Your World and You: Tips to Improve Your Family’s Health – Issue 41 (Premium)
Environmental and Nutritional Tips to Improve Your Family’s Health
This feature highlights reports, studies, and feedback on efforts that can make a positive impact in our quest for health. Topics we cover in this issue are included below. We invite you to share material with us that you think would be of interest to our readers.
Articles in this issue:
- Baby teeth do not lie: Proving the autism and toxins link
- Can Marmite reduce visual sensitivity?
- Micronutrients effective in reducing aggressive behavior
- A new study tells us that whole milk is better than low-fat milk
- Combining certain foods could play a role in starving cancer cells
- Sugars in soda, especially fructose, damage the brain—and diet soda is even worse
- If you think it is hard to avoid artificial colors in foods, you are right
- Sweet dreams with weighted blankets for autism or sensory issues: True?
- Options for homemade fabric softeners
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Baby teeth do not lie: Proving the autism and toxins link
Baby teeth from children with autism contain more toxic lead and less of the essential nutrients zinc and manganese, compared to teeth from children without autism, according to an innovative study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health. The researchers studied twins to control genetic influences and focus on possible environmental contributors to the disease. The findings, published June 1 in the journal Nature Communications, suggest that differences in early-life exposure to metals, or more importantly how a child’s body processes them, may affect the risk of autism.
The differences in metal uptake between children with and without autism were especially notable during the months just before and after the children were born. The scientists determined this by using lasers to map the growth rings in baby teeth generated during different developmental periods.
The researchers observed higher levels of lead in children with autism throughout development, with the greatest disparity observed during the period following birth. They also observed lower uptake of manganese in children with autism, both before and after birth. The pattern was more complex for zinc. Children with autism had lower zinc levels earlier in the womb, but these levels then increased after birth, compared to children without autism.
See the full press release from the NIH.
Can Eating Marmite Reduce Visual Sensitivity?
We recently published an article about ways to reduce visual sensitivity. We never imagined that Marmite would be on the list of possible helpful treatments! But new research suggests it could be.
For those not familiar with it, Marmite is a strong-favored sandwich spread in the United Kingdom. Some love it while others can’t stand the taste.
Researchers at the University of York in the UK found that adults who ate a teaspoonful of Marmite each day for one month had a reduced response to visual stimuli, presumably indicating an increased level of GABA in the brain. The control subjects ate peanut butter instead.
It was suggested by the researchers that high levels of B12 in the Marmite may have played a role in the reduction in sensitivity.
Dr. Baker: “Since we’ve found a connection between diet and specific brain processes involving GABA, this research paves the way for further studies looking into how diet could be used as a potential route to understanding this neurotransmitter,” adds Dr. Baker.
Reportedly, the main ingredient of Marmite is yeast extract, which contains a high concentration of glutamic acid. Marmite made in the United Kingdom and exported to several countries is believed to be gluten-free. However, according to a Wikipedia article, Unilever will not confirm that it contains less than 20 PPM of gluten, the current European standard and the proposed US FDA standard for gluten-free labeling.
Warning: Marmite should be avoided if a person takes a MAOI antidepressant, as yeast extracts interact negatively with these types of medications due to their tyramine content. Note that tyramine is a potential tic trigger for some people, based on self-reports. Also, glutamic acid is used as a flavoring agent (MSG) can trigger a number of neurological reactions.
See the full press release. Article here
Micronutrients effective in aggressive behavior
An encouraging first study evaluates a combination, uniform treatment protocol of nutrient therapy for violent and aggressive male youth in a clinical trial using valid and reliable psychometric instruments. Plasma zinc, plasma copper, copper/zinc ratio, and urinary hydroxyhemopyrroline-2-one (HPL) tests were conducted at baseline and endpoint.
Participants received capsules that could be swallowed or dispersed in food or drink containing vitamin C, vitamin B6, P5P (Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate), vitamin E, biotin, chromium, selenium, and zinc. The dose of each micronutrient was calculated based on weight of the participant. The authors report: Health-related quality of life and family functioning in male youth after 16 weeks of treatment showed improvement, with significant improvements seen as early as 8 weeks.
