Soft drink intake linked to violence in children

Public health researchers and nutrition advocates have criticized consumption of carbonated soft drinks because they may fill people up with empty calories, sugar, and caffeine, but new research published online October 24 inInjury Prevention suggests that the drinks also may be linked with, or may be a strong marker for, violent behavior in teenagers.

"This is the first study to suggest such an association," said David Hemenway, MD, professor of public health and director of the Injury Control Center at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, and the study's lead author, in an interview with Medscape Medical News.

After controlling for sex, age, race, body mass index, typical sleep patterns, tobacco use, alcohol use, and having family dinners, the investigators found that high consumption of carbonated, non-diet soft drinks was associated with a statistically significant 9% to 15% greater likelihood of engaging in aggressive behaviors. Heavy soft drink use had about the same effect as tobacco and alcohol on violence.

"This is just one study, and it needs to be looked at in more detail," Dr. Hemenway said. He was reluctant to call it a cause-and-effect relationship, stressing that the exact sugar or caffeine content in the soft drinks was "unknown," and that "possibly other factors not accounted for in our analysis are related to high soft drink consumption and aggression."

Dr. Hemenway and coauthors found that teenagers who drank more than five 12-ounce cans of carbonated soft drinks each week were more likely to carry a weapon and commit violence against friends, dates, and siblings. The study also found that the relationship appears to be a dose-response relationship, with the strongest relationships shown for teenagers drinking 14 or more cans per week. Of those adolescents, 42.7% carried a gun or knife, 58.6% were violent toward their peers, 26.9% were violent toward dates, and 45.3% perpetrated violence toward other children in their family. These percentages were significantly higher than in each of the 3 other consumption categories (≤1 can, 2 - 4 cans, and 5 - 7 cans in the last 7 days), and there was a statistically significant, linear increase in consumption linked to each of the 4 violence behaviors (P ≤ .001). Nearly 1 in 3 students were drinking at least 5 cans of carbonated soft drinks.

The study used self-report data from the Boston Youth Survey, a biennial, paper-and-pencil survey of ninth- to twelfth-grade students in Boston public schools to evaluate the effect of soft drink use on aggressive and violent behavior.

The 2725 high school students selected for the study were not representative of adolescents across the United States: 50% were black or multiracial, 33% were Hispanic, 9% were white, and 8% were Asian. Of these groups, only Asians were found to drink much less than the others.

The study was not able to show a relationship between soft drink consumption and obesity, which has been shown in other studies. Heavy soft drink use was also associated with other dimensions; for example, getting insufficient sleep and using alcohol and tobacco within the past 30 days.

Dr. Hemenway acknowledged several study limitations, including the self-report of the data, the generalizability to other adolescents, and the lack of information on the sodas themselves. In the discussion section, the authors write that a "direct-cause-and effect relationship between soft drink consumption and aggression is one possibility," adding that "various ingredients, including carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sodium benzoate, phosphoric or citric acid, and often caffeine...might affect behaviour."

The author introduces his study by reminding readers of the "Twinkie defense," which was used successfully to reduce Dan White's conviction from homicide to manslaughter for the 1978 killing of San Francisco City District Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone.

"I am totally not convinced," noted Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, Pauline Goddard professor of nutrition, food policies, and public health at New York University School of Medicine, New York City, in an email to Medscape Medical News." As I said, I'm no fan of sodas, but [it] defies common sense."

Dr. Nestle also was not impressed with the study design. She noted: "This looks like a 'tracking' study to me. I don't see how the study can conclude anything specific about soft drinks except guilt by association." She added that "poor kids drink more soft drinks than rich kids, and they are marketed to more aggressively.

"If it turns out that alcohol and junk food diets can be linked to negative behaviours," she said, "soda companies will reap what they sowed when they focused so much marketing on low-income, minority communities."

