Allen+DL&rft.au=Bigsby+RM&rft.au=Ben-Jonathan+N&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health%2C+estrogen%2C+bisphenol+A%2C+prolactin">Steinmetz R, Brown NG, Allen DL, Bigsby RM, & Ben-Jonathan N (1997). The environmental estrogen bisphenol A stimulates prolactin release in vitro and in vivo. <span style="font-style: italic;">Endocrinology, 138</span> (5), 1780-6 PMID: <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9112368" rev="review">9112368</a></span>
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Environmental+health+perspectives&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F21367689&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Most+plastic+products+release+estrogenic+chemicals%3A+a+potential+health+problem+that+can+be+solved.&rft.issn=0091-6765&rft.date=2011&rft.volume=119&rft.issue=7&rft.spage=989&rft.epage=96&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Yang+CZ&rft.au=Yaniger+SI&rft.au=Jordan+VC&rft.au=Klein+DJ&rft.au=Bittner+GD&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health%2C+endocrine+disruptor%2C+estrogen%2C+androgens%2C+testosterone"> </span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Environmental+health+perspectives&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F21367689&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Most+plastic+products+release+estrogenic+chemicals%3A+a+potential+health+problem+that+can+be+solved.&rft.issn=0091-6765&rft.date=2011&rft.volume=119&rft.issue=7&rft.spage=989&rft.epage=96&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Yang+CZ&rft.au=Yaniger+SI&rft.au=Jordan+VC&rft.au=Klein+DJ&rft.au=Bittner+GD&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health%2C+endocrine+disruptor%2C+estrogen%2C+androgens%2C+testosterone">Yang CZ, Yaniger SI, Jordan VC, Klein DJ, & Bittner GD (2011). Most plastic products release estrogenic chemicals: a potential health problem that can be solved. <span style="font-style: italic;">Environmental Health Perspectives, 119</span> (7), 989-96 PMID: <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21367689" rev="review">21367689</a></span>
ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-28639157825928966192012-05-20T10:41:00.004-05:002012-05-20T11:37:08.692-05:00Crossfit and the Search for the Perfect Diet: Aboriginal Australians and the Swiss<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Perusing Google News this morning I came across an article claiming that "<a href="http://www.wiredprnews.com/2012/05/18/research-indicates-high-cholesterol-and-cvd-may-not-be-related_2012051827511.html">Research Shows CrossFit Diet/Exercise Reduces Risk of Heart Disease</a>". I clicked on that one immediately because, to the best of my knowledge, no scientific research has been published on relationships between high intensity CrossFit-type training and cardiovascular disease. If one were to do a search today on Web of Knowledge using the search term "Crossfit" you would get a single hit:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbHqUB07aH2MWheCv_MHOEUNF5Br4CUNJOAF6N-sDlz6ZzIRwikupqagt3RSfFH44ZOBcsOUw5kxPi06mvjHYLfJTvSfsQ8nKXfZDYcHA-LtKhkYIOLDSqqi2t30jfC79rjAo9Dok-U4/s1600/445px-Showing_method_of_attack_with_boomerang_-_NMA-15147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRbHqUB07aH2MWheCv_MHOEUNF5Br4CUNJOAF6N-sDlz6ZzIRwikupqagt3RSfFH44ZOBcsOUw5kxPi06mvjHYLfJTvSfsQ8nKXfZDYcHA-LtKhkYIOLDSqqi2t30jfC79rjAo9Dok-U4/s320/445px-Showing_method_of_attack_with_boomerang_-_NMA-15147.jpg" width="283" /></a><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=BMC+Bioinformatics&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1186%2F1471-2105-10-425&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Crossfit+analysis%3A+a+novel+method+to+characterize+the+dynamics+of+induced+plant+responses&rft.issn=1471-2105&rft.date=2009&rft.volume=10&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=425&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1471-2105%2F10%2F425&rft.au=Jansen%2C+J.&rft.au=van+Dam%2C+N.&rft.au=Hoefsloot%2C+H.&rft.au=Smilde%2C+A.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Anthropology%2CBiology%2CMedicine%2CHealth%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Jansen, J., van Dam, N., Hoefsloot, H., & Smilde, A. (2009). Crossfit analysis: a novel method to characterize the dynamics of induced plant responses <span style="font-style: italic;">BMC Bioinformatics, 10</span> (1) DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-10-425" rev="review">10.1186/1471-2105-10-425</a></span><br />
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I'm sure the intentions of whoever wrote the press release were good . . . but . . . it is quite a stretch and I hope no one takes it seriously. Still, interesting that it made it into Google News. The research the author discusses has nothing to do with Crossfit. The press release does, however, attempt to associate a high-fat diet (promoted by some Crossfitters as healthy than other diets) with lower incidence of cardiovascular disease by comparing incidence of disease between residents of Switzerland and Australian aboriginals living in modern Australia. The claim was that a high-fat dining Swiss have less cardiovascular disease than the presumed low-fat dining Australian Aboriginals and that, therefore, high-fat diets are healthier than low-fat diets.<br />
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I have not looked up the statistics for the Swiss, but Australian Aboriginals have been suffering increasing rates of cardiovascular disease over at least the last 30 years. Few modern Aboriginals are likely to be following a traditional Aboriginal diet. It is extremely unlikely that the increasing rate of heart disease observed in Australian Aboriginals has been caused by low intake of dietary fat. Aboriginals are suffering from increasing obesity and diabetes just like so much of the rest of the world. The high incidence of cardiovascular disease in Aboriginals may be due to genetic factors and a change to a Western-type diet but extremely unlikely to be caused by a low-fat diet (especially since they are not eating this way anymore anyway). There are also obviously many other differences between the Swiss and the Aboriginals (differences in poverty levels, availability of lederhosen and differences in other possibly important variables like intake of strong coffee and chocolate).<br />
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This is all silly until one considers the disservice being done to readers who key into a health-related article's authoritative words (Research, World Health Organization, Medical, Clinical, Science) and believe the message makes sense.<br />
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<span style="float: left; padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.researchblogging.org/"><img alt="ResearchBlogging.org" src="http://www.researchblogging.org/public/citation_icons/rb2_large_gray.png" style="border: 0;" /></a></span><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=The+Medical+journal+of+Australia&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F12741936&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Inflammation+and+vascular+endothelial+activation+in+an+Aboriginal+population%3A+relationships+to+coronary+disease+risk+factors+and+nutritional+markers.&rft.issn=0025-729X&rft.date=2003&rft.volume=178&rft.issue=10&rft.spage=495&rft.epage=500&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Rowley+K&rft.au=Walker+KZ&rft.au=Cohen+J&rft.au=Jenkins+AJ&rft.au=O%27Neal+D&rft.au=Su+Q&rft.au=Best+JD&rft.au=O%27Dea+K&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Anthropology%2CBiology%2CMedicine%2CHealth%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Rowley K, Walker KZ, Cohen J, Jenkins AJ, O'Neal D, Su Q, Best JD, & O'Dea K (2003). Inflammation and vascular endothelial activation in an Aboriginal population: relationships to coronary disease risk factors and nutritional markers. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Medical journal of Australia, 178</span> (10), 495-500 PMID: <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12741936" rev="review">12741936</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=The+Medical+journal+of+Australia&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F1875844&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Westernisation%2C+insulin+resistance+and+diabetes+in+Australian+aborigines.&rft.issn=0025-729X&rft.date=1991&rft.volume=155&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=258&rft.epage=64&rft.artnum=&rft.au=O%27Dea+K&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Anthropology%2CBiology%2CMedicine%2CHealth%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health%2C+Public+Health%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Cardiovascular%2C+Biological+Anthropology">O'Dea K (1991). Westernisation, insulin resistance and diabetes in Australian aborigines. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Medical journal of Australia, 155</span> (4), 258-64 PMID: <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1875844" rev="review">1875844</a></span></div>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-10566272461255510912012-05-15T19:26:00.002-05:002012-05-20T20:05:05.506-05:00Breastfed infants metabolize perchlorate?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is a test post to check whether or not research blogging can pick it up. This (below) is actually a very interesting article. Shelor et al. 2012 report significant differences between perchlorate excretion in breast and formula-fed infants, and provide evidence that bifidobacteria, which are common in the digestive tracks of breast fed but not formula-fed infants, drives breakdown of perchlorate. This is important because breastfed infants are thought to be a group most vulnerable to the effects of perchlorate exposure. Perchlorate is an iodine-uptake inhibitor. Since iodine is needed for formation of thyroid hormones, and thyroid hormones are important in brain development any agent that limits the body's ability to take up perchlorate can cause neurological impairment.
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Environmental+Science+%26+Technology&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1021%2Fes2042806&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Breastfed+Infants+Metabolize+Perchlorate&rft.issn=0013-936X&rft.date=2012&rft.volume=46&rft.issue=9&rft.spage=5151&rft.epage=5159&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fpubs.acs.org%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1021%2Fes2042806&rft.au=Shelor%2C+C.&rft.au=Kirk%2C+A.&rft.au=Dasgupta%2C+P.&rft.au=Kroll%2C+M.&rft.au=Campbell%2C+C.&rft.au=Choudhary%2C+P.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Shelor, C., Kirk, A., Dasgupta, P., Kroll, M., Campbell, C., & Choudhary, P. (2012). Breastfed Infants Metabolize Perchlorate <span style="font-style: italic;">Environmental Science & Technology, 46</span> (9), 5151-5159 DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es2042806" rev="review">10.1021/es2042806</a></span></div>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-46059294436980271052012-05-15T11:27:00.000-05:002012-05-15T11:27:02.967-05:00What are we fighting when we strive to "Just Do It?"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Cody Zamaripa: not really a Master, but he definitely pushed it.
