Author: Staff (Page 48 of 157)

      More Reasons To Steer Clear Of BPAs

      March 29, 2012 /

      BPA has been found to be linked to obesity.

      Bisphenol A is toxic and dangerous and so pervasive that it shows up in the urine of 93% of Americans over the age of 6 years.

      The ubiquitous abundance of this organic compound is found in everything from the lining of cans to water bottles and a myriad of plastic products used by consumers everyday.

      Aside from obesity concerns of BPA contamination include cancers and autoimmune diseases.

      “During the development of the fetus, BPA exposure alters the development of stem cells,” vom Saal, a professor at the University of Missouri, said. “Think of it as tripping a switch in the DNA. BPA turns out to be a major factor in the number of fat cells that a person will have later in life.”

      Critics label BPA an “endocrine disruptor” that acts like synthetic estrogen and link it to a wide range of ailments, including cancer. But its scientific defenders — as well as regulatory agencies in the United States, Australia, the European Union, Japan, and New Zealand — say there is no evidence that the minuscule exposure that consumers receive poses a health risk.

      Although FDA approved the agency now recognizes “reason for concern” for the affects on fetuses and children.

      Nutrition, Quality Control, Research, Wellness

      The FDA Set To Approve Qnexa Weight Loss Drug

      March 29, 2012 /

      The advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration voted 20 to 2 to recommend approval of Qnexa, a “new” obesity drug that is simply the combination of two older medications, phentermine (the “phen” of phen-fen”) and topiramate (Topamax).

      The old diet drug (phentermine), combined with an older anti-seizure medication (Topamax) have concerning side effects, including increased heart rate, heart attacks, and birth defects such as cleft lip.

      Every year the average American consumes 24 pounds of French fries, 23 pounds of pizza, 24 pounds of ice cream, 53 gallons of soda (or a gallon each week), 24 pounds of artificial sweeteners, 2.7 pounds of salt, 90,700 mg of caffeine, and about 2,700 calories a day.

      Does a pill really address this behavior?

      By 2020, over 50% of the US adult population will have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, with annual costs approaching $500 billion. By 2030, total annual economic costs of cardiovascular disease in the US are predicted to exceed $1 trillion. By 2030, globally we will spend $47 trillion; yes trillion, to address the effects of chronic lifestyle-driven disease.

      Prescription medication for lifestyle disease has failed to bend the obesity and disease curve. Statins have been recently found to increase the risk of diabetes in women by 48%. And large data reviews by independent international scientists from the Cochrane Collaborative found that statins only work to prevent second heart attacks, not first heart attacks, which means they are not helpful and most likely harmful for 75% of those who take them.

      Medication and surgery are not the answer to the growing obesity epidemic.

      Lifestyle change is the safest, cost effective and most efficient way to address this national crisis.

      Quality Control, Wellness

      Health Care Reform Interesting Facts

      March 28, 2012 /

      As the debate continues to address the constitutionality of national health care, 10 facts which are a part of the reform may impact your daily life.

      Take a look at these 2 and read on for more.

      A few little known facts about the health care reform law:

      2. More breastfeeding rooms and breaks

      Many working mothers now get a more appropriate place for expressing breast milk than they had before. Employers must provide “a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.”
      Nursing mothers also can take “reasonable” breaks during the workday to express milk, as frequently as the mother needs. The exception is companies with fewer than 50 employees, which can claim it’s an undue hardship.

      Effective date: March 23, 2010.

      The law requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to list calorie content information for standard menu items.

      3. Caloric reality at every major chain restaurants
      Under the law, you would walk into a place like McDonald’s and see calories listed under every menu item — Big Mac (540 calories), McNuggets (10 pieces- 470 calories) and medium fries (380 calories).
      The law requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to list calorie content information for standard menu items on menus and drive-through menus. Other fun facts like fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, sugars, fiber and total protein would have to be made available in writing upon request.
      So far, there is mixed evidence about whether calorie postings sway nutritional choices.
      The rule also extends to vending machine operators who own or operate 20 or more vending machines. The FDA issued a report in April 2011, and left out movie theaters among those establishments required to post calories. So, if implemented, you can tell how many calories your sandwich has at Subway, but you won’t be able to tell how many calories your buckets of popcorn have at the movie theater.

      Effective date: The FDA has not yet issued a final rule, so there is no time line on its implementation.

      These are just 2 of the provisions which will be put into place

      Health Care Policy, Health Insurance

      Control Diabetes With Weight-loss Surgery?

      March 28, 2012 /

      Weight loss surgery to cure diabetes is an absurd notion which fails to address the real problem behind this disease; lifestyle choices.

      Dr. Mark Hyman has painstakingly studied this epidemic and offers real solutions for curing diabetes and also addresses the drawbacks to radical solutions such as gastric bypass surgery:

      A report on the effectiveness of weight-loss surgery published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that within 3 to 5 years after laparoscopic gastric banding, as many as one-third of patients are not able to maintain weight loss due to noncompliance with a prescribed diet and other issues. Plus, the complications stemming from lap-band surgery were as high as 30 percent.

      We also know that weight-loss surgery is not without risks. Altering the gastrointestinal tract can lead to nutritional deficiencies that require lifelong monitoring and supplementation of calcium, vitamin B12, folate, multivitamins, iron, and thiamine. And the psychological risks of these surgeries are often underplayed. In 2010, a study published in the American Journal of Medicine showed a dramatic increase in suicide among patients who had bariatric surgery, most occurring within three years following the surgery. (1)

      Even more disturbing is the rise in overweight teens choosing weight-loss surgery. Since the late ‘90s, the number of weight-loss procedures performed on teenagers has skyrocketed. (2) Some studies show the mean age of these young patients is just 16 years old with some as young as 12! (3) Very few studies have looked at the long-term ramifications of these surgeries. What kind of problems are we passing on to our youth?

      Does this costly and risky procedure truly address the root causes of Type 2 Diabetes?

      Quality Control, Research, Wellness

      Chocolate To Stay Thin?

      March 27, 2012 /

      Well, the good news is that chocolate may actually help you to stay thin even if you don’t diet.

      What scientists are learning is that all calories are not created equal and our bodies don’t treat them equally.

      Some foods contain substances which may actually helps us keep off the pounds.

      “When people talk about the health benefits of chocolate,” says food scientist Joshua Lambert of Penn State University, “they typically talk about compounds called polyphenols.”

      When he investigated some specific polyphenols found in cocoa, he found that they potently inhibit an enzyme, called pancreatic lipase, that’s responsible for digesting dietary fat.

      This means that the fat in chocolate may exit our bodies before it has a chance to be absorbed. Or, in other words, these compounds in cocoa may help us fend off fat.

      Nutrition, Quality Control, Research, Wellness

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