The study was supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was externally peer reviewed. The authors and Dr. Nestle have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Injury Prev. Published online October 24, 2011

Source: http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/753280?src=cmenews

Fukushima disaster contaminated ocean with 50 million times normal radiation, leaks still ongoing

Things are suddenly heating up again with Fukushima. As reported yesterday, the southern wall of Fukushima reactor #4 apparently collapsed over the past few days, calling into question the structural integrity of the remainder of the containment building.

The mainstream media has said absolutely nothing about this development, continuing its pattern of downplaying news involving Fukushima, radiation or the flawed structure of nuclear power plants. This is hardly surprising, given that many of the largest media outlets (such as NBC and MSNBC) are owned by corporations such as General Electric, the designer of many of the world's nuclear power plants.

Photos of the failed structure have emerged on Enenews.com, where a report explains that a once-intact wall is now essentially "missing" and that further degradation of the structure could lead to mass evacuations in Japan. As this report is still not confirmed by other sources, we continue to take this with a sense of caution here at NaturalNews. We will continue to monitor the situation and report any relevant developments.

50 million times higher radiation levels
What has hit the mainstream media, however, is a report entitled Impacts of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants on Marine Radioactivity, authored by Ken Buesseler, Michio Aoyama, and Masao Fukasawa.

This report, published in Environmental Science & Technology, reveals that levels of radioactive cesium reached 50 million times normal levels in the ocean water off the coast of the Fukushima Dai-ichi facility. Even more concerning, the abstract of this paper concludes, "...the concentrations through the end of July remain higher than expected implying continued releases from the reactors or other contaminated sources, such as groundwater or coastal sediments."

This, of course, contradicts mainstream media reports which for the most part stated that the radiation was "contained" and was not leaking directly into the environment. Only the alternative press has covered the real story on Fukushima, which has now become the worst radiological accident in the history of human civilization.

This same study ultimately concludes that this level of radiation contamination of the ocean is essentially harmless, stating, "...dose calculations suggest minimal impact on marine biota or humans due to direct exposure in surrounding ocean waters, though considerations for biological uptake and consumption of seafood are discussed and further study is warranted." That's a conclusion to be viewed with skepticism and caution, of course, as it says on one hand that "it's no problem" and yet on the other hand, maybe you shouldn't eat the seafood because we really don't know what quantity and concentration of radioactive elements may be ingested and concentrated by seafood sources.


Radioactive strontium admittedly leaked into the ocean
Another important development now surfacing is that TEPCO has finally admitted that alarming quantities of radioactive strontium (which has roughly a 30-year half life) have leaked into the ocean -- and that the leaks are ongoing!

According to TEPCO, which has repeatedly and deliberately lied to the public in order to downplay any "bad news" about radiological leaks, "26 billion becquerels of radioactive materials" have leaked into the ocean due to the Fukushima accident.

"This suggests that the releases have not ended, so that is of concern," said Ken Buesseler from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. "If the contaminants end up in the marine sediments / muds, then they will remain there for decades to come, and thus potentially be of concern for benthic biota and consumers of benthic fish/shell fish, i.e. any local filter feeders near the source waters at the coast."


The worst may be yet to come
What's clear from all this is that:

• The Fukushima facility remains highly unstable and could dramatically worsen, especially if another earthquake or tsunami strikes the area and causes further degradation of the structural integrity of containment buildings which still house nuclear fuel rods.

• The Fukushima catastrophe is, without question, the most massive radiological disaster ever recorded in human history.

• The mainstream media has consistently (intentionally?) downplayed the severity of the Fukushima disaster, perhaps to try to calm fears by denying the true extent of the problem.

• TEPCO routinely and habitually lied about the status of Fukushima during the meltdown and in the days and weeks following that meltdown.

• We therefore cannot rely upon official sources to accurately inform us of the actual status of the Fukushima facility. The risk of being misled by those official sources is very high.


If you want the truth, don't trust official sources
Under such circumstances, the wise thing to do is stay informed and get prepared in case the Fukushima situation suddenly worsens. Hopefully everyone in North America knows by now that another release of radiation from Fukushima could widely contaminate the West Coast of the United States with radioactive fallout.

