Saturday, November 15, 2014

New Dr. Group Post! - Something Innately Wrong about New GM Potato – You Can Help!

New Dr. Group Post! - Something Innately Wrong about New GM Potato – You Can Help!

Link to Dr. Group's Healthy Living blog

Something Innately Wrong about New GM Potato – You Can Help!

Posted: 14 Nov 2014 10:58 AM PST

potatoes-in-soil

It seems that every day we're hearing about a new GMO food product getting ready to enter the market. A new brand of genetically-modified potato called Innate is one of those products, produced by one of the largest suppliers of potatoes for McDonald's restaurants. These potatoes are used for french fries. Simplot, the company producing the new GM potato, is attempting to convince consumers that the product is not only safe, but provides important benefits. One of these benefits include the potato being bruise resistant, which really isn't a benefit at all for consumers.

The New-and-Improved Innate Potato

Innate potatoes are also said to produce less acrylamide when exposed to high temperatures. Acrylamide is a potential carcinogen and is often produced when deep frying potatoes to make french fries. While this is a potential benefit, the company is implying that the genetically-engineered potato is healthier than what nature can provide. This backward logic is confusing many consumers, despite the data that GMOs are damaging to health and the environment. What Simplot isn't divulging, however, is that the technology used to make Innate potato is considered potentially more damaging than the technology used to make Roundup and Bt crops.

What You Can Do

As with any movement against GM crops, your voice is all that is necessary for promoting change. One voice may not be enough, but it does contribute to the rising multitude of people all across the world who oppose these unnatural products. To make your voice heard that will fight the introduction of Innate potatoes into fast food, head on over to the Organic Consumers Association and sign the petition urging the CEO of McDonald's to consider looking for potato sources elsewhere.

Your voice can make a difference! If you're against GMOs and the implementation of these foods on unsuspecting consumers, sign the petition today!

-Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM

The post Something Innately Wrong about New GM Potato – You Can Help! appeared first on Dr. Group's Natural Health & Organic Living Blog.

BPA Exposure During Pregnancy Linked to Lung Problems in Young Children

Posted: 14 Nov 2014 07:00 AM PST

pacifiers-on-pregnant-woman

Exposure to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy may cause children to experience breathing problems in their first four years, according to a study recently published in JAMA Pediatrics. [1] The longitudinal study looked at the exposure to BPA in 398 mother-infant pairs. Researchers determined each mother's level of exposure to BPA by measuring the concentration of BPA urine levels at 16 weeks and 26 weeks.

The Effects of BPA Exposure

Researchers followed up with the mothers' children in their first five years of life and assessed their lung functioning by measuring the amount of exhaled air. They found that every tenfold increase in BPA concentration in the mother's urine correlated with a 14.2% decrease in their child's lung functioning in his or her first four years of life, suggesting that BPA may negatively impact lung health during early childhood.

Data from the same cohort shows that these children did not have decreased lung function at age five, suggesting that BPA's effect on a young child's lungs may disappear over time. However, children in the study were also more likely to experience persistent wheezing in their first five years the higher the concentration of BPA their mothers were exposed to during pregnancy. The study's authors say that it is not clear what mechanism is causing prenatal BPA exposure to affect lung functioning in young children, although at least one animal study suggests that the chemical acts on developing cells in the lungs that support airway secretions.

Other BPA Health Issues

Studies have shown that BPA may act as an estrogen mimicker, possibly resulting in hormonal imbalance in women and men. [2] One study has linked the compound with metabolic disorders, including diabetes and obesity. [3] Cancer has also been consistently linked to BPA exposure. [4] [5] Considering that these issues have been rising to epic proportions in recent years, it would be an educated guess to say that BPA may be a contributor to high preventable disease rates.

What Expecting Mothers Can Do

Researchers say that even though the exact mechanism is not known, pregnant women should limit their exposure to BPA-containing products as much as possible. BPA is used in a number of polycarbonate plastic products, such as microwave-safe food containers and the linings of tin cans. Purchase food in its whole form as much as possible, and eliminate consumption of foods found in cans that aren't labeled BPA free.

Do you avoid BPA? What do you do, specifically, to reduce exposure?

-Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM

References:

  1. Adam J. Spanier, Md, PhD, MPH, Robert S. Kahn, MD, MPH, Allen R. Kunselman, MA, et al. Bisphenol A Exposure and the Development of Wheeze and Lung Function in Children Through Age 5 Years. JAMA Pediatr. October 6, 2014. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.1397.
  2. Krishnan AV, Stathis P, Permuth SF, Tokes L, Feldman D. Bisphenol-A: an estrogenic substance is released from polycarbonate flasks during autoclaving. Endocrinology. 1993 Jun; 132(6): 2279-86.
  3. Sergi Soriano, Paloma Alonso-Magdalena, Marta Garcia-Arevalo, et al. Rapid Insulinotropic Action of Low Doses of Bisphenol-A on Mouse and Human Islets of Langerhans: Role of Estrogen Receptor ß. PLOS One. February 8, 2012. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031109.
  4. Ana M. Soto & Carlos Sonnenschein. Environmental causes of cancer: endocrine disruptors as carcinogens. Nature Reviews Endocrinology 6, 363-370 (July 2010). doi: 10.1038/nrendo.2010.87.
  5. Cathrin Brisken. Endocrine Disruptors and Breast Cancer. CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry. Volume 62, Number 5, May 2008, pp. 406-409(4). doi: 10.2533/chimia.2008.406.

The post BPA Exposure During Pregnancy Linked to Lung Problems in Young Children appeared first on Dr. Group's Natural Health & Organic Living Blog.

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