We are fighting a lot. There are times we may be fighting a bad attitude, discouragement, lack of confidence, drive or our own personalities, but we are, at times, also fighting a very complex regulatory system designed to protect us from severe self-induced damage. Fatigue can be defined as reaching a point where the body seeks to slow down or stop. Exhaustion is that point where a person (or animal) is unable to continue. The most important factor driving suppression of motor activity is believed to be brain temperature. In an untrained person, exhaustion may occur when core body temperature reaches 100o to 102oF(~38o to 39oC) while a highly trained person may not reach exhaustion until body temperature has reached 104oF (~40oC). Interestingly, it’s not only humans who are stopped at these temperatures. Internal temperatures of ~104 oF will stop other animals whether sprinters (Cheetahs) or the generally more placid and possibly endurance-oriented (Goats) (Taylor and Rowntree 1973). And yes, I’m sure you’re wondering: temperatures were measured rectally, and the animals ran on a treadmill while wearing masks so oxygen and carbon dioxide levels could be assessed. The research team also cranked the heat up. Cheetahs ran for shorter periods when the room was hot. The authors of this paper concluded that the duration of a Cheetah’s sprint is limited by core temperature, which is influenced by air temperature. Keep this in mind when you are working out in the summer with no air-conditioning.
There are other factors that are also thought to play roles in regulation of intense physical output. Working muscles send feedback to the brain, and in most of us, they are not yelling “Go! Go! Go!” At first they are saying things like “we need more oxygen over here” and “pump the heart faster.” Unfortunately you maximum output can only go on for as long as you have the necessary materials to keep the system running. Your maximum obtainable heart rate will matter. That may be one you cannot make “just do it.” although you can improve your ability to pump blood with training. Blood concentrations of important factors or metabolites, and depletion of working materials, are also detected by the brain. Changes in concentrations and availability of neurotransmitters, endorphins, cytokines and a build-up of ammonia in the brain occur during continued intense exercise change. Cerebral energy use increases requiring more oxygen, while blood flow will decrease by about 20% due to constriction of brain arterioles.
Low oxygen, loss of neurotransmitters, and accumulation of waste products can cause a problem that is truly “all in your head” but a real problem none the less. An increased need for oxygen and fuel in the brain may be part of what causes someone to want to slow down or stop. Increasing oxygen intake may improve performance not necessarily by providing muscles with additional oxygen, but in providing the brain with what it needs to keep the system running. Depletion of brain glycogen and excessive use of lactate as an alternative brain fuel may also signal fatigue. This may happen faster in untrained athletes. Physical training is, after all, about much more than simple strength and endurance. It includes getting all systems, including subtler aspects of physiology like the ability to dissipate heat, produce lactate, carry oxygen and oxygenate the brain, to work as efficiently as possible.
We can reach our limits, but our brains rarely stupid enough to allow us to go beyond them and recklessly run our bodies off the edge of a cliff. The brain also likes to know what’s going on and practice (going through the motions) and rehearsal are important to performance. Rehearsing movements before a WOD may be as important as traditional warming up. It preps your system for what it is about to do and lets it know what is coming. Even imagining movements may help improve strength output and performance (Jeukendrup et al. 1996). We can improve performance intelligently rather than fight what we imagine to be a lack of mental toughness, or allow ourselves be discouraged. We can keep cool and well-hydrated. We can be patient enough to recognize that our physiological and biochemical systems are becoming more efficient as we train, even if our speed or strength has plateaued, and not give up on long-term goals. Finally, encouragement and cheers can help people achieve their maximal level of oxygen consumption (Nybo & Secher 2004) and maximum performance. This may be especially true if they are new to Crossfit and have type A personalities. New Crossfitters may be putting superhuman efforts into their workouts and should be congratulated and admired for these as much as our seasoned champions.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP7it_u4RIz-1fXNr-46Q8f_-Ns0AnGlFpjPrls2YyNDlLGVwpvznJ-dt_WjkSk7JsveikPtb-ICZE8c5YuSsXdHYNUOkh-XobATLUHA50kWKo0ewpc_iDtTjupP-w2AcQQym4dAfJcY/s1600/Bill+All+American+and+then+some..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP7it_u4RIz-1fXNr-46Q8f_-Ns0AnGlFpjPrls2YyNDlLGVwpvznJ-dt_WjkSk7JsveikPtb-ICZE8c5YuSsXdHYNUOkh-XobATLUHA50kWKo0ewpc_iDtTjupP-w2AcQQym4dAfJcY/s320/Bill+All+American+and+then+some..jpg" /></a></div>
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=The+American+journal+of+physiology&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F4698801&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Temperature+regulation+and+heat+balance+in+running+cheetahs%3A+a+strategy+for+sprinters%3F&rft.issn=0002-9513&rft.date=1973&rft.volume=224&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=848&rft.epage=51&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Taylor+CR&rft.au=Rowntree+VJ&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Taylor CR, & Rowntree VJ (1973). Temperature regulation and heat balance in running cheetahs: a strategy for sprinters? <span style="font-style: italic;">The American journal of physiology, 224</span> (4), 848-51 PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4698801">4698801</a></span>
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Medicine+%26+Science+in+Sports+%26+Exercise&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1097%2F00005768-199602000-00017&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=A+new+validated+endurance+performance+test&rft.issn=0195-9131&rft.date=1996&rft.volume=28&rft.issue=2&rft.spage=266&rft.epage=270&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fcontent.wkhealth.com%2Flinkback%2Fopenurl%3Fsid%3DWKPTLP%3Alandingpage%26an%3D00005768-199602000-00017&rft.au=JEUKENDRUP%2C+A.&rft.au=SARIS%2C+W.&rft.au=BROUNS%2C+F.&rft.au=KESTER%2C+A.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">JEUKENDRUP, A., SARIS, W., BROUNS, F., & KESTER, A. (1996). A new validated endurance performance test <span style="font-style: italic;">Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 28</span> (2), 266-270 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00005768-199602000-00017">10.1097/00005768-199602000-00017</a></span>
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Progress+in+Neurobiology&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2Fj.pneurobio.2004.03.005&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Cerebral+perturbations+provoked+by+prolonged+exercise&rft.issn=03010082&rft.date=2004&rft.volume=72&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=223&rft.epage=261&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0301008204000437&rft.au=Nybo%2C+L.&rft.au=Secher%2C+N.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Nybo, L., & Secher, N. (2004). Cerebral perturbations provoked by prolonged exercise <span style="font-style: italic;">Progress in Neurobiology, 72</span> (4), 223-261 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pneurobio.2004.03.005">10.1016/j.pneurobio.2004.03.005</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-82404619380769238512011-11-17T09:49:00.001-06:002012-04-02T21:43:12.112-05:00Estrogen and Progesterone in Waterways<a href="http://hmunca.blogspot.com/2011/11/response-to-friend-on-significance-of.html#!/2011/11/response-to-friend-on-significance-of.html">In the last post</a>, I was speculating about how estrogens from effluent might end up in way water ways and end up increasing the incidence of prostate cancer. I wondered if the problem (if it there is anything more than a chance association) might be progesterone from birth control pills rather than estrogen. Progesterone is markedly non-soluble in water so it seemed unlikely at first thought. Poking around a little, progesterone might end up in sewage effluent after all. The three studies below report on fecal and/or urinary progesterone, conjugated progesterone or "progesterone metabolites" in animals. So . . . maybe progesterone contamination of water might be relevant. And, not all sewage is filtered and treated. I recently watched someone emptying a truckload of portapotties into one of our local creeks. (Yes, I called the police, who told me it was not their problem.) Don't know if anyone has looked at this or not. If you know, please have at it in comments.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis52F8akcCL9zrslXTUvC4arv9A1eljAoajNRB2cUav_3o_EzERAVyQT-J5ryyniLsfOwy8tJEYlnXR3Qk46yIKsJXtIYu7DInwMwdIugdigyyGzYY7sddRp5dLiTHTFI8LCLa-HYjwHM/s1600/Portapotties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis52F8akcCL9zrslXTUvC4arv9A1eljAoajNRB2cUav_3o_EzERAVyQT-J5ryyniLsfOwy8tJEYlnXR3Qk46yIKsJXtIYu7DInwMwdIugdigyyGzYY7sddRp5dLiTHTFI8LCLa-HYjwHM/s320/Portapotties.jpg" /></a></div>
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Steroids&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F15465115&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Non-invasive+repeated+measurement+of+urinary+progesterone%2C+17beta-estradiol%2C+and+testosterone+in+developing%2C+cycling%2C+pregnant%2C+and+postpartum+female+mice.&rft.issn=0039-128X&rft.date=2004&rft.volume=69&rft.issue=10&rft.spage=687&rft.epage=96&rft.artnum=&rft.au=deCatanzaro+D&rft.au=Muir+C&rft.au=Beaton+EA&rft.au=Jetha+M&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Biology%2CMedicine%2CHealth%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">deCatanzaro D, Muir C, Beaton EA, & Jetha M (2004). Non-invasive repeated measurement of urinary progesterone, 17beta-estradiol, and testosterone in developing, cycling, pregnant, and postpartum female mice. <span style="font-style: italic;">Steroids, 69</span> (10), 687-96 PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15465115">15465115</a></span>
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=PloS+one&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F21559303&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Long-term+monitoring+of+fecal+steroid+hormones+in+female+snow+leopards+%28Panthera+uncia%29+during+pregnancy+or+pseudopregnancy.&rft.issn=&rft.date=2011&rft.volume=6&rft.issue=5&rft.spage=&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Kinoshita+K&rft.au=Inada+S&rft.au=Seki+K&rft.au=Sasaki+A&rft.au=Hama+N&rft.au=Kusunoki+H&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Biology%2CMedicine%2CHealth%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Kinoshita K, Inada S, Seki K, Sasaki A, Hama N, & Kusunoki H (2011). Long-term monitoring of fecal steroid hormones in female snow leopards (Panthera uncia) during pregnancy or pseudopregnancy. <span style="font-style: italic;">PloS one, 6</span> (5) PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21559303">21559303</a></span>
