Cholesterol Control and Managing Obesity: Are you serious??

Oh god! Oh god! Oh god! I had to say it three times. I felt disgusted when i attended the so called 'Safety Day' and I just have to publish this so called 'Cholesterol Control' and 'Managing Obesity' brochure provided by National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia and Malaysian Association of Dieticians. I'm not going to go in details about heart disease, cholesterol and foods, but I will just upload the snapped pictures of the brochures and let you guys judge yourself. 

Why do we have more people with huge potbelly and being out of shape? Why incidence of obesity is increasing tremendously? Why cardiovascular/heart disease is still the no.1 cause of death in most industrialized countries? Why are we getting sicker and having low energy most of the time? Well, below are some of the reasons why, and the misinformation given to people like me, you and all of us! What happen to health care? What happen to proper nutrition and dietician guidance which suppose to lead the population to eat right? We are facing infertility issues amongst most of us, human species are becoming extinct and dying prematurely, reasons? Thanks to so called 'health professionals' who provided us with below information. We have been mislead and misfed. 

The food guide practially leading you to become 'FATLANDER'. Recommend pizza for weight loss?  This is just absurd and it explains why so many Malaysians are so darn fat! 

Angiogram showing a healthy heart. If you want to maintain a healthy heart, say NO to grains, sugar, vegetable cooking oil and trans fat. Cholesterol and saturated fats DO NOT cause heart disease!

"We eat according to the food pyramid guide and why are we still fat? Isn't eating grains and carbs suppose to make us look lean and healthy?"

Pesticides & Chemicals (Part 3)

As some of you might notice, more and more organically grown vegetables, fruits and other food products are being sold in the supermarkets and organic outlets. Demand is higher now, compared to couple years ago. More people, starting to realize the health benefits of eating organic whole foods, but there are still majority of population have yet to change from non organic diet, to a cleaner, safer, more nutritious organic whole foods.

Today, I will discuss the final post about how pesticides exposure could cause damage to developing babies as well as sharing some of the ways to protect yourself from pesticides toxicity. With most conceiving soon to be mums are not aware of the harmful affects of pesticides contamination of food products, you may want to pay attention to this post.

While pesticides exposure may not be as great from eating contaminated foods, the cumulative effects can be significant, especially considering that exposure begins even before birth.

The brain is one of the systems to arise in the embryo, and its development continues long after birth, putting the organ at an extreme disadvantage during the nine month period in the womb. Most injuries to the brain during the early phase of development are fatal before birth, of greatest concern are those that occur later in the pregnancy and do not kill the fetus, but may cause serious defects in the child.

Most pesticides kill bugs either by interfering with neurotransmission, or by altering neuron function. Unfortunately, these substances also affect humans in the same way. The governing theory behind using these dangerous substances as bug killers is based on the idea of differential toxicity, as bugs are smaller then humans, so killing them requires a proportionately smaller dose. It may not kill us in smaller dose, but it certainly alter cellular functions.

Now, let's discuss abit about PCBs. Some of you might heard before, but most of you have never heard of this substance ever in your life. It's another contaminant which was banned for general use back in the 1970's. This oily substances was used in the electrical industry, in die and machine cutting oils, as heat exchange fluids, and in materials such as paints, plastics, etc. Like many other neurotoxic compounds, it is highly fat soluble. Bear in mind, the brain is composed of 60% fat, and readily accumulates these toxins.

Normally, the liver detoxfies these lipophilic substances by making them water soluble, thus, increasing their excretion from the body. However, PCBs inhibit the liver enzyme necessary to accomplish this task. As a result, toxins may linger in the body for a very long time. In fact, PCBs half life is about 8 yrs, meaning that after 8 years period, only half the PCB in your body will have been eliminated.

One disturbing article that appeared in Neurotoxicology, reported that children exposed to pesticides developed hypersensitive reactions to these or similiar pesticides as adults. This may explain some cases of multiple chemical sensitivity. Cross reaction among chemical toxicants is increasingly recognized in the medical literature. For example, exposure to formaldehyde makes one overly sensitive to cocaine. With enormous number of powerful chemicals entering our environment, we can only expect that occurances of such interactions will increase.

Let's move on to the following discussion. How do we protect ourselves? With so much toxins and chemicals and overload of daily ingestion of pesticides from foods and drinks, is it possible to reduce the damage and protect ourselves? First and most important, remove as many toxins, pesticides and chemicals from your immediate environment as possible. This means no further pesticide treatments, which include bugs treatment. Avoid bug sprays and use only safe natural insecticides outdoors if really needed. Next, cancel your lawn service if you do have one.

