Early in my career I made a lot of noise about environmental factors in health and disease. All I got for it was derision. I was felt to be a burn out hippie, and a communist. Today we know better, or do we? Evidence is still manipulated to hide the toxic effects of bad foods and toxic chemicals by blaming our genes. Despite overwhelming evidence that the environment is responsible for 85% of cancers, we still blame our native genes.[1] I say Follow the Money and review the concept of EPIGENETICS.
Hugo Rodier, MD
Flight attendants have higher risk of certain cancers
Reuters (6/25, Rapaport) reports a new study by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests “U.S. flight attendants may be more likely than other Americans to develop several types of cancer.” The findings were published online in Environmental Health. TIME (6/25, Park) reports that the researchers “found higher prevalence of breast, melanoma, uterine, gastrointestinal, thyroid and cervical cancers among the flight attendants compared to the general public.” The research “also revealed for the first time a higher rate of non-melanoma skin cancers, such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, among flight attendants.”
Commentary: Many studies like this point to the environment. Higher rates of exposure to radiation, stress, and eating fast foods on the road are likely factors.
HHS report finds industrial chemicals more toxic than previously thought
The AP (6/20, Knickmeyer) reports that a “family of industrial chemicals turning up in public water supplies around the country is even more toxic than previously thought, threatening human health at concentrations seven to 10 times lower than once realized,” according to a report released Wednesday by HHS. The chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, “were used in such goods as fire-suppressing foam, nonstick pans, fast-food wrappers, and stain-resistant fabric and carpet, but are no longer used in U.S. manufacturing.” The AP notes that a draft of the report “had set off alarms within the Trump administration earlier this year.”
Commentary: blow me over with a feather. We have known about this problem for decades. Out of 80,000+ chemicals, only a handful have been properly tested by impartial scientists with no skin in the game. Try to avoid chemicals as much as possible, get rid of sugar, optimize gut function, and eat veggies until they come out of your ears. Then, you will detoxify chemicals a lot better. Add Alpha Lipoic acid from broccoli to enhance liver detoxification.
PTSD, stress-related psychiatric disorders linked to higher risk of several autoimmune diseases
Reuters (6/19, Rapaport) reports, “People who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other stress-related psychiatric issues may be more likely to develop autoimmune diseases than individuals who” do not, researchers found. The ABC News (6/19, Tawagi) website reports that for the study, investigators examined “the medical records of 100,000 people with stress-related psychiatric disorders between 1981 and 2013 in Sweden and” then compared “them to 120,000 of their siblings and nearly 1.1 million unrelated people who had no stress-related disorders.” The study revealed that “compared to those without stress-related disorders,” people with stress-related disorders “were at an increased risk of 41 different autoimmune diseases – and patients with PTSD were at an increased risk of having multiple autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and celiac disease.” The findings were published in the June 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Commentary: PTSD, and other stress-related conditions negatively affect our Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. The end result is elevated levels of Glucocorticoid hormones which suppress the immune system, particularly in the gut. The HPA axis may be healed with stress management techniques such as medication, Tai Chi, Yoga, and supplements like Rhodiola.
Diabetes in pregnant women may be linked to higher risk of autism in offspring
The New York Post (6/25, Laneri) reports that research suggests “a mom’s diabetes can raise her child’s risk for autism.” HealthDay (6/25, Reinberg) reports, “Whether it’s type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes, which specifically affects pregnant women, having the blood sugar disease might be linked to an increased autism risk, the researchers said” after having collected “data on more than 419,000 children born from 1995 through 2012 in Kaiser Permanente Southern California hospitals.” The findings were published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association and presented at the American Diabetes Association annual meeting.
Commentary: Look up Diabetes Type III. It is so named because sugar and higher levels of insulin negatively affect the brain. The difference between hormones and neurotransmitters is minimal. You have heard that pregnant women should not consume alcohol, which is a fermented sugar. I say do not eat refined sugars when pregnant.
Graphic warning labels may make people less likely to buy sugary drinks
The Boston Globe (6/18, Andersen) reports that research suggests “graphic warning labels about the health risks of sugary drinks dissuaded people from buying the beverages.” The research “showed that ‘graphic warning labels reduced sugary beverage purchases by 14.8%, while text warning labels and calorie labels had no effect’…said” a news release. The findings were published online in Psychological Science. Commentary: most of us are visual people. So, check this out:
Foods with both fat and carbs trigger instincts in brain that may promote overeating
On its website, ABC News (6/14, Tawagi) reports researchers found that “the brain values foods…with both fats and carbohydrates, more than foods high in only fats” or “only carbs.” The article reports that “the findings of the study suggest that the brain may have distinct pathways that guide information about the fat-and-carb combination foods.” NBC News (6/14, Fox) reports, “Foods that combine fat and processed carbohydrates stimulate the brain even when people claimed they did not particularly like that food more than others.” Researchers suggest that the investigation, “using real-time brain scans, may help explain why so many of us are obese, and why we overeat even when we are not hungry.” The findings were published in Cell Metabolism.
Commentary: I was reviled when I published my first book demonstrating that refined sugars are addicting, as are Trans-Fats. Watch my eight-minute cartoon health class on my website, www.hugorodier.com. It highlights a key point omitted by this study: our gut flora gets used to the bad foods you feed it. If you don’t they send messages to the brain for you to get on the stick and feed them they way the became accustomed to.
Sitting undermines metabolic and heart health
The New York Times (6/13, Reynolds, Subscription Publication) reports that a new study published this month in Scientific Reports examines “the separate physiological effects that exercise and light, almost-incidental activities, such as standing up, can have on our bodies.” According to the Times, “after four days of sitting nonstop, the men and women showed greater insulin resistance and undesirable changes in their cholesterol levels. They also had blood markers showing detrimental changes to their endothelial cells, which line our blood vessels, including our arteries; when those cells are unhealthy, the risk of cardiac disease rises.” The Times adds, “In effect, four days of uninterrupted sitting seemed to be undermining the volunteers’ metabolic and heart health, including among those who had no symptoms of metabolic problems at the start.”
Commentary: for every hour you sit, you would do well to get up and move around for 90 seconds. Go get your own damned coffee.
Years of education may be strongly and causally linked to myopia, study indicates
The New York Times (6/6, Bakalar, Subscription Publication) reports that even though “genetic predisposition was a more powerful predictor of” myopia, “years of education were strongly and causally linked to the condition,” researchers concluded after examining data on some “67,798 men and women in England, Scotland and Wales.” The findings were published in online in the BMJ.
Commentary: now I know why you and I are myopic. But, I have enjoyed reading a lot. Besides, the more educated we are, the longer and healthier our lives are.
- “Combating Environmental Causes of Cancer,” NEJM 2011;364:7991 ↑
