Sweet, healthy and delicious, and inexpensive to boot, pineapples are one of the world’s most desired fruits. On average, the world eats more than 26,000 tons of pineapples each year. But hidden beneath their low-price tag lies an industry riddled with heavy pesticide use, water pollution, deforestation and the exploitation of farmworkers, who are forced […]
Phthalates may impair fertility in female mice
A phthalate found in many plastic and personal care products may decrease fertility in female mice, a new study found. Researchers at the University of Illinois found that giving female mice oral doses of the phthalate DiNP for 10 days disrupted their reproductive cycles, decreasing their ability to become pregnant for up to nine months […]
FDA reports new cases of cancer linked to breast implants
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to increase awareness about an association between all breast implants, regardless of filling or texture, and Breast Implant Associated- Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (BIA-ALCL). The FDA received reports indicating that patients with breast implants have an increased risk of developing this disease within the scar capsule adjacent to […]
Laughter may be best medicine — for brain surgery
Neuroscientists at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered a focal pathway in the brain that when electrically stimulated causes immediate laughter, followed by a sense of calm and happiness, even during awake brain surgery. The effects of stimulation were observed in an epilepsy patient undergoing diagnostic monitoring for seizure diagnosis. These effects were then […]
Chernobyl Heart and the children of Chernobyl
On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear accident in history occurred when a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, releasing 90 times the radioactivity of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Sixteen years later, award-winning filmmaker Maryann De Leo took her camera to ground zero, following the devastating trail […]
100% Orange Juice May Play an Important Role in Supporting Intake of Certain Underconsumed Nutrients
Orange juice may do more for children’s diet and overall health than you think, according to results of a recently published study in Nutrition Research. Data from this study suggest children (ages 2-18 years) who drink 100 percent orange juice tend to have improved nutrient adequacy and diet quality, as well as certain diet and […]
Fillet Oh Fish! Is farmed salmon one of the most toxic foods in the world?
You may be shocked to discover that farmed salmon has more in common with junk food than health food. This is the grim reality revealed in Nicolas Daniel’s documentary “Fillet-Oh-Fish,” which includes exclusive footage from fish farms and factories across the globe. Among the experts featured is Kurt Oddekalv, a respected Norwegian environmental activist who […]
Japanese persimmons exported to the United States for the first time
After lifting the ban on the export of persimmons from Japan to the United States from October of last year, Fukuoka prefecture is now working on the production of persimmons for the US. The exportation of the Fukuoka-produced Taishu variety of persimmons to the US began in October. People were able to taste the sweet, […]
Microplastics discovered in human stools across the globe in ‘first study of its kind’
Microplastics have been found in the human food chain as particles made of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) and others were detected in human stools, research presented today at the 26th UEG Week in Vienna reveals. Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna and the Environment Agency Austria monitored a group of participants from countries across the […]
Opposite effect: Protein widely known to fight tumors also boosts cancer growth
Search for a description of “p53” and it becomes clear that this human protein is widely known for its cancer-fighting benefits, leading to its renown as “the guardian of the genome.” Scientists at the University of California San Diego have published a new study challenging that description. Studying the “wild type” version of p53 (WTp53), […]