Marc Joseph Nutrition - Blog

Acrylamide is a carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) that is found in significant amounts in carbohydrates and high-sugar foods that are cooked at high temperatures.

The FDA recently updated its list of the acrylamide levels found in various foods.

Some of the foods highest in acrylamide include:

• restaurant french fries
• oven-baked french fries
• potato chips (both fried and baked)
• baked snack foods other than potato chips
• hot drinks high in sugar

A definitive link between the acrylamide content in food and cancer in humans has not been proven. The Swedish studies in 2002 that highlighted the issue of acrylamide content in food and cancer were done with mice.

That said, the types of foods high in acrylamide are generally ones you’d not want to make a regular part of your diet anyway.

For more info on acrylamide in food, here’s a useful site.

In this American Journal of Clinical Nutrition editorial, the authors discuss the important issue of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy.

The authors mention a recent study of women in the Netherlands, and note that the study found that >50% (!) of darker-skinned women were deficient in vitamin D (whereas only 8% of fairer-skinned women were).

But the numbers were likely even worse than those. The study used a very conservative level of vitamin D to indicate vitamin D deficiency, one that was likely much too low.

The correct vitamin D form to measure for deficiency is 25-hydroxyvitamin D. The study used 25 nmol/L as the cut-off, while levels closer to 80 nmol/L are increasingly being shown in research to be optimal.

As the editorial notes, Vitamin D levels during pregnancy and the early years of development are critical not only for bone development, but also for the immune system and nervous system development — and may have lifelong implications.

It is difficult to get adequate vitamin D through the diet, since dairy is really the only food category that contains significant amounts of the nutrient.

The primary source of vitamin D is from sunshine. The sun’s UV-B rays hit the skin and a molecule is converted that starts a multi-step process toward the formation of active vitamin D in the body. Exposure to mid-day summer sun at the beach can generate up to 20,000 IU of active vitamin D.

In Northern latitudes during the winter months, the sun’s rays are not strong enough to generate sufficient vitamin D levels. Also, individuals with darker skin require significantly greater levels of sun exposure to generate adequate amounts of vitamin D.

Unfortunately, the U.S. government’s current recommended adequate intake level for vitamin D (200 to 600 IU) is set way below the level necessary to maintain vitamin D near optimal levels. As discussed here, adequate daily intake levels may be at least 2,000 IU/day, and possibly higher, for individuals not getting regular, limited sun exposure*.

During the winter months and in groups of people with limited sun exposure (e.g., infants, the elderly, darker-skinned people spending lots of time indoors), supplementation with vitamin D, either in the form of cholecalciferol or obtained via a good quality (toxin-free) cod liver oil will likely be important in helping to maintain adequate vitamin D levels.

(Vitamin D is a critically important nutrient that is commonly deficient. I’ll regularly revisit this topic in future posts.)

* Note: Neither vitamin D researchers or I are suggesting that you should spend a lot of time in the sun. Excessive exposure to the sun’s rays can damage the skin. The amount of exposure required for adequate vitamin D formation is brief — 10 to 15 minutes a day on the exposed arms/neck/face a few times a week during spring, summer, and early fall.

A small recent study took a look at how soy isoflavone levels changed in infants fed soy isoflavone-containing breast milk, in infants fed tofu, and in mothers drinking a soy protein beverage.

The researchers found that soy isoflavone levels increased significantly in mothers consuming a single soy protein beverage for 2 to 4 days, and by even higher amounts in the infants exposed to breast milk from these mothers. The increase in soy isoflavone levels in tofu-fed infants was even greater — more than ten times greater.

To the extent that the soy isoflavones have an estrogenic effect, these results suggest that nursing mothers and infants may want to avoid/minimize the consumption of soy products.

The negative effects of worsening dietary patterns and associated degenerative diseases are not just being felt in high-income countries.

Increasingly, as this article notes, lower- and middle-income countries are also seeing rapid increases in overweight and obese populations. Several possible reasons are mentioned, including:

• Dietary shifts toward greater animal and hydrogenated fat intake, and lower fiber intake
• Reduced energy expenditure through work and leisure
• Decreasing food prices (e.g., beef)
• Urbanization
• The spread of the fast food and soft drink industries

Clearly, these changes present significant challenges to not only the health of the people directly affected, but also to the economies of the affected countries and the world as a whole as the rates of degenerative disease increase as a result.

Two bills relating to autism have recently been introduced into Congress.

The first bill (the Comprehensive Comparative Study of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Populations Act of 2006 co-sponsored by Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Tom Osborne, R-Neb) would require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study and compare health outcomes (including autism) in both vaccinated and unvaccinated* populations.

* e.g., the Amish:

“I have not seen autism with the Amish,” said Dr. Frank Noonan, a family practitioner in Lancaster County, Pa., who has treated thousands of Amish for a quarter-century.

“You’ll find all the other stuff, but we don’t find the autism. We’re right in the heart of Amish country and seeing none, and that’s just the way it is.”

Such a comparison would be a simple and straightforward way to identify whether immunizations may play a role in the autism epidemic.

The second bill (the Vaccine Safety bill co-sponsored by Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and David Weldon, , R-Fla.) would give responsibility for the nation’s vaccine safety to an independent agency outside the CDC.

Currently, the CDC currently oversees both the recommendation of and safety monitoring of different vaccinations, which puts the agency in the difficult position of essentially regulating itself as well as the primary suppliers (pharmaceutical companies) of products that enable the fulfillment of one of the agency’s primary directives (i.e., ensure high vaccination rates among the general population).

