On Healthy by Nature this week: A little news from the American Associations of Diabetes Educators Conference; Bryan Bradford talks about nutrition testing; and we discuss water. (There will be a fabulous offer good only this week if you want to give up bottled water and start filtering your own for less than 10¢ a gallon.)

IN THE NEWS

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) linked to diet. Researchers tracked 1,800 children from birth until they reached age 14. The subjects whose diet was high in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and fish were tallied in a group called “Healthy Diet”. Those who ate more takeout food, processed and refined foods, sugary items and fried foods were placed in the “Western Diet” category. Those who had eaten the Western Diet had more than twice the risk of being diagnosed with ADHD.¹

My 2 cents: Well, duh. The Western Diet lacks nutrients needed for proper development and function of the brain. It’s also laden with damaged fats and other substances that are toxic to the body. (Note how long the study had to run to reveal the results. Sometimes we expect nutritional approaches to work fast, like an aspirin.) Other studies have shown that artificial colors and preservatives can be a factor in ADHD^.2

Vaccinations. It’s that time of year when we’ll feel a lot of media pressure to have children (and adults) vaccinated against an ever increasing list of diseases.

My 2 cents: Susceptible subgroups seem to have been missed in the studies that show no link between vaccines and autism (those low in vitamin D and magnesium or sensitive to wheat gluten as examples). I also worry that we now possibly do too many immunizations too close together starting too early in life. We’ve learned that vaccines and some of the ingredients like mercury and aluminum do have a negative effect on brain cells of all ages. I can’t discuss that here, but if you’re interested, you can listen to this archived interview with Russell Blaylock, MD. You may hear less in the news about another worrisome trend—kids developing diseases that previously only afflicted adults. That’s the subject of “Research” today.

RESEARCH

Cardiovascular risk factors: Concern is growing among scientists about the escalating rates of metabolic syndrome.* Overweight seems to be the most obvious cause.³

My 2 cents: It isn’t just the caloric intake of the foods causing the overweight; it is also the lack of nutrients. Low Vitamin D may be another factor.⁴

Childhood Strokes: A recent journal article said “Stroke is an important cause of childhood mortality [perhaps the 6th leading cause] and morbidity…The range of risk factors is very wide, with over 100 presumptive risk factors described.”⁵

My 2 cents: Kids should not have strokes! We hope children don’t smoke or consumer excessive alcohol which are adult risk factors for stroke. However, as we saw above, they increasingly share other risks with the metabolic syndrome.* A good start on reducing those factors is to reduce sugary foods in the diet and increase the intake of fruits and vegetables. Lack of antioxidants, magnesium and omega 3 fats in children’s diets should be high on the list of those 100 connections that researchers will investigate.

Circulation Improved in Adolescents. Grape and pomegranate juices where shown to improve blood vessel function in adolescents with metabolic syndrome*. That means better blood pressure.⁶

My 2 cents: Fruit of the Spirit, an advanced fruit concentrate product, contains both grape and pomegranate along with a lot more. Since it has no added sugar but still tastes great, I think Fruit of the Spirit is a good way to slip extra fruits and minerals past picky eaters.

HEALTH TIP(S)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical plasticizer that’s extremely common in food packaging. It acts like an estrogen hormone and studies show it can promote the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells.⁷ (Scientific American has a good article explaining the basic problem. The Environmental Working Group has a good review of the canned food issue and the Chicago Tribune reveals a number of other common sources in this article.) One source we can easily eliminate is the plastic lid that covers paper to-go cups. The liquid passing by them is hot and can more easily pick up BPA. There are worrisome plastics in Styrofoam cups and perhaps even in the glue or lining of paper cups. A reusable ceramic mug or stainless steel travel mug seems the logical answer. The Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) offers more ideas on how the whole family can avoid toxic plastics. PESHU link.

* The American Heart Association’s definition: Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic risk factors including: Abdominal obesity [a big waist], Triglyceride level of 150 milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL) or greater, HDL cholesterol of less than 40 mg/dL in men or less than 50 mg/dL in women, Systolic blood pressure (top number) of 130 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or greater Diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) of 85 mm Hg or greater, Fasting glucose of 100 mg/dL or greater, Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (the body can’t properly use insulin or blood sugar)

My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

My latest book : Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

Copyright 2010 Martie Whittekin, CCN

¹J Atten Disord. 2010 Jul 14. [Epub ahead of print] ADHD Is Associated With a ‘Western’ Dietary Pattern in Adolescents. Howard AL , Robinson M, Smith GJ, Ambrosini GL, Piek JP, Oddy WH.

²Lancet. 2007 Nov 3;370(9598):1560-7. Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. McCann D, Barrett A, Cooper A, Crumpler D, Dalen L, Grimshaw K, Kitchin E, Lok K, Porteous L, Prince E, Sonuga-Barke E, Warner JO, Stevenson J.

³Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2010 Aug 18;2(1):55. [Epub ahead of print] Metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, hypertension and type 2 diabetes in youth: from diagnosis to treatment. Halpern A, Mancini MC, Magalhaes ME, Fisberg M, Radominski R, Bertolami MC, Bertolami A, de Melo ME, Zanella MT, Queiroz MS, Nery M.

⁴Endocr Pract. 2010 May-Jun;16(3):476-85. Vitamin D role and use in prediabetes. Barengolts E.

⁵Expert Rev Neurother. 2010 Aug;10(8):1331-46. Risk factors and treatment outcomes of childhood stroke. Mallick AA, O’Callaghan FJ.

⁶Cardiol Young. 2010 Feb;20(1):73-7. Epub 2010 Feb 22. Acute and long-term effects of grape and pomegranate juice consumption on vascular reactivity in paediatric metabolic syndrome. Hashemi M, Kelishadi R, Hashemipour M, Zakerameli A, Khavarian N, Ghatrehsamani S, Poursafa P.

⁷Endocr Relat Cancer. 2008 Sep;15(3):649-56. Epub 2008 Jun 4. Endocrine disruptors and prostate cancer risk. Prins GS.