Given that government agencies in both the United States and Japan have altered the definitions of allowable radiation exposure limits, it hardly seems reasonable to think that these government are erring on the side of caution. In fact, by all accounts these governments are proactively working to downplay the severity of any future radiological event by claiming that levels of contamination previously considered poisoning are now suddenly "within safe limits."

But within whose definition of safe limits? After all, the U.S. government also thinks it's perfectly safe for you to drink fluoride, microwave your body at TSA checkpoints, eat genetically modified organisms, get yourself repeatedly injected with chemical adjuvants in vaccines and drink aspartame.

Aw, c'mon. What's a little radiation on top of all that?



Source:
http://www.naturalnews.com/034395_Fukushima_cesium_radiation.html#ixzz1gPpafiDg

Microwave popcorn may pop your lungs

You might be reassured to learn that the buttery flavor in microwave popcorn typically comes from a chemical actually found in butter, but you shouldn't be.

This chemical, called diacetyl, is so toxic that it commonly destroys the lungs of workers in microwave popcorn factories, afflicting them with the crippling and irreversible disease known as bronchiolitis obliterans. Bronchiolitis obliterans is so rare outside of this context that it has become more commonly known as "popcorn lung," after the primary cause of the disease.

Regulators and health professionals have known of this risk for decades, but always assumed that it would only affect people breathing in especially high concentrations in factory settings. Then in 2007, a man who regularly ate two bags of microwave popcorn every day was diagnosed with popcorn lung, indicating that diacetyl enters the air and lungs when microwave popcorn is cooked. Anxious to reassure consumers, most microwave popcorn companies phased out diacetyl -- only to replace it with chemicals that have the same effects.

Today, you can still find diacetyl in many flavored snack foods and even in some so-called "natural" foods. Make sure you read the ingredients of any food you intend to consume, and make sure it contains no diacetyl (and no "yeast extract" for that matter, either).



Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/034386_microwave_popcorn_diacetyl_lungs.html#ixzz1gP3X3WUl

Green tea lowers cholesterol

Green tea hits the spotlight once again, this time as a natural remedy for lowering LDL cholesterol levels. It has already been shown to prevent flu, improve heart health, and fight obesity, and now researchers at Western University of Health Sciences in California say green tea can also shave a few points off your "bad" cholesterol.

Published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the study pooled results of 20 clinical trials which included 1,415 adults. The trials, which lasted anywhere from three weeks to six months, used green tea in liquid or capsule form, in addition to placebos for control groups.

Results show that participants, who began the trials with high cholesterol, saw their total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol decrease by 5 to 6 points. Although the decrease was not drastic, it was large enough to be statistically significant. Researchers saw no effect on HDL cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

The capsules contained green-tea catechins, compounds which researchers assumed offered the possible cholesterol-lowering benefits. However, the green tea in its brewed form was consistently more effective than the capsules in lowering LDL cholesterol levels. Once again, whole ingredients offer more benefits than isolated compounds.

Green tea: one more key to balancing cholesterol naturally
Since green tea has a long history as a health elixir, these positive results are not surprising. This study is especially encouraging for anyone looking to balance their cholesterol levels naturally.

Along with drinking green tea, there are plenty of other ways you can naturally achieve healthy cholesterol levels. One of the most important is maintaining an active lifestyle, which includes regular movement throughout the day in addition to an exercise routine (which can be any activity you enjoy).

A diet low in processed food is also key. Whenever possible, avoid eating foods that have been heavily refined and filled with chemical additives. In addition, certain superfoods such as coconut oil have also been shown to improve cholesterol levels. Adding in a few of these natural foods to your diet can offer profound benefits to your cholesterol profile and your overall health.

Combined with an active lifestyle and a diet low in processed foods, green tea is yet another weapon you can put in your arsenal to naturally balance your cholesterol levels.


