Why Portion Control Avantrx?

The Question: Why would a company focused on nutrients and eye disease launch a portion control formula into the eye care market?

The Answer: An increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes and a host of other degenerative disease is directly linked to the amount of excess subcutaneous and visceral fat we carry on our bodies. Visceral fat surrounds vital organs and is metabolized by the liver, which turns it into blood cholesterol. It also increases Il-6 and C-reactive protein, the inflammatory markers associated with disease and metabolic syndrome that precedes development of type-2 diabetes and most all degenerative disease, including the four major eye diseases, cataract, macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data this past Thursday that suggests the rate of new type-2 diabetes cases nearly doubled in the United States in the past 10 years.

The study, led by Karen Kirtland, provides an up-to-date picture of where the disease is exploding. The information should be a big help as the government and health insurance companies decide where to focus prevention campaigns, Petersen said.

Diabetes was the nation's seventh-leading cause of death in 2006, according to the CDC. More than 23 million Americans have diabetes, and the number is rapidly growing. About 1.6 million new cases were diagnosed among adults last year.

In Type 2 diabetes, cells do not properly use insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar into energy. The illness can lead to complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and poor circulation that leads to amputations.

The study involved a random-digit-dialed survey of more than 260,000 adults. Participants were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor that they have diabetes, and when the diagnosis was made.

The researchers had data for 40 states for the years 2005-07. West Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Tennessee had the highest rates. Puerto Rico was about as high as West Virginia. Minnesota, Hawaii and Wyoming had the lowest rates.

It is not entirely clear why some states were worse than others. Older people, blacks and Hispanics tend to have higher rates of Type 2 diabetes, and the South has large concentrations of all three groups. However, West Virginia is overwhelmingly white.

The report asked about diagnosed diabetes only. Because an estimated one in four diabetics have not been diagnosed, the findings probably underestimate the problem, said Angela Liese, a diabetes researcher at the University of South Carolina.

Lifestyle changes that include portion control of nutrient-dense diets and daily exercise can dramatically lower the risk of developing type-2 diabetes and the other degenerative diseases.

Our Children and Psychotropic Drugs

A new study published in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health found that American children are three times more likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications for conditions such as ADHA and bipolar disease than European children are. The researchers suggest the difference is in regulatory practices and cultural beliefs.

The lead researcher, Julie Zito, from the pharmaceutical health services research department in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Maryland, suggests there is significantly greater use of atypical antipsychotics and SSRI-type antidepressants for child mental health treatment in U.S. than in Western Europe. She also suggests that most of the use is 'off-label' -- without adequate evidence of benefits and risks, and that closer monitoring should be considered when these medications are used.

Researchers found that the annual prevalence of psychotropic medications among children in the United States was significantly greater than in either the Netherlands or Germany. In the United States, 6.7 percent of children were taking these drugs, compared with 2.9 percent in the Netherlands and 2 percent in Germany. In addition, use of antidepressants and stimulants was three or more times higher in the United States than in the Netherlands or Germany, and use of antipsychotic drugs was 1.5 to 2.2 times greater in the United States than in either of the other countries.

The study suggests that direct-to-consumer drug advertising, which is common in the U.S., is likely to account for some of the differences. The increased use of medication in the U.S. also reflects the individualist and activist therapeutic mentality of U.S. medical culture," the researchers concluded.

It has been suggested many times by researchers that the U.S. has a sick-care system, rather than a health-care system, with a particular emphasis on use of drugs and procedures for diagnosed conditions. This study reaffirms that pattern, with more use of medication for various mental health conditions among children in the U.S than other countries. What this study cannot show is whether the use of medication is appropriate, given variations in culture, or whether other countries under-prescribe psychotropic drugs or whether the U.S. over-prescribes them.

I put my money on over-prescribing.

Berkeley Lab News Center » IMPACTS: On the Threshold of Abrupt Climate Changes

Berkeley Lab News Center » IMPACTS: On the Threshold of Abrupt Climate Changes

HIV Screening for All Women

.....regardless of age!

The August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology published a committee opinion suggesting "Routine Human Immunodeficiency Virus Screening" for all women between the ages of 19 and 64.

The article estimates that one-quarter of all Americans with HIV are unaware of their status. Women continue to represent a growing proportion of HIV and AIDS cases, and it's critical that they know their status.

When we add the HIV numbers to the fact that one out of every four women over the age of 12 would test positive for incurable genital herpes (according to the CDC one third of these women are asymptomatic and don't know they are potentially infecting everyone with whom they have a sexual encounter). Lest you male readers think you are off the hook, one out of every five of you would test positive for genital herpes -one third of all males with genital herpes are asymptomatic, as well.

Given this data, isn't it time for all health professionals to stop acting like teenage and senior sex doesn't happen. This includes eye care professionals, since both ocular herpes and AIDS are potentially blinding diseases.

Hopefully, cross- talk between all medical specialties will soon become the norm.