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Biology+of+reproduction&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F7819459&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Comparative+aspects+of+steroid+hormone+metabolism+and+ovarian+activity+in+felids%2C+measured+noninvasively+in+feces.&rft.issn=0006-3363&rft.date=1994&rft.volume=51&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=776&rft.epage=86&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Brown+JL&rft.au=Wasser+SK&rft.au=Wildt+DE&rft.au=Graham+LH&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Brown JL, Wasser SK, Wildt DE, & Graham LH (1994). Comparative aspects of steroid hormone metabolism and ovarian activity in felids, measured noninvasively in feces. <span style="font-style: italic;">Biology of reproduction, 51</span> (4), 776-86 PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7819459">7819459</a></span>
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google-site-verification: googleaa234ad89e44d776.htmlABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-7779220305943448222011-11-16T10:36:00.003-06:002011-11-16T10:45:37.363-06:00Response to a friend on significance of Triclosan in drinking waterSorry Friend. That was a poor response to your question about the significance of Triclosan following news of the chemical as an <a href="http://cen.acs.org/articles/89/web/2011/11/Androgen-Blockers-Appear-Effluent.html">androgen blocker in water</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://hmunca.blogspot.com/2010/12/triclosan-induces-hypothyroidism-and-is.html">Triclosan is a thyroid disruptor</a> and according to recent reports, an androgen blocker. As an anti-androgen, exposure could be important to male fetuses, since it could potentially interfere with development of the genito-urinary system, which could mean birth defects like hypospadias, small phallus, or non-obvious problems like changes in numbers and proportions of cells that would, later in life, produce sperm and testosterone. Thyoid inhibition has its own effects on development of the male reproductive system as well. So there might be some interesting interactive effects if both thyroid hormones and androgens are impacted. If that would occur you'd see reduced fertility. In an adult lowered testosterone would lead to other problems. <br />
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Blocking androgens, on the upside, might lead to less prostate cancer. It would be interesting to see if Dial Soap or other triclosan-containing products use this as a marketing point. "protects against body odor, gingivitis AND prostate cancer" Let's guess not.<br />
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Lastly, there was also an article out recently that associates rates of prostate cancer with presumed levels of estrogen (presumably from urine from women on birth control) in water supplies (Margel & Fleshner 2011). This was unexpected to me, until I thought about the pathway through which testosterone is produced. Testosterone can be synthesized from Progesterone, which is also present in birth control pills. So, it may be the progesterone, rather than estrogen, that is causing the problem. Progesterone is not water soluble, so its unlikely to be found in water systems unless conjugated to something else or incorporated in something else, so this is just speculation on my part. <br />
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Back to Triclosan. You can find some basic information on what kinds of products contain Triclosan at the <a href="http://www.ewg.org/node/26752">Environmental Working Group Website</a>. Its dated 2008, but the basic information may be useful. <br />
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For all of this, note that, for Triclosan, the picture is far from clear, as recent papers also report Triclosan enhancing androgenic activity in vitro (Christen et al. 2010) and as having estrogenic activity (Jung et al. 2011). Neither of those qualities is desirable in an environmental contaminant.<br />
Best wishes,<br />
<br />
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=BMJ+Open&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1136%2Fbmjopen-2011-000311&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Oral+contraceptive+use+is+associated+with+prostate+cancer%3A+an+ecological+study&rft.issn=2044-6055&rft.date=2011&rft.volume=1&rft.issue=2&rft.spage=0&rft.epage=0&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fbmjopen.bmj.com%2Fcgi%2Fdoi%2F10.1136%2Fbmjopen-2011-000311&rft.au=Margel%2C+D.&rft.au=Fleshner%2C+N.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Medicine%2CHealth%2CEcology+%2F+Conservation%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Margel, D., & Fleshner, N. (2011). Oral contraceptive use is associated with prostate cancer: an ecological study <span style="font-style: italic;">BMJ Open, 1</span> (2) DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000311">10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000311</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Chemosphere&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F20943248&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Some+flame+retardants+and+the+antimicrobials+triclosan+and+triclocarban+enhance+the+androgenic+activity+in+vitro.&rft.issn=0045-6535&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=81&rft.issue=10&rft.spage=1245&rft.epage=52&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Christen+V&rft.au=Crettaz+P&rft.au=Oberli-Schr%C3%A4mmli+A&rft.au=Fent+K&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Biology%2CMedicine%2CHealth%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Christen V, Crettaz P, Oberli-Schrämmli A, & Fent K (2010). Some flame retardants and the antimicrobials triclosan and triclocarban enhance the androgenic activity in vitro. <span style="font-style: italic;">Chemosphere, 81</span> (10), 1245-52 PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20943248">20943248</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Toxicology+letters&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F22062131&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Potential+estrogenic+activity+of+triclosan+in+the+uterus+of+immature+rats+and+rat+pituitary+GH3+cells.&rft.issn=0378-4274&rft.date=2011&rft.volume=&rft.issue=&rft.spage=&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Jung+EM&rft.au=An+BS&rft.au=Choi+KC&rft.au=Jeung+EB&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Jung EM, An BS, Choi KC, & Jeung EB (2011). Potential estrogenic activity of triclosan in the uterus of immature rats and rat pituitary GH3 cells. <span style="font-style: italic;">Toxicology letters</span> PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22062131">22062131</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Environmental+Science+%26+Technology&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1021%2Fes202966c&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Bioassay-+directed+identification+of+novel+antiandrogenic+compounds+in+bile+of+fish+exposed+to+wastewater+effluents.&rft.issn=0013-936X&rft.date=2011&rft.volume=&rft.issue=&rft.spage=2147483647&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fpubs.acs.org%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1021%2Fes202966c&rft.au=Rostkowski%2C+P.&rft.au=Horwood%2C+J.&rft.au=Shears%2C+J.&rft.au=Lange%2C+A.&rft.au=Oladapo%2C+F.&rft.au=Besselink%2C+H.&rft.au=Tyler%2C+C.&rft.au=Hill%2C+E.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Rostkowski, P., Horwood, J., Shears, J., Lange, A., Oladapo, F., Besselink, H., Tyler, C., & Hill, E. (2011). Bioassay- directed identification of novel antiandrogenic compounds in bile of fish exposed to wastewater effluents. <span style="font-style: italic;">Environmental Science & Technology</span> DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es202966c">10.1021/es202966c</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-37494993511696219332011-06-05T08:11:00.003-05:002012-04-02T22:07:31.425-05:00"The Demon, Gluten"The fear of gluten, for most people, may be the "fear of the moment," with 25% of the population concerned about gluten intake (Associated Press, 2010) and less than 1% actually sensitive to it (Rubio-Tapia et al. 2009), but the evidence for increased auto-immune diseases as a whole, and this includes diabetes, lupus, etc., is strong. It does appear that the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2704247/?tool=pubmed">prevalence of celiac disease</a>, (an auto-immune disorder triggered by gluten) along with many other autoimmune diseases is increasing (again Rubio-Tapia et al.) The Rubio-Tapia study shows a large increase (keeping in mind that the percentage of the population affected is very small) in prevalence of celiac disease based on evaluation of blood samples collected between WWII and the present day. What is causing such increased incidence of reactions? Why would gluten sensitivity have increased since WWII? I can only imagine what people with the immune disorder known as celiac disease experience, and I can understand their fear and desire to <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/09/16/us_fea_food_gluten_free_boom/index.html">demonize gluten, </a>. <br />
<br />
But, what, if anything, is driving changes in autoimmune diseases? Immunotoxic chemicals, fetal programming, excessive hygiene (<a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905174501.htm">the hygiene hypothesis</a>), viruses? It would seem that the demon is this driver, rather than some particular trigger like gluten.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Gastroenterology&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1053%2Fj.gastro.2009.03.059&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Increased+prevalence+and+mortality+in+undiagnosed+celiac+disease.+Gastroenterology&rft.issn=&rft.date=2009&rft.volume=137&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=88&rft.epage=93&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fpmc%2Farticles%2FPMC2704247%2F%3Ftool%3Dpubmed&rft.au=Rubio-Tapia+A%2C+Kyle+RA%2C+Kaplan+EL%2C+Johnson+DR%2C+Page+W%2C+Erdtmann+F%2C+Brantner+TL%2C+Kim+WR%2C+Phelps+TK%2C+Lahr+BD%2C+Zinsmeister+AR%2C+Melton+LJ+3rd%2C+Murray+JA&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Biology%2CMedicine%2CHealth%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Rubio-Tapia A, Kyle RA, Kaplan EL, Johnson DR, Page W, Erdtmann F, Brantner TL, Kim WR, Phelps TK, Lahr BD, Zinsmeister AR, Melton LJ 3rd, Murray JA (2009). Increased prevalence and mortality in undiagnosed celiac disease. Gastroenterology <span style="font-style: italic;">Gastroenterology, 137</span> (1), 88-93 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2009.03.059">10.1053/j.gastro.2009.03.059</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-42268913563557675792011-05-01T15:25:00.007-05:002011-05-07T07:47:02.001-05:00Selenium, Brazil Nuts and TestosteroneThere seems to be a lot out in the popular press or online material that incresing selenium intake will increase a healthy man's testosterone production (<a href="http://www.ergo-log.com/senac.html">example</a> and <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2011/01/11/superhuman-diet-nutrition-sex-lifestyle-personal-best-body_slide_9.html">example II from Forbes Magazine: what were they thinking?</a>), but little, if anything, in the scientific literature to support that idea. (I like the scientificky approach used by that website, especially the graph that shows no effect, and no indication of variability in the data points). However, elevated testosterone, long term, will increase risk of testicular and prostate cancer. There has also been recent emphasis on consumption of brazil nuts as a natural source of selenium that will boost testosterone and increase virility. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplOe25_m6o-eB8W2mOSWpRWO2fw0W2uRbJtAzIZX3QRoo_JPJ2aFLQ4pRIlYOFIdGWdeDx72VydRQP8hYzr-kWrLM5nE_q8KRqkEnzDUDlvsjg4QAbPbS9q_k5HZG9OljmXK-XPULwYg/s1600/Curtis+Squats.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiplOe25_m6o-eB8W2mOSWpRWO2fw0W2uRbJtAzIZX3QRoo_JPJ2aFLQ4pRIlYOFIdGWdeDx72VydRQP8hYzr-kWrLM5nE_q8KRqkEnzDUDlvsjg4QAbPbS9q_k5HZG9OljmXK-XPULwYg/s320/Curtis+Squats.JPG" /></a></div>Selenium is protective against prostate cancer, and good for testicular development (fetal period . . . sorry guys) and possibly protective against other oxidative-stress-induced ailments, testicular or not. On the other hand, selenium, at high concentrations can result in DNA damage, and thus increase risk of cancer. The problem with supplementing, either through tablets, or through consumption of a natural product high in selenium, is that we do not know where the lines of good and evil cross. <br />
