Health Research: Space lab technology may help researchers detect early signs of cataract ♦ Blocking fat transport linked to longevity ♦ Call to regulate starvation of 'Paris thin' models

Space lab technology may help researchers detect early signs of cataract As we age, proteins in the lenses of our eyes start misbehaving: They unfold and congregate in clusters that block, scatter and distort light as it passes through the lens. A cloudy area, or cataract, forms.Scientists found that throughout our lifetime, levels of a key protein decline, and may be an early warning sign of a developing cataract. The study suggests that there is a window before cataracts develop when there may be time to intervene and prevent them.

Research links inorganic mercury exposure to damaged cell processes Inorganic mercury, which was previously thought to be a less harmful form of the toxic metal, is very damaging to key cell processes.

Blocking fat transport linked to longevity Everybody knows that a buildup of the wrong kind of fats can cause cardiovascular disease. A new study in nematode worms and mice also finds that a protein that transports fats around the body can hinder protective processes in cells and affect life span.

Call to regulate starvation of 'Paris thin' models Prohibiting runway models from participating in fashion shows or photo shoots if they are dangerously thin would go a long way toward preventing serious health problems among young women -- including anorexia nervosa and death from starvation.

11 Ayurvedic Dietary supplements recalled due to excessive lead and mercury

Butala Emporium, Inc of Jackson Heights, NY, is voluntarily recalling eleven Ayurvedic (dietary) supplements (listed below) because the products were found to contain elevated lead and mercury levels which may cause health problems to consumers, particularly infants, small children, pregnant women, and those with underlying kidney disorders if consumed.The concentration of lead exceeds the recommended daily lead exposure for children less than 6 years of age and women of childbearing age and would likely be injurious to health. If a child or a pregnant woman is exposed to lead for a protracted period of time (e.g., weeks to months) permanent damage to the central nervous system, learning disorders, developmental defects, and other long-term health problems can occur. The problems that might occur are dependent on the duration and degree of exposure.

The mercury levels in these products are high and exceed the weekly intake exposure and would likely be injurious to health. The elevated mercury levels in these products with short term use can cause kidney, stomach and intestinal (or gut) symptoms, while month-long use of these products could be potentially lethal. Mercury consumption at these levels can also cause psychiatric and personality disturbances, ataxia (or loss of coordination), visual loss, hearing loss, and other neurological conditions particularly exposed in utero. Butala is notifying individuals not to consume this product.

Baidyanath brand Saptamrit Lauh--Batch No. SPL-04, Expiry Date 4/2018

Baidyanath brand Rajahpravartini Bati--Batch No. RAJ-15 0 & 126, Expiry Date 1/2019 & 07/2016

Baidyanath brand Sarivadi Bati--Batch No. SRI-09, Expiry Date 04/2018

Baidyanath brand Shankh Bati--Batch No. SHN-02, Expiry Date 08/2018

Baidyanath brand Marichyadi Bati--Batch No. 200, Expiry Date 08/2017

Baidyanath brand Agnitundi Bati--Batch No. 018, Expiry Date 02/2016

Baidyanath brand Arogyavardhini Bati--Batch No. 018, Expiry Date 03/2017

Baidyanath brand Sarivadi Bati--Batch No. SARI-015, Expiry Date 01/2019

Baidyanath brand Brahmi Bati--Batch No. HGB-18, Expiry Date 03/2019, Batch Nos. 244 & 242, Expiry Date 03/2017 (products without Batch No. or Expiry Date are subject to this recall)

Baidyanath brand Gaisantak Bati--Batch No. GAI-09, Expiry Date 08/2018 and Batch No. 141, Expiry Date 10/2017

Baidyanath brand Chitrakadi Bati--Batch No. 193, Expiry Date 02/2018

The 80-count-capsules are packed in white, plastic bottles with green, yellow or orange labeling under the brand name “Baidyanath” made by Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan (P) Ltd. 1 Gupta Lane,  Kolkata, India and top cap sticker with imported by Butala Emporium

The product was distributed in NY through retail stores and to consumers as single unit purchases via the firm’s internet site within CA, CT, FL, HI, MA, NJ, OH, PA, VT, D.C. and PR).

No complaints or illnesses have been received to date.

The recall was initiated after it was discovered that the products contain high levels of lead and mercury based on NYC Department of Health laboratory and U.S. Food and Drug Administration testing.

Pregnant women and patients with underlying kidney problems who may have consumed any of the above products should consult with their physician or health care provider.  For more information, consumers should contact their local poisoning prevention program or local public health department.

Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume the product and should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.  Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-718-899-5590, Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm ET or email butala1@aol.com.

