High Dose Folic Acid Not a Cancer Risk

 

Folate is a form of a water-soluble B vitamin (B-9) that occurs naturally in food, and folic acid is the synthetic form of this vitamin. Since 1998, folic acid has been added to cold cereals, flour, breads, pasta, bakery items, cookies, and crackers, as required by federal law. Foods that are naturally high in folate include leafy vegetables (such as spinach, broccoli, and lettuce), asparagus, fruits (such as bananas, melons, and lemons) beans, yeast, mushrooms, organ meats, orange juice, and tomato juice.

Folic acid is used for preventing and treating low blood levels of folate (folate deficiency) and high blood levels of homocystine (hyperhomocysteinemia). Women who are pregnant or might become pregnant take folic acid to prevent miscarriage and "neural tube defects." These are serious birth defects such as spina bifida, when the fetal spine and back do not close in the womb. Folic acid is also used for many other conditions including depression, stroke, decline in memory and thinking skills in older people that is more than what is normal for their age, and many others

There has been some concern that high levels of folic acid supplementation was associated with increased risk for breast, prostate and other cancers. But a study published in Lancet suggests otherwise. 

Researchers reviewed data from 13 clinical trials including more than 50,000 people taking either 2,000MCG or a placebo per day for at least five years. They concluded that taking a high does of folic acid resulted in no higher risk than a placebo for cancers of the breast, prostate and lungs.

The RDA for folic acid is 400mcg per day, which is easy enough to get through your diet. Pregnant women may wish to play it safe by supplementing with that amount.

Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnancy Linked to Autism

 

Two recent studies have linked the development of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in boys to a deficiency of vitamin D in the mother during pregnancy. Male children born to women who had low blood levels of vitamin D while pregnant had more than double the risk of autism.

A vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy may cause in increase in testosterone in male fetuses as well as in the maternal blood supply and amniotic fluid. Excessive exposure of the developing brain to testosterone is believed to be an underlying cause of autism, which is three times as common in boys as it is in girls. The low vitamin D level may explain the cause of the exposure.

In a laboratory study of mice, giving them vitamin D during pregnancy totally eliminated autism-like traits in their offspring. Further research is needed to determine if such therapy would be effective in humans. In the meantime, it is probably not a bad idea to have your vitamin D blood levels checked if pregnant, and supplement if they are low.

Why We Often Miscalculate Risk

 

Assessing risk is part of life. We do it hundreds of times every day, at least. Generally, we think we are pretty good at it. But controlled studies seem to show that we are not. Whether it is deciding whether or not to get a vaccination, invest in a particular stock, riding a bike without a helmet or deciding whether to drive or fly to a destination we actually have a pretty difficult time accurately assessing risk.

"Using evidence or data to communicate risk to the American public can be a fool’s errand," said Eric Horowitz in Psychology Today. "The most publicized “la, la, la, I can’t hear you!” moments involve people ignoring dangers that threaten ideology or political beliefs. Others may choose to ignore risks because immediate short-term pleasures are too alluring."

But often, it is simply that we assess the risk very poorly. Here are several things that may be keeping you for making an accurate assessment of risk in your daily life.

1. The real risk may be unknowable.  Data may be unreliable or unavailable altogether. Or we may be considering a new technology such as self-driving cars or Star Trek Transporters that have no record of performance to consider. 

2. Confirmation bias may color your assessment. When we try to evaluate the risk of taking some action, we find reasons to accept any evidence that supports the decision we want to make and devalue evidence that contradicts it. An example of this is smoking. When smokers are surveyed they overwhelmingly agree that smoking can result is serious health problems. Yet when asked about the risk to them personally many respond that it is very low. They will find reasons and justifications why the real risks do not apply to them. "I only smoke 5 per day" or "My parents smoked and lived into their 90s".

3. Sense of being in control. We tend to greatly underestimate risk when we feel we are in control of a situation. For example, studies show that people consistently overestimate their skill as a driver, or feel safer driving than flying. Similarly, we will usually overestimate the risk of situations that are new or unfamiliar to us.

4. Tribal norms. We tend to associate and spend time with people to agree with us and believe, mostly, the same things that we do. We tend to avoid those who do not. We choose sources of news and information that line up with our existing preconceptions. Social media reinforces this bias by showing us more and more of what we already accept as true and less and less of what we do not.

What can we do to improve our risk assessments and make more effective choices and decisions?

Rely on expert opinion and experience rather than strictly relying on our own hunches or gut feelings. The more you know the better choices you can make.

Actively seek out information that opposes what you believe about the risk. Be alert for your natural bias to exclude data that does not support your preconception. Of course the opposing opinions you will find are not necessarily correct but at least you are exposed to alternative thoughts on risk.

Consider the costs and payoffs. The fact that you think something is, or is not, risky does not necessarily mean that you should or should not do it. It may simply not be worth it. If you have celebrated a little too hard at the local pub, you might find the risk of driving home to be low. Its not far, you have done it many times, there won't be much traffic. And that may be true. But the consequences of being involved in an accident or worse are so severe, the low risk may not justify taking the chance.

So, punk. Do you feel lucky?

Ginko Biloba Linked to Cancer

The ginkgo tree is thought to be one of the oldest living trees, dating back more than 200 million years. Ginkgo leaf is often taken by mouth for memory and thought problems, anxiety, vision problems, and many other conditions. But there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses. There is emerging evidence however that it causes certain cancers, at least in laboratory animals.

Scientists at the National Toxicology Program fed lab mice Ginko biloba extract five times a week for two years. Researchers then found "clear evidence" that is caused liver cancer in some of the mice and "some evidence" of thyroid cancers. Some of the mice developed especially aggressive liver cancers and some developed more cancers "than had ever been seen in a NTP lab".

