Lisa Barger's Alternative Medicine

A new study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, or NICHD, finds that childhood exposure to lead can suppress the hormones young girls need to develop properly. And when that exposure is married to exposure to cadmium—from cigarette smoke, for example—the effect is even more pronounced.

How serious is this? Well this research found that girls who had elevated levels of those metals in their systems were up to 75% less likely to make those very important sex hormones than girls with more normal levels of those pollutants in their blood.

The scientists behind this study admit they don’t have all the answers but they theorize that the lead and cadmium work directly on the girls’ ovaries. By suppressing the ovaries’ natural functions, these metals also suppress the hormones the ovaries need to begin ovulation.

So where does cigarette smoke come in? While there’s not a lot of research specifically on cadmium from second-hand smoke, cigarettes are considered a leading exposure risk for this toxin; in fact, a 1998 study found that 50% of the cadmium intake of a typical smoker came from his or her own cigarettes. And as much as 60% of the cadmium inhaled in cigarette smoke will be absorbed by the body—where it can accumulate in the kidneys for as long as 30 years.

This information came from data collected as part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The actual study appears in July’s issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.

Sources:

Gollenberg, A., et al. (2010). Association Between Lead and Cadmium and Reproductive Hormones in Peripubertal U.S. Girls. Environmental Health Perspectives.

Van Assche, F., et al. (1998). Cadmium in the Environment: Levels, Trends and Critical Pathways. Presented at the Seventh International Cadmium Conference.

Logo Courtesy FDA The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has asked the U.S. District Court in Michigan for a permanent injection against a dairy farm that the agency claims has repeatedly violated regulations regarding drugs in animals that were specifically intended for human consumption.

In the official news release the FDA alleges that Scenic View Dairy has ignored at least 11 warning letters sent over 8 years about drug residues found in the meat of cows raised and sold by the farm. While the use of pharmaceuticals like antibiotics isn’t prohibited, those drugs must be stopped before the animal is slaughtered so that the drugs can be “washed out” of the tissues and reduced to what the FDA considers “safe” levels.

Why is this a big deal? Well, there is some concern (and a growing body of evidence supporting the idea) that the over-use of antibiotics in animals may be accelerating the development of antibiotic-resitant strains of potentially dangerous bacteria. But that’s not the only problem. When drugs like antibiotics remain in animal tissues, those drugs often aren’t destroyed during the cooking process. When a person with, say, an allergy to penicillin eats meat tainted with the drug it can actually cause a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Source:
FDA. (2010). FDA seeks court order against Michigan dairy. (PRESS RELEASE).

If you’re one of the millions of Americans dealing with type 2, or adult onset, diabetes, your doctor has probably talked to you about the dramatic blood spikes that often follow a meal. Known as postprandial hyperglycemia, the medical condition caused by these spikes can, if not treated properly, lead to a number of potentially serious diabetes complications.

Now, a team of American and Chinese researchers say that a byproduct of the wine industry—a product known as grape pomace—contains compounds that help prevent some of those spikes. And the effect seems to be surprisingly powerful. In one part of their study the reduction was as much as 35%.

This was an animal study so it’s unclear if these effects will carry over into humans but the results have the scientists behind this research hopeful.

Grape pomace is the “stuff” left over after grapes are crushed during the early stages of wine making. The pomace contains the seeds, skin and pulp of the grapes; it may also contain small stems and leaves. While the pomace can actually be further processed (and can even be used to make something known as pomace brandy) most of it is simply discarded as a waste product.

Source:
Hogan, S., et al. (2010). Antioxidant rich grape pomace extract suppresses postprandial hyperglycemia in diabetic mice by specifically inhibiting alpha-glucosidase. Nutrition & Metabolism. (Provisional PDF.)