Mediterranean diet and reduced calorie intake promote brain health and longevity

Researchers have long theorized that a Mediterranean diet full of vegetables, fruit, fish, nuts, seeds and olive oil can help promote good health. Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden reporting in the European journal AGE provide the unanimous results: four…

Fruit and veggie based diets reduce stroke risk

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables helps lower the risk of developing a stroke, a new study shows. The new report comes from a team of scientists at the the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and was published in the “Stroke” journal of the American Heart Association. Fruits…

CSC announces boycott against J&J for continuing to needlessly add cancer-causing chemicals to baby shampoos

(NaturalNews) A new report put together by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) reveals that, despite numerous petitions from consumers and consumer advocacy groups, Johnson and Johnson (J&J) continues to produce baby shampoos that contain two known cancer-causing chemicals. And perhaps the worst part about the whole thing is that J&J has reformulated these products for some countries, but continues to use the toxic versions in North America. Entitled Baby’s Tub is Still Toxic , the CSC report explains that J&J’s Baby Shampoo, Oatmeal Baby Wash, Moisture Care Baby Wash, and Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash all contain 1,4-dioxane, a petrochemical byproduct of the ethoxylation process that lessens the severity of other chemical ingredients, but can also lead to cancer. J&J’s Baby Shampoo also still contains quaternium-15, a harmful preservative added to products to kill bacteria. In the process, though, it releases formaldehyde, a highly poisonous ingredient also used in rat poison. Formaldehyde can cause permanent lung damage, gastrointestinal corrosion, skin burns, and cancer. What is particularly disturbing, though, is the fact that J&J does not need to even be using these chemicals in its baby products. It already makes versions of these same products that are free of these chemicals for Denmark, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, and the UK. It is only those baby products made for the US, Australia, Canada, China, and Indonesia that still contain them. “Clearly there is no need for Johnson and Johnson to expose babies to a known carcinogen when the company is already making safer alternatives,” says Lisa Archer, director of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at the Breast Cancer Fund. “All babies deserve safer products.” J&J responded in a statement by saying that it will eventually phase out these deadly chemicals. But it has yet to reveal whether or not it will do so by the November 15 deadline that CSC is petitioning it to do. “Natural” versions of J&J’s baby shampoo products, which are free of these and other harmful chemicals, are already available in the US and other markets. But they typically cost twice as much as J&J’s conventional varieties, which discourages many consumers from making the switch. “While it is encouraging to see that Johnson and Johnson has made progress in formulating a safer ‘natural’ version of its iconic baby shampoo, now is the time for the company to rise to the occasion and make the safer products the world market is demanding for all its customers,” adds Archer. To read the full Baby’s Tub is Still Toxic report on the J&J double standard, visit: http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=887

Treatment with vitamin C dissolves toxic protein aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers in Sweden have discovered a new function for vitamin C. Treatment with vitamin C can dissolve the toxic protein aggregates that build up in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease.

After being arrested twice, dedicated activists tie themselves to tractors to stop plantings of GM potatoes

(NaturalNews) When petitions, protests, and even sit-ins were not enough to stop the biotechnology giant BASF from planting its genetically-modified (GM) Amflora potato in Sweden, Greenpeace activists there “walked their talk,” so to speak, by literally tying themselves to the tractor plows that were about to be used to spread the GM seeds throughout fields. As we recently reported here on NaturalNews, an initial group of activists, for the second year in a row, had been blocking the entrance to the BASF warehouse near the field where Amflora was to be planted, that is until police came and arrested them (http://www.naturalnews.com/032544_BASF_GM_potatoes.html). Now, a new group has taken their place to continue the efforts of the first by doing whatever it takes to stop BASF from planting the crops in violation of EU law, even if it means going directly after the company’s planting equipment. Amflora potatoes contain an artificially added gene that is resistant to antibiotics, which opponents say is contributing to the rising epidemic of antibiotic resistance around the world. Amflora was also never properly investigated for safety, nor was it subjected to a rigorous environmental impact review as it should have been — the Swedish government basically just allowed the European Commission to approve the “Frankencrop” arbitrarily without so much as a peep of opposition. So activists have decided to take matters into their own hands once again, this time directly accosting BASF tractor plows, which were actually accompanied by a police escort in expectation of the activists. Police arrested seven members of the group early on, but a number of others made it through the blockade where they proceeded to tie themselves to the plows. You can view photos of Greenpeace’s efforts here: https://info.greenpeace.se/a_mediarelease/?openfolder=110519_Haparanda_Sweden_GMO_repository_blockade/ “What we see here happening is that the profit interests of a company like BASF is ranked higher than the health interests of the European public who by large majority rejects the cultivation of GMOs,” said Ludvig Tillman of Greenpeace Sweden. “The Commission rubberstamped the approval of risky Amflora and the Swedish government did nothing but watching [sic]. So if they do not act, we have to act.” To help stop BASF’s efforts to plant GM Amflora in Sweden, visit: http://www.naturalnews.com/032585_GM_potatoes_petition.html Sources for this story include: http://gmwatch.eu/latest-listing/1-news-items/13232-greenpeace-hinders-basf-from-planting-risky-gm-potato

