Category: Scientific/Technical Items
-
Phthalates, BPA Allegedly Influence Thyroid Hormones
A recent University of Michigan study has reportedly suggested that phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) could affect thyroid functioning in humans. John Meeker and Kelly Ferguson, “Relationship Between Urinary Phthalate and Bisphenol A Concentrations and Serum Thyroid Measures in U.S. Adults and Adolescents from NHANES 2007-08,” Environmental Health Perspectives, July 11, 2011. Researchers apparently used thyroid…
-
Critique of Study Linking Obesity to Social Networks Buried in Statistical Journal
In 2007, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine generated widespread media coverage for its claims that obesity can be transmitted via social networks, such as friendship, familial relationship or marriage. Details about the study appear in Issue 225 of this Update. The authors wrote additional papers on other personal characteristics, including smoking…
-
Animal Study Mimics Dietary BPA Exposure in Humans
University of Missouri scientists have reportedly published the first study to examine “serum BPA [bisphenol A] concentrations in an animal model exposed to this chemical via the diet,” as opposed to oral bolus exposure. Paizlee Sieli, et al., “Comparison of Serum Bisphenol A Concentrations in Mice Exposed to Bisphenol A through the Diet Versus Oral…
-
WCRF/AICR Report Links Bowel Cancer Risk to Meaty Diet
The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) has issued a colorectal cancer report allegedly concluding “that red and processed meat increase risk of the disease.” Part of the groups’ Continuous Update Project, which in 2007 covered 749 papers on colorectal cancer, the 2011 report reviews 263 additional papers examining “the links between…
-
New Study Compares Salt-Reduction Strategies, Urges Product Reformulations
A recent study examining national salt-reduction strategies around the world has concluded that such programs are “likely to be one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways of improving public health.” Jacqueline Webster, et al., “Salt Reduction Initiatives Around the World,” Journal of Hypertension, June 2011. The study used existing reviews, literature and relevant websites…
-
Study Claims Bt Toxin Found in Human Blood
Canadian researchers have allegedly detected the presence of Cry1Ab toxin in human blood, raising questions about whether “pesticides associated to genetically modified [GM] foods (PAGMF)” break down during digestion as previously claimed. Aziz Aris and Samuel Leblanc, “Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada,” Reproductive…
-
Study Links Prenatal BPA Exposure to Infant Wheezing
A study presented at the 2011 Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Denver, Colorado, has evidently suggested an association between prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and wheezing in childhood. According to a May 1, 2011, press release, researchers followed 367 pairs of mothers and infants, measuring BPA levels in the urine of pregnant woman “at 16…
-
Research Questions Impact of Low-Sodium Diets on Heart Health
A European study has reportedly raised questions about the impact of low-sodium diets on heart health, finding that people who apparently consumed the least amount of salt did not lower their risk for high blood pressure and, contrary to expectations, increased their risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Katarzyna Stolarz-Skrzypek, et al., “Fatal and…