When comes to foods, you should avoid canned, packaged and other forms of processed foods. Eat as much organically grown local whole foods to your best ability on daily basis. When you buy vegetables and fruits, buy organic. I know most of you would be thinking, how on earth would I be able to eat organic celery and avocado? They are very expensive and I can't afford it. Well, if you can afford driving a HONDA, TOYOTA, or perhaps continental Europe luxury cars, eating organic whole foods seem resonable and sane. How about some of you spending few hundreds bucks monthly on beers and alcohol or junk foods but complain about investing on real foods? That is just ABSURD!

I've taught alot of my clients and friends on how to eat safe, healthy and nutritious foods on daily basis based on controlled budget. I don't blame some people whose monthly income is not very high, but it is their determination, discipline and mental strength which drive them to want to eat healthy and be healthy. You could be millionaire and still refuse to eat organically grown whole foods and spent on ess important stuff. Rings a bell? I know some of you who read this may hate me, but some of you may agree.

As for non-vegetarians, buy only free range organic meats from local people you know well. Some farmers may not be as honest as you think, you might need to do some homework to find out and go for safer, cleaner meats. Animals which are caged up or fedlot, overdosed with antibiotics and synthetic growth hormones and fed on diet contaminated with pesticides and GMOs, are basically sick malnurished animals. These animals most of the time developed certain nasty diseases and loaded with harmful microbes, pathogens and bacterias. Do you know that some commercial chickens are fed pig feces?? It is absolutely disgusting and you guys are eating the chickens!

For beef lovers, go for organic, grass fed cows which are not injected with antibiotics and synthetic hormones. Commercial cows are one of the most toxic laden animals on the planet. Heard of mad cow disease? Theoretically, ingesting 'infected' tissues of dead animals can spread mad cow disease. Vitamin manufacturers are switching to vegetable capsules and people are avoiding animal based products.

Now, people with powerful detoxification systems can tolerate exposures to many toxins that make people with weak detoxification systems very sick. Detoxification systems exist in most cells, but the body's major detoxification apparatus is the liver. This cleansing systems depends on a good supply of detoxification chemicals such as sulfur, glutathione, taurine and selenium to successfully accomplish this task. Several plants flavanoids and vitamins have been shown to possess a remarkable ability to stimulate the detoxification process. Some of them are cartenoids and curcumin. Also, milk thistle plant extract significantly improves liver cell function and it is a powerful antioxidant, protecting liver cells from free radicals and lipid peroxidation damage. Next, the flavanoid curcumin, also protects the liver, and improves flow of bile as well.

Also, riboflavin also plays a major role in detoxification, as it is a component in detox process. Magnesium deficiency is very common with heavy metals toxicity and toxic chemical exposure. Both of these toxicities cause increases the excretion of magnesium in the urine.

So, there you go. A list of important detoxification chemicals or supplements which can help you liver to detox more effectively. Of course, there are other herbs or supplements which are also beneficial to help liver detoxification, but these are some ideal ones to start off with, but each individual might not experience same results with others. Last but not least, try eat as much organic whole foods as possible on daily basis.

- Milk Thistle Extract

- Aged garlic extract

- Circumin

- Alpha Lipoic acid

- Thiamine

- Vitamin E succinate

Pesticides & Chemicals (Part 2)

How many of you are okay with the fact that your food is laden with pesticides and chemicals? Hands up please. How many of you has a fairly good knowledge about food toxicity and adverse effects of pesticides? How many of you is eating at least 70% organic whole foods on daily basis? 

Today, I'll share with you guys some of the different types of pesticides and herbicides. For starters, whoever smokes, should realize that each cigarette, contains a high amount of pesticide DDT. Apart from this, there are other more common pesticides such as organophosphates, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and carbamates. All these pesticides employ a neurotoxic mechanism to kill insects. Furthermore, most of the pesticides and herbicides are easily absorbed through the skin and lungs. This is why you would see labels to wash all spills off your skin with copious amounts of soap and water immediately!

When we consider the magnitude of exposure from indoor bug and termite treatments, our pesticide/herbicide exposure from foods is actually pretty small. Some people who buy vegetable wash and scrub all their fruits and vegetables to remove pesticides, and then also have a pesticide service treat their home inside and out every month. Because they don't see any lingering vapors, they assume the pesticide and therefore their homes are safe.

Organophosphate pesticides kill bugs by inhibiting a special enzyme, also found in humans, called cholinesterase. Under normal circumstances, this naturally occuring enzyme deactivates acetylcholine to prevent overstimulation of muscles and central neural pathways. When cholinesterase is deactivated, acetylcholine overstimulates muscles, resulting in an inability to control movements. Heavy exposures can cause death from respiratory paralysis.