<br />
As for Brazil nuts, selenium concentrations in any plant should be dependent on the concentration of selenium in the soil in which it grows, therefore, the concentration of selenium in Brazil nuts probably varies. This turns out to be the case, with nuts grown in Manaus-Belem more than ten times higher in selenium than those grown in Acre-Rondia. Someone consuming Brazil nuts may or may not be making a significant increase in selenium intake. <br />
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Chemosphere&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2F0045-6535%2894%2900409-N&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Selenium+content+of+Brazil+nuts+from+two+geographic+locations+in+Brazil&rft.issn=00456535&rft.date=1995&rft.volume=30&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=801&rft.epage=802&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2F004565359400409N&rft.au=Chang%2C+J.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Chang, J. (1995). Selenium content of Brazil nuts from two geographic locations in Brazil <span style="font-style: italic;">Chemosphere, 30</span> (4), 801-802 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0045-6535(94)00409-N">10.1016/0045-6535(94)00409-N</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=European+Journal+of+Pharmacology&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2Fj.ejphar.2008.09.029&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Restraint+stress-induced+oxidative+damage+and+its+amelioration+with+selenium&rft.issn=00142999&rft.date=2008&rft.volume=600&rft.issue=1-3&rft.spage=59&rft.epage=63&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0014299908009643&rft.au=ATIF%2C+F.&rft.au=YOUSUF%2C+S.&rft.au=AGRAWAL%2C+S.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">ATIF, F., YOUSUF, S., & AGRAWAL, S. (2008). Restraint stress-induced oxidative damage and its amelioration with selenium <span style="font-style: italic;">European Journal of Pharmacology, 600</span> (1-3), 59-63 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.09.029">10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.09.029</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Archives+of+toxicology&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F20871980&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Selenium%3A+a+double-edged+sword+for+defense+and+offence+in+cancer.&rft.issn=0340-5761&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=84&rft.issue=12&rft.spage=919&rft.epage=38&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Brozmanov%C3%A1+J&rft.au=M%C3%A1nikov%C3%A1+D&rft.au=Vl%C4%8Dkov%C3%A1+V&rft.au=Chovanec+M&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Brozmanová J, Mániková D, Vlčková V, & Chovanec M (2010). Selenium: a double-edged sword for defense and offence in cancer. <span style="font-style: italic;">Archives of toxicology, 84</span> (12), 919-38 PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20871980">20871980</a></span><br />
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Carcinogenesis&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1093%2Fcarcin%2F21.3.427&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Hormonal+carcinogenesis&rft.issn=14602180&rft.date=2000&rft.volume=21&rft.issue=3&rft.spage=427&rft.epage=433&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.carcin.oupjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fdoi%2F10.1093%2Fcarcin%2F21.3.427&rft.au=Henderson%2C+B.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Henderson, B. (2000). Hormonal carcinogenesis <span style="font-style: italic;">Carcinogenesis, 21</span> (3), 427-433 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/carcin/21.3.427">10.1093/carcin/21.3.427</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-38150915789705130642011-02-09T09:14:00.004-06:002011-02-09T09:39:31.101-06:00Schistosomiasis may be protective against Auto-Immune DiseaseFollowing up here on the associations between parasite infection and reduced incidence of autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, arthritis and possibly asthma, this time with a specific focus on Schistosome infection. <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/schistosomiasis/">Schistosomias</a> is a common infection in many areas of the developing world, and is thought to be the second most important human parasite after malaria. Infection may be sub-clinical with little or no indication of infection. <br />
<br />
Osada et al. (2009) reported on lower inflammation and less arthritic response in infected mice. Arthritis can be induced in mice by injecting them with Collagen II. A recent publication by Xiao-Ping Chen's group (He et al. 2010) further report that the inhibitory effect of schistosomiasis is dependent on the life stage of the schistosomes. Schistosomes have a very complex life cycle and apparently some phases are more protective or induce different physiological responses in the host than others. Acute infection and egg-laying by the parasite are associated with less response to the collegen injections. Very interesting.<br />
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However, it is not advised that people run out and attempt to infect themselves, which can be pretty horrible and disfiguring. Malnutrition, anemia and lowered IQ have been observed in infected children, and increased incidence of bladder cancer is seen among infected adults. Still, it will be interesting to see where this work goes, and what treatments may be eventually developed. Thank you Osada et al. and He et al.<br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=BMC+Immunology&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1186%2F1471-2172-11-28&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=The+inhibitory+effect+against+collagen-induced+arthritis+by+Schistosoma+japonicum+infection+is+infection+stage-dependent&rft.issn=1471-2172&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=11&rft.issue=1&rft.spage=28&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biomedcentral.com%2F1471-2172%2F11%2F28&rft.au=He%2C+Y.&rft.au=Li%2C+J.&rft.au=Zhuang%2C+W.&rft.au=Yin%2C+L.&rft.au=Chen%2C+C.&rft.au=Li%2C+J.&rft.au=Chi%2C+F.&rft.au=Bai%2C+Y.&rft.au=Chen%2C+X.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">He, Y., Li, J., Zhuang, W., Yin, L., Chen, C., Li, J., Chi, F., Bai, Y., & Chen, X. (2010). The inhibitory effect against collagen-induced arthritis by Schistosoma japonicum infection is infection stage-dependent <span style="font-style: italic;">BMC Immunology, 11</span> (1) DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2172-11-28">10.1186/1471-2172-11-28</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Mem%C3%B3rias+do+Instituto+Oswaldo+Cruz&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1590%2FS0074-02762004000900005&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Schistosoma+mansoni+infection+modulates+the+immune+response+against+allergic+and+auto-immune+diseases&rft.issn=0074-0276&rft.date=2004&rft.volume=99&rft.issue=&rft.spage=&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scielo.br%2Fscielo.php%3Fscript%3Dsci_arttext%26pid%3DS0074-02762004000900005%26lng%3Den%26nrm%3Diso%26tlng%3Den&rft.au=Ara%C3%BAjo%2C+M.&rft.au=Hoppe%2C+B.&rft.au=Medeiros+Jr%2C+M.&rft.au=Carvalho%2C+E.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Araújo, M., Hoppe, B., Medeiros Jr, M., & Carvalho, E. (2004). Schistosoma mansoni infection modulates the immune response against allergic and auto-immune diseases <span style="font-style: italic;">Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 99</span> DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0074-02762004000900005">10.1590/S0074-02762004000900005</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=International+Journal+for+Parasitology&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2Fj.ijpara.2008.08.007&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Schistosoma+mansoni+infection+reduces+severity+of+collagen-induced+arthritis+via+down-regulation+of+pro-inflammatory+mediators&rft.issn=00207519&rft.date=2009&rft.volume=39&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=457&rft.epage=464&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS002075190800369X&rft.au=OSADA%2C+Y.&rft.au=SHIMIZU%2C+S.&rft.au=KUMAGAI%2C+T.&rft.au=YAMADA%2C+S.&rft.au=KANAZAWA%2C+T.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">OSADA, Y., SHIMIZU, S., KUMAGAI, T., YAMADA, S., & KANAZAWA, T. (2009). Schistosoma mansoni infection reduces severity of collagen-induced arthritis via down-regulation of pro-inflammatory mediators <span style="font-style: italic;">International Journal for Parasitology, 39</span> (4), 457-464 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2008.08.007">10.1016/j.ijpara.2008.08.007</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-36458320910140828912011-01-22T15:16:00.002-06:002011-01-22T15:22:08.295-06:00Did Intestinal parasites and poor hygiene protect us from autoimmune diseases?Autoimmune diseases are troubling, and often frustrating and painful for health care practitioners and patients. As far as I know, celiac disease is the only autoimmune disorder with a specific and identified trigger: the protein gluten. It has also been pointed out that the incidence of Celiac Disease, the formal name for gluten-triggered autoimmune reactions in the bowel, appears to have been increasing. Some have claimed that humans are not adapted to consumption of plant proteins like gluten, and that inflammatory bowel disorders are the result of the development of agriculture. However, there are a few other possibilities. One is that autoimmune disorders in general have been increasing and that Celiac disease is not increasing at a uniquely faster rate. <br />
<br />
A major hypothesis in the development of allergies (inappropriate immune responses to non-pathogens, such as glutten or pollen or dog hair) is lack of exposure to potential allergens early in life. This, perhaps, is the root of the problem: soap, lysol, and a generally high level of cleanliness. Also, a huge change in human habit is the widespread introduction of infant formula to replace breast milk, and early introduction of other foods into infant diets. The ideal window of exposure to gluten is now considered to be between 4 and 7 months and that exposure should be concurrent with continuing breast milk consumption. Introduction to wheat cereals during this period is thought to be protective against celiac disease. Those raising their young children on gluten-free diets in the hope of protecting them from celiac disease, or the adverse effects of inflammation in general, may be taking the wrong route. (See Pinier et al. 2010 and Lopez-Serrano et al. 2010). Let them get a little dirty<br />