New study: Nations requiring the most vaccines tend to have the worst infant mortality rates

(NaturalNews) A new study, published in Human and Experimental Toxicology , a peer-reviewed journal indexed by the National Library of Medicine, found that nations with higher (worse) infant mortality rates tend to give their infants more vaccine doses. For example, the United States requires infants to receive 26 vaccines — the most in the world — yet more than six U.S. infants die per every 1000 live births. In contrast, Sweden and Japan administer 12 vaccines to infants, the least amount, and report less than three deaths per 1000 live births. The authors of the study, Neil Z. Miller and Dr. Gary Goldman, conducted a literature review to determine the immunization schedules for the United States and all 33 nations with better infant mortality rates than the United States. The total number of vaccine doses specified for infants aged less than one year was then determined for each country. The 34 nations were then organized into data pairs consisting of total number of vaccine doses specified for their infants and infant mortality rates. A scatter plot of the data pairs provided evidence of a positive correlation: infant mortality rates and vaccine doses tend to increase together . Nations were also grouped into five different vaccine dose ranges. The mean infant mortality rates of all nations within each group were then calculated. Analysis showed “a high statistically significant correlation between increasing number of vaccine doses and increasing infant mortality rates.” It is instructive to note that many developing nations require their infants to receive multiple vaccine doses and have national vaccine coverage rates (a percentage of the target population that has been vaccinated) of 90% or better, yet their infant mortality rates are poor. Infant mortality rates will remain high in nations that cannot provide clean water, proper nutrition, improved sanitation, and better access to health care. Nations with higher (worse) infant mortality rates give their infants, on average, more vaccine doses. This positive correlation, derived from the data, elicits an important inquiry: Are some infant deaths associated with over-vaccination? Is it possible that some nations are requiring too many vaccines for their infants and the additional vaccines are a toxic burden on their health? Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS): There is some evidence that a subset of infants may be more susceptible to SIDS shortly after being vaccinated. For example, Torch found that unvaccinated babies who died of SIDS did so most often in the fall or winter while vaccinated babies died most often at 2 and 4 months — the same ages when initial doses of DPT were given to infants. He concluded that DPT “may be a generally unrecognized major cause of sudden infant and early childhood death, and that the risks of immunization may outweigh its potential benefits.” It appears as though some infant deaths attributed to SIDS may be vaccine related, perhaps associated with biochemical or synergistic toxicity due to over-vaccination. All nations have an obligation to determine whether their immunization schedules are achieving their desired goals. You may download the complete study here: Miller-Goldman Vaccine Study Funding Acknowledgment: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Open Access: The National Vaccine Information Center ( NVIC ) donated $2500 and Michael Belkin donated $500 (in memory of his daughter, Lyla) for open access to the journal article (making it freely available to all researchers). NVIC is dedicated to preventing vaccine injuries and deaths through public education.

