High fructose corn syrup linked to cardiovascular disease in children, teens

Adolescents who consume foods and beverages containing high fructose corn syrup already have, present in their blood, evidence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes according to a recent study. The results of the new study, to be published in February…

Health Basics: What is Aspartame?

(NaturalNews) Over a billion people consume aspartame in their foods and beverages across the world, believing it to be a safe ingredient, but what they probably don’t know is that aspartame currently accounts for over 75% of all side effects complaints received by the FDA’s Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS) for the past 4 years . It is banned by health-conscious countries all over the world, especially where there is a national healthcare system in place. Aspartame is best known by the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Sweet One and Spoonful . Aspartame is a synthetic chemical combination which is comprised of approximately 50% phenylalanine, 40% aspartic acid, and 10% methanol . Aspartame is found in thousands of foods, drinks, candy, gum, vitamins, health supplements and even pharmaceuticals. (http://www.wellsphere.com/wellpage/aspartame-banned)… Each of the three ingredients in Aspartame poses its own dangers and each is well documented as causing a long list of side effects and dangerous health conditions. Watch for the ingredient Acesulfame Potassium, which is just another name for Aspartame . Phenylalanine : Even a single use of Aspartame raises the blood phenylalanine levels. High blood phenylalanine can be concentrated in parts of the brain and is especially dangerous for infants and fetuses . Because it is metabolized much more efficiently by rodents than humans, testing and research on rats alone is not sufficient enough to denounce the dangers of Aspartame for human consumption. Excessive levels of phenylalanine in the brain cause serotonin levels to decrease, leading to emotional disorders like depression . Aspartic Acid : Aspartic acid is considered an excito-toxin , which means it over stimulates certain neurons in the body until they die. Much like nitrates and MSG, aspartic acid can cause amino acid imbalances in the body and result in the interruption of normal neurotransmitter metabolism of the brain. (http://www.holisticmed.net/aspartame/aminoacid.pdf) Methanol becomes Formaldehyde (Embalming fluid): The most prominent danger of Aspartame is that when ingested, the methanol (wood alcohol) is distributed throughout the body, including the brain, muscle, fat and nervous tissues, and is then metabolized to form formaldehyde , which enters cells and binds to proteins and genetic material (DNA). Methanol is a dangerous neurotoxin and a known carcinogen , which causes retinal damage in the eye, interferes with DNA processes, and can cause birth defects. (http://aspartame.mercola.com/) The EPA’s recommended limit of consumption of Methanol is 7.8 milligrams per day, but a one liter bottle of an Aspartame-sweetened beverage contains over 50 mg of methanol. Heavy users of Aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily, which is over 30 times the EPA limit . Suspiciously similar to the symptoms of Fibromyalgia and Multiple Sclerosis , Aspartame’s long list includes dizziness, headaches, behavioral changes, hallucinations, depression, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain. Also, many illnesses can be worsened by ingesting Aspartame , including chronic fatigue syndrome, brain tumors, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, mental retardation, and especially diabetes. Birth defects : According to Dr. Louis Elsas, Pediatrician Professor of Genetics at Emory University, Phenylalanine can concentrate in the placenta, causing mental retardation of a fetus. Also, formaldehyde in the blood stream of a pregnant woman can cause her immune system to target the fetal tissue as a foreign substance and destroy it, the result being a miscarriage . This can happen before she even knows she is pregnant. (http://www.dorway.com/dr-elsas.txt) Aspartame is known to cause weight gain Products labeled Diet, Light or Zero most likely contain at least one of the major synthetic sweeteners, and Aspartame is used more widely than the three carcinogenic S’s: Sucralose, Sorbitol and Saccharin . Nearly all diet sodas, gum and most candy (not chocolate – yet) are loaded with Aspartame. (http://buildingbodies.ca/diet-pop-dangers-and-aspartame-poisoning/) Some chewing gum brands contain only synthetic sugars, which are acid creating. The body in turn creates fat cells to store that extra acid, and this is why many people who consistently eat Aspartame will ironically put on weight. Natural sugar-free alternatives : Xylitol and the Brazilian Stevia leaf (Not Truvia) are natural and do not cause side effects or nerve damage; however, truly effective weight loss starts with organic vegetables and cardio exercise. To be safe, simply avoid all “diet foods” and moderate sugar intake. (http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/aspartame.htm) Sources for this article include http://www.holisticmed.net/aspartame/aminoacid.pdf http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/aspartame.htm http://www.unhinderedliving.com/aspartame.html http://www.dorway.com/dr-elsas.txt http://buildingbodies.ca/diet-pop-dangers-and-aspartame-poisoning/ http://www.thenhf.com/article.php?id=833 http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_16871.cfm http://www.wnho.net/fdas_approval_of_aspartame_under_scrutiny.pdf http://www.wellsphere.com/wellpage/aspartame-banned http://www.wellsphere.com/men-s-health-article/aspartame-genesis-and-its-side-effects/902102 http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html http://www.issplendasafe.com/ www.alsearsmd.com/aspartame-ant-poison-fda-complaints/ http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-case-histories.html http://www.mothering.com/community/t/638389/emergen-c-contains-aspartic-acid