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Another possiblity, proposed by Elliot and Weinstock (2009) is the current rarity of helminth infection in the Western World. These authors propose that helminth infection was protective against autoimmune diseases like celiac disease by stimulating immune circuits that lower inflammation. I suppose if one were to choose between a gluten-free diet and helminth infection, most would go with the gluten-free diet. However, before you consider loss of bread as the price some pay for the protection of all against intestinal parasites, note that Elliot and Weinstock also propose exploration of the use of helminths for clinical treatment of auto-immune disease. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Hookworms.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="250" width="225" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Hookworms.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Progress+in+Inflammation+Research&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1007%2F978-3-7643-8903-1_9&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Inflammatory+bowel+disease+and+the+hygiene+hypothesis%3A+an+argument+for+the+role+of+helminths+&rft.issn=&rft.date=2009&rft.volume=&rft.issue=&rft.spage=149&rft.epage=178&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Elliott%2C+DE+and+Weinstock+JV&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Elliott, DE and Weinstock JV (2009). Inflammatory bowel disease and the hygiene hypothesis: an argument for the role of helminths <span style="font-style: italic;">Progress in Inflammation Research</span>, 149-178 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8903-1_9">10.1007/978-3-7643-8903-1_9</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=The+American+journal+of+gastroenterology&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F20877349&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Prevention+measures+and+exploratory+pharmacological+treatments+of+celiac+disease.&rft.issn=0002-9270&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=105&rft.issue=12&rft.spage=2551&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Pinier+M&rft.au=Fuhrmann+G&rft.au=Verdu+E&rft.au=Leroux+JC&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Pinier M, Fuhrmann G, Verdu E, & Leroux JC (2010). Prevention measures and exploratory pharmacological treatments of celiac disease. <span style="font-style: italic;">The American journal of gastroenterology, 105</span> (12) PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20877349">20877349</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Scandinavian+journal+of+gastroenterology&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F20704469&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Environmental+risk+factors+in+inflammatory+bowel+diseases.+Investigating+the+hygiene+hypothesis%3A+a+Spanish+case-control+study.&rft.issn=0036-5521&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=45&rft.issue=12&rft.spage=1464&rft.epage=71&rft.artnum=&rft.au=L%C3%B3pez-Serrano+P&rft.au=P%C3%A9rez-Calle+JL&rft.au=P%C3%A9rez-Fern%C3%A1ndez+MT&rft.au=Fern%C3%A1ndez-Font+JM&rft.au=Boixeda+de+Miguel+D&rft.au=Fern%C3%A1ndez-Rodr%C3%ADguez+CM&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">López-Serrano P, Pérez-Calle JL, Pérez-Fernández MT, Fernández-Font JM, Boixeda de Miguel D, & Fernández-Rodríguez CM (2010). Environmental risk factors in inflammatory bowel diseases. Investigating the hygiene hypothesis: a Spanish case-control study. <span style="font-style: italic;">Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology, 45</span> (12), 1464-71 PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20704469">20704469</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-72786199404649463532011-01-15T14:01:00.014-06:002012-04-02T22:07:47.542-05:00Ketogenic DietsI would advocate moderation in just about everything. Ketogenic diets have proven helpful to people with uncontrolled epilepsy and may be of benefit to epileptics in general, to victims of stroke and other forms of brain injury and possibly cancer. They come with other effects that may not be worth the discomfort or unintended risks to healthy people. This includes kidney stones and, in women and girls, amenorrhea. Amenorrhea is associated with bone loss, increasing risk of osteoporosis, and indicates problems in hormone balance. Supplementation with calcium may help with this, but then again, it might not. Physiology can be quite complex, and consumption does not necessarily indicate absorption is occurring. It is quite possible that something that causes hormonal imbalance in women may also cause hormonal imbalance in men. Playing with one’s physiology, when we don’t know the unintended outcomes of such play, may be inadvisable, especially long-term. <br />
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I have been a vegetarian for 30 years and an athlete all my life. I have excellent bone density, low blood pressure, low resting heart rate, low fasting blood sugar, excellent blood lipid profile and great strength to body weight ratio. I'm happy and healthy, even though I thoroughly understand I represent but a single data point. I do get a lot of advice from well-meaning friends that I need to eat meat and would be much healthier if I followed a ketogenic diet. Vegetarians, as described in some current diet books, are weak and "skinny-fat". I will leave it at this: The "optimal diet" for one person may not be the "optimal diet" for another, nor the optimal diet for all conditions. Humans are omnivores and physiologically polymorphic and adaptable. This has given us tremendous abilitity to survive in wildly different climes and environments, and has made us such a resilient species. It is also quite possible, that our individual resilience allows our bodies to adjust to dietary and environmental change.<br />
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The current state of research indicates no harm though, from <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02488.x/abstract">short-term ketogenic diets</a>. I have not found much in the way of research on the risks and benefits of long-term ketogenic diets in healthy adults. Anyone who wishes to add a citation, please feel free. <br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Journal+of+Child+Neurology&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1177%2F0883073809337162&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Ketogenic+Diets%3A+An+Update+for+Child+Neurologists&rft.issn=0883-0738&rft.date=2009&rft.volume=24&rft.issue=8&rft.spage=979&rft.epage=988&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fjcn.sagepub.com%2Fcgi%2Fdoi%2F10.1177%2F0883073809337162&rft.au=Kossoff%2C+E.&rft.au=Zupec-Kania%2C+B.&rft.au=Rho%2C+J.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Medicine%2CHealth%2CNeuroscience%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Kossoff, E., Zupec-Kania, B., & Rho, J. (2009). Ketogenic Diets: An Update for Child Neurologists <span style="font-style: italic;">Journal of Child Neurology, 24</span> (8), 979-988 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0883073809337162">10.1177/0883073809337162</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Epilepsia&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F12681013&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Selenium+deficiency+associated+with+cardiomyopathy%3A+a+complication+of+the+ketogenic+diet.&rft.issn=0013-9580&rft.date=2003&rft.volume=44&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=618&rft.epage=20&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Bergqvist+AG&rft.au=Chee+CM&rft.au=Lutchka+L&rft.au=Rychik+J&rft.au=Stallings+VA&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Bergqvist AG, Chee CM, Lutchka L, Rychik J, & Stallings VA (2003). Selenium deficiency associated with cardiomyopathy: a complication of the ketogenic diet. <span style="font-style: italic;">Epilepsia, 44</span> (4), 618-20 PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12681013">12681013</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Archives+of+internal+medicine&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F19901139&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Long-term+effects+of+a+very+low-carbohydrate+diet+and+a+low-fat+diet+on+mood+and+cognitive+function.&rft.issn=0003-9926&rft.date=2009&rft.volume=169&rft.issue=20&rft.spage=1873&rft.epage=80&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Brinkworth+GD&rft.au=Buckley+JD&rft.au=Noakes+M&rft.au=Clifton+PM&rft.au=Wilson+CJ&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health">Brinkworth GD, Buckley JD, Noakes M, Clifton PM, & Wilson CJ (2009). Long-term effects of a very low-carbohydrate diet and a low-fat diet on mood and cognitive function. <span style="font-style: italic;">Archives of internal medicine, 169</span> (20), 1873-80 PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19901139">19901139</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-10969712585536411642011-01-07T21:40:00.002-06:002011-11-29T15:46:29.505-06:00Role of Hormones, Genes, Hybrid Cars and Environmental Factors in Human CryptorchidismUndescended testicles (Cryptorchidism) appear to be of complex origin . . . one of those cases where there are genetic and environmental components, and therefore difficult to figure out. You can consider genetics, exposures to environmental estrogens and anti-androgens and the relations among risk factors. You will not be bored trying to figure this one out. Added to this mix is a previously unconsidered variable: Hybrid Cars.<br />
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I teach a course called "Introduction to Research" which is somewhat like boot camp for aspiring academics. I would now only encourage people to go into academia if they are so driven by love or fascination for a subject that they are willing to sacrifice a signifant amount material comfort in its pursuit. I described my 16 year old minivan as dented and rusty, with an interior re-upholstered piece-meal with green fluorescent duct-tape. The starstruck response: a breathless and drawn out "cool . . . " I went on to describe my leaky roof and deceased dishwasher, and received this: "Dr. K, I will come to your house and fix your dishwasher" followed by "and I will drape my body over the hole in your roof next time it rains" from yet another. Undergraduates can be absolutely amazing. <br />
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So, to the hybrid part of the cryptorchidism story. The minivan leaks oil, gets not-so-good mileage and I drive about 120 miles a day to commute to the University. This is horrible for the environment, and costs about 1/7th of my income in gasonline alone. It suddenly struck me, during a quiet conversation with a good friend, and sometimes nemesis, that I could get a used Prius and maybe come out ahead financially on the reduction in gas expenditures. "Oh No! I'm Emasculating!" (that wasn't exactly how it was phrased, but you get the point: he has just become <a href="https://health.google.com/health/ref/Undescended+testicle">cryptorchidic</a>). I only struck up a conversation with him in the first place because he <em><strong>looked</strong></em> like a hippie and a good environmentalist. Just another reminder not to speak to strangers even if they look "nice". <br />