2/17/15 Health News: Smoking thins vital part of brain--Dietary advice on Fats Wrong--Sseafood associated autoimmune disease-- Changing stem cell structure help fight obesity

Smoking thins vital part of brain A major study shows new evidence that long-term smoking could cause thinning of the brain's cortex. The cortex is the outer layer of the brain in which critical cognitive functions such as memory, language and perception take place  Continue reading

Historic US and UK dietary advice on fats 'should not have been introduced' National dietary advice on fat consumption issued to millions of US and UK citizens in 1977 and 1983, to cut coronary heart disease incidence, lacked any solid trial evidence to back it up, Continue reading

Women with a pregnancy history of spontaneous preterm delivery found at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases

A history of spontaneous preterm delivery appears to double a woman's risk of heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. Continue Reading

Exposure to mercury, seafood associated with risk factor for autoimmune disease

One of the greatest risk factors for autoimmunity among women of childbearing age may be associated with exposure to mercury such as through seafood. Mercury -- even at low levels generally considered safe -- was associated with autoimmunity. Continue Reading

Changing stem cell structure may help fight obesity

Scientists have found that reducing the size of tiny hair like structures on stem cells stops them turning into fat. The discovery could be used to develop a way of preventing obesity Continue Reading

Toxins in Your Fish Oil Tablets

Fatty predatory fish like sharks, swordfish, tilefish, and albacore tuna may be high in omega-3 fatty acids, but due to their position at the top of the food chain, these species may also accumulate toxic substances through what they eat. For this reason, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends limiting consumption of certain (predatory) fish species (e.g. albacore tuna, shark, king mackerel, tilefish and swordfish) due to high levels of toxic contaminants such as mercury, dioxin, PCBs and chlordane.

The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil are thought to be beneficial in treating excessive triglycerides in your blood and it is beneficial in preventing heart disease..The Question is is there more benefit to taking fish oil  or there more risks from the contaminates ? Would it be better to get the Omega-3 from another source?

Contaminants

 Mercury is an element sometimes called quicksilver. It is Toxic. The burning of coal and gold mining release mercury The mercury that ends up in the atmosphere and may increase the amount of mercury in the oceans.Fish store the murcury in the form of methylmercury As mercury and methylmercury are fat soluble, they primarily accumulate in the viscera, although they are also found throughout the muscle tissue of fish.

Dioxin  is a member of the class of persistent organic pollutants that is produced through combustion, in the bleaching of paper/pulp or in the chemical manufacturing process. In regards to Agent Orange dioxin was a by-product of the deliberately accelerated production of the herbicide 2,4,5-T, one of the components of Agent Orange. Specifically the dioxin contaminating Agent Orange was 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo P Dioxin (TCDD)which is the most toxic of all the dioxins and dioxin-like compounds. The US National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the International Agency for the Research on Cancer list TCDD as a known human carcinogen. Dioxin has been found to be an endocrine disruptor, it can cause acne-like eruption of blackheads, cysts, and pustules , certain cancers, and reproductive and developmental effects (at least in animals).

Dioxin is not absorbed by plants nor is it water soluble. It can attach to fine soil particles or sediment, which are then carried by water downstream and settle in the bottoms of ponds and lakes. It continues to adversely affect people who eat dioxin-contaminated fish, molluscs and fowl produced around point sources of dioxin. However, dioxin is toxic over a long period – a scale of many decades – and does not degrade readily.

PCBs  belong to a broad family of man-made organic chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons. PCBs were domestically manufactured from 1929 until their manufacture was banned in 1979. They have a range of toxicity.  Due to their non-flammability, chemical stability, high boiling point, and electrical insulating properties, PCBs were used in hundreds of industrial and commercial applications  

Once in the environment, PCBs do not readily break down. Thay may remain for long periods of time cycling between air, water, and soil. PCBs can be carried long distances and in areas far away from where they were released into the environment. As a consequence, PCBs are found all over the world.

PCBs can accumulate in the leaves and above-ground parts of plants and food crops. They are also taken up into the bodies of small organisms and fish. As a result, people who ingest fish may be exposed to PCBs that have bioaccumulated in the fish they are ingesting.

PCBs have been demonstrated to cause cancer, as well as a variety of other adverse health effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system.

Chlordane is a compound used as a pesticide. This white solid was sold in the U.S. until 1983 as an insecticide for crops like corn and citrus, and on lawns and domestic gardens. Depending on the site of home treatment, the indoor air levels of chlordane can still exceed the Minimal Risks Levels (MRLs) for both cancer and chronic disease by orders of magnitude.

