A recent meta-analysis and systematic review of medical literature has suggested that obese women are more likely to have children affected by structural abnormalities such as tube defects, spina bifida, cardiovascular anomalies, septal anomalies, cleft palate, cleft lip and palate, anorectal atresia, hydrocephaly, and limb reduction anomalies. Katherine J. Stothard, et al., “Maternal Overweight and Obesity and the Risk of Congenital Anomalies,” Journal of the American Medical Association, February 11, 2009. British researchers looked at 1,944 potential articles, ultimately including 39 articles in the systematic review and 18 in the meta-analysis. The results indicated that the children of obese women had double the risk of spina bifida and nearly twice the risk of other neural tube defects, as well as increased chances of heart defects, cleft palate, and problems with limb growth. “Maternal obesity is associated with an increased risk of a range of structural abnormalities, although the absolute increase is…
Category Archives Scientific/Technical Items
A recent study has claimed that processed and fast foods containing phosphorus may constitute a “hidden” danger to people seeking to limit their intake of the substance, which can cause heart disease, bone disease and death in patients with advanced renal disease. Catherine Sullivan, et al., “Effect of Food Additives on Hyperphosphatemia Among Patients With End-stage Renal Disease,” Journal of the American Medical Association, February 11, 2009. Phosphorus occurs naturally in meats, dairy products, whole grains, and nuts, but food manufacturers also use sodium phosphate and pyrophosphate to enhance the shelf life and flavor of some products. Researchers from the MetroHealth Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine followed 279 dialysis patients with advanced kidney disease and high blood phosphorus levels exceeding 5.5 milligrams per deciliter. Those in a control group received standard dietary instructions, while the intervention group also avoided additive-containing foods purchased in grocery stores and…
A recent Harvard School of Public Health study has claimed that eating smoked or cured meats could increase the risk of leukemia in children and young adults. Chen-yu Liu, et al., “Cured meat, vegetables and bean-curd foods in relation to childhood acute leukemia risk: A population cast-control study,” BMC Cancer (2009). Researchers analyzed the dietary habits of 515 participants between age 2 and 20 in Taiwan, finding that those who consumed smoked or cured meats more than once a week were more likely to develop acute leukemia. In addition, the study allegedly confirmed that children who regularly ate vegetables and tofu showed a reduced risk for leukemia. The authors speculated that nitrites added during the curing and smoking process could play a role in cancer, but stressed a need for further causation studies to discover a mechanism. “These are some very active compounds in your body,” stated Harvard Professor of…
U.S. and Danish researchers have published an article that discusses a study conducted on a subset of the Danish National Birth Cohort of some 100,000 children and their mothers to explore whether bloodstream levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), chemicals used in food packaging, may affect fertility. Chunyuan Fei, et al., “Maternal Levels of Perfluorinated Chemicals and Subfecundity,” Human Reproduction, January 28, 2009. Noting that these chemicals are also used in many other consumer products, “are persistent in the environment and have been detected in wildlife and humans around the world,” the researchers found that higher maternal PFOA and PFOS levels were associated with a longer time to pregnancy. They conclude that exposure to these chemicals “may explain some of the fertility differences seen among different populations in developed countries.”