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So what's the deal with hybrids and environmentalism that threatens the masculinity of men in Texas? A simple question, that could be answered with a simple "beats the hell out of me" until I started considering bumper stickers: <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfbwuUVkL7r45GFL-FDRr8MMyxAzusnR1Hy38yTQiMgOwc7OWO7CLdZNh2xHNX8LvdGoqYvBvGMAma5IWOrupmQMLhOFjknb57ZX1EDWHexixr3JoAXBGexzE2vk4pJPJMi-MId_giJs/s1600/suv.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfbwuUVkL7r45GFL-FDRr8MMyxAzusnR1Hy38yTQiMgOwc7OWO7CLdZNh2xHNX8LvdGoqYvBvGMAma5IWOrupmQMLhOFjknb57ZX1EDWHexixr3JoAXBGexzE2vk4pJPJMi-MId_giJs/s1600/suv.bmp" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrLtdkCBbgcf5wjt5guVDqZ9FmF0c2ZLi10E7GYvn878uN5kr3uExZGUKSnEqwzhGkAOQhXWtW_0n4hcX0o6YVNpjyz58qv292mCro-EBKYL4UuFpmua8DjjiYxZiv2lmR5ApWpWgycE/s1600/SUV+against.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrLtdkCBbgcf5wjt5guVDqZ9FmF0c2ZLi10E7GYvn878uN5kr3uExZGUKSnEqwzhGkAOQhXWtW_0n4hcX0o6YVNpjyz58qv292mCro-EBKYL4UuFpmua8DjjiYxZiv2lmR5ApWpWgycE/s200/SUV+against.bmp" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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This is a question that should be posed to an historian, psychologist and/or poli sci person.<br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Endocrine+Reviews&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1210%2Fer.2007-0042&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Role+of+Hormones%2C+Genes%2C+and+Environment+in+Human+Cryptorchidism&rft.issn=0163-769X&rft.date=2008&rft.volume=29&rft.issue=5&rft.spage=560&rft.epage=580&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fedrv.endojournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fdoi%2F10.1210%2Fer.2007-0042&rft.au=Foresta%2C+C.&rft.au=Zuccarello%2C+D.&rft.au=Garolla%2C+A.&rft.au=Ferlin%2C+A.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Medicine%2CHealth%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Reproductive+Health%2C+Epidemiology">Foresta, C., Zuccarello, D., Garolla, A., & Ferlin, A. (2008). Role of Hormones, Genes, and Environment in Human Cryptorchidism <span style="font-style: italic;">Endocrine Reviews, 29</span> (5), 560-580 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/er.2007-0042">10.1210/er.2007-0042</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-67023978202322540222011-01-06T11:09:00.000-06:002011-01-06T11:09:10.091-06:00Hearing, Reading Disabilities and PCB exposuresI found this article very exciting. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20384380">Serum PCB Concentrations and Cochlear Function in 12-Year-Old Children. </a> by Trnovec et al. 2010, in which they describe associations between hearing function and PCB exposures in Slovakian kids. (In regular terms: PCB exposure in children probably causes hearing deficits). My forebears were deaf, graduated from the American School for the Deaf, were members of Deaf Baseball and Football teams, and from all the old pictures we have, seem to have had absolutely fun and wonderful lives, so I've never really considered Deafness a disability. However, hearing deficits make it hard for children to learn to read, and they do not get the full range of information available to children without hearing deficits. <i>This</i> can be a problem that may put them at a disadvantage in terms of conventional measures of school and life success. See <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2758683/?report=abstract&tool=pmcentrez">Banai et al. 2009</a> for some recent interesting work in this area. <br />
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Trnovec et al. also observed differences between ears (no, not that some kids heads were filled with Kapok and some weren't) with the left ear showing a stronger deficit than the right. This does lead one to wonder if people are left earred or right-earred and that the same effect might not be seen if they had recruited only right-handed or left-handed children. This is also more complex than it seems because you can be right handed and "goofy footed" i.e. left foot dominant. I am goofy footed, but its only apparent when I'm out surfing. <br />
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Here is a link for understanding the systems through which Trnovec are evaluating correlations of PCB exposure with hearing. <a href="http://www.est-med.com/OAE/understanding-using_OAE%20von%20Kemp.pdf">http://www.est-med.com/OAE/understanding-using_OAE%20von%20Kemp.pdf<br />
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</a><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Environmental+Science+%26+Technology&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1021%2Fes901918h&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Serum+PCB+Concentrations+and+Cochlear+Function+in+12-Year-Old+Children&rft.issn=0013-936X&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=44&rft.issue=8&rft.spage=2884&rft.epage=2889&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fpubs.acs.org%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1021%2Fes901918h&rft.au=Trnovec%2C+T.&rft.au=S%CC%8Covc%CC%8Ci%CC%81kova%CC%81%2C+E.&rft.au=Pavlovc%CC%8Cinova%CC%81%2C+G.&rft.au=Jakubi%CC%81kova%CC%81%2C+J.&rft.au=Jusko%2C+T.&rft.au=Hust%CC%8Ca%CC%81k%2C+M.&rft.au=Jurec%CC%8Ckov%C3%A1%2C+D.&rft.au=Palkovic%CC%8Cova%CC%81%2C+L.&rft.au=Koc%CC%8Can%2C+A.&rft.au=Drobna%CC%81%2C+B.&rft.au=Lancz%2C+K.&rft.au=Wimmerova%CC%81%2C+S.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology">Trnovec, T., Šovčíková, E., Pavlovčinová, G., Jakubíková, J., Jusko, T., Husťák, M., Jurečková, D., Palkovičová, L., Kočan, A., Drobná, B., Lancz, K., & Wimmerová, S. (2010). Serum PCB Concentrations and Cochlear Function in 12-Year-Old Children <span style="font-style: italic;">Environmental Science & Technology, 44</span> (8), 2884-2889 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es901918h">10.1021/es901918h</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-79182250460158691632010-12-30T19:40:00.003-06:002010-12-30T22:59:16.477-06:00Triclosan induces hypothyroidism and is transfered to infants during lactation.Triclosan is used in many personal care products as an anti-bacterial agent. You can find it in soaps, toothpaste etc. It is also an endocrine disruptor that effects at least two different (albeit interrelated) systems. Triclosan has some estrogenic effects. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20954233">Paul et al. (Dec 2010)</a> have demonstrated that triclosan alters thyroid hormone levels early in lactation. Thyroid hormones are especially important during fetal and infant development because they play crucial roles in brain development. Early thyroid hormone deficiency alters neurological function in animals, and in human, reduces IQ and increases ADHD-like behavior. There are many environmental contaminants that interfere with thyroid hormones including PCBs, PBDEs, perchlorate, and nitrate. It is difficult to study the impact of exposures to these chemicals in humans because its hard to know how much people are exposed to over time, and people are probably never exposed to just one agent at a time. Its important to consider additive (or synergistic or antagonistic) effects and not consider them individually. For now, its probably best for pregnant and lactating women to limit their exposure to triclosan. Thank you, Paul et al., for your hard work, and for fitting yet another piece into the puzzle. <a href="http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm205999.htm">Here is the U.S. FDA's position on Triclosan safety. <br />
</a> as of today.<br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Environmental+toxicology+and+chemistry+%2F+SETAC&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F20954233&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Developmental+triclosan+exposure+decreases+maternal+and+neonatal+thyroxine+in+rats.&rft.issn=0730-7268&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=29&rft.issue=12&rft.spage=2840&rft.epage=4&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Paul+KB&rft.au=Hedge+JM&rft.au=Devito+MJ&rft.au=Crofton+KM&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Reproductive+Health%2C+Public+Health">Paul KB, Hedge JM, Devito MJ, & Crofton KM (2010). Developmental triclosan exposure decreases maternal and neonatal thyroxine in rats. <span style="font-style: italic;">Environmental toxicology and chemistry / SETAC, 29</span> (12), 2840-4 PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20954233">20954233</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-81820061636721889042010-12-24T06:41:00.003-06:002010-12-24T06:47:01.322-06:00Fried food may cause diabetes in thin people too.A Taiwanese research group published on the effects of high oxidized frying oil on insulin secretion (reduces insulin secretion)in <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17433128">2007</a>. <a href="http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7947715&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S0007114510005039">In this study </a> they (Chiang et al. 2010) attempt to determine the cause by experimenting with mice. They used three treatment groups: <br />
<br />
Low Fat Diet<br />
High Fat Diet<br />
High Oxidized Frying Oil Diet. <br />
<br />
The mice fed high oxidized frying oil exhibited reduced insulin secretion and high blood glucose levels. Very important here: their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islets_of_Langerhans">islets of langerhans (the tissue that produces insulin, as well as glucagon)</a> showed evidence of oxidative damage. Glucagon and insulin work together to keep blood sugar stable. It seems likely that oxidative damage would occur throughout the body, so its probably best to avoid fried food even if diabetes or metabolic syndrome is not one of your concerns. <br />
<br />
The High Fat diet mice did not show such changes. This implies that a diet high in fried food may put people at risk of diabetes or metabolic disorder by interfering with production of hormones regulating blood sugar, while a high fat diet of unoxidized oil might be just fine. Vitamin E is an important anti-oxidant and is protective against the effects of High Oxidized Frying Oil. Chiang et al. found that adding Vitamin E to the diet reduced the effects of the Oxidized Fat diet. Thanks to all for their hard work.<br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=British+Journal+of+Nutrition&rft_id=info%3A%2F10.1017%2FS0007114510005039&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Dietary+oxidised+frying+oil+causes+oxidative+damage+of+pancreatic+islets+and+impairment+of+insulin+secretion%2C+effects+associated+with+vitamin+E+deficiency&rft.issn=&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=&rft.issue=&rft.spage=&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fjournals.cambridge.org%2Faction%2FdisplayAbstract%3FfromPage%3Donline%26aid%3D7947715%26fulltextType%3DRA%26fileId%3DS0007114510005039&rft.au=Ya-Fan+Chiang%2C+Huey-Mei+Shaw%2C+Mei-Fang+Yang%2C+Chih-Yang+Huang%2C+Cheng-Hsien+Hsieh+and+Pei-Min+Chao&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CToxicology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health">Ya-Fan Chiang, Huey-Mei Shaw, Mei-Fang Yang, Chih-Yang Huang, Cheng-Hsien Hsieh and Pei-Min Chao (2010). Dietary oxidised frying oil causes oxidative damage of pancreatic islets and impairment of insulin secretion, effects associated with vitamin E deficiency <span style="font-style: italic;">British Journal of Nutrition</span> : <a rev="review" href="10.1017/S0007114510005039">10.1017/S0007114510005039</a></span><br />