The FDA, in an uncharacteristic action, has been telling supplement manufacturers to stop adding Ginko biloba to foods or drinks but the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (a sick joke of a name if ever there was one) severely limits the FDA's ability to require compliance.

Although the cancers showed up in animals that were given very large doses, you may want to reconsider if you are presently taking Ginko biloba. No amount of a known carcinogen is really safe, and the supposed benefits of the supplement are largely unsupported by the science.

Mercury and Diabetes: New Links

 

Several animal studies have suggested that mercury can damage the pancreatic cells that are responsible for the body's production of insulin. More recent studies suggest a link between exposure to mercury and the incidence of type-2 diabetes in humans.

For example, in one study researchers followed over 3,800 people ages 20 to 32 for nearly 20 years and those with the highest levels of mercury had a 65% greater risk of developing diabetes over the study period compared with those having the lowest levels. This observational study does not prove that mercury causes diabetes, but there is a clear association. Many health authorities now advise that children and pregnant women avoid mercury entirely.

What to do? Avoid eating albacore tuna (light tuna has much lower mercury levels and should be limited but not necessarily avoided), shark, swordfish, tilefish and king mackerel. This is good news if you are a tilefish. Instead eat fish that are very low in or free from mercury. These include salmon, talapia and most freshwater fish - including catfish and trout.

Five Reasons to Eat Less Red Meat

 

How strong is the evidence that we would be better off eating far less red meat? Pretty good, it turns out. "We've seen that a high-red-meat intake is associated with coronary disease, stroke, diabetes and premature death," says Dr. Adam Bernstein of the Cleveland Clinic. "Other investigators have looked at colorectal cancer. So when you look at the whole picture, I'd say the evidence is very strong."

Here are five well established reasons why eating less red meat would be worth considering.

1. Live a longer life.

One outcome of the 2012 Health Professionals Followup Study and Nurse's Health Study was that those who ate more than half a serving (3oz) of red meat per day had a 30% greater chance of dying during the 30 year period of the study as those who ate less. The study, which included 120,000 participants, concluded that 8% of deaths of women and 10% of deaths of men could be prevented if people consumed less than 3oz of red meat per day. Other studies have reached remarkably similar conclusions.

2. Reduce cardiovascular disease and strokes.

Red meat is one of the largest sources of saturated fat in the American diet. In a Cleveland Clinic study that was part of the Nurse's Health Study and included 29,000 participants, those who ate more red meat had a 29% higher risk of heart disease than those who ate 3oz or less per day. Further, stroke risk rose by 30% for every two ounces of red meat consumed beyond 3oz per day. Lean meat had no detectable advantage.

3. Lower your cancer risk.

A joint report by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund said that, "To reduce your cancer risk eat no more than 18oz of red meat per week." For every serving (6oz) of red meat eaten per day the risk of colorectal cancer rises by 20%. There is some, although less compelling, evidence linking red meat consumption to pancreatic, espohageal and prostate cancers.

4. Avoid diabetes.

Processed red meats have long been linked to increased risk of developing Type-2 diabetes, but more recent studies now link it to unprocessed red meats as well. A Harvard study of over 200,000 participants tracked for 28 years concluded that for every 2oz of red meat eaten per day, the risk of type-2 diabetes rose by 32% (processed meats) and 12% (unprocessed meats). The polyunsaturated fats and iron in the meat are believed to be the causal factor but more research is needed.

5. Spare the environment.

The water and fossil fuels required to feed, process and transport red meat cause considerable environmental damage. The UN estimates that 80% of the groundwater consumed from aquifers is used for agricultural purposes, with 60% - 70% of that used to irrigate crops for animal feed. Cattle produce 7% of all the methane (a potent greenhouse gas) and nearly all of the ammonia that enters the atmosphere each day - equivalent to the amount of pollution created by one car in one day, per cow. (There are about 95 million cattle in the US alone.)

Huge tracts of land are deforested every year to make room for cattle to graze, and they produce - as anyone who has ever walked across a pasture realizes - prodigious amounts of solid waste. "The waste in big cattle feedlots can be properly composted," says Robert Lawrence at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. "But it almost never is. In a typical operation the manure is just bulldozed into big mounds from which there is an enormous release of methane." And then there is the fossil fuel cost of transporting both the animals and the meat.

Need even more reasons to reduce your consumption of red meat? Here is a longer list from Prevention Magazine.

The bottom line? Eat as little processed meat as possible... none is best. Reduce consumption of unprocessed red meat to under 20oz per week. Replace some meat with poultry, fish and beans.

What you eat is 100% up to you. What it does to you is not.

Ready-to-Drink Coffee-like Beverages

 

 

Coffee is one of the world's most popular beverages. It is prepared and savored in many different places and ways and, thanks to its high levels of antioxidants and beneficial nutrients, it also seems to be quite healthy. A single cup of coffee contains riboflavin (B12), pantothenic acid (B5), manganese, potassium, magnesium and niacin (B3). Studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of several serious diseases.  It may lower your risk of Type-2 diabetes, Parkinson's and dementia.

But leave it to food manufacturers to to take a cheap, healthy drink and make it neither.

Stores are full of ready-to- drink versions. Starbucks has converted it into sugar filled, fat laden, additive laced calorie bombs. And the iced coffees you are likely to find in the grocery store start off with 150 calories (per 6 oz serving) and go up from there. "Lite" versions are little better. In exchange for the flavor and benefits of coffee you are getting just one more unhealthy drink.

If you love your coffee, go ahead and enjoy it. Just make it yourself. It will be cheaper, healthier and exactly the way you like it.