My first book was titled “Leaking Sweet Death.” Pretty dramatic, but that is exactly what many authors began calling the insidious, corrosive effects of sugar clear back in the 90’s. The field of Glycobiology has amply vindicated the term. Each week, we get more evidence to encourage you to “lick” sugar. See below.
Link between ultra-processed foods and mortality risk
Healio Minute, September 20, 2023
“Those with the highest intake of ultra-processed foods faced a 17% increase in CVD mortality and a 16% increase in all-cause mortality. There was no link between ultra-processed foods and cancer mortality. Higher intake of ultra-processed foods was linked to higher risks for CVD and all-cause mortality, according to the results of research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.”
Comment: think of each twinkie as a nail in your coffin.
Added sugar, total sugar, some fructose associated with higher coronary heart disease risk
Healio Minute, September 15, 2023. Am J Clin Nutr. 2023.08.019.
“Consumption of added sugar, total sugar, total glucose equivalent and fructose from added sugar and juice were linked to a higher risk for coronary heart disease. Fructose from vegetables and fruits was not, according to the results of research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “The role of dietary carbohydrates in cardiovascular health has been a subject of particular interest,” they wrote. “Typical Western diets are composed of many foods with large amounts of starch and sugar, which raise blood glucose more than some foods naturally high in sugar, like fruit. Individual types of sugar in the diet such as glucose or fructose may also have differential impacts on CHD risk.”
Comment: Think of stiffer dry-cleaned shirts/blouses when you add starch.
Artificially sweetened drinks associated with higher depression risk
Healio Minute, September 29, 2023
“Artificial sweeteners and artificially sweetened beverages were linked to a high risk for depression. Reducing consumption of ultraprocessed foods by at least three servings daily lowered that risk, according to the results of research published in JAMA Network Open. Recent research has indicated that diet may influence mental health — specifically, the risk for depression.”
Comment: the cell membrane becomes insulin resistant with chemicals. See below.
Pregnant women exposed to higher levels of PFAS more likely to have children with high BMI
Healio Minute, June 07, 2023
“Pregnant women exposed to higher levels of seven PFAS chemicals had children with a higher BMI z score at age 2 to 5 years. Exposure to PFAS during pregnancy also increased obesity risk for offspring. The findings were published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Women exposed to higher concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances during pregnancy have children with higher BMI z scores and greater risks for overweight or obesity at age 2 to 5 years. “This is the largest study of its type, and we found that higher per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) concentrations assessed in pregnancy are associated with slightly higher childhood BMI and increased risk of overweight or obesity… Although the effect sizes observed in the present analysis were subtle, they may have large population level effects due to the ubiquity of PFAS exposure and high prevalence of pediatric obesity and overweight. Liu, Braun and colleagues collected data from 1,391 mother-child pairs from the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, a collaborative consortium that collects data from pregnancy and birth cohorts in the U.S. to understand the impact of environmental exposures from conception through early childhood. Mothers who had maternal serum or plasma PFAS measured during pregnancy and had a BMI calculation available for their child at age 2 to 5 years were included. Seven individual PFAS chemicals were analyzed. Weight and height data were collected from the ECHO cohort databases. Age- and sex-standardized BMI z scores were calculated using the 2000 CDC growth reference for U.S. children.”
Comment: read about OBESOGENS; they are environmental chemicals that induce obesity.
Omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy reduces infant risks for food allergy
Healio Minute, September 14, 2023
“Maternal omega-3 supplementation had significant effects on egg and peanut sensitization among infants. It contributed to decreases in risks for food allergy among infants, including egg and peanut sensitization, according to a review published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. The meta-analysis examined 12 randomized controlled trials published between 2003 and 2018 involving 3,274 mother-infant pairs, with mean doses of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ranging from 492 mg to 3,700 mg per day for mothers and 184 mg to 390 mg per day for infants.”
Comment: this is great news, but the study did not consider the impact of the microbiome on the genesis AND resolution of food allergies. The worst things you can do to unbalance your microbiome are pesticides, highly processed sugar diets, and antibiotics. The four main functions of your microbiome are Metabolism, Detoxification, Immunity and DNA function. This is why an unbalanced microbiome has far-reaching consequences, including cancer.
Early-Life Antibiotic Use Raises Risk of Cancer
Published online July 28 in the International Journal of Cancer.
“Our findings suggested that individuals with genetic risk factors (ie, family history of CRC) who have experienced early-life antibiotics use on a long-term basis are probably at increased early-onset CRC risk,” the authors concluded. “Given that antibiotics remain valuable in the management of bacterial infections during early life, investigating the pros and cons of early-life antibiotic use is of great significance.”
Comment: cancer is an immunologic problem. A weak immune system raises the risk. Remember that your microbiome is 2/3 of your immune system. Antibiotics compromise your gut bacteria.
Biomarkers of gut barrier dysfunction and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
International J. of Cancer, 6 March 2023
“Gut barrier dysfunction can result in the liver being exposed to an elevated level of gut-derived bacterial products via portal circulation. Growing evidence suggests that systemic exposure to these bacterial products promotes liver diseases including hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The biomarkers quantitated were immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG, and IgM against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and flagellin, soluble CD14 (an LPS coreceptor), and LPS-binding protein (LBP). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between biomarker levels and HCC were calculated using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression. A doubling of the circulating levels of antiflagellin IgA or LBP was associated with a 76% to 93% increased risk of Hepatitis B Virus-related HCC.”
Comment: leaky gut raises the risk of cancer. Your intestinal walls get “leaky” when your poorly-fed microbiome (it loves fiber from veggies and fruit) generates inflammation, or inflammatory metabolites.
