High fiber diet may protect against asthma

 Posted by Neill Abayon

In the past 50 years, as fruits and vegetables have featured less and less in the Western diet, rates of allergic asthma have gone up. Now a new study suggests these trends are not coincidental, but causally linked.

Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and led by Benjamin Marsland, an assistant professor at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) in Switzerland, researchers report their work in a recent online issue of Nature Medicine.

Using laboratory mice, they found that when gut bacteria digest dietary fiber, such as that contained in fruits and vegetables, they release fatty acids into the bloodstream, and these affect how the immune system behaves in the lungs.

The finding builds on knowledge that has been around for some time: that having a rich and diverse mix of microbes in the gut that digests and ferments fiber, helps prevent cancer of the intestines.

More here.

Ginger may relieve asthma symptoms

 

Posted By Neill Abayon

New York: Purified components of the humble ginger have properties that can help asthma patients breathe more easily, a new study has found.
Asthma is characterised by bronchoconstriction, a tightening of the bronchial tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs.

Bronchodilating medications called beta-agonists are among the most common types of asthma medications and work by relaxing the airway smooth muscle (ASM) tissues.

Researchers from Columbia University in New York looked at whether specific components of ginger could help enhance the relaxing effects of bronchodilators.

"Asthma has become more prevalent in recent years, but despite an improved understanding of what causes asthma and how it develops, during the past 40 years few new treatment agents have been approved for targeting asthma symptoms," said lead author Elizabeth Townsend, post-doctoral research fellow in the Columbia University Department of Anesthesiology.

"In our study, we demonstrated that purified components of ginger can work synergistically with beta-agonists to relax ASM," said Townsend.
 

The full article is here.

 

Is Your Home Causing Cancer?

Posted by Neill Abayon

Even products that meet government standards aren't completely safe, and can contribute to a variety of ailments, including cancer, ADHD, and asthma. Here are some products to watch out for:

Foam containers are made of polystyrene, whose chemical ingredients can seep into food. Styrene has been blamed for skin, eye, and respiratory irritation, depression, fatigue, decreased kidney function, and central nervous system damage. Xenoestrogens like styrene are suspected hormone disruptors, meaning that they mimic estrogen in your body and disrupt normal hormone functioning.

The little sheets that keep clothes fresh contain benzyl acetate, which has been linked to pancreatic cancer. Another ingredient, limonene can form formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.

Baby bottles and other hard plastic bottles are commonly made from polycarbonate plastics. When washed and heated, these plastics give off bisphenol-a, or BPA. BPA is a hormone disruptor that has been tied to developmental and neurological problems for unborn children. In animals BPA has contributed to reproductive system abnormalities such as infertility, enlarged prostate, and abnormal chromosomes.

The majority of home cleaning products contain harmful ingredients like ammonia, lye, phosphate, and chlorine, as well as toxic ethylene-based glycol ethers and terpenes that become dangerous when they interact with ozone in the air. The single most important thing to remember about cleaning products is that you need good ventilation when using them.

A chemical analysis of 30 of the bestselling scented household products and found that they contained known carcinogens and other dangerous chemicals. A recent study more than two dozen volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which the EPA says can cause nose and throat irritation, headaches, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the chemical in most plastic soda bottles, leeks the hormone-disrupting carcinogens called phthalates after repeated use. Deli plastic like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can also release dioxins.

Color dyes have been linked to increased hyperactivity in children. Countless studies have produced evidence that dyes are an ADHD irritant.

Superglue and other super-strength adhesives can induce sensitization -- exposure can start with allergies and lead to asthma. Other hobby materials can be dangerous, too; people who deal with leaded toys, the chemicals involved in stained glass making and amateur metal refining should be careful.

Carpeting combines a lot of potentially unhealthy elements. The dyes and solvents used to produce and install it emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including styrene, xylene, butlylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and 4-Phenylcyclohexane (4-PC). Put together, these chemicals have caused respiratory and nervous system damage, as well as allergies, headaches, and nausea.

Particle board, fiberboard, plywood, paneling, and some insulation can emit formaldehyde, which the EPA calls a probable human carcinogen. These emissions can increase in humid summer months, and some people are more vulnerable than others.

Household bleach contains a concentrated form of chlorine. When people use chlorine bleach and an acid-based or ammonia-based cleaning product together, or even one after the other, they produce a cloramine gas that can be fatal. Short term effects of chlorine exposure include vomiting, difficulty breathing, coughing, and eye, ear, nose, and throat irritation.

The flame retardants used on upholstered furniture, mattresses, and electronic equipment have undoubtedly saved many lives, but there is a trade off. These polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, have caused memory and learning problems in rats and mice, as well as slowing their thyroid function and neurological development.

Laser and ink-jet printers release volatile organic chemical emissions and ozone particulates, which have been linked to heart and lung disease after being inhaled.

Fragrances and other beauty and personal care products often contain the man-made chemicals called phthalates, or plasticizers, that have caused birth defects in male genitalia in animals and may cause lowered sperm count in boys and premature breast development in girls. These chemicals have been banned from baby toys, but not your perfume.

Nonstick and stain-resistant coatings include perfluorinated acids (PFAs). In animals, PFAs cause birth defects, thyroid hormone abnormalities, and liver damage.