Curiously Awesome

Getting more sun may help your body fight disease. Researchers found that the immune cells responsible for destroying pathogens (T cells) cannot work properly if the body’s vitamin D levels are too low.

Vitamin D is naturally produced by the body when you get exposure to sunlight. Using sunscreen and lessening time outdoors has contributed to common vitamin D deficiencies. Vitamin D is present in some foods such as eggs, fatty fish and fortified milk, it is difficult to get high enough levels from food sources.

Only 15 minutes of sun on the face and hands every day will give a light-skinned person enough vitamin D. Darker skinned people need two to three times as much sun.

The body stops producing vitamin D when levels get high enough, making it impossible to get too much vitamin D from sunlight.

Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and it has also been implicated in fighting diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis.

Researchers have found that consuming foods sweetened with HFCS raises the risk of developing high blood pressure.

One in three Americans has hypertension and many don’t know it. This puts them at risk for several deadly diseases, including heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, blindness and dementia.

People who consume 74 grams or more per day of fructose — the equivalent of 2.5 soft drinks daily — had a greatly increased risk of high blood pressure. A normal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mmHg. For research participants consuming fructose regularly, the risk of a high blood pressure level of 134/85 went up 26 % and the risk of having a blood pressure of 140/90 rose by 30 %. The risk of very high blood pressure — 160/100 — was 77 % higher in people who consumed fructose sweetened foods and drinks on a daily basis.

BPA may increase the risk of asthma in children, according to a recent study.

BPA is a chemical often used in the manufacture of hard, clear plastics like water and baby bottles. You will also find BPA in resins used to line cans of food, beverages and infant formula. Exposure to BPA has been linked to an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, birth defects, and hormonal issues. BPA use in products for young children has been banned in many countries as well as in three U.S. states.

Researchers gave pregnant mice BPA for a week before they gave birth to create a similar BPA level in the mice as pregnant U.S. women have. After the mice babies were born, the researchers exposed the pups of these mice to a common allergy inducer. They then compared responses of mice who had not been exposed to BPA in utero to the mice who had been exposed. They found a greater asthma reaction in the BPA-exposed mice.