The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has published a survey and health assessment examining the exposure of 2-year-olds to chemical substances in consumer products. The report apparently focused on endocrine disruptors, including phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), found not only in general consumer products but specifically in food products and food contact materials. The study apparently concluded that (i) “a few exposures to a high content of an endocrine disruptor, such as that of DBP [bibutyl phthalate] in rubber clogs, may result in a critical risk for the 2 year-old”; (ii) “the amounts that 2 year-olds absorb, in particular from the phthalate DBP (mostly from foods) and dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs (mostly from foods, and partly from indoor air and dust), constitute a risk for anti-androgen disruptions to the endocrine system”; and (iii) “the amounts that 2 year-olds absorb from the parabens propylparaben and butylparaben, in particular, can constitute a risk…
Category Archives Scientific/Technical Items
A recent study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology has apparently raised questions about “the scientific logic and feasibility of the decades-long effort to limit salt intake in humans,” according to a concurrent University of California, Davis, press release. Researchers analyzed 24-hour urinary sodium excretion data from 19,151 individuals involved in 62 sodium intake studies from 33 countries, concluding that “humans naturally regulate their salt intake within a narrowly defined physiologic range.” Their findings revealed that despite varying food environments, human salt consumption “tracks within a narrow range” between 2,700 and 4,900 mg. In addition, neuroscience research has apparently suggested that “sodium intake is tightly controlled by critical pathways in the brain to main optimal function of many physiologic functions.” “If sodium intake is physiologically determined, then our national nutrition guidelines and policies must reflect that reality,” the lead author was quoted as saying. “It is…
A new study claims that prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may make girls more aggressive and exhibit hyperactive behavior. Joe M. Braun, et al., “Prenatal Bisphenol A Exposure and Early Childhood Behavior,” Environmental Health Perspectives (October 2009). Researchers at the University of North Carolina and British Columbia’s Simon Fraser University conducted the study, purportedly believed to be the first to link prenatal BPA exposure to behavioral problems in children, by measuring BPA levels in urine samples of 249 pregnant women in Cincinnati, Ohio, at 16 and 26 weeks of pregnancy, and again at birth. The children were assessed for behavioral problems when they reached age 2 through questionnaires completed by their parents. Researchers claim BPA exposure between 13 and 16 weeks of pregnancy was most strongly associated with behavioral problems in girls, although boys were apparently also affected. “The girls showed a definite difference in temperaments,” said one of the…
A recent study presented at the American Heart Association’s High Blood Pressure Research Conference has reportedly claimed that a diet high in fructose raises blood pressure in men, but that the gout drug allopurinol may counteract this effect. “This is the first study to show that fructose can raise blood pressure in humans,” lead author Richard Johnson of the University of Colorado, Aurora, was quoted as saying. The study followed 74 adult men, whose average age was 51, for two weeks as they consumed 200 additional grams of fructose per day. In addition, one-half of the participant pool acted as a control and one-half received allopurinol. The results apparently showed that the control group experienced significant average increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, while the men taking allopurinol saw little or no increase in systolic pressure. Johnson told a news source that it was “remarkable” how quickly people with…
A recent study has reportedly suggested that multiple viruses are responsible for the increase of colony collapse disorder (CCD) among global honeybee populations. Reed M. Johnson, et al., “Changes in transcript abundance relating to colony collapse disorder in honey bees (Apis mellifera),” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 2009. According to researchers, “Microarray analysis revealed unusual ribosomal RNA [rRNA] fragments that were conspicuously more abundant in the guts of CCD bees,” which also carried more viruses and other pathogens than their healthy counterparts. The study posits that fragmented rRNA “may be a possible consequence of picorna-like viral infection, including deformed wing virus and Israeli acute paralysis virus.” These viruses are known to “hijack the ribosome” of bees to produce viral proteins instead of the ones needed for survival, explained lead study author May Berenbaum, who noted that the viral overload leaves CCD bees vulnerable to pesticides, disease and other…