Note: Advisory Board Member William Walsh PhD, participated in the research.
A New Study Tells Us That Whole Milk is Better Than Lo-fat Milk
While the overall risk is low, consuming at least three servings of low-fat dairy a day is associated with a greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to consuming less than one serving a day according to a large study published in the June 7, 2017, online issue of Neurology. The study results do not show that dairy products cause Parkinson’s disease—they just show an association.
For the study, researchers analyzed approximately 25 years of data on 80,736 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study and 48,610 men enrolled in the Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study. Participants in these studies completed health questionnaires every two years and diet questionnaires every four years. During that time, 1,036 people developed Parkinson’s.
Researchers examined what kinds of dairy each person consumed, including milk, cream, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, margarine and sherbet. They then looked at whether full-fat dairy, as whole milk, was associated with a risk of Parkinson’s disease; there was no association. More here
Combining certain foods could play a role in starving cancer cells
Press release: New research from The University of Texas at Austin identifies several natural compounds found in food, including turmeric, apple peels and red grapes, as key ingredients that could thwart the growth of prostate cancer, the most common cancer afflicting U.S. men and a key area of focus during Men’s Health Month, which public health advocates celebrate in June.
Published online this week in Precision Oncology, the report describes a novel analytical approach to screen numerous plant-based chemicals instead of testing a single agent as many studies do, discovering specific combinations that shrink prostate cancer tumors.
Sugars in soda pop, especially fructose, damage the brain—and diet soda is even worse
Excess sugar—especially the fructose in sugary drinks—might damage your brain, new research suggests. Researchers found that people who drink sugary beverages frequently are more likely to have poorer memory, smaller overall brain volume, and a significantly smaller hippocampus. A follow-up study found that people who drank diet soda daily were almost three times as likely to develop stroke and dementia when compared to those who did not.
See and share: Full article
If you think it is hard to avoid artificial colors in foods, you are right
A research team collected product and food-color information on about 810 products in one grocery store in North Carolina in 2014. Overall, 350 products (43.2%) contained artificial food colors. The most common ones were Red 40 (29.8% of products), Blue 1 (24.2%), Yellow 5 (20.5%), and Yellow 6 (19.5%). Produce was the only category that did not have any. The highest percentage of products with artificial food colors was found in candies (96.3%), fruit-flavored snacks (94%), and drink mixes/powders (89.7%). Forty-one of the 66 companies marketed products containing AFCs. Abstract
Options for homemade fabric softeners
I recently advised a couple on what they could use instead of smelly Bounce fabric softener sheets. The young daughters love the smell of their pillow cases and sheets. . . but they also both have allergies and asthma. Standard fabric softeners for the dryer typically have chemicals that aggravate the respiratory system. While natural brands such as Seventh Generation are available, I pulled together a few homemade versions. Maybe you have tried these or have a “recipe” to add of your own. If so, please send a note to Latitudes.org/contact-us
Basic—add ½ cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle. Reportedly, there is no odor afterwards.
One combo recipe uses white vinegar and hair conditioner. A word of caution from ACN: the conditioner should be natural and unscented, or fragranced only with essential oils, or you could end up with toxins from the hair product. From Food.com
Epsom salt version uses essential oils and baking soda. See instructions
Sweet dreams with weighted blankets for autism or sensory issues: True?
Children with autism spectrum disorder tend to have disturbed sleep more of then peers. Difficulty falling asleep and waking in then night are often reported. Weighted blankets have been sold for many years as an intervention to help reduce sleep issues. The theory is that the deep pressure and more consistent sensory input reduces the body’s level of arousal and stress, which might improve sleep.
The only significant study suggests that weighted blankets do not really improve sleep. They do not make most children fall asleep more easily, nor reduce waking episodes. However, children and parents reportedly liked their use, and parents felt sleep was better and the child was calmer when using the blankets. So, give them a try knowing that sleep improvement may not be dramatic. And again, each child is different so who knows how yours will react. The cost of weighted blankets averages about $150.
The full research report is online.
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