While it has been assumed that the toxic effects of organophosphates are caused solely by cholinesterase inhibition, studies have shown that another mechanism may also be involved. In fact, low concentration exposure can produce lasting neurological problems, such as memory defects and reduced ability to concentrate. 

Another disturbing effect of the organophosphate, is that findings of a high incidence of auto-antobodies to myelin and the nucleus of cells. These are the types of autoimmune antibodies found in autism and lupus. Individuals exposed to this particular pesticide have reported muscle pains, fatigue, flu like symptoms, and defects in tests of rapid visual identification and decision making. In addition, these people demonstrate difficulties with problem solving and complex processiong of information.

Next, carbamates are widely used as berbicides, pesticides and fungicides. Like organophosphates, they are easily absorbed through the skin, producing rapid toxicity. Exposure can cause acute memory loss, vertigo, numbness in the hands and feet, increased sensitivity to light, fatigue and visual impairment that can last over a year. Well, in some instances, these symptoms are permanent. 

Another very toxic substance, chlorinated hydrocarbons or also known as cyclodienes. This substance is the most highly toxic of any of the organochlorine pesticides. These includes chlordane and endosulfan. Excessive exposure can cause seizures, loss of coordination, brain swelling,  and liver failure. One ongoing problem with chlordane is that it can persist in the soil for twenty years! For homes, it is fifteen years after application. 

Now, let's discuss about how these pesticides can interfere with some of the vital neurotransmiter in the brain. Whoever read my earlier posts, you would have known about GABA. The organochlorine group of pesticides, such as lindane, kills bugs by intefering with GABA receptors, making them convulse to death. GABA, is a neurotransmitter that calms the nervous system by inhibiting excitatory neurons. The brain becomes overexcited when GABA is deficient.

The importance of the GABA system is emphasized by the fact that it is one of the earliest systems to develop in the fetal brain, usually by 6-7 weeks. The number of GABA receptors increases sharply betweem eight and eleven weeks of development. It is known that drugs that target these receptors can cause long lasting behavioral changes.

Those with neurological diseases, especially disorders related to excitotoxicity, are especially vulnerable to these pesticides, since GABA is essential in preventing overexcitation of the nervous system. Patients with ALS, suffers excitotoxic disorder of the spinal cord. 

Organochlorine type of pesticides are accumulating in our foods, and in our bodies as well. Significant levels of these compounds have been measured in human breast milk and can pass easily through the placenta. Soon to be mums and breasfeeding mums, please do take note. 

I'm sure alot of you must be wondering and asking, how about residues on fruits and vegetables? if I wash my veggies and fruits, the pesticides and chemicals should be eliminated right? Well, the answer is NO. While, billions of pounds of pesticides and herbicides are used globally on our crops, we obviously have a problem, a big problem. Because many pesticides including DDT, have demonstrated major toxicity and carcinogenicity, they have been banned in certain countries including USA. 

The highest concentration of these pesticides can be found in the following foods such as tomatoes, potatoes, ornages, lettuce, apples, peaches, wheat, soybeans, beans, carrots, beef, chicken, pork, corn, grapes, etc. Some fruits of vegetables, contains up to combination of 13 different pesticides in a single piece! Bear in mind, some fruits and vegetables, such as bell peppers, peaches, cucumbers, oranges, apples eggplants, are waxed to slow spoilage. Often, pesticides that cannot be washed off with water are added to these waxes. 

Pesticides poisoning is not at all uncommon. One particular alarming incident occured where the use of systemic pesticide, called aldicarb on watermelons. A systemic pesticide is one that permeates the entire plant, not just the outside. Tainted watermelons! Symptoms varied from nausea and vomiting to even seizures, nerve damage and blurred vision.

Studies have shown that firty to seventy chemical residues present in the fatty tissue of ordinary adults in the Unites States alone. Several studies have also shown that pesticide residues in breast milk. Again, your infant DO NOT know how to tell you NOT to feed him or her pesticide contaminated milk! It is parents responsibility to research and ensure whatever been fed to the infant or child, it is clean and safe.

In the brain, many of these powerful chemicals alter neurotransmission, receptor function, and membrane physiology. It alters the brain's immune system, while others mainly affect the vascular supply to the brain, and still others destroys specific parts of the brain such as the substantia nigra responsible for Parkinson's disease.