A recent study has claimed that the food packaging chemical bisphenol A (BPA) remains in the body longer than expected, raising questions about potential non-food sources. Richard Stahlhut, et al., “Bisphenol A Data in NHANES Suggest Longer Than Expected Half-Life, Substantial Non-Food Exposure, or Both,” Environmental Health Perspectives, January 28, 2009. University of Rochester Medical Center researchers examined BPA levels in the urine of 1,469 adult participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study authors found that instead of quickly metabolizing BPA, people who fasted for 24 hours still eliminated the chemical in their urine, leading to speculation that BPA might be stored in fat tissue or come from other sources such as tap water or household dust. Previous research has allegedly linked higher BPA concentrations to ailments ranging from heart disease, type 2 diabetes and liver…
A recent study published in Environmental Health has allegedly identified mercury in nearly 50 percent of sampled commercial high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Renee Dufault, et al., “Mercury From Chlor-Alkali Plants: Measured Concentrations in Food Product Sugar,” Environmental Health, January 2009. The study authors apparently detected mercury in nine of 20 HFCS samples from 2005, concluding that “it may be necessary to account for this source of mercury in the diet of children and sensitive populations.” In addition, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has released a report that claims to have found mercury in one-third of 55 brand-name food and beverage products listing HFCS as the first or second ingredient. Both publications were co-authored by the director of IATP’s Food and Health Program, David Wallinga, who reportedly linked the contamination to mercury-grade caustic soda used to separate corn starch from corn kernels during HFCS production. He speculated that…
According to animal studies conducted by Korean-based researchers, a common food additive used in processed meats and chicken, when fed to mice at levels roughly equivalent to human intake, increases lung tumor progression and growth. Hua Jin, et al., “High Dietary Inorganic Phosphate Increases Lung Tumorigenesis and Alters Akt Signaling,” American Journal of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine (2009). While phosphate is apparently an essential nutrient, its increasing use in foods ranging from processed meats to cheeses, beverages and bakery goods has more than doubled human intake since the 1990s to some 1,000 mg daily. The scientists concluded that “careful regulation of dietary Pi may be critical for lung cancer prevention as well as treatment.” See Foodnavigator-usa.com, January 6, 2009.
A new book published by the not-for-profit consumer organization American Council on Health and Science (ACHS) reportedly outlines the effects of obesity on “virtually every body system” with 17 chapters penned by medical experts in the field. Titled Obesity and its Health Effects, the report includes a preface by Daniel Stein, M.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who warns that “obesity is not just a ‘cosmetic’ problem; it negatively affects almost all aspects of human health.” For example, the book claims that obesity raises the risk for (i) arthritis and other problems of the skeletal system; (ii) gallstones and pancreatitis; (iii) psoriasis, as well as bacterial and fungal skin infections; (iv) sleep apnea and adult-onset asthma; and (v) decreased fertility in both men and women. “Our purpose in compiling this summary of obesity’s health effects in one consumer-friendly book was to educate people about how obesity poses a wide variety…
A new international study seeking to pinpoint the origin of food allergies has reportedly started to gather environmental, genetic and health information from hundreds of families in Boston, Chicago and Anhui Province in China. Led by Xiaobin Wang and Jacqueline Pongracic from Children’s Memorial Hospital, the study uses a multicenter design to compare diverse populations and their prevalence of allergic disease. Moreover, the initial findings have already produced some unexpected results. Although skin-tests found that 16.7 percent of one rural Chinese community was sensitive to shellfish and 12.3 percent to peanuts, allergic reactions occurred in less than 1 percent of that population. “The apparent disassociation between high allergenic sensitization and low allergic disease in this Chinese population is not seen in our two U.S. study populations,” Pongracic said. “What can explain the U.S. and Chinese difference? Is it urban versus rural exposure? Diet and lifestyle? Or genetic susceptibility? These are…
A recent study has apparently claimed that pediatric obesity may alter thyroid function and structure. Giorgio Radetti, et al, “Thyroid Function and Structure Are Affected in Childhood Obesity,” Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, December 2008. Italian researchers performed thyroid ultrasounds on 186 overweight and obese children over three years, as well as measuring their thyroid hormone and antibody levels. The ultrasounds of 73 children reportedly revealed symptoms of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease in which T-cells attack the thyroid, despite an absence of the antibodies usually indicative of this ailment. “The ultrasound findings are a bit mysterious,” the lead author was quoted as saying. “However, the findings do suggest the existence of a low-grade inflammation state, which has been known to characterize obesity.” Scientists have long suspected that thyroiditis can lead to obesity, but this recent study suggests that obesity plays a role in the development of thyroid disorders. In…