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<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=British+Journal+of+Nutrition&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1017%2FS000711450769000X&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=A+high+oxidised+frying+oil+content+diet+is+less+adipogenic%2C+but+induces+glucose+intolerance+in+rodents&rft.issn=0007-1145&rft.date=2007&rft.volume=98&rft.issue=01&rft.spage=63&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.journals.cambridge.org%2Fabstract_S000711450769000X&rft.au=Chao%2C+P.&rft.au=Huang%2C+H.&rft.au=Liao%2C+C.&rft.au=Huang%2C+S.&rft.au=Huang%2C+C.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CToxicology%2C+Nutrition%2C+Public+Health">Chao, P., Huang, H., Liao, C., Huang, S., & Huang, C. (2007). A high oxidised frying oil content diet is less adipogenic, but induces glucose intolerance in rodents <span style="font-style: italic;">British Journal of Nutrition, 98</span> (01) DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S000711450769000X">10.1017/S000711450769000X</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-32409114921706845532010-12-23T07:07:00.003-06:002010-12-23T07:10:45.675-06:00Autoimmune disease and inhalation of particulatesAirborne particulate matter appears to increase risk of diabetes, as discussed a few posts down and diabetics appear to have altered immune function according to a number of parameters. Diabetics have now been observed to have stronger indicators of immune response when air pollution levels (particulate matter in this case) are high. <a href="http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1002543"> Schneider and Alexis </a>(2010 . . . two first authors, congratulations all) observed increased blood levels of endogenous promotors of Activated Protein C Resistance. Diabetics who were also obese, or who did not express <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8770536">GSTm1</a>, (not having this, by the way, increases risk of a wide array of cancers) or who already had elevated <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycated_hemoglobin">HbA1C</a> (this is an indicator of longer-term blood glucose levels) had the strongest response to particulate matter. So, are diabetics more vulnerable to challenges to the immune system? Do these challenges contribute to development of diabetes? Or is there an interplay in each (diabetes and immune response)alters the pattern of the other. Lets hope they don't progressively spiral over time and continued exposure. The cohort was small with only 20 subjects, but it would be interesting to look at response to particulate matter by age, or time since diagnosis of type II diabetes. <br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Environmental+health+perspectives&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F21169129&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Ambient+PM2.5-Exposure+Up-regulates+the+Expression+of+Co-Stimulatory+Receptors+on+Circulating+Monocytes+in+Diabetic+Individuals.&rft.issn=0091-6765&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=&rft.issue=&rft.spage=&rft.epage=&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Schneider+A&rft.au=Alexis+NE&rft.au=Diaz-Sanchez+D&rft.au=Neas+LM&rft.au=Harder+S&rft.au=Herbst+MC&rft.au=Cascio+WE&rft.au=Buse+JB&rft.au=Peters+A&rft.au=Devlin+RB&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology%2C+Epidemiology%2C+Public+Health">Schneider A, Alexis NE, Diaz-Sanchez D, Neas LM, Harder S, Herbst MC, Cascio WE, Buse JB, Peters A, & Devlin RB (2010). Ambient PM2.5-Exposure Up-regulates the Expression of Co-Stimulatory Receptors on Circulating Monocytes in Diabetic Individuals. <span style="font-style: italic;">Environmental health perspectives</span> PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21169129">21169129</a></span><br />
<span style="float: left; padding: 5px;"><a href="http://www.researchblogging.org"><img alt="ResearchBlogging.org" src="http://www.researchblogging.org/public/citation_icons/rb2_mid.png" style="border:0;"/></a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-7748106376510142962010-12-17T12:50:00.000-06:002010-12-17T12:50:15.060-06:00A Little More on Lipophilic Chemicals, Diabetes and ObesityThis is just a little continuation of the post made yesterday in which I wondered if associations between intake of animal protein (vs. vegetable protein) and waist circumference had anything to do with increased exposure of consumers of animal products to environmental contaminants. This is not my area of research . . . but it is an area of research for a lot of other people. Diabetes and/or Insulin Resistance is associated with exposure to <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20559302">Brominated Flame Retardants</a>, <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17327331">Persistent Organic Pollutants</a>,<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20559302"> polychlorinated diphenyl ethers</a>, and, interestingly (perhaps because I don't understand the mechanism by which this would occur . . . will have to look into it) <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20628090">airborn particulates</a>. A brief and very readable review of environmental (chemical) causes of diabetes was made in 2008 by Oliver et al. <br />
<br />
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=The+Lancet&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1016%2FS0140-6736%2808%2960147-6&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Environmental+pollution+and+diabetes%3A+a+neglected+association&rft.issn=01406736&rft.date=2008&rft.volume=371&rft.issue=9609&rft.spage=287&rft.epage=288&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0140673608601476&rft.au=Jones%2C+O.&rft.au=Maguire%2C+M.&rft.au=Griffin%2C+J.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology">Jones, O., Maguire, M., & Griffin, J. (2008). Environmental pollution and diabetes: a neglected association <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lancet, 371</span> (9609), 287-288 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60147-6">10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60147-6</a></span><br />
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Diabetes+Care&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.2337%2Fdc06-2190&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Association+Between+Serum+Concentrations+of+Persistent+Organic+Pollutants+and+Insulin+Resistance+Among+Nondiabetic+Adults%3A+Results+from+the+National+Health+and+Nutrition+Examination+Survey+1999-2002&rft.issn=0149-5992&rft.date=2007&rft.volume=30&rft.issue=3&rft.spage=622&rft.epage=628&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fcare.diabetesjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fdoi%2F10.2337%2Fdc06-2190&rft.au=Lee%2C+D.&rft.au=Lee%2C+I.&rft.au=Jin%2C+S.&rft.au=Steffes%2C+M.&rft.au=Jacobs%2C+D.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Medicine%2CHealth%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology">Lee, D., Lee, I., Jin, S., Steffes, M., & Jacobs, D. (2007). Association Between Serum Concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants and Insulin Resistance Among Nondiabetic Adults: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002 <span style="font-style: italic;">Diabetes Care, 30</span> (3), 622-628 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/dc06-2190">10.2337/dc06-2190</a></span><br />
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Diabetes+Care&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.2337%2Fdc08-0850&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Association+of+Brominated+Flame+Retardants+With+Diabetes+and+Metabolic+Syndrome+in+the+U.S.+Population%2C+2003-2004&rft.issn=0149-5992&rft.date=2008&rft.volume=31&rft.issue=9&rft.spage=1802&rft.epage=1807&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fcare.diabetesjournals.org%2Fcgi%2Fdoi%2F10.2337%2Fdc08-0850&rft.au=Lim%2C+J.&rft.au=Lee%2C+D.&rft.au=Jacobs%2C+D.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology">Lim, J., Lee, D., & Jacobs, D. (2008). Association of Brominated Flame Retardants With Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome in the U.S. Population, 2003-2004 <span style="font-style: italic;">Diabetes Care, 31</span> (9), 1802-1807 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2337/dc08-0850">10.2337/dc08-0850</a></span><br />
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Diabetes+care&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F20628090&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Association+between+fine+particulate+matter+and+diabetes+prevalence+in+the+U.S.&rft.issn=0149-5992&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=33&rft.issue=10&rft.spage=2196&rft.epage=201&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Pearson+JF&rft.au=Bachireddy+C&rft.au=Shyamprasad+S&rft.au=Goldfine+AB&rft.au=Brownstein+JS&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology">Pearson JF, Bachireddy C, Shyamprasad S, Goldfine AB, & Brownstein JS (2010). Association between fine particulate matter and diabetes prevalence in the U.S. <span style="font-style: italic;">Diabetes care, 33</span> (10), 2196-201 PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20628090">20628090</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-42043364264964694102010-12-16T06:23:00.006-06:002010-12-16T12:25:01.686-06:00Animal vs. Plant Protein, Adiposity, Persistent Organic Pollutants and Endocrine DisruptionThis looks like the second step of a tangent and I want to get back to endocrine disruption, but here is another bit of data that supports the benefits of vegetable protein. Intake of vegetable protein is negatively correlated with waist circumference and BMI. In contrast, intake of animal protein is positively correlated with waist circumference and BMI, at least in Belgians. There are a lot of questions to raise with this including the possibility that people who eat less animal protein consume less animal fat which can be a rich source of bioactive, lipophilic contaminants which may also be endocrine disruptors that increase adiposity or alter blood lipids. Note Ruzzin et. al.'s April 2010 paper "Persistent Organic Pollutant Exposure Leads to Insulin Resistance Syndrome." (Very nice work! Congratulations to all authors.) Also possible that people who eat a lot of vegetable protein also eat fewer calories, are less sedentary etc. There is also the argument that lean, grass-fed animals (happy cattle, miserable chickens) would eliminate this vulnerability in meat eaters. I don't know how many purist animal protein people are out there, and this is probably not a viable option for a heavily populated planet, but that would be an interesting study. BMI and blood lipid profiles in matched cohorts of grass-fed/organic animal protein eaters vs. regular grocery store consumers. Anyone . . . ? <br />
<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=Environmental+health+perspectives&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F20064776&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Persistent+organic+pollutant+exposure+leads+to+insulin+resistance+syndrome.&rft.issn=0091-6765&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=118&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=465&rft.epage=71&rft.artnum=&rft.au=Ruzzin+J&rft.au=Petersen+R&rft.au=Meugnier+E&rft.au=Madsen+L&rft.au=Lock+EJ&rft.au=Lillefosse+H&rft.au=Ma+T&rft.au=Pesenti+S&rft.au=Sonne+SB&rft.au=Marstrand+TT&rft.au=Malde+MK&rft.au=Du+ZY&rft.au=Chavey+C&rft.au=Fajas+L&rft.au=Lundebye+AK&rft.au=Brand+CL&rft.au=Vidal+H&rft.au=Kristiansen+K&rft.au=Fr%C3%B8yland+L&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CEnvironmental+Toxicology">Ruzzin J, Petersen R, Meugnier E, Madsen L, Lock EJ, Lillefosse H, Ma T, Pesenti S, Sonne SB, Marstrand TT, Malde MK, Du ZY, Chavey C, Fajas L, Lundebye AK, Brand CL, Vidal H, Kristiansen K, & Frøyland L (2010). Persistent organic pollutant exposure leads to insulin resistance syndrome. <span style="font-style: italic;">Environmental health perspectives, 118</span> (4), 465-71 PMID: <a rev="review" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20064776">20064776</a></span><br />
<span class="Z3988"
