A Turkish study has reportedly found that adolescent boys with abnormal breast enlargement, a common condition known as pubertal gynecomastia, had significantly higher phthalate blood levels than boys in a control group. Erdem Durmaz, et al., “Plasma Phthalate Levels in Pubertal Gynecomastia,” Pediatrics (December 2009). The study specifically focused on the most commonly used phthalate, di-(2 ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP), and its metabolite, Mono-(2-ethylhexyl)- phthalate (MEHP). Researchers tested 40 boys recently diagnosed with pubertal gynecomastia and 21 boys who did not have the condition. According to the results, “Plasma DEHP and MEHP were found to be statistically significantly higher in the pubertal gynecomastia group compared with the control group.” Co-author Elif Ozmert has apparently suggested that until further studies are conducted, people should limit their exposure to phthalates. “Although we can’t achieve zero exposure, we can decrease it,” he said. Ozmert recommended that consumers (i) avoid using plastic cups and food coverings,…
Category Archives Scientific/Technical Items
A Temple University study challenges the sobering effects of caffeine by asserting that mixing caffeine and alcohol could “lead to poor decisions with disastrous outcomes.” Danielle Gulick and Thomas J. Gould, “Effects of Ethanol and Caffeine on Behavior in C57BL/6 in the Plus-Maze Discriminative Avoidance Task,” Behavioral Neuroscience (2009). The authors observed mice in a maze that had been given ethanol (pure alcohol) at levels known to induce intoxication, doses of caffeine the equivalent of one up to six or eight cups of coffee for humans, a combination of the two, or neither. They tested the animals’ (i) “ability to learn which part of the maze to avoid after exposure to a bright light or sound”; (ii) “anxiety, reflected by time spent exploring the maze’s open areas”; and (iii) “general locomotion.” According to a December 7, 2009, press release from the American Psychological Association, which publishes Behavioral Neuroscience, the study revealed…
A French study on bisphenol A (BPA) has suggested a link between exposure to the chemical used in plastic containers and drink cans to reduced intestinal functioning. Viorica Braniste, et al., “Impact of oral bisphenol A at reference doses on intestinal barrier function and sex differences after perinatal exposure in rats,” Proceedings of the National Academy Sciences (December 2009). Researchers at the National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) in Toulouse apparently found that the digestive tract of rats reacted negatively to low doses of BPA and that rats exposed to the chemical in utero and during breastfeeding had an increased risk of developing severe intestinal inflammation in adulthood. Additional research on human intestine cells evidently revealed that BPA lowered the permeability of the intestines and the immune system’s response to digestive inflammation. “The findings illustrate the intestine’s great sensitivity to bisphenol A and open new research paths for characterizing and evaluating the…
Yale University researchers, including Kelly Brownell, have published a study that concludes “Calorie labels on restaurant menus impacted food choices and intake; adding a recommended daily caloric requirement label increased this effect, suggesting menu label legislation should require such a label.” Christina Roberto, et al., “Evaluating the Impact of Menu Labeling on Food Choices and Intake,” American Journal of Public Health, December 17, 2009. The study evaluated the dinner selections made by some 300 participants randomly assigned to a menu (i) without calorie labels, (ii) with calorie labels, or (iii) with calorie labels and a label including the recommended daily caloric intake for an average adult. According to the researchers, those participants in the latter two categories “ordered fewer calories than those in the no calorie labels condition.” The participants in the second group did, however, consume more calories after the study dinner than either of the other groups. Combining…
Purdue University scientists have reportedly altered a nanoparticle found in sweet corn to prevent oxidation and spoilage, thus offering a way to extend the shelf life of foods, cosmetics and other products containing emulsified lipids. Siqi L Scheffler, et al., “Phytoglycogen Octenyl Succinate, an Amphiphilic Carbohydrate Nanoparticle, and ε-Polylysine To Improve Lipid Oxidative Stability of Emulsions,” Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, December 2009. According to a December 8, 2009, press release, researchers with Purdue’s Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research “successfully modified the phytoglycogen nanoparticle, a starch-like substance that makes up nearly 30 percent of the dry mass of some sweet corn. The modification allows the nanoparticle to attach to oils and emulsify them while also acting as a barrier to oxidation, which causes food to become rancid.” Known as phytoglycogen octenyl succinate (PG-OS), the nanoparticle when combined with food-grade e-polylysine “significantly increased the amount of time it took for oxidation to…
British researchers studying 300 Caucasian children with “severe early-onset obesity” (that is, 220 pounds by age 10) discovered that rare chromosome 16 DNA deletions, which remove a gene the brain needs to respond to leptin, an appetite-controlling hormone, gave the children a “very strong drive to eat.” Elena Bochukova, et al., “Large, rare chromosomal deletions associated with severe early-onset obesity,” Nature, December 6, 2009. According to one of the researchers, these children are “very, very hungry, they always want to eat.” Several children in the study had apparently been placed on the social services “at risk” register because authorities assumed their parents were deliberately overfeeding them. According to news sources, these children have now been removed from the register. While some medical experts cautioned that most overweight children do not have the gene deletion, they urged authorities to provide support to families with obese children. One was quoted as saying, “The…
A recent study has reportedly confirmed that 21 meatpackers working at a Quality Pork Processors, Inc., facility contracted a neurological disorder after inhaling aerosolized pig proteins. Daniel H. Lachance, et al., “An outbreak of neurological autoimmunity with polyradiculoneuropathy in workers exposed to aerosolised porcine neural tissue: a descriptive study,” The Lancet Neurology, November 30, 2009. Researchers identified the proteins as the trigger for an autoimmune response involving debilitating pain, weakness and numbness in extremities. The authors also examined blood samples from 100 asymptomatic workers, finding that one-third had the same antibody response as those reporting neurological ailments. “The pattern of nerve involvement suggests vulnerability of nerve roots and terminals where the blood-nerve barrier is most permeable,” stated the study abstract, which did not offer an explanation for why some workers became ill while others appeared healthy. The study noted that subjects with the strongest antibody response were closest in proximity…
Concluding that alcohol ads are viewed more than 18,000 times by public school student transit passengers during an average weekday, a new study recommends that Boston’s public transit system be prohibited from displaying alcohol advertisements. Justin Nyborn, et. al, “Alcohol Advertising on Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Transit System: An Assessment of Youths’ and Adults’ Exposure,” American Journal of Public Health (November 2009). Some 9,600 students aged 11-18 use the transit system daily. Michael Siegel, a professor at Boston University School of Public Health who co-authored the study, said, “By allowing alcohol advertising on the T, the state is not only allowing alcohol companies to bombard our kids with enticing advertisements, it is also allowing these companies to successfully recruit new drinkers among underage youths in the Commonwealth.” Siegel’s primary research interest is in tobacco control. See BU School of Public Health: The Insider, November 4, 2009. In a…
A recent study has allegedly linked occupational exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) with high rates of impotence and sexual dysfunction among Chinese men. D. Li, et al., “Occupational Exposure to Bisphenol-A (BPA) and the Risk of Self-Reported Male Sexual Dysfunction,” Human Reproduction, 2009. U.S. and Chinese researchers apparently examined 634 male workers exposed to BPA levels approximately 50 times higher than those encountered by the average American. According to the study, “compared with the unexposed workers, BPA-exposed workers reported significantly higher frequencies of reduced sexual function within 1 year of employment in the BPA-exposed factories.” In addition, the authors observed a “dose-response relationship… with an increasing level of cumulative BPA exposure associated with a higher risk of sexual dysfunction.” The researchers have since defended their results against feedback questioning the study’s relevance to the typical consumer. “Critics dismissed all the animal studies, saying ‘Show us the human studies,” stated one…
According to a news source, research presented this week during a scientific meeting in San Diego, California, found that more than 4,500 adults who ate or drank more than 74 grams per day of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) increased their risks of developing high blood pressure. Apparently, that level of consumption led to a 28 percent, 36 percent and 87 percent increased risk for blood pressure levels of 135/85, 140/90 and 160/100. The authors reportedly concluded, “These results indicate that high fructose intake in the form of added sugars is significantly and independently associated with higher blood pressure levels in the U.S. adult population with no previous history of hypertension.” Additional research will reportedly be needed to learn if low-HFCS diets can normalize blood pressure and prevent the development of hypertension. The findings were presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition. See NutritionHorizon.com, October 30,…