Most people assume that if they experience no symptoms at the time they are exposed, they haven't been affected. This is wrong. It's a dangerous presumption. The effects of early exposure to many of these chemicals may not appear until much later in life. Most neurological disorders do not develop clinically until 80% of the neurons in a particular area of the brain have been destroyed. 

In the next final post, I will discuss about how pesticides could affect the developing babies and how we can protect ourselves from these neurotoxic substances. Stay tuned. 

Pesticides & Chemicals (Part 1)

I know a family, a wealthy family, who owns several huge high class condominiums and a nice car. The husband, particularly has virtually zero believe and faith about organic foods, but I do not blame him, as I respect his mentality and point of view. There are certain people, no matter how hard you bring out the discussion and try to convince him or her, it's either useless or waste of time. It's a fixed mindset! It's like trying to win a losing war. There are people, who would spend huge loads of money on entertainment and other non important stuff, but, spending on healthy clean organic food is definitely not in their list. Some would say, it's a waste of money, and some would point out that foods are all the same, it goes into the mouth and out from the colon and rectum. 

I know I have discussed about organic foods, pesticides and chemicals in my previous posts, but today, I would want to share with you guys abit more about these dangerous substances. Although in Malaysia, more and more people are buying organic foods, but vast majority of the population are still clueless and hesitant about investing on organic foods.

Now, let's start of with some discussion about one of the culprits of whole list of health conditions we suffer today. PESTICIDES! From infertility to cancer, poor sexual and cognitive performance to nervous system and endocrine disorders, you name it, it plays a major role in some of the conditions we seen since few decades ago. As we have seen, major questions have not been answered about the toxic effects of aspartame and MSG on the human brain, yet neither the government, nor the industries that use these chemicals, are doing anything to satisfy our rights to know. We have witnessed the same blindness with fluoride, vaccinations and other toxins forced on the public. Question is, how many of us realize and know about this? How long will this continue?

Does any of you know how many chemicals are registered in EPA registry? It's over 75 thousands! And this data is not even up to date. The vast majority of these chemicals have not been tested adequately for potentially toxic nervous system effects, especially higher cortical functions, such as memory, cognitive ability and executive functions of the brain. Because we come into contact with them everyday, food additives and cosmetics ingredients pose a particular concern.

For example, back in the century, face powder contained white lead. Hundreds of incidences of lead poisoning cases later, cosmetics containing the harmful component were removed from the market. What was the fate of women exposed to these substance long term? No one knows and no one seem to care.

How about people like us, you, me and everyone else. You stroll along the valley of supermarkets and try to decipher or read and figure out the ingredient lists in the food products. Well, most of us assume that the unidentifiable ingredients must be safe, or the FDA would have recalled them. We also naively imagine that they must have been carefully tested or our regulatory agencies wouldn't allow food processors use them in the first place. Right? Hell wrong!! The vast majority of these ingredients have never been tested for long term neurological effects. Guess what? You and your family get to be the guinea pigs!

When it comes to food additives, the vast majority have never been tested for long term effects on the brain as well. Even those that have been tested for effects on the body tissues have never been tested in combination with other toxins. For instance, what happens when you combined the two food adiditives in the body? Nobody knows. And that's the real problem. Imagine chewing on a gum which has both dangerous artificial sweetener sucralose and aspartame at the same time. We are the experimental pigs!

Millions of people are exposed to these chemicals and neurotoxins daily, either at workplace or home. Most of us are not even aware that these commonly used chemicals can damage the nervous system. We assume that if they were really dangerous, the FDA and EPA would have told us. We put our trust in those who should not be trusted.

The EPA and FDA simply ignore neurotxocity whenever they can, and in some instances, bureaucrats go out of their way actually to protect the offending industries. Those who blow the whistle can expect a full wrath of the system falling down on them. What a shame!

It is already enormous, and continues to grow unchecked. More than a thousand new compounds are added every year to the existing stock of more then 75 thousand chemicals. Among these chemicals, close to forty thousands pesticides registered with EPA, many of which are neurotoxic. Worldwide, close to five billion pounds are used annually. Approximately up to 80% of livestock are treated with pesticides.

In the past, pesticides allowed us to grow the enormous amounts of food necessary to literally feed the world. There is little question that millions of lives were saved by the use of pesticides, yet things have improved on the bug war front as well. Newer natural methods of controlling incescts have been devised but never implemented on the wide scale. Corporate farms did not want to cut profits for the sake of safety, and smaller family farmers have been brainwashed into believing in the safety of these toxic chemicals.

Check this out. In cancer cases, especially lymphomas and leukemias, the highest incidence in the population occurs in people who work on farms. The same is true for Parkinson's disease. Lured into believing these powerful chemicals were safe, farmers drenched everything in pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, including themselves and their families.

If you think that you are safe because you don't live in a farm, think again. Because of our national obsession with bug-free homes and perfect lawns, these same chemicals are saturating city neighborhoods as well. Lawn treatment spraying from yard to yard, spraying heavy herbicides and weed control toxins over the grass. We had to hide in our homes to wait until the vapor is settled and warn our children not to play in the yards that have been treated.

In the next post, I will discuss more details about pesticides and herbicides and the roles of these chemicals how they affect our host body and health. Stay tuned.

Approximately 6 billions tons of pesticides been sprayed into our food supply annually.

Pesticides on your food?? Bad idea!

Celery, rated as worst ever pesticides contamination with 95%. A single commercial celery contains up to 13 chemicals, while 67 different pesticides were used on the entire group of celery.

Peaches, rated 2nd worst, as 96% of peaches were positively tested for pesticides. A single peach, contains 9 different pesticides.

Strawberries, ranked 3rd amongst the most contaminated with pesticides, with  13 different chemicals and 53 different pesticides were discovered.

Blueberries, ranked 5th, with 13 different chemicals in a single  blueberry.

Sauerkraut : Fermented Cabbage

A quick look at one of the fermented foods which one can eat and enjoy, welcome Sauerkraut. Bought this product from one of the organic shops in Klang Valley area, I would say that it is quite difficult to find this fermented product widely popular in Germany, Poland and other parts of Europe. 

This product is organic of course, go through at least 6 weeks of full fermentation using only sea salt and organic cabbage and water. Hand harvested using traditional fermentation techniques, try it out, it may taste a bit sour, but fermented foods should be part of your regular diet. Try it out, mix it with your cooked dishes, you may love it. Meanwhile, I will write about fermented foods in coming posts and the benefits of incorporating it into our diet, why is it so important, and what is it all about. Stay tuned.

The SOY evidence..journals and studies

It's about time, more people need to know and realize about the danger of soybean. Some people ask me, you can write what you think, and the public who read all the soybean posts I wrote earlier, may be biased or untrue. Now, I hereby present to you, some of the medical and nutrition journals about soybean. For soybean lovers, have an open mind, read the medical journals. There is no debate about it, case closed! 

Meanwhile, the medical and nutrition journals below are just part of the whole complete archives which indicate and prove that soybean is NOT a healthy food and it causes tons of adverse impact to our health including infertility, thyroid issues, malnutrition, endocrine disruption, cancer and even reduced penis size and length and low sperm count. And yes, man boobs and erectile dysfunction too! 

Soybean – Is it a healthy food? Is it safe?

- Neurotoxicology journals

-  Reproductive toxicology journals

-  Nutrition journals

-  American journals of Neuroendocrinology 

 - Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland

- Department of Reproduction and Genetics, Nanjing University of Clinical Medicine, China

- Division of Biochemical Toxicology, NCTR, Jefferson, AR, USA

- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Neuroscience Institute of Torino, University of Torino, Torino, Italy

- Department of Oncology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA

-  Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, United States

- Center for Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Disorders, Beth Israel Medical Deaconess Center, Harvard Medical School, Department of Medicine

- Developmental Endocrinology and Endocrine Disruptor Section, Laboratory of Molecular Toxicology, USA

- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA

- Institute of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.

FDA Scientists Against Soy: 

1999, NIH NIEHS scientists Dr. Doerge and Dr. Sheehan have for decades consistently proven highly toxic soy-cause of multiple adverse body & brain effects, especially caused to most developmentally fragile fetus, infants, and children.

www.alkalizeforhealth.net/Lsoy2.htm

1999, Phytoestrogens are compounds found in plant foods (largely soybeans) that exhibit estrogen-like activity, and display both estrogen-like activity and anti-estrogen effects.  Interindividual diversity and complexity in dietary phytoestrogen absorption and metabolism make their bioactivity unpredictable.  Their actions in specific cells are determined by many factors; levels of estrogen receptor-alpha and -beta, and the diverse cocktail of co-activators and co-repressors present in any given cell type.  Overall, it is naïve to assume that exposure to these compounds is always good. Inappropriate or excessive exposure to phytoestrogens may be detrimental to health. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10548876

2001, NIEHS Report: Dietary (soy) genistein produced effects in multiple estrogen-sensitive tissues in male and female mice consistent with estrogenic activity…...within exposure ranges in humans.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11738518