Related posts:
The multiple health benefits of tea
Green tea burns abdominal fat
Green tea supplements beat flu better
A simple and affordable remedy for mild diarrhea
Black tea lowers blood pressure
Drinking tea while eating sweets may prevent obesity

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/034298_green_tea_LDL_cholesterol.html#ixzz1fvpcXOij

A handful of pistachios can decrease glycemic response

A couple of handfuls of pistachio nuts eaten with a high-glycemic meal such as pasta can do wonders for postprandial glucose and insulin levels, especially in people with metabolic syndrome, according to new research presented here at the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) World Diabetes Congress 2011.

The study, sponsored by the Western Pistachio Association, Fresno, California, included 20 patients with metabolic syndrome (12 women; average age, 54 years) and an average body mass index of 37.5 kg/m2, reported lead investigator Cyril W.C. Kendall, PhD, from the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In an expansion of research recently published by his group (Eur J Clin Nutrition. 2011;65:696-702), Dr. Kendall described how pistachios (84 g) were served to fasting patients, either alone or in combination with white bread (50 g) or white bread with butter and cheese.

Venous and finger-prick blood sampling was used to assess glucose and insulin responses over 3 hours, as well as glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and ghrelin.

The study found that when carbohydrates were consumed with pistachios there was a blunted postprandial glycemic response, suggesting a beneficial effect for patients with the metabolic syndrome.

A previous paper published by the group showed the glycemic response to meals of rice and pasta was similarly blunted by pistachio nuts, and the response approached statistical significance with instant mashed potatoes.

"These data demonstrate that the addition of pistachios to foods with high available carbohydrate content reduces the overall glycemic impact of the foods studied [parboiled rice, pasta, white bread, and mashed potatoes], despite increasing the overall available carbohydrate content," the authors wrote.

But Dana Dabelea, MD, PhD, associate professor at the Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, and moderator of the session at which the findings were presented, said she is not convinced.

"I'm not convinced by what I've seen because I've seen comparisons to certain food groups that I wouldn't normally associate with pistachios, like pasta and potatoes. It's difficult to select the best reference group," she told Medscape Medical News.

"We're looking at mechanisms," Dr. Kendall responded in an interview. "Nuts have healthy protein and healthy fats and they're low in available carbohydrate, so hopefully they're replacing available carbohydrate, which tends to have a high glycemic index in North America. The effects are quite modest, but these are some of the mechanisms by which nuts — and pistachios in particular — help to improve glycemic control."

The study was sponsored by the Western Pistachio Association, Fresno, California. Dr. Kendall is a co-investigator on an unrestricted grant from the Coca-Cola Company and has served on the scientific advisory board and received research support, travel funding, consultant fees, or honoraria from Pulse Canada, Barilla, Solae, Unilever, Hain Celestial, Loblaws Inc., Oldways Preservation Trust, the Almond Board of California, the International Nut Council, Paramount Farms, the California Strawberry Commission, the Canola and Flax Councils of Canada, and Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. He also receives partial salary funding from research grants provided by Unilever, Loblaws, and the Almond Board of California. Dr. Dabelea has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

International Diabetes Federation (IDF) World Diabetes Congress 2011. Abstract # O-0479. Presented December 6, 2011.

Related posts:
Power spice: Cinnamon
Rice is nice, but beans are better for diabetes


Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/754929?sssdmh=dm1.740456&src=nldne

Report: Arsenic in apple, grape juice

Ten percent of store-bought apple and grape juice samples have more arsenic -- and 25% have more lead -- than the Environmental Protection Agency allows in bottled water, a Consumer Reports study finds.

Those total arsenic levels are well below the FDA's current "level of concern" that prompts further tests. But the consumer advocacy group says the federal agency should be more worried.

A Consumer Reports poll shows that over a third of kids age 5 years and younger drink more apple juice (over 6 ounces or one juice box a day) than pediatricians recommend. Children are more sensitive to arsenic poisoning than are adults. And a lot of them drink at least 16 ounces a day, potentially exposing them to high levels of arsenic.

Moreover, a scientific survey commissioned by Consumer Reports -- using CDC survey data -- found that people who reported drinking apple juice or grape juice have about 20% higher levels of arsenic in the urine than those who didn't drink juice.