We Must Change the Way We Eat

A study conducted at Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine suggests that most adults in the U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2030, with related health care spending projected to be as much as $956.9 billion per year.

Overweight and obesity is a runaway health problem that must be addressed. If the current trends continue, 86% of the population will be overweight and 1 out of every 6 healthcare dollars will be spent paying for overweight and obesity-related costs.

The authors of this study, published in the July 2008 peer-reviewed issue of Obesity, warn that overweight and obesity is a public health crisis that is expected to get worse, unless health care professionals from every specialty step up to the plate and start working with their patients on lifestyle choices, including caloric intake and exercise.

Statins for Kids??

The AMA released a notice today stating that they now recommend low fat milk for all children over the age of 12 months, and cholesterol lowering medications to children as young as eight-years-old, inspite of a recent study suggesting that cholesterol lowering meds can alter genetic structure and deteriorate muscles, including the heart muscle.

The pharmaceutical industry line is that a very small percentage of people actually suffer horrific, painful side effects from cholesterol lowering (statin) drugs. If these side effects happen to my child or grandchild, that would make it a 100% reaction for an innocent child and that is not reasonable in this writer's opinion.

There are a number of other ways to lower the childhood factors associated with increased risk of developing heart problems in adult years, including healthy dietary changes that include eliminating all junk foods (specifically all corn-based oil and high-sugar syrup foods) portion control (supersize nothing) and a moderate amount of daily exercise, all of which include positive side effects.

It seems almost criminal to subject any young child to the potential painful side effect risks associated with statin drugs, particularly if this AMA recommendation is in any way being made to increase profits for BigPharma.

Research Misconduct

A survey of more than 2,000 scientists reveals that misconduct in research may be far more prevalent than suspected. The results are published in a Commentary in Nature this week.

The authors, based at the US Department of Health and Human Services’s Office of Research Integrity (ORI), surveyed 2,212 scientists at 605 institutions and found that nearly 9% believed they had witnessed potential research misconduct in the preceding three years. Extrapolating to the larger research community supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this suggests that as many as 2,300 observations of misconduct occur each year with roughly 1,000 going unreported.

Do we really think this behavior is confined to the United States?

Polar Express

There is a new sense of scientific urgency around the accelerating pace of climate warming in the earth's polar regions. A NASA satellite camera on the Aqua caught a Manhattan-size floating piece of ice shelf in the act of disintegrating on Feb 28, 2008.

By March 8, the Wilkins ice shelf, comprising some 5,000 miles of floating ice off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula had lost 160 square miles of ice to the Pacific Ocean.

The July 2008 edition of Scientific American reports that this ice breakup is the latest of seven major Antarctic ice-shelf collapses in the past 30 years, after some 400 years of relative stability.

Once again, before casting our votes, we need to know where Barack Obama and John McCaine stand on the issue of global warming, and we need to know who they intend to use as their advisors on the vitally important issue.

Our health and the health of our offspring could depend on the quality of science-based decisions made in the next few years.

Obesity & Heart Failure

A study in the recent Journal of the American College of Cardiology reported that obesity is associated with prolonged inflammation of the heart, which can lead to congestive heart failure.

The 79 male study participants out of the 6,914 men who developed congestive heart failure had far higher levels of inflammatory proteins interleukin-6, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein compared with the nonobese participants. Near doubling of interleukin-6 levels was associated with an 84 percent greater risk of developing heart failure, and near tripling of c-reactive protein with a 36 percent greater risk than those with lower levels.

More and more evidence is building a case that suggests weight-related inflammation to be the chemical route obesity uses to target the heart and other organs, and that inflammation may play an important role in the increased risk of heart failure in overweight and obese people.

Recent government data suggests that 65 percent of the US population is now overweight and 33 percent of the US population is now clinically obese. These alarming numbers can change with lifestyle modification that includes consumption of calorie-restricted, nutrient-dense diets, portion control, full-spectrum supplementation and exercise.

The Power of Mothers

We set aside the second Sunday in the month of May to honor all mothers, including Mother Earth. This year, she is particularly unhappy because her honey bee children are dying by the millions, which will lead to a reduction in the country's nutrient-necessary fruit and vegetable crops. Many studies now suggest that almost 90% of the feral bee population could already be dead due to a condition called Colony Collapse Disorder.

An amazing documentary called Vanishing of the Bees is in the works. Please, please check out the trailer http://www.vanishingbees.com/

Let's honor Mother Earth and Mother's Day 2008 by making a commitment to use our voices, our votes, and our purchasing power to address global warming, the amount of environmental toxins we are willing to tolerate, inaccessible health care for too many Mother's children, and the personal and corporate greed responsible for so much of earth's destruction.

Albert Einstein supposedly once remarked, "If honey bees become extinct, human society will follow in four years." I can't verify that quote, but the honey bee may very well be the canary in the mine.

The hillside color pallet below is Mother Nature's "Ode to Spring." We can collectively honor her on this day by vowing to protect her art and her honey bees for future generations. Simply click on the photo to view an enlargