Curiously Awesome

Junk food seems to be almost as addictive as heroin, according to a recent study.

Researchers fed rats one of three different diets: a nutritious diet, a healthy diet with no access to junk food, and a diet of unlimited junk food. Rats in the third group quickly became overweight and the weights of rats in the first two groups did not change.

To test the effects of junk food on the brain’s pleasure centers, the researchers stimulated those areas whenever the rats ran on an exercise wheel. The longer the rat ran, the more pleasure it would get.

Rats in the first two groups did not change their exercise behavior. However, the rats eating junk food began running on the wheel longer. This suggests that their brain’s pleasure centers were desensitized.

Researchers then began shocking the rats painfully whenever they ate junk food. The rats in the first two groups quickly stopped eating the junk food but the third group rats continued with the junk food.

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 specific antidepressant drugs while pregnant may double their baby’s risk of developing a certain variety of heart defect.

Researchers compared the risks of birth defects in 1,370 children born to women who took at least one SSRI antidepressant while pregnant with the risk in 400,000 other children whose mothers had not taken SSRIs while pregnant. Drugs including Prozac, Zoloft and Celexa all significantly increased the risk that a child would be born with a defect in the septum (separates the right and left halves of the heart).

Septum defects may just be minor blood vessel problems at best or at worst this defect may involve holes in the heart. Researchers found that one extra septum defect would develop for every 246 pregnant women taking an SSRI — especially any time from 28 days before conception through 112 days after conception.

Taking more than one SSRI during pregnancy drastically increased the risk of these defects.

A recent study focusing on dietary influences on IQ has concluded that children who eat margarine score significantly lower on intelligence tests than children who do not consume margarine. The study involved children born in the 1990s and included their dietary intake and intelligence scores.

Researchers found that children who eat margarine every day score three points lower on IQ tests by age three. By age seven, average IQ scores of margarine eaters was six points lower than non-margarine eating children. This IQ difference occurred only in children who were born underweight (which suggests that disadvantaged brains could be more vulnerable).

Researchers suspect that the culprit may be transfats (partially hydrogenated oils). Transfats have a longer shelf life and are solid at room temperature. Transfats increase the risk of heart attack and death.

A recent report has found that black women who eat fried chicken or burgers (from fast food restaurants) at least two times per week are between 40 and 70 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who do not. Black women are not the only demographic that should be concerned about this study; however. Everyone who eats fast foods (even on a moderate basis) are susceptible to developing diabetes.

The two foods that increased the incidence of diabetes the most were fast food hamburgers and fried chicken. These two menu items were instrumental in causing the most weight gain (resulting in more cases of diabetes).

A previous fast food study conducted in 2004 found similar results.

Some experts recommend consuming smaller amounts and fewer overall calories. It would be far better to make healthier food choices. Eating less fast food is a good start; but changing your diet to include whole foods would be even better.

Many breast cancers depend on estrogen to fuel them. There is a class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors (AI) that block the movement of estrogen. These drugs are used by mainstream medical doctors to attempt to slow the growth of estrogen sensitive breast tumors. Unfortunately, these drugs come loaded with side effects including hot flashes, joint pain, headaches, fatigue, fractures and even heart disease.

Researchers have found a substance that could prevent the development of estrogen-dependent breast cancer: pomegranate fruit.

Pomegranates contain phytochemicals that work much like AIs. Any cancer treatment derived from pomegranates would not have harmful side effects because the fruit is a basic food. Phytochemicals suppress estrogen and this, in turn, prevents the spread of breast cancer cells and estrogen-related tumors.

A recent study conducted on a group of 3,000 women indicates that those who drank two or more artificially-sweetened beverages each day doubled their risk of decline in kidney function.

The study evaluated the effects of all sweetened drinks on progressive kidney decline. The conclusion is that two or more diet drinks per day leads to a twice as fast increase in rapid kidney decline.

High sodium also was indicated as promoting progressive kidney decline. Diet soda contains very high amounts of sodium.

Aspartame was first approved in the 1970s with studies claiming it was safe. The FDA initially approved the chemical for use in some foods based upon studies submitted by G.D. Searle Co. (the creator of aspartame). Shortly thereafter, a discovery made by a research psychiatrist who found that a primary ingredient in aspartame caused holes to form in the brains of mice. The FDA then created its own internal task force to investigate the original claims about aspartame’s safety.

The FDA discovered a series of falsified claims, doctored study results, and pertinent information missing.

Over the past 25 years, studies continue to be released that support aspartame’s safety even though they do not address the results of other studies that have concluded aspartame is dangerous.

The most prudent course of action is to avoid artificial sweeteners completely. There are many safe alternatives (stevia, for example) which will provide sweetening without harmful side effects.

Opiate painkillers are often used to treat acute and chronic pain. Morphine, especially, is used to relieve the pain of cancer patients. New evidence from two new studies reveals that opiate-based painkillers may actually increase the growth and spread of malignancies.

The idea of opiate drugs contributing to cancer recurrence surfaced about eight years ago from several unrelated clinical studies.

In laboratory studies using cell cultures and mice, scientists found that morphine revved up the multiplication of tumor cells. In addition, it inhibited the immune response and promoted the growth of the blood vessels that help nourish tumors and help them to thrive.

It would seem prudent to block the cancer-fueling ability of opiates by using them for as short a time as possible (or not at all even).

Grapefruit extract…naturally present in grapefruit…may help prevent the physiological changes that produce the condition known as metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Earlier studies have found that something present in grapefruit might be helpful to the body in regulating blood fats and sugars.

One recent study has found that people who ate one red grapefruit per day may reduce their cholesterol levels by 15% and their triglycerides by 17%. The grapefruit may also act to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Another study has determined that the naturally-occurring flavonoid naringenin may work similarly to the sugar-regulating hormone insulin. Naringenin appears to work by causing the liver to burn excess fat instead of storing it. This decreases the ability of liver cells to make cholesterol and thereby reduces insulin levels.

Home-use whitening products may deplete teeth’s protective enamel.

Researchers tested five different tooth whitening products for either 10 or 21 days. They then measured any changes to hardness or elasticity and compared these findings with tests of five tooth samples that had not been exposed to whitening products.

Some of the tooth whiteners were over-the-counter products and others were prescription products. All are intended to be used at home.

Teeth treated with whitening products had lost between 1.2 and 2 nanometers of thickness and between 6 and 18.8 percent elasticity. Elasticity is a measure of the enamel’s ability to recover from an applied force.

Untreated teeth lost only 0.4 nanometers of thickness, and had less of a decrease in elasticity.

Because enamel is translucent, it reflects the yellow color of the dentin underneath. Teeth whitening products use either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide to bleach the organic pigment of the enamel.

Some side effects of tooth bleaching include gum irritation and tooth sensitivity.