Timeline of recent mysterious bird, fish deaths

(NaturalNews) The recent mysterious deaths of birds and fish are causing alarm among naturalists around the world. Birds are literally falling dead out of the sky, and fish are washing up dead on shores and rivers across North America and around the world. The reaction from the mainstream media seems strangely subdued, as if they’re all just blowing this off as some unexplained quirk about the natural world that should be largely ignored. NaturalNews readers think differently. We are concerned when thousands of dead birds fall out of the sky for no apparent reason. The sky itself may not be falling, but previously live animals are clearly falling out of it. If that’s not enough reason to wonder what the heck is happening to our planet, then what is? These are clear signs that something is wrong. Red flags from nature, if you will. Here’s the timeline of recent deaths that have been reported: 12.13.10 – Thousands of dead barramundi fish wash up in Australia, unknown causes (http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/story/2010/12/13/barramundi-found-dead-after-flood/) 12.15.10 – Thousands of dead fish wash ashore on Florida beach, blamed on cold weather (http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2010/december/183768/Dead-fish-turn-up-in-Cocoa) 12.17.10 – Dead fish wash ashore at lake beach in Indiana, blamed on winter storms (http://www.wndu.com/localnews/headlines/Dead_fish_wash_up_on_Washington_Park_beach_112105654.html) 12.18.10 – Thousands of dead fish turn up in bay in Philippines, unknown causes (http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/news/view/20101218-309667/Residents-gather-eat-dead-fish-floating-in-barangay-Ibo) 12.22.10 – More than a hundred dead pelicans turn up in North Carolina, unknown causes (http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2010/12/28/topsail_voice/news/doc4d120c21c2083603738750.txt) 12.23.10 – Hundreds of dead sea creatures wash ashore in South Carolina, blamed on cold water (http://www.abcnews4.com/Global/story.asp?S=13735801) 12.23.10 – Ten tons of mostly dead fish found in fishing net in New Zealand, unknown causes (http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/rodney-times/4477740/Enlisted-to-help-with-deadly-haul) 12.27.10 – Scores of dead fish wash ashore in a lake in Haiti, unknown causes (http://www.france24.com/en/20101227-authorities-probe-dead-fish-haitian-lake) 12.28.10 – 70 bats found dead in Tucson, Ariz., unknown causes (http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/12/28/20101228tucson-70-dead-bats-found.html) 12.29.10 – Dozens of fish found dead in San Antonio, Texas, unknown causes (http://www.ksat.com/news/26316464/detail.html) 12.31.10 – 5,000+ birds found dead in Arkansas, suffering from massive trauma and blood clots (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/01/03/arkansas.falling.birds/index.html?hpt=T2) 01.03.11 – 100,000+ dead drum fish found in Arkansas river, unknown causes (http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=136401&catid=2) 01.03.11 – Dozens of dead birds show up in a woman’s backyard in Kentucky, unknown causes (http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/local/Woman-reports-dozens-of-dead-birds-in-her-yard-112830524.html) 01.03.11 – Tens of thousands of dead fish wash ashore in Chesapeake Bay, Md., blamed on cold water (http://www.wbaltv.com/r/26357581/detail.html) 01.03.11 – 100 tons of dead fish wash ashore in Brazil, unknown causes (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/100-tons-of-fish-die-near-brazil.html#) 01.04.11 – Several dead manatees found on Florida coast, unknown causes (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/fl-treasure-coast-manatees-20110104,0,7714948.story) 01.04.11 – Thousands of dead fish wash up on creek in Florida, unknown causes (http://www.wftv.com/news/26367953/detail.html) 01.04.11 – Hundreds of dead fish was ashore on St. Clair River in Ontario, Can., unknown causes (http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2011/01/04/16757321.html) 01.04.11 – Hundreds of dead black birds found on highway in Louisiana, suffering from internal injuries and blood clots (http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/112843019.html) 01.05.11 – Hundreds of dead birds found on highway in Texas, unknown causes (http://www.ktre.com/global/story.asp?s=13787277) 01.05.11 – Large amount of dead fish wash up on New Zealand beaches, unknown causes (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10697906) 01.05.11 – Up to 100 jackdaw birds found dead on road in Sweden, unknown causes (http://www.thelocal.se/31262/20110105/) 01.06.11 – 40,000+ dead Devil crabs washed ashore in the U.K., unknown causes (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20027655-503543.html) 01.07.11 – More than 1,000 dead turtle doves found in Italy, unknown causes (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8246678/More-than-1000-turtle-doves-fall-from-the-sky-in-Italy-in-latest-mass-bird-death-case.html) 01.10.11 – Countless fish found dead in U.K. brook, unknown causes (http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/environment/concern_as_fish_die_in_beauty_spot_brook_1_2224957) 01.11.11 – Thousands of gizzard shad fish float to the top of Lake Michigan and wash up on the shores near Chicago, blamed on cold weather (http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/has-oido/details/bizarre-animal-deaths-reach-chicago-fish-population/4236/) NaturalNews will continue to cover this story in the days ahead. Watch NaturalNews.com for more breaking news on this topic.