Chlordane is excreted slowly through feces, urine elimination, and through breast milk in nursing mothers. It is able to cross the placenta and become absorbed by developing fetuses in pregnant women. A breakdown product of chlordane, the metabolite oxychlordane, accumulates in blood and adipose tissue with age

Exposure to chlordane metabolites may be associated with testicular cancer. The incidence of tumor of the testis in men with the highest blood levels.  Prostate cancer has been associated with trans-nonachlor levels, a component of chlordane. Japanese workers who used chlordane over a long period of time had minor changes in liver function.

The non-cancer health effects of chlordane compounds, which include diabetes, insulin resistance, migraines, respiratory infections, immune-system activation, anxiety, depression, blurry vision, confusion, intractable seizures as well as permanent neurological damage probably affect more people than cancer. Recent results from 8 large epidemiological studies in the United States, using CDC's NHANES data, have consistently shown of all the chemicals found in the blood of Americans, heptachlor epoxides and oxychlordane have the highest associated risk with insulin resistance and diabetes.

Some fish oil products have more contaminated than others.Sense the FDA does not require that information on the label there is no way for the consumer.There are some fish oil products that reduce the amount of PCBs.

10/12/14 Health News: Yogurt Protects Against Mercury Poisoning ♦ INCREASE IN ANIMAL ANTIBIOTIC USE IN DENMARK ♦ NOROVIRUS SUSPECTED AT INDIANA SCHOOL

DENMARK SEES SMALL INCREASE IN ANIMAL ANTIBIOTIC USE

Denmark’s latest numbers on the country’s antimicrobial use and resistance are in. The total consumption of antimicrobial agents by the country’s animals in 2013 was about 128 tons — a 4-percent increase over the previous year. According to the new DANMAP (Danish Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring and Research Program) report, the increase is mainly attributed to... Continue Reading

NOROVIRUS SUSPECTED AS NEARLY 130 CHILDREN AT INDIANA SCHOOL ARE SICKENED

About 130 children were out sick for two days this past week at a northwest Indiana elementary school, and district officials said that Norovirus was most likely to blame. “Twenty-seven percent of our population is significant, and it’s a concern,” Lake Central School Corporation Assistant Superintendent Al Gandolfi said about Peifer Elementary School in Schererville, IL.... Continue Reading

Probiotic Yogurt May Protect Against Mercury Poisoning During Pregnancy

You probably already know probiotics found in yogurt are good for your immune system. Now a new study shows that they may protect against environmental toxins including mercury when you're expecting. Continue Reading

Limit Consumption of Some Fish Species in Applegate Lake

Fish are an important part of a healthy diet, especially migratory fish like salmon when available. However, Oregon health officials are issuing a fish consumption advisory on certain species from Applegate Lake due to elevated levels of mercury found in fish tissue. Applegate Lake is located in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest about 30 miles southwest of Medford.  

The Oregon Health Authority does not know how long the advisory will last.  

Mercury can build up in resident fish such as bass, bluegill, yellow perch, crappie, catfish, and suckers that live in one place their entire life and are exposed to these contaminants over their lifecycle. If a person eats too much contaminated fish, there can be negative health effects over time, such as impaired brain development, and damage to organs, the nervous system and reproductive system.

Hatchery-raised rainbow trout and salmon are considered a healthy choice for eating. While there are no data specific to these species in Applegate Lake, their diets make them less likely to accumulate harmful levels of mercury. Trout and salmon less than 12 inches in length are an especially healthy choice.

Fish consumption recommendations for Applegate Lake are as follows:

• Pregnant women, nursing mothers and children should eat no more than two meals per month of large- and smallmouth bass and yellow perch, and no more than four meals per month of panfish (bluegill and crappie).
• Men and women beyond childbearing age should eat no more than five meals per month of large- and smallmouth bass and yellow perch, and no more than 13 meals per month of panfish.
• If the maximum amount of fish covered by an advisory is eaten in a month, do not consume any more of these fish during that month.

A meal is about the size and thickness of your hand.

Fetuses, nursing babies and small children are most vulnerable to the health effects of mercury, so it is especially important that pregnant and nursing women follow this advice.Fetuses and babies exposed to high levels of mercury can suffer life-long learning and behavior problems. The Oregon Health Authority recommends all women of childbearing age (18 to 45) follow fish advisories. Anglers also should not give resident fish caught from Applegate Lake to others unless the recipients are aware of where the fish were caught, and that they understand the current fish advisory recommendations.