2002, Neurobehavioral effects of dietary soy phytoestrogens; These studies used a commercially available diet rich in phytoestrogens (Phyto-rich) verses a diet relatively free of phytoestrogens (Phyto-free).  The phyto-rich diet fed to adult male and female rats produced anxiolytic effects.  When learning and memory parameters were examined the visual-spatial memory (VSM), the diet treatments significantly changed the typical sexually dimorphic pattern of VSM.  Phyto-rich females executed the VSM task in a manner similar to that of phyto-free fed males.  Phyto-rich males VSM was comparable to Phyto-free fed females.  Results indicate that consumption of dietary phytoestrogens resulting in high plasma isoflavone levels (in many cases over a relative short interval of consumption) can significantly alter sexually dimorphic brain region, anxiety, learning, and memory.  These findings identify biological actions of phytoestrogens on the brain and behavior.   

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11836067

Feminize Male Brain: 

2003 study, Johns Hopkins, AB Wisniewski et al, Perinatal (soy) genistein exposure results in transient and lasting alterations in masculinization of the reproductive system. Exposure to genistein during gestation and lactation de-masculinizes the reproductive system in rats. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12629420

2010, Soy As An Endocrine Disruptor: Cause For Caution:  Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs_ alter the function of the endocrine system and consequently cause adverse health effects.  Phytoestrogens, natural plant compounds abundantly found in soy and soy products, behave as weak estrogen mimics or as anti-estrogen.  They are considered to be EDCs.  Supporting evidence that consumption of phytoestrogens is beneficial is indirect and inconsistent.  Lifetime exposure to estrogenic substances, especially during critical periods of development, has been associated with formation of malignancies and several anomalies of the reproductive systems.  Phytoestrogen consumption in infants is of particular concern.  Possible adverse effects should not be taken lightly.   

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/upbmed/21175082

Evidence That Early Exposure to Soy Hormone Disruptors Can Masculinize Female Brain, and Feminize Male Brain:

Soy de-masculinized male, and de-feminized females…(Soy) Genistein during critical period could disrupt brain differentiation. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17109964

Neonatal (soy) genistein or BPA alters sexual differentiation de-masculinizing males and de-feminizing females… Phytoestrogenic genistein is a endocrine active compounds (EAC). Acute exposure to EAC alter AVPV Development.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16427766

2011, Developmental exposure to estrogenic compounds can disrupt sexual differentiation in adult reproductive function in many animals including humans. Phytoestrogens in the diet comprise a significant source of estrogenic exposure to humans, particularly infants who are fed soy-based infant formula. Studies clearly demonstrate that environmentally relevant doses of genistein have significant negative impacts on ovarian differentiation, estrous cyclicity, and fertility in the rodent model. Additional studies of reproductive function in human populations exposed to phytoestrogens during development are warranted.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20955782

Masculinize Female Brain: 

Soy De-feminizes female brain.  Reversal of sex roles in genetic female mice by disruption of estrogen receptor gene. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13129486

Deficiency of normal estrogen receptor gene function led to behavioral change in female mice, aggression was increased. Disruption of ER gene led to a pattern of hormonal and neural changes which caused female to lose their normal female-typical behavior and to behave more like males. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8990081

2011 study; A Lehraiki et al. It is well known that genistein, an isoflavone found in soybeans and soy products, mimics the actions of estrogens …. Genistein inhibits testosterone secretion by fetal Leydig cells during early fetal development within the “masculinization programming window." These results suggest that fetal exposure to phytoestrogens can affect the development and function of the male reproductive system.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21624456

2007, Genistein is a phytoestrogen, abundant in soybeans that can bind estrogen receptors and sex hormone binding proteins, exerting both estrogenic and antiestrogenic activity. Results demonstrate that genistein acts similarly to estradiol, has an organizational effect on vasotocin system and copulatory behavior. In this avian (quail) model embryonic exposure to phytoestrogens may have life-long effects on sexual differentiation of brain structures and behaviors. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17274996

Infant Leukemia: 

2010, Genistein is a bioflavonoid enriched in soy products. High levels of maternal soy consumption linked to the development of infant leukemia. Genistein induced infant leukemia. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20638367

2007, Study demonstrates that biologically relevant concentrations of soy genistein flavonoids can induce abnormalities in mixed-linage leukemia. Particularly alarming knowing mother’s metabolism can lead to higher flavonoid concentration on fetal side. Raise public awareness and set guidelines for marketing flavonoid supplements to reduce risk of infant leukemias. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17468513

2010- Endocrine disruptors, chemicals that disturb the actions of endogenous hormone, have been implicated in birth defects associated with hormone-dependent development.Phytoestrogens are a class of endocrine disruptors found in plants. ….soy phytoestrogens.Effects of genistein on reproductive development and spatial learning required exposure throughout the pre-and postnatal periods. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20053350

2011, Isoflavone research revealed adverse effects on reproductive system. This is also the case with tumor-promoting effects on breast tissue. Questions about the effectiveness and safety of isoflavones have to be clarified. There are concerns about the maternal consumption of isoflavones due to the development of leukemia in infants. 