GMO soy bringing poverty, poor health to South America

(NaturalNews) Multinational biotechnology giants like Monsanto continue to spread their genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) around the world in the name of ending world hunger and reducing poverty, but a new report out of Sweden has found the exact opposite to be true. According to a recent piece in SvD, a Swedish newspaper, the transition of South American agriculture from small-scale, localized, diversified farming to primarily large-scale, industrialized, GMO soy farming is destroying the environment, increasing poverty, and harming human health. GMO soy is destroying local food “The multinationals are talking about solving climate problems and food supply through GMO, but they are really only interested in making money,” explained Jorge Geleano, an advocate for small farmers’ rights in South America, to SvD. “Their methods destroy traditional farming that provides food for our population and replaces it with soy, which goes into animal feed to provide meat for the West.” According to Galeano, thousands of family farms in his native homeland of Paraguay have been forced off their land in order to make room for large GMO soy plantations. A nation that was once highly self-sufficient and that grew a lot of its own native foods like potatoes, sweet potatoes, legumes, and lentils, Paraguay has literally been transformed into a corporate-dominated, industrial soy-producing machine. And other South American countries are facing the same peril. GMO soy is destroying people’s lives Galeano explained to SvD that he helped try to lead a resistance back in 2005 along with about 40 other families that refused to give up their land to the GMO-giants. But these families were ultimately forced off the land anyway, their houses burned down, and even some of their friends and family members gunned down by armed paramilitary forces for not complying with orders. So the only place left for these displaced farmers and their families to go is into the urban slums, because they no longer have their land or crops, and have ultimately lost their livelihood and sustenance. According to statistics, roughly 27 percent of Paraguayans now live below the poverty line as a result of the invasion of GMO soy, and that number continues to increase. GMO soy is destroying land and the environment It is not only people that are bearing the brunt of biotech greed, though; the environment in South America is suffering tremendously as well. Sensitive ecosystems like the Amazon Rainforest and the Cerrado, a large and very fragile savannah, have been bulldozed in many areas to make room for more GMO soy. And there is no end in sight to this practice. In Brazil, 1.2 million hectares of rainforest have already been leveled to cultivate GMO soy. And in Argentina, about 18 million hectares of land are now growing the crop, which represents more than half of the nation’s entire growing areas. And all of the GMO crops, as well as many non-GMO crops, are regularly doused in highly dangerous chemical pesticides, which ruin both the environment and human health. “In Brazil, the toxic and hazardous pesticides paraquat and endosulfan are still used,” explained Jaime Weber, a friend of Geleano that works to promote sustainable and non-toxic organic agriculture in Brazil. “It is a myth that these are not used on GM crops. GM soybeans are sprayed just as much with paraquat [as non-GM].” Paraquat is linked to Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders (http://www.naturalnews.com/026177_Parkinsons_disease_pesticides.html) while endosulfan is known to disrupt the endocrine system. “Both the spraying of conventional farming and GMO cultivation [pose] severe health risks to farm workers and those living around the fields,” added Weber, noting that the large, industrial farms routinely violate safety standards and spray in irresponsible and dangerous ways because they know they can get away with it without penalty. Unsustainable growing methods are causing desertification throughout South America as well. The land used to grow GMO soy is heavily burdened with rigorous chemical applications and is also overused. So much of it becomes infertile after just a few years, which leads growers to continually seek out new land while abandoning the old land. Eventually, there will be no more fertile land available. Stop supporting GMO soy You can do your part to stop the GMO soy takeover by no longer purchasing products with non-organic soy ingredients. Avoid products that contain any sort of soy derivative — this includes ingredients like soybean oil, soy lecithin, and soy protein. If it is not organic soy, it is most likely GMO soy. And contacting manufacturers to demand that they remove GMO soy from their products will also help. You can also support candidates like Francis Thicke (http://www.naturalnews.com/030206_Francis_Thicke_Iowa.html) that are dedicated to ending the reign of GMO terror over humanity, as well as the destructive corporate farming practices that are destroying small-scale farms. (If you are unfamiliar with Thicke, it is worth taking some time to check out his run for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture). Ultimately, it is up to the People to stand up and speak out against the worldwide hostile takeover of food. It is a tough battle, but getting the word out, organizing food protests, and working hard to get the right people into key positions of power can have a significant impact. Sources for this story include: http://www.gmwatch.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12598:gm-soy-increases-poverty-threatens-health-in-south-america-farmer-advocates