It is important to know that many waterbodies in Oregon are not monitored, and that when they are monitored, not all fish species are collected and analyzed. The Oregon Health Authority recommends following these basic principles when an advisory is not in place:

• Eat migratory and first-year stocked fish over resident fish.
• Eat fish at the smaller end of the legal size limit instead of big fish.
• Eat a variety of different fish from different water bodies.

These principles, when followed, will maximize the benefit of fish consumption as part of a healthy diet while reducing the risk of exposure to contaminants.

By issuing the advisory, the Oregon Health Authority hopes to increase the public’s awareness of which fish species to avoid, and which to keep eating. While it is important for people to know about contaminants in fish, it is equally important to keep fish on the table. The Oregon Health Authority continues to encourage people including pregnant women to eat a variety of fish as part of a healthy diet. Migratory fish such as salmon and steelhead are an essential source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients, and are low in contaminants.

To learn more about why fish is good for you and get information about fish consumption advisories in Oregon, visit the Oregon Public Health website.

Some Women and Young Children Should Eat More Fish

If you’re pregnant, you’ve no doubt been given a list of foods to avoid—undercooked meat, soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, and alcohol, to name a few. The good news is that there is a food you should have more of while pregnant and while breastfeeding: fish and shellfish. The latest science shows that eating fish low in mercury during pregnancy and in early childhood can help with growth and neurodevelopment. It can also be good for your health.

That’s why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have issued draft revised advice encouraging pregnant women, those who might become pregnant, breastfeeding mothers and young children to eat more fish—and to eat a variety of fish lower in mercury.

It’s an important recommendation. An FDA analysis of data from U.S. pregnant women surveyed about seafood consumption showed that they ate far less fish than the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend. (The guidelines are the federal government’s most recent science-based advice for how to choose a healthy eating pattern.) In fact, 21 percent of the pregnant women surveyed said they ate no fish in the previous month. Of the women who ate fish in the previous month, 50 percent reported eating fewer than two ounces a week, and 75 percent reported eating fewer than four ounces per week.

“We’re updating our advice because the latest science strongly indicates that eating 8 to 12 ounces per week of a variety of fish lower in mercury during pregnancy benefits fetal growth and development,” says FDA’s Acting Chief Scientist Stephen Ostroff, M.D., noting that FDA reviewed research from the last decade.

Dr. Ostroff adds that 8 to 12 ounces is an excellent range to maximize the developmental benefits that fish can provide.. The new draft advice does, recommending that women who might become pregnant along with pregnant and breastfeeding women eat at least eight ounces and up to 12 ounces weekly, which is two to three servings. This draft advice also extends to young children, although the amounts you serve them should be proportionally smaller.

Which Fish Should You Eat?

Fish and shellfish (collectively called “fish” for this advice) have high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. Fish also are mostly low in saturated fat, and some have vitamin D. Eating fish during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, and in early childhood can be especially important for a child’s growth and development. Plus there is evidence that consuming fish can reduce your own risk of cardiac death.

The entire package of nutrients that fish provide may be needed to fully benefit fetal and child development. For this reason, consumers who avoid eating fish and instead take omega-3 supplements may be missing out on the full beneficial effect. Plus they miss out on other nutrients in fish that support overall health.

Eating a variety of fish helps ensure that most fish you eat will be lower in mercury. Most fish found in grocery stores are, in fact, lower in mercury, including many popular species such as shrimp, pollock, salmon, canned light tuna, tilapia, catfish and cod.

What About Mercury in Fish?

Fish do take in methylmercury (a form of mercury), and nearly all fish have traces of it. At high levels, methylmercury can be harmful, and developing fetuses can be especially sensitive to it. Young children may be sensitive as well. Some women may even limit or avoid fish because of this concern. That, however, is not what FDA and EPA recommend.

Eating a variety of fish, as FDA and EPA are recommending, will help ensure that most fish you eat will be lower in mercury. However, FDA and EPA are also recommending that women who might become pregnant, or who are pregnant or breastfeeding—along with young children—should try to avoid the four types of commercial fish with the highest levels of methylmercury: Tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, shark, swordfish and king mackerel. This advice shouldn’t affect your eating patterns because these fish are not popular on the market.

Also remember that most fish found in grocery stores are lower in mercury, and it is these fish that have health benefits for you and your children.

Other Considerations

FDA and EPA continue to recommend that no more than six ounces of fish per week (of your 8 to 12 ounces weekly) should be white (albacore) tuna. Although canned light tuna is lower in mercury, albacore tuna has more of it. An easy way to follow this advice? Just vary the types of fish that you eat, per the overall recommendations.

And if you or someone you know goes fishing in a lake, stream, or river, follow local fish advisories. If local advice isn’t available, you should eat six ounces or less of these locally caught fish per week, and children should eat no more than one to three ounces per week. Then avoid eating other fish for the rest of the week.