According to researchers with the University of Pittsburgh and UCLA Schools of Medicine, brain scans of 94 elderly individuals showed that “obese subjects with a high BMI (BMI>30) showed atrophy of the frontal lobes [planning and memory functions], anterior cingulate gyrus [attention and executive functions], hippocampus [long-term memory], and thalamus [sensory information processing and relay] compared with individuals with a normal BMI (18.5-25).” Cyrus Raji, et al., “Brain Structure and Obesity,” Human Brain Mapping, August 6, 2009. They also apparently found that higher BMI was associated with lower brain volumes in overweight and obese elderly subjects. The scientists conclude, “Obesity is therefore associated with detectable brain volume deficits in cognitively normal elderly subjects.” Senior author Paul Thompson, UCLA professor of neurology, was quoted as saying, “That’s a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at much greater risk of Alzheimer’s and other diseases that attack…
U.S. researchers have reportedly developed a nutrient-density classification system that offers “a positive, scientific approach to inform people about what to eat rather than what not to eat.” V.L. Fulgoni 3rd, et al., “Development and validation of the nutrient-rich foods index: a tool to measure nutritional quality of foods,” Journal of Nutrition, August 2009. The researchers apparently compared several formulas, or nutrient-rich food (NRF) indices, to the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Committee, which called for “a scientifically valid definition of nutrient density to help with nutrition guidance.” This definition would help consumers choose nutrient-dense foods better suited to fulfill the HEI recommendations. According to the study, the NRF index most closely aligned with HEI is based on 100 calories and weighed nine “nutrients to encourage” (calcium, fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, protein, and vitamins A, C and E) against three…
A recent audit of food allergen labeling practices has reportedly concluded that “deficiencies and ambiguities are prevalent,” calling on federal agencies to back the “strict enforcement of labeling laws as well as additional regulation.” M.M. Pieretti, et al., “Audit of manufactured products: use of allergen advisory labels and identification of labeling ambiguities,” Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, August 2009. In their review of 20,241 products, researchers identified 25 different allergen advisory terms including “may contain,” “shared equipment” and “within plant.” They also noted that “nonspecific terms, such as ‘natural flavors’ and ‘spices,’ appeared on 65 percent of products and were not linked to a specific ingredient for 83 percent of them.” The study specifically raised questions about the labeling of soy-derived lecithin and refined oils containing soy. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) requires manufacturers to list “soy” as an ingredient in lecithin-containing products, but does…
Chinese researchers studying seven women purportedly exposed to nanoparticles in the workplace for 5-13 months sought to determine if their shortness of breath and pleural effusions could be linked to their exposure. Y. Song, et al., “Exposure to nanoparticles is related to pleural effusion, pulmonary fibrosis and granuloma,” European Respiratory Journal, August 20, 2009. According to the abstract of their article, “polyacrylate, consisting of nanoparticles, was confirmed in the workplace,” and electron microscopy revealed nanoparticles in “the cytoplasm and caryoplasm of pulmonary epithelial and mesothelial cells,” as well as in the chest fluid of the subjects. The researchers have concluded that the cases “arouse concern that long-term exposure to some nanoparticles without protective measures may be related to serious damage to human lungs.” The research has generated debate among nanotech researchers and scientists. Two of the women studied have reportedly died. Working in an unidentified Chinese printing factory, they were apparently…
According to Louisiana and Arkansas university researchers, entrapping betacarotene with nanoparticles could provide a way to use “natural” ingredients as food colorants. Carlos Astete, et al., “Ca2+ Cross-Linked Alginic Acid Nanoparticles for Solubilization of Lipophilic Natural Colorants,” Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry, August 3, 2009. The research was undertaken in response to consumer concerns about the use of synthetic ingredients in food products. Using various production methods, solvents and nanoparticle sizes, the scientists found a method that produced substances which could readily be incorporated in an industrial scale process. Simply changing nanostructure concentration could, according to one of the authors, allow color changes “from dark orange to yellow.”