title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.jtitle=British+Journal+of+Nutrition&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1017%2FS0007114510004642&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fresearchblogging.org&rft.atitle=Plant+and+animal+protein+intake+and+its+association+with+overweight+and+obesity+among+the+Belgian+population&rft.issn=0007-1145&rft.date=2010&rft.volume=&rft.issue=&rft.spage=1&rft.epage=11&rft.artnum=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.journals.cambridge.org%2Fabstract_S0007114510004642&rft.au=Lin%2C+Y.&rft.au=Bolca%2C+S.&rft.au=Vandevijvere%2C+S.&rft.au=De+Vriese%2C+S.&rft.au=Mouratidou%2C+T.&rft.au=De+Neve%2C+M.&rft.au=Polet%2C+A.&rft.au=Van+Oyen%2C+H.&rft.au=Van+Camp%2C+J.&rft.au=De+Backer%2C+G.&rft.au=De+Henauw%2C+S.&rft.au=Huybrechts%2C+I.&rfe_dat=bpr3.included=1;bpr3.tags=Health%2CNutrition%2C+Public+Health%2C+Epidemiology">Lin, Y., Bolca, S., Vandevijvere, S., De Vriese, S., Mouratidou, T., De Neve, M., Polet, A., Van Oyen, H., Van Camp, J., De Backer, G., De Henauw, S., & Huybrechts, I. (2010). Plant and animal protein intake and its association with overweight and obesity among the Belgian population <span style="font-style: italic;">British Journal of Nutrition</span>, 1-11 DOI: <a rev="review" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007114510004642">10.1017/S0007114510004642</a></span>ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-12723053357673927342010-12-04T12:15:00.002-06:002010-12-05T20:15:22.004-06:00OtotoxicityYou don't hear much about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ototoxicity">ototoxicity</a> (pun completely intended), but I think it is fascinating (what???). Hearing is relatively easy to evaluate and can serve as marker of neurological effect for chemicals targetting the developing nervous system (i.e. harm nerve development in general and you may see poor functioning in general, including poor hearing). Like other cells in the body, cells involved in hearing are vulnerable to oxidative stress. Oxidative attack can result in damage to a cell's DNA, which can lead to development of a cancerous cell or, if you are a fetus, in the development of a birth defect. Your body is not completely defenseless against a cancerous cell. Abnormal cells normally self-destruct in a process called "apoptosis". Its when a cell loses the ability to undergo apoptosis that you may have a serious problem. <br />
<br />
When you combine something like Arsenic, which is a great creator of oxidative stress, with exposure to loud noise you get more hearing loss than you would if you were not also exposed to Arsenic. Heavy metals, mercury and lead, are classic ototoxicants as are some antibiotics and drugs for <a href="http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2007/ucm109012.htm">erectile dysfunction</a>. <br />
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Hearing loss is also seen when environmental chemicals interfere with neurodevelopment. There is some very interesting work being done in this area by <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20384380">Tomas Trnovec</a> (Slovakia) et al. that focuses on hearing deficits in children exposed to PCBs. PCBs were bannned in the US decades ago, but continued to be produced by the Soviet Block. Poor environmental regulation in Eastern Europe has left those countries with some major environmental health problems. Best wishes to all working in this area.ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-39195560103184552252010-11-18T05:18:00.007-06:002012-04-02T22:08:49.371-05:00Role of Hormones, Genes, Hybrid Cars and Environment in Human Cryptorchidism in TexasI teach a course called "Introduction to Research" which is somewhat like boot camp for aspiring academics. I would now only encourage people to go into academia if they are so driven by love or fascination for a subject that they are willing to sacrifice a signifant amount material comfort in its pursuit. I described my 16 year old minivan as dented and rusty, with an interior re-upholstered piece-meal with green fluorescent duct-tape. The starstruck response: a breathless and drawn out "cool . . . " I went on to describe my leaky roof and deceased dishwasher, and received this: "Dr. K, I will come to your house and fix your dishwasher" followed by "and I will drape my body over the hole in your roof next time it rains" from yet another. Undergraduates can be absolutely amazing. <br />
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So, to the hybrid part of the story. The minivan leaks oil, gets not-so-good mileage and I drive about 120 miles a day to commute to the University. This is horrible for the environment, and costs about 1/7th of my income in gasonline alone. It suddenly struck me, during an intimate moment with my best friend, and sometimes nemesis, that I could get a used Prius and maybe come out ahead financially on the reduction in gas expenditures. "Oh No! I'm Emasculating!" (that wasn't exactly how it was phrased, but you get the point: he has just become <a href="https://health.google.com/health/ref/Undescended+testicle">cryptorchidic</a>). I only struck up a conversation with him because he <em><strong>looked</strong></em> like a hippie and a good environmentalist. Was I ever wrong. Just another reminder not to speak to strangers even if they look "nice". <br />
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So what's the deal with hybrids and environmentalism that threatens the masculinity of men in Texas? A simple question, that could be answered with a simple "beats the hell out of me" until I started considering bumper stickers: <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfbwuUVkL7r45GFL-FDRr8MMyxAzusnR1Hy38yTQiMgOwc7OWO7CLdZNh2xHNX8LvdGoqYvBvGMAma5IWOrupmQMLhOFjknb57ZX1EDWHexixr3JoAXBGexzE2vk4pJPJMi-MId_giJs/s1600/suv.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfbwuUVkL7r45GFL-FDRr8MMyxAzusnR1Hy38yTQiMgOwc7OWO7CLdZNh2xHNX8LvdGoqYvBvGMAma5IWOrupmQMLhOFjknb57ZX1EDWHexixr3JoAXBGexzE2vk4pJPJMi-MId_giJs/s1600/suv.bmp" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrLtdkCBbgcf5wjt5guVDqZ9FmF0c2ZLi10E7GYvn878uN5kr3uExZGUKSnEqwzhGkAOQhXWtW_0n4hcX0o6YVNpjyz58qv292mCro-EBKYL4UuFpmua8DjjiYxZiv2lmR5ApWpWgycE/s1600/SUV+against.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrLtdkCBbgcf5wjt5guVDqZ9FmF0c2ZLi10E7GYvn878uN5kr3uExZGUKSnEqwzhGkAOQhXWtW_0n4hcX0o6YVNpjyz58qv292mCro-EBKYL4UuFpmua8DjjiYxZiv2lmR5ApWpWgycE/s200/SUV+against.bmp" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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and one that should be posed to an historian, psychologist and/or poli sci person.ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-20295858883766142862010-11-14T07:41:00.008-06:002010-11-17T21:33:16.319-06:00High Fructose Corn SyrupI have been detecting a bit of concern about high fructose corn syrup in my local atmosphere (gas chromatography, of course), and there is a simple solution: avoid regular indulgence, as you would for popcorn balls, frosting and jolly ranchers. However, small amounts are extremely unlikely to cause any harm (Please note that as a scientist I have been trained not to make absolute statements. There is <em>always the possibility</em> that new information will come along, even for very well-established theories like "gravity"). Be rational. Read widely. You should neither let those who enjoy fanning flames keep you from enjoying your life, nor let those intent on obscuring truth keep you from making good decisions. <br />
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For a recent review of the current state of the debate about high fructose corn syrup take a look at this publication: <a href="http://www.scielo.br/pdf/clin/v65n7/a13v65n7.pdf">Fructose and Cardiometabolic Disorders: the controversy will, and must, continue</a> by <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20668632">Wiernsperger, Geoloen and Rapin</a> from October 2010. Nice work gentlemen, and very much appreciated. Another review has been published this month by <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20823452">Dekker et al.,</a> but I don't yet have access. Thanks to all for their work in this area.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/SweetScamMedia?v=ZQU--oLB_OU&feature=pyv&ad=6613551343&kw=high%20fructose%20corn%20syrup#p/a/u/0/ZQU--oLB_OU">For a well-crafted response from the Corn Syrup interests click this link</a>. Wiernsperger et al., Dekker et al. . . . it will be hard to compete.ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-23199611821904693432010-11-12T08:44:00.001-06:002010-11-12T08:46:52.055-06:00Here's a plea for rationalism, unbiased information, recognition of unknowns, and conservative judgement:And also for a very important factor in health that is often overlooked, perhaps because the technical details cannot be argued: friendship, community and laughter.ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-7269945973239782432010-10-17T16:45:00.002-05:002011-11-28T11:52:03.009-06:00Politics, Money, Chemicals, Health and the EnvironmentOh Canada<br />
has declared BPA . . . (fit that into the music for the national anthem) to be a toxicant. That does make sense, given the growing body of evidence that it is an endocrine disruptor that produces wide-ranging effects in test animals and is positively correlated with adverse effects in humans. It is also usual for industries involved in production, use and distribution of chemicals found to have strong potential for causing health problems in humans to argue with scientists and regulatory personnel and to try to convince the population at large that there is nothing wrong with their products. I wonder if this is simply characteristic of democracies. I'm sure graft and favoritism plays a role in other systems of government (and in ours as well). Part of me is just morbidly fascinated with how truth, logic and fairness are knotted up into some very twisted wads. <br />
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A spokesman for the BPA people is claiming that BPA is safe and that Canada's decision will only alarm and confuse the public. (I do agree that no one should have to go grocery shopping in an alarmed and confused state of mind . . . that's how products like "Lunchables" are purchased). You can read the American Chemistry Council statement <a href="http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_acc/sec_news_article.asp?CID=206&DID=11409">here</a> where it claims that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirms the safety of BPA and that Canada's decision flies in the face of "World Wide Scientific Evidence". Funny Funny. <a href="http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/cef100930.htm">In fact the EFSA is stating that there is no compelling evidence that the Tolerable Daily Intake should be changed</a> from its current level. This is a far cry from stating that BPA is safe. <br />
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Some legitimate arguments in BPAs favor is that it makes food packaging and transport safer and more economical. This does have economic and social value. But please, let's honor good work done and the validity of concerns for human and environmental health.ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404658283951107550.post-19951533239787822922010-09-30T06:10:00.000-05:002010-09-30T06:10:50.138-05:00Diabetes and Bisphenol A (BPA)There is increasing evidence that chemicals in the environment may be contributing to diabetes and obesity. For current reviews and discussion take a look at:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20688618?ordinalpos=1&itool=PPMCLayout.PPMCAppController.PPMCArticlePage.PPMCPubmedRA&linkpos=1">Toxic environment and obesity pandemia: Is there a relationship?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20688618?ordinalpos=1&itool=PPMCLayout.PPMCAppController.PPMCArticlePage.PPMCPubmedRA&linkpos=1">Impact of environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals on the development of obesity</a>.</li>
</ul>Here is specific evidence on the relationship between exposure to bisphenol A and risk of diabetes: <a href="http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1001993">Bisphenol A Exposure during Pregnancy Disrupts Glucose Homeostasis in Mothers and Adult Male Offspring</a>. As discussed in previous posts, nearly everyone is exposed to Bisphenol A (BPA) through consumption of food and beverages packaged in plastic.ABKirkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346341563307352470noreply@blogger.com0