The Bottom Line

“The science shows that eating fish has direct health benefits, so it’s important to get enough fish in your diet,” Ostroff says. “To obtain the health and nutrition benefits of fish, stick to the advice we’re offering, and have 8 to 12 ounces of fish lower in mercury per week as part of a balanced eating plan.”

6/4/14 Health News: MERCURY IN SEAFOOD DANGEROUS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN ♦ Legionnaires in Windshield Washer Fluid ♦ Two Thirds of Americans Harbor HPV

MERCURY IN SEAFOOD GUIDANCE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is responding to a lawsuit concerning the levels of mercury in seafood by updating its guidance for pregnant women and young children. “It’s an advisory, not an effort to mandate labeling,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg told the Associated Press last week. In July 2011, the Center for Science in... Continue Reading

VIRUS SCARE CAUSES RUSSIA TO SUSPEND U.S. PIG IMPORTS

Concerned over the spread of of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) in U.S. pig populations, Russia announced last week it was suspending U.S. imports of live pigs effective May 30, Reuters reports. The disease has already killed roughly 10 percent of the U.S. pig population and is reportedly spreading across other countries such as Mexico, Canada, China... Continue Reading

Windshield Washer Fluid a Source of Legionnaires

A form of bacteria responsible for respiratory illness, including the deadly pneumonia known as Legionnaire’s disease, may be able to grow in windshield washer fluid and was isolated from nearly 75% of school buses tested in one district in Arizona, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. “Washer fluid spray can release potentially dangerous numbers of these bacteria into the air. Source: Continue Reading

Over Two Thirds of Americans Harbor HPV, Genomics Study Reveals

More than two thirds of healthy US residents harbor at least 1 type of human papillomavirus (HPV), most of which are undetectable by widely used commercial screening kits, a large genetic analysis shows. However, the relevance of this is at present unclear, commented an expert not connected with the study. The study identified 109 different HPV types in tissue samples taken from 103 men and women whose tissue DNA was made available through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Human Microbiome Project. Only 4 individuals carried either HPV 16 or 18, considered to be among the most oncogenic HPV types and associated in particular with cervical cancer.Continue Reading

2/21/14 Health News: US is Failing to Protect Children - Test for Toxic Genes - Measles Deaths Plunge 78% - Mercury Pollution Closes Part of Maine Coast to Lobster Fishing

Contamination closes part of Maine coast to lobster fishing

PORTLAND ME – State officials were briefed about high levels of mercury contamination in lobsters caught around the mouth of the Penobscot River more than three years before the Department of Marine Resources shut the area down for fishing this week, according to a group of scientists involved in studying the contamination. Continue Reading

West Virginians: We don't drink the water

Health officials say the tap water near Charleston, West Virginia, is alright to drink. But many residents aren't buying it.When he runs the hot water, Joe Merchant said, "within a couple of minutes, I'll have a headache from the steam." Continue Reading

Report: U.S. Failing to Protect Kids From HPV

The US is failing to protect children from preventable cancers that afflict 22,000 Americans a year by not vaccinating enough of them against HPV, a new report says. Although a safe and effective HPV vaccine has been available for eight years, only one-third of girls have been fully immunized with all three recommended doses, according to a report from the President's Cancer Panel, which has advised the White House on cancer since 1971. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a family of viruses that causes cancer throughout the body, including cancers that predominantly affect men, such as a type of throat cancer. Only 7% of boys are fully vaccinated, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the shots for them since 2011. Raising vaccination rates to at least 80% of teen girls could prevent 53,000 future cases of cervical cancer in girls alive today, according to the CDC.Continue Reading

A Digital Test for Toxic Genes

Allon Wagner, Uri Gophna, and Eytan Ruppin of Tel Aviv University's Blavatnik School of Computer Science and Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, along with researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, have developed a computer algorithm that predicts which metabolic genes are lethal to cells when overexpressed. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help guide metabolic engineering to produce new chemicals in more cost-effective ways..Continue Reading

Measles Deaths Plunge 78% Since 2000 as Elimination Target Nears

Deaths from measles have dropped 78 percent since 2000 as global vaccination campaigns curb outbreaks of the pneumonia-causing disease, the World Health Organization said.  About 122,000 people died globally from measles in 2012, down from 562,000 in 2000, the Geneva-based WHO said in a statement today. Reported cases fell by a similar proportion. The decline is a result of a program supported by the WHO, the American Red Cross, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others to cut deaths from the illness by 95 percent by 2015 and eliminate it from three of the WHO’s six regions by 2020.Continue Reading