Bernard Miltenberger, in a recent column in the Cumberland Times-News, raises many important questions that need to be asked (and answered) with regard to the autism epidemic:

• Why did the CDC and the FDA allow mercury exposures from childhood vaccines to more than double between 1988 and 1992 without bothering to calculate cumulative totals and their potential risks?
• Why was there a corresponding spike in reported cases of autism spectrum disorders during this time period?
• Why did autism grow from a relatively rare incidence of 1 in every 10,000 births in the 1980s to 1 in 500 in the late 1990s?
• Why did it continue to increase to 1 in 250 in the year 2000 and then 1 in 166 children today?
• Many should ask why trusted health agencies would allow a known neurotoxin to be interjected into the bodies of small babies - in amounts that exceed federal safety exposure levels for adults by up to 50 times per shot?
• Why are rates of ADD, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), speech delay, and other childhood disorders also rising?
• Why does one in every six American children have a developmental disorder or behavioral problem?
• Why does autism affect boys at a 4-to-1 ratio over girls?
• Why to this day, is thimerosal still found in the majority of flu shots, which the U.S government recommends for pregnant women and children between six months and 23 months of age?
• Why in 2004, did the CDC decline to state a preference for mercury-free flu shots for infants?
• Why is autism research that has been successfully treating this disease as mercury poisoning using chelation and glutathione not being recommended to combat this epidemic?

You can’t argue with his conclusion that:

“Every citizen of this country should stand up and demand accountability from public health officials and the pharmaceutical industry.”

The topic of autism and related disorders such as Asperger’s and ADD/ADHD is one that I’ll regularly revisit here. With the number of children affected by developmental or behavioral disorders estimated at 1 in 6 in the U.S., it’s an issue that merits serious attention.

There’s already quite a bit that can be done today using dietary, supplementation, and detoxification interventions to help individuals affected with autism and ADD/ADHD heal and recover function. You can read more about these approaches here.

Exposure to pesticides such as organophosphates clearly puts individuals at risk, especially young children and pregnant women.

This recent article provides a little insight into how the current regulation of pesticides is working (or not working, depending on your perspective):

Despite the agency’s insistence that pesticide regulations follow scientific guidelines, several agency scientists said industry determined how chemicals were regulated.

“It’s how the game is played,” said an E.P.A. specialist involved in the pesticide program who spoke on the condition of anonymity because, he said, critics within the agency often lose choice assignments.

“You go to a meeting, and word comes down that this is an important chemical, this is one we’ve got to save,” he said. “It’s all informal, of course. But it suggests that industry interests are governing the decisions of E.P.A. management. The pesticide program functions as a governmental cover for what is effectively a private industry licensing program.”

Not so good.

Contact your representatives and let them know you’d like to see greater independence of the E.P.A. from industry, so that scientists can be allowed to do their jobs without interference.

The estrogenic equivalent of five birth control pills.

That’s the amount calculated by one toxicologist of what an infant exclusively fed soy formula* is exposed to each day.

* Approximately 25% of infants in the U.S. are raised on soy formula.

And that’s just one example of the potential negative effects of sustained high-level intake of soy products. Elevated levels of metals such as manganese and aluminum are also concerns.

Additionally, Israeli and French public health agencies have recently issued warnings about eating high amounts of soy, especially by young children.

Two recent articles provide good overviews of the potential issues regarding soy in our food supply:

1. Should We Worry About Soya in Our Food?
2. Too Much of a Good Thing?

They’re both well-written and worth reading if soy is currently a regular part of your diet or you’re considering making it so.

My take is that the evidence on soy isoflavones is inconclusive. I’m
skeptical of many of the pro-soy studies given their funding sources. There seems to be enough research evidence to raise significant and reasonable questions.

For an unbiased look at the research evidence for soy in preventing and treating disease, see this link.

Whether it’s heart disease, prostate cancer, osteoporosis, or
menopause issues, there seem to be other reasonable and
effective diet and supplement alternatives that provide benefits
without the potential risks associated with soy isoflavones.

Interesting article discussing the changes in the size of the average American since the 19th century.

The big surprise discussed in the article is that even though people today are on average 25% heavier (and only ~3″ taller) than people in 1850:

• Life expectancy is ~20 years longer
• Chronic illnesses are now occurring 10 to 25 years later than they used to
• And the average IQ has been increasing for decades

Exactly why is unclear, although much better nutrition during the first two years of life and avoidance of deadly infectious diseases are thought to be primary factors.

An interesting read. Check it out.

This recent NY Times article discusses the increasing evidence of a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), perhaps as much as double, for individuals with diabetes.

The relationship may be related to vascular damage observed in each condition. Other similarities and factors, such as:

• the build-up of amyloid plaque in both the brain in AD and the pancreas (which secretes insulin to manage blood sugar levels) in diabetes
• higher insulin levels leading to inflammation in the blood vessels & brain, and possibly even contributing to increased amyloid plaque formation

As summarized by the Alzheimer’s Association, the numbers and potential impact on society are breathtaking:

Alzheimer’s affects 1 in 10 people over age 65, and nearly half of people over 85. About 4.5 million Americans have it, and taking care of them costs $100 billion a year, according to the association. The number of patients is expected to grow, possibly reaching 11.3 million to 16 million by 2050, the association said.

And those numbers don’t include the potential increase from diabetes.

With diabetes rates skyrocketing:

• ~20M people with Type 2 diabetes in the U.S. — double the number of ten years ago
• ~40M people in the U.S. with “pre-diabetes,” or elevated blood sugar
• ~230M people worldwide with Type 2 diabetes — up from 20M twenty years ago

it’s easy to see why a neurology professor quoted in the article says, “Alzheimer’s is going to swamp the health care system.”

Whether cognitive decline is brought on by Alzheimer’s, vascular disease, diabetes, environmental toxicity, or a combination of the conditions, what is clear is the importance of preventive measures and acting early to head off potential problems. The links above provide overviews of actions that can be taken to do just that.