Vitamin D deficiency linked with airway changes in children with severe asthma

Children with severe therapy-resistant asthma (STRA) may have poorer lung function and worse symptoms compared to children with moderate asthma, due to lower levels of vitamin D in their blood, according to researchers. Lower levels of vitamin D may cause structural changes in the airway muscles of children with STRA, making breathing more difficult. The study provides important new evidence for possible treatments for the condition.

Heart Health Made Easy: How to Lower Blood Pressure & Cholesterol

Heart Health Made Easy: How to Lower Blood Pressure & Cholesterol Easy to understand, practical take action guide takes you step by step to lower cholesterol and blood pressure naturally. Everything you need to know in one convenient easy to follow guide so you can stop searching for the answers you seek. Heart Health Made [...]

Health Living Automatic Inflate Blood Pressure/Pulse Monitor

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Healthy Living Solutions Blood Well 1 Bottle 180 Tablets

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The BP spill in the Gulf: One year later

(NaturalNews.com) – It’s been called the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, and rightfully so, if for no other reason than because, one year later, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is like the nightmare gift that keeps on giving, some experts are saying. The Deepwater Horizon exploration platform, which was drilling in the BP-operated Macando Prospect 40-odd miles off the coast of Louisiana, exploded in a ball of flame April 20, 2010. The explosion killed 11 people, injured 17 others and fractured the extraction pipe, gushing an estimated 200 million gallons of oil over the next 95 days in a region that has been called one of the most important ecosystems in all of North America. The well was finally capped on July 17. The relief well process was completed on Sept. 19, and the federal government officially declared the well “dead.” The spill caused an immediate impact on Gulf-related industry, as well as leveling severe damage to marine and wildlife habitats all up down the Gulf Coast. The spill impacted as much as 320 miles of Louisiana coastline at its peak. After being closed throughout much of the summer, the shrimping industry was suspended once again in November in about 4,200 square miles of Gulf when tar balls were discovered in shrimp nets. In January Frances Beinecke , appointed to a special commission to examine the causes of the disaster and make recommendations to prevent future accidents, said “tar balls were continuing to wash up on shore, and that oil sheen trails were being seen in the wake of fishing boats. Wetlands and marshlands were still in decline and dying; crude oil lay offshore in deep water, as well as fine silts and sands onshore.” Though skimmer ships, floating containment booms, dispersants and other measures were employed to sop up the oil and prevent the bulk of it from reaching shore, oil still found its way there, and in great amounts. More of it, in fact, that many experts believe BP was willing to admit. The Obama administration pointed the finger of blame squarely at BP , even holding the oil giant responsible for picking up the tab for deploying the National Guard in support of recovery efforts. The company, for its part, set up a $20 billion compensation fund, having approved more than 300,000 claims and paying out $3.8 billion by the spill’s anniversary date. But the jury is still out on the spill’s final costs and damage estimates. In all, according to RestoreTheGulf.gov , a Web site established by the government to track progress in cleaning up the spill, 800,000-plus barrels of oily water were recovered and nearly 1.8 million gallons if dispersant was deployed in an attempt to clear the Gulf. How have the efforts faired? You will get different responses to that question. On the one hand, one report said this week , there are some good signs. Scientists found thriving schools of fish when they attempted late last year to gauge the effects of the spill. “Trawling surveys done in the fall of 2010 caught triple the number of marine creatures as prior years,” said a report in Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper. “With no one netting them, it seemed, the fish were surging.” But that bit of good news comes with caveats. For example, Blair Mase, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration marine mammal stranding coordinator, says deaths of dolphins in the region this year is exceptionally high , and that the spill could be playing a major role. “We’re trying to determine what’s causing this. It could be infectious related. Or it could be non-infection,” she said, noting that her agency was examining a number of causes, including the spill, infectious disease and biotoxins. In addition, some of the region’s best sporting fish and species of seafood are turning up with heinous-looking, uncharacteristic lesions. Perhaps more telling, scientists say there is a hefty amount of oil left – perhaps even more than what spilled during the Exxon-Valdez disaster off the coast of Alaska in 1989 (about 257,000 barrels of oil). There are also reports that the spill is having effects on Gulf Coast residents as well. Darryl Malek-Wiley, environmental justice organizer with Sierra Club, said in an interview this week that the combination of oil and the dispersants used to clean it up are taking their toll. “Some of the people who are sick, they’re taking samples of their blood and they’re finding the chemicals that make up the dispersants in their blood, as well as Louisiana sweet crude, and having serious health impacts,” he said. “Loss of memory, rashes, sinus. Some folks we’ve talked with, they forget where they’re going. They forget who you are. And these are men, all of them were fishermen in relatively good physical shape.” As for the seafood industry, the government says its tests have not turned up any safety concerns, noting that samples of swordfish, tuna and other fin fish have found “no detectable oil or dispersant odors or flavors,” according to the Globe and Mail. But perhaps more telling is that a number of experts don’t believe the spill has led to any meaningful reform. “The BP oil spill is, potentially, a ‘cultural anomaly’ for institutional changes in environmental management and fossil fuel production,” a study by P. Devereaux Jennings of the Alberta university and Andrew Hoffman of the University of Michigan concluded. They added that a “true change in our approach to handling issues related to oil drilling, oil consumption and environmental management have yet to occur.” Adds Beinecke: “Today Americans have the right to ask: are we any safer than we were last April? At the broadest level, the answer is no.”