Prevent heart disease with quality multivitamins

(NaturalNews) Taking quality multivitamins is a great way to supplement one’s diet with high doses of nutrients that are often lacking in modern-day food. And a new study out of Sweden has found that women who take multivitamins help to reduce their overall risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. For ten years, Dr. Susanne Rautiainen and her colleagues from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm monitored 31,671 women with no history of heart disease and 2,262 women with heart disease to observe their progression in overall health. Roughly 60 percent of women from both groups took some kind of dietary supplement. At the completion of the study, 3.4 percent of the women who had no heart disease to begin with, but who did not take any dietary supplements, ended up having heart attacks. In contrast, only 2.6 percent of women from the same group who did take a multivitamin had heart attacks. Statistically, the multivitamin group exhibited a 27 percent less chance of having a heart attack. Additionally, women who began the study without heart disease but who had been taking a multivitamin for less than five years had an 18 percent reduced risk of heart disease compared to the non-multivitamin group, while those who had been taking multivitamins for ten years or more had a 41 percent reduced risk of developing the disease. The study does not explain what type of multivitamins and supplements the women were taking, so it is difficult to ascertain their quality. Multivitamins made with whole food vitamins are far superior to the synthetic varieties commonly sold at drug stores and big-box retailers, and they work best as part of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle. To learn more about the difference between whole food and synthetic multivitamins, and to see which brands offer the best formulations, check out the NaturalNews.com multivitamin page: http://www.naturalnews.com/multivitamins.html Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69046E20101001

New research: sporadic type of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (mad cow) results from surgery

(NaturalNews) There is probably no more horrific and frightening incurable disease than Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Also known as the human form of mad cow disease, this degenerative, always fatal brain disorder strikes about one person in every million worldwide each year, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). CJD results in the brain literally being turned into sponge-like, hole-filled tissue (the reason the disease is also known as spongiform encephalopathy ). It usually runs a rapid course, causing failing memory, hallucinations, lack of coordination and visual disturbances followed by total mental deterioration, involuntary movements, blindness and coma. Although some cases are known to be caused by eating meat containing mad cow disease-causing infectious prions, by far the most common form of the illness is known as sporadic CJD. The NINDS says sporadic CJD accounts for at least 85 percent of the cases. Supposedly, sporadic CJD just strikes out of the blue for no particular reason. But Spanish scientists say they’ve found compelling and disturbing evidence that people are infected with the disease during operations. “Based on the monitoring records of spongiform encephalopathy in two Nordic countries, we studied the possibility of transmission of the sporadic form of CJD through general surgery,” Jesus de Pedro, main author of the study and head of prion monitoring in patients at the National Epidemiology Center of the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, said in a statement to the press. The research team’s study, just published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry , came to this startling conclusion: the sporadic form of CJD strikes after a person has surgery — usually at least 20 years after an operation. The data suggests, Dr. DePedro stated, the disease enters and spreads much more quickly within the central or peripheral nervous system due to surgical procedures. So what makes this evidence so strong — and why hasn’t anyone noticed a clear surgery/CJD association before now? According to the authors of the new study, the key to finding the surgery and CJD connection was computerized surgery records kept in hospitals in Sweden and Denmark since the early l970s. These records allowed the researchers to see if people who had developed CJD had been surgery patients in past decades. With virtually no exceptions, they had been. Bottom line: the new findings point to an external and preventable cause for so-called sporadic CJD. It also raises the question about the true causes of other mind robbing maladies. “It may signify a shift in our understanding of the nature of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s,” the research team stated. “We might, therefore, ask ourselves if other types of motor neuron diseases can be transmitted through surgery and be latent for decades, such as those where risk factors, particularly physical professions and activities or certain sporting activities, for example, which are more likely to lead to surgery, have already been indicated.” For more information: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20547628 http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cjd/detail_cjd.htm

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