Almost all beef cattle entering feedlots in the United States are given hormone implants to promote faster growth. The first product used for this purpose – DES (diethylstilbestrol) – was approved for use in beef cattle in 1954. An estimated two-thirds of the nation’s beef cattle were treated with DES in 1956 (Marcus, 1994, cited […]
Read More, References, Comment »
Recent evidence suggests that polyphenols, the most abundant dietary antioxidants, provide strong neuroprotection against oxidative damage linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. It has been shown that most polyphenols are primarily found in the outer sections of fruits and vegetables and thus the concentrations of these antioxidants are frequently affected by food preparation. Dai […]
Read More, References, Comment »
In 2005, the USDA issued a remarkable report called “What We Eat in America, NHANES 2001-2002” (also available here for 2005-2006). It contains tables for some two-dozen essential nutrients (Vitamin A, C, and other vitamins; zinc, iron and other minerals) and components in food (e.g.. carbohydrates, protein). Each table reports mean nutrient intakes in different portions […]
Read More, References, Comment »
A European team lead by the Swiss scientist Lukas Rist has found that mothers consuming mostly organic milk and meat products have about 50 percent higher levels of rumenic acid in their breast milk (Rist et al., 2007). This Conjugated Linoleic Acid is responsible for most of the health benefits of CLAs in milk and […]
Read More, References, Comment »
Fifteen papers in this workshop proceedings cover the multiple health benefits of CLAs. Milk, most dairy products, beef, lamb, and pork are the major dietary sources of CLA. The “magical properties” of CLA include reducing the propensity to store fat (especially abdominal fat), inhibiting tumor development, promoting sensitivity to insulin in cells, increasing immune response […]
Read More, References, Comment »
The National Institute of Health’s Agricultural Health Study has been underway for over a decade. It has produced valuable data on the impacts of pesticides on human health, and established linkages between pesticide use and cancer and neurological disorders. In an important paper in “Diabetes Care,” a team of government scientists found that pregnant women […]
Read More, References, Comment »
Some pesticides can disrupt the development of the brain and nervous system at extremely low doses. A study published in October 2006 provides key new insights into how and why (Slotkin et al., 2006). The organophosphate (OP) class of insecticides includes some of the most dangerous pesticides still in widespread use. This family of chemistry […]
Read More, References, Comment »
Latino farmworkers and their children face the highest levels of pesticide exposure of any population group, with the possible exception of certain types of pesticide applicators. In 2004 a team of scientists measured the levels of urinary metabolites in 60 farmworker children ages 1 to 6 in North Carolina (Arcury et al., 2007). The testing […]
Read More, References, Comment »
The organophosphate (OP) insecticide chlorpyrifos is still sprayed on over two dozen crops, leading to periodic residues in many common foods. Until December 2001, chlorpyrifos was also one of the most widely used insecticides in the home, schools, and residential environments. Products containing this OP insecticide were spayed in and around homes for control of […]
Read More, References, Comment »
This study reports some remarkable numbers quantifying the economic impact of exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals. Pesticides cause the second largest impact — some $44 billion — right behind flame retardants. While worrisome enough, the huge increases now occurring in herbicide, insecticide, and fungicide use on farms growing the three major genetically engineered (GE, or GMO) crops (corn, soybeans, cotton) is bound to markedly increase exposures, reproductive problems, birth defects, and a host of life-long health problems. Hopefully sooner rather than later, the agricultural commodity groups and farmers will rediscover prevention-based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and start to reduce their…
Read More, References, Comment »