Samsung Healthy Living BM-501S Manual Digital Blood Pressure Monitor

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Sugar-sweetened drinks cause higher blood pressure

(NaturalNews) New research just published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association concludes that soda and other drinks sweetened with sugar are associated with higher blood pressure. And the more sugar as well as sodium (also found in abundance in most sodas) people consumed, the higher blood pressure spiked upwards. The International Study of Macro/Micronutrients and Blood Pressure (dubbed INTERMAP, for short), found that research subjects who drank sugar-sweetened beverages daily had significantly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure on average than folks who didn’t imbibe the sweet drinks. Researchers found the highest blood pressure levels in people who consumed the most glucose and fructose — both of these sweeteners are found in high-fructose corn syrup, which is the most common sugar sweetener used by the beverage industry. INTERMAP investigators looked at the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks, sugars and diet beverages in 2,696 participants between the ages of 40 and 59 who lived in two areas of the United Kingdom and eight regions of the U.S. In detailed interviews, the research subjects revealed what they ate and drank for four days. They also underwent two 24-hour urine collections and eight blood pressure readings and filled out detailed questionnaires about their lifestyle, medical history and social factors. The research team found that sugar intake (in the form of glucose, fructose and sucrose) was highest in people who drank more than one sugar-sweetened drink a day. In addition, they discovered that individuals drinking more than one serving per day of sugar-sweetened beverages consumed almost 400 calories more daily than people who didn’t. Overall, the scientists concluded that folks who drink a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages have less healthy diets than those who avoid imbibing these empty calories. “They consume less potassium, magnesium and calcium,” Ian Brown, Ph.D., research associate at Imperial College London, said in a press statement. “One possible mechanism for sugar-sweetened beverages and fructose increasing blood pressure levels is a resultant increase in the level of uric acid in the blood that may in turn lower the nitric oxide required to keep the blood vessels dilated. Sugar consumption also has been linked to enhanced sympathetic nervous system activity and sodium retention,” he added. Paul Elliott, Ph.D., senior author of the study and professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, stated the new research points to a possible intervention to lower blood pressure. “These findings lend support for recommendations to reduce the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, as well as added sugars and sodium in an effort to reduce blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health,” he noted. So do these findings give a green light to drinking chemically sweetened sodas instead of the ones containing sugar? Hardly. As NaturalNews as reported previously, there’s extensive evidence linking artificial sweeteners like aspartame to health problems ranging from premature births and brain tumors to fatty liver disease (http://www.naturalnews.com/aspartame.html). What’s more, although the INTERMAP study found no consistent link between blood pressure levels and drinking diet sodas, the researchers did discover that those who drank diet soda had higher mean Body Mass Indexes (BMI) than those who didn’t — and they exercised less, too. That means the people drinking diet sodas were fatter and probably less fit than the sugar-beverage consumers. For more information: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21357284

Antioxidants in pecans may contribute to heart health and disease prevention

New research shows that after eating pecans, gamma-tocopherol levels in the body doubled and unhealthy oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood decreased by as much as 33 percent.

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