Curiously Awesome

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.

The US FDA has now reversed an earlier finding about BPA in plastics. In 2008, the FDA found BPA to be a safe additive in food and beverage plastics. Now recently, the FDA has reversed its position, declaring that it now has concerns about the safety of BPA.

Scientific studies confirm that BPA is a highly toxic endocrine disruptor that can interrupt proper reproductive function and result in cardiovascular disease, liver problems, and diabetes.

A 2009 Harvard University study determined that people drinking from plastic bottles containing BPA for only a week experienced a two-thirds increase of BPA in urine output.

Many manufacturers already voluntarily remove BPA from their products. This is especially true of manufacturers who produce products for babies and young children.

Young children who swim in chlorinated pools may suffer an increased risk of lung infections, lifelong asthma and respiratory allergies.

Researchers conducted health tests on Belgian kindergarteners. They found that 36 percent of the kids who had been exposed to chlorinated pools before the age of two had a history of bronchiolitis–compared with only 24 percent of children who had not been exposed to chlorine.

Researchers believe that chlorine in swimming pools may combine with sweat, saliva and urine from swimmers to create a chemical that irritates and weakens the lungs.

Researchers also found that indoor pools increased infection risk more than outdoor pools.

Researchers recently finished a study that observed significant health benefits in people who eat chocolate.

The key components in chocolate that give it health benefits are the flavanoids. Flavanoids are known to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease because of their anti-clotting characteristics. The antioxidant power of chocolate is also significant. Chocolate has a higher Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) than most common foods. Antioxidants protect the body from the destructive effects of free radicals.

The Chocolate Manufacturers Association claims that dark chocolate has an average ORAC value of over 13,000 and milk chocolate has approximately 6,700.

Swedish researchers have found that breast milk contains ingredients that kill cancer cells in humans. The substance, Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made LEthal to Tumor (HAMLET) cells, is made of a protein and a fatty acid.

HAMLET can kill 40 different types of cancer cells. Additionally, the natural substance is effective in killing one of the most deadly brain cancers — glioblastoma. HAMLET was recently tested on humans. Scientists in Sweden used HAMLET on patients suffering from bladder cancer. After treatment with the breast milk the cancer patients excreted dead cancer cells in their urine.

HAMLET interacts with cell membranes. Using a tracking substance to show the exact location of HAMLET, researchers demonstrated that HAMLET binds to the membranes of tumor cells and kills them. HAMLET does not damage surrounding healthy cells.

Artificial sweeteners can cause metabolic changes in the way the body reacts to real sugar.

Researchers tested 22 healthy young volunteers. The volunteers fasted for several hours and then drank either a diet soda the same amount of carbonated water. Ten minutes later participants drank a sugary beverage and their body’s responses were measured.

Increases in blood glucose levels were the same for everyone. Participants who drank the artificially sweetened drink first showed larger increases in a hormone that is released by the gut when food enters the stomach. This hormone signals the brain to create the feeling of “fullness.” This reaction does not seem to occur in people consuming artificial sweeteners.

Bottom line: Artificial sweeteners have a significant effect on the body’s reaction to other kinds of food.

A new study reveals that sometimes donor recipients acquire certain characteristics or personality traits from their donor. Could the physical heart contain memories belonging to its original owner?

Case in point: a Spanish-speaking man who received a new heart began using words that he had not used prior to his transplant. His donor was a man named David who had died in a car accident. David’s wife used the word “copacetic” to describe the situation. The recipient’s mother then replied that her son had started using that word for the first time and the curious thing was that this word does not even have a Spanish equivalent. There is no explanation how the word entered the recipient’s vocabulary.

Not only the brain, but the heart as well contains important information about a person. Cell communication can continue to occur after an organ has been removed from one person and transplanted into another. Information from the donor may install directly into the recipient’s memory.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness.

As glaucoma progresses, damage to the optic nerve increases and vision deteriorates until there’s only tunnel vision and then no vision at all. Treatment may slow the deterioration, but there’s no cure.

New research suggests drinking green tea regularly may prevent glaucoma.

Phytochemicals in green tea penetrate into tissues of the eyes. The lens, retina and other parts of the eye absorb these antioxidants found in green tea.

Green tea catechins reduce oxidative stress in the eyes linked to glaucoma and other eye diseases. This protection lasts up to 20 hours.

Women who take strategic serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants during pregnancy are more likely to give birth prematurely. Some of the most popular antidepressants are SSRIs, including Prozac.

Researchers compared rates of premature birth between different women. They compared women who were depressed and taking SSRIs with those who were depressed but not taking SSRIs. Women who took SSRIs during pregnancy were twice as likely to give birth prematurely as those who did not take any antidepressants.

It is a confirmed fact that SSRIs can cross the placental barrier and enter into the fetal bloodstream. Research has also shown that babies born to women who used antidepressants during pregnancy often even suffer from withdrawal symptoms.

A vegetable common in India and China called bitter melon has a beneficial impact on blood sugar and cholesterol levels. A new study shows that the vegetable stops breast cancer cells from multiplying and also kills them.

Scientists are now investigating how bitter melon stops cancer cell growth. They want to test the vegetable extract in animals to see if it will kill breast cancer cells. The next step would be clinical trials in human breast cancer patients.

Breast cancer is a major killer. This study may provide a new tool to fight breast cancer.

Bitter melon grows in Asia, Africa and South America. Extracts are currently included in some dietary supplements.