"We're concerned about the potential risks of exposure to these toxins, especially for children who are particularly vulnerable because of their small body size and the amount of juice they regularly consume," Urvashi Rangan, PhD, director of safety and sustainability for Consumer Reports, says in a news release.

Arsenic has been used as a poison since ancient times. Just a postage-stamp size bit of inorganic arsenic is lethal.

But tiny amounts consumed over time can be deadly, too. Arsenic has been linked to bladder, lung, and skin cancer. It increases a person's risk of heart disease, immune deficiency, and diabetes.


FDA: High Arsenic Levels in Some Juice Samples
The FDA last week reported that since 2005 it has tested 160 apple-juice samples for arsenic. The FDA findings were similar to those of Consumer Reports -- except that a few of the samples tested by the FDA had much higher arsenic levels.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets a standard of 10 parts per billion (ppb) of total arsenic in drinking water. But that's for "long-term, chronic exposure to arsenic in drinking water," according to the EPA. According to the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, drinking water generally contains about 2 ppb of arsenic, although some areas have considerably higher levels.

Total arsenic isn't the point, however. Organic arsenic isn't currently considered dangerous. But inorganic arsenic is deadly -- and Consumer Reports says that most of the arsenic in apple and grape juice is inorganic.

How much inorganic arsenic is a problem? The FDA currently worries about 23 ppb. But Consumer Reports says the cutoff should be much lower: 3 ppb for arsenic and 5 ppb for lead.

Can juice be made that safe? Apparently so. Over 40% of the juice tested by Consumer Reports had less than 3 ppb of arsenic and less than 5 ppb of lead.

In a Nov. 21 letter to consumer groups that had urged the FDA to set safety limits for arsenic in apple juice, the FDA hinted that it's getting ready to take action.

"We are seriously considering setting guidance or other level for inorganic arsenic in apple juice and are collecting all relevant information to evaluate and determine an appropriate level," wrote Michael M. Landa, acting director of the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

What "guidance or other level" means is hard to know. The FDA has the authority to make a formal rule setting an absolute tolerance level for heavy metals. But making such a rule is a lengthy process, and one that FDA almost never uses for chemicals.

The Juice Products Association says "juice is safe for consumers of all ages."

In a statement issued in response to the Consumer Reports article, the industry group said: "The juice industry adheres to FDA guidelines and juice products sold in the U.S. and will continue to proactively meet or exceed the federal standards."


Arsenic in Rice, Other Foods
Arsenic in apple juice isn't the only issue. It's also found in chicken, rice, and, according to a June report at a scientific conference, in brand-name baby foods.

According to a 2004 study cited by Consumer Reports, arsenic was found most often in baby foods containing sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, and peaches.

Rice is also particularly good at soaking up the inorganic, poisonous form of arsenic.

"U.S. rice has among the highest average inorganic arsenic levels in the world -- almost three times higher than levels in Basmati rice imported from low-arsenic areas of Nepal, India, and Pakistan," Consumer Reports says.

Rice from the southeastern U.S. is particularly likely to be contaminated, according to an expert cited by Consumer Reports. But package labels rarely identify the source of the rice inside.


Reducing Arsenic Risk
Here is advice from Consumer Reports for reducing arsenic risk:
Test your water if you get it from a well or spring. Municipal water systems already test water for arsenic.

• Limit how much juice your kids drink. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says infants under the age of 6 months should not drink fruit juice at all. Up to age 6, kids should drink less than 4 to 6 ounces a day. And those over age 6 should drink no more than 8 to 12 ounces of juice a day.
• Consider organic chicken. Organic chicken is never given feed laced with arsenic, a common poultry practice. However, organic standards for juice and other foods isn't so clear, as organic fruits may come from orchards with arsenic in the soil.
• Get tested. If you're worried, ask your doctor to test you or your child for arsenic.

Related post: White fruit supremacy


Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/754551?sssdmh=dm1.738765&src=nldne

Eating fish staves off Alzheimer's

People who eat baked or broiled fish every week may reduce their risk of developing mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, according to research presented here at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting. The finding does not apply to fried fish.

Participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-funded observational study of cardiovascular risk factors in adults 65 years and older, who consumed 1 to 4 portions of fish per week showed greater preservation of gray matter volume on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in several areas of the brain, compared with participants who did not.

Consumption of fried fish, however, was not protective, said Cyrus Raji, MD, a resident in internal medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Mercy Hospital, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Raji's previous work has focused on modifiable lifestyle factors, the brain, and risk for Alzheimer's disease. He and his colleagues have shown that obesity can increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease by inducing brain shrinkage, and at last year's RSNA meeting, he presented data showing how physical activity can protect the brain, reducing the risk for Alzheimer's disease.

In the current study, he and his team assessed the dietary intake of fish in 260 cognitively normal people using the National Cancer Institute Food Frequency Questionnaire, a standardized food survey, at baseline in 1989/90. "This allows us to understand how frequently persons were taking in fish in our study," Dr. Raji said.

They found that 163 patients consumed fish on a weekly basis, and most ate fish 1 to 4 times per week.

About 10 years later, in 1998/99, each subject underwent a 3-dimensional volumetric MRI of the brain. Voxel-based morphometry, a brain mapping technique that measures grey matter volume, was used to model the relation between weekly fish consumption and brain structure at baseline and again 10 years later.

The researchers controlled for a number of confounding factors, including age, sex, race, education, white matter lesions, MRI-identified infarcts, waist/hip ratio, the presence or absence of apolipoprotein E4 (a gene that increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease), and physical activity (assessed as the number of city blocks walked in 1 week).

After accounting for these variables, the researchers found that people who ate baked or broiled fish had larger brain volumes in the hippocampus and frontal lobes, areas of the brain that are important in memory and cognition and that are frequently affected in Alzheimer's disease.

Specifically, consumption of fish at least once per week was positively associated with gray matter volumes in the hippocampus, precuneus, posterior cingulate, and orbital frontal cortex. Greater hippocampal, orbital frontal cortex, and posterior cingulate volumes in relation to fish consumption reduced the risk for 5-year cognitive decline 5-fold (P = .02).

There was no statistically significant relation between the consumption of fried fish and brain structure or cognitive decline.

Dr. Raji told Medscape Medical News that any kind of fish appears to be protective, as long as it is baked or broiled.

The study's main limitation, he added, is that it relied on self-report to assess fish consumption.

"Omega-3 fatty acids in fish can reduce chronic brain inflammation that can contribute to the development of Alzheimer's," Dr. Raji said, explaining why eating fish could prevent Alzheimer's disease.

"Doctors should tell their patients that eating baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis can lead to a healthier brain and a lower risk for Alzheimer's," he said. "Eating is something every one of us has to do every day to survive. We are faced with healthy or unhealthy dietary selections on a daily basis. By opting for a healthy choice, specifically baked or broiled fish, you may be making your brain healthier. This powerful concept is what we want to convey to the general public."

Max Wintermark, MD, chief of neuroradiology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, said that it is interesting that the researchers were able to find a relation between the consumption of fish and altered brain structure and cognitive decline.

"Sometimes you see some changes in imaging, but you don't necessarily know if it translates into something that is relevant for patients. In this study, that seems to be the case," he told Medscape Medical News.

Dr. Wintermark added that it is a well-designed study and, as part of the Cardiovascular Health Study, incorporates a "very high-quality" dataset.

"They did a very strong analysis; that being said, it's still 250 patients. I think it needs confirmation. You always have to be a little bit cautious and view these types of results with a little bit of reserve," he said.

On a more philosophical note, Dr. Wintermark added: "In medicine, we do very complex studies, and then what we find is what common sense tells us. Everybody knows it is good for your body to eat fish. So here is science bringing us back to common sense and common knowledge."

Dr. Raji and Dr. Wintermark have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting: Abstract SST11-04. Presented November 29, 2011.


Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/754474?sssdmh=dm1.738765&src=nldne