 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21438720

Exposure To Soy Hormone Disruptors Prove Adverse Male Reproductive Effects: 

2008, Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) exert hormone-like activity and exposure to these compounds may induce deleterious effects including functional alterations that contribute to decreased reproduction and fitness.  The EDCs examined included estradiol, androgen active compounds, soy phytoestrogens, and atrazine.  All EDCs impaired reproduction.  Male sexual behavior proved to be a sensitive index of EDC exposure and embryonic exposure to a variety of EDCs consistently resulted in impaired male sexual behavior.     www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18006066

2011. A number of reports demonstrate adverse effects of soy isoflavones due to their estrogen-like properties has increased. Loss of libido and erectile dysfunction is associated with soy product consumption. This case emphasized the impact of soy isoflavones in the regulation of sex hormone and associated physical alterations.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21353476

Soy is reproductive endocrine disruptor: decreases male fertility. 

 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19919579

Soy is associated with lower sperm count; 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18650557

2010, Soy and soy-based products are widely consumed by infants and adult individuals. These studies show that long-term exposure to dietary soy and phytoestrogens may affect male reproductive function resulting in a decrease in sperm count and fertility.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20171261

Soy-cause of Erectile Dysfunction in adulthood. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17673432

Exposure To Soy Hormone Disruptors Prove Adverse Female Reproductive Effects:

2009, Adverse soy-transfer through generations: Genistein at 500ppm and ethinyl estradiol at 50ppb produced similar effects in continuously exposed rats, including decreased body weights, accelerated vaginal opening, and altered estrous cycles in young animals. …a reduction in litter size was evidence in genistein-treated animals. These compound-specific effects appeared to be enhanced in the offspring of prior exposed generations.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19159674

NIEHS Report; Deleterious effects on female reproductive system in adulthood.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17604387

Disruption of female reproductive system by soy phytoestrogen genistein in adulthood.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17250991

Infant girls fed soy show reestrogenization at 6 months…..Examination of infants consuming soy for plausible effects of estrogens is valid and repeatable

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed /18335112

2006, Dietary component, such as fat or phytochemicals in plant foods, can have an opposite effect on breast cancer risk if exposed in utero through a pregnant mother or at puberty. Dietary exposure during pregnancy often has similar effects on breast cancer risk among mothers and their female offspring. There is extensive programming of the mammary gland during fetal life and subsequent reprogramming at puberty and pregnancy. Thus, dietary exposure during pregnancy and puberty may play an important role in determining later risk by inducing epigenetic changed that modify vulnerability to breast cancer. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17261753

De-feminize female mice: 2010, Females exposed to (soy)daidzein showed significantly less ERalpha expression in bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial amygdale. Findings show that maternal exposure to daidzein has a masculinization effect on memory and social behavior, suggesting a potential role of ER alpha distribution in the brains…. 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20505512

2005, De-masculinize male mice: John Hopkins School of Medicine: Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals adversely affects reproductive development and behavior in males. Aggressive behaviors were decreased whereas defensive behaviors were increased in males that received the low-dose (soy) genistein diet. Exposure to genistein during critical periods of sex differentiation results in concurrent and persistent de-masculinization in male mice. Given the popularity of soy infant formulas the influence isoflavone exposure on reproductive and behavioral health in boys and men should be considered.  www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15708785

"Diet and exercise talk" - Double jokers!

I just attended a so called "diet and exercise talk" recently. I told myself, I need to write and share with whoever reading this post today, about that talk which blew me away in a bad way. I had actually anticipated what would be presented and shared amongst the audience on that day itself, but, what can I say? The talk was purely about Law of thermodynamics and calorie counting. Boring, boring and very flawed theory and presentation.

Some of my clients were in the talk as well and of course, they asked some really basic questions about foods, diet and weight loss which the so called 'dietician' failed to answer correctly. Worst of all, she tried to avoid the questions and acted quite defensively. There are actually 2 sessions about health which was presented to the audience on that day itself. Exercise and foods for weight loss. Both turned out to be mediocrely absurb yet waste of time and most of the information presented were misleading and incorrect. The cute looking lady who presented on the exercise for weight loss is actually a physiotherapist! Since when physiotherapist qualify to give exercise on weight loss talk?

Anyhow, below are some of the questions thrown to the dietician and physiotherapist on both sessions.

Dietician (Miss Kong) Columbia Asia Hospital

Question 1

Audience:  As she was just beginning to explain and recommend the audience of what weight loss meal should consists(includes grains), one of my clients asked, "Isn't grains containing gluten unhealthy and causes health issues?" "Shouldn't we avoid it?"

Dietician: Oh, we are not talking about other health issues here today. We focus on weight loss. Only barley contains gluten and other grains are okay to consume.

Audience: In this case, which types of grains are safe and recommended to consume? 

Dietician: I did not recommend eating grains and gluten is just one of the nutrients in the grains. (You gotta be freakin kidding me big time!! She endorsed consuming grains for weight loss meal and now she said no? Make up your mind Miss dietician!) 

Question 2

Audience: Is soybean based foods safe to consume?

Dietician: Yes it is. (That's what happen when you enrolled in any dietician or typically nutritionist course or certification. American Dietician Association is funded by food industry! And she definitely is severely lack of knowledge and got tons of reading to do. Read your nutrition and medical journals Miss dietician!)

Question 3

Audience: Let's say if one eats 6-7 avocados a day, which each avocado contains about 350-370 calories, and total calories is around 2200-2500 daily, would soley eating avocado promotes weight gain as that person consume more calories then he or she normally does? Let's say that person consumes around 2000 calories daily and goal is weight loss.

Dietician: Not necessary can experience weight gain. May I know the purpose of eating so many avocado per day? Is it because of Omega?

Audience: Because your whole presentation of weight loss is all about counting calories and eat low fat and low calorie diet, this is why I'm asking if eating a high fat high calories diet would result in weight gain. The answer should be YES, because more calories consumed, but why did you say maybe no? 

Dietician: I need to know what that person previous diet plan first in order to determine if he or she can gain weight or not by eating that amount of avocados daily. (She sounded seriously dumb and doesn't know what she is even talking!)

** That question itself, by using avocado and a high fat higher calories foods, is to debunk her whole theory and recommendation of counting total calories consumed and lower fat intake. And guess what, she don't even know that this question is proving her wrong and the law of thermodynamics and calorie reduction is hugely flawed. 

Question 4

Audience: What is leptin? (She was presenting on leptin and some of the audience are curious)

Dietician: She gave some retarded answer which no one seem to understand. She was saying that leptin is a chemical developed in the brain. (Oh god, if someone who holds a MAsters degree in Dietitics and has this knowledge about human body or nutrition, what will our health status and future be for general population?) 

Miss Physiotherapist (Also work in Columbia Asia hospital)

Question 1

Audience: Can eat fast food and have weight loss?

Physio: Yes you can, as long as you exercise. (Well, did she know she has to mountain bike or run the boring treadmill for more then 2 hours to burn off that Big Mac each time she eats Big Mac? Promoting eating fast foods for audience, that's a joke! My grandma can be far better health advisor then her.) 

Question 2

Audience: Will poor sleeping patterns affect weight loss? 

Physio: No, it won't. (Does she even know why we have cravings for sugar when stay up late at night? Late night awake -> Cravings for sugar -> cortisol and insulin elevation -> blood sugar mobilization and fat storing -> insulin/leptin resistance -> weight gain and chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Question 3

Audience: Is sit ups an effective and safe exercise? Will it burn abdominal fats?

Physio: Yes, it is safe and good exercise for the abs. It will not burn abdominal fats but will strengthen the abs muscles.

Audience: Then, why do I feel lower back pain when performing the exercise?

Physio: Did you do it on the hard surface?

Audience: No, normal surface with yoga mat.

Physio: Hmm..it shouldn't be the case. I'm not too sure.

** Of all people, a physiotherapist provided this answer. I'm out of words seriously. Doesn't she know about excessive flexion of rectus abdominus and huge stress of erector spinae and lumbar spine?  Imagine patients with back problem and she get these people to do sit ups? 

I apologize if I rant a bit too much today. I just need to get this off my chest. By recalling that diet and exercise talk I attended, I'm still confused and annoyed. Confused not because I have questions and unclear of what was presented and shared to the audience, but confused, because why such health professionals can survive in the industry, giving mislead and misfed health and diet information to the public. Don't these ladies know that calorie reduction doesn't work anymore as many people have attempted and the failed miserably? Wonder why more people are getting fatter and sicker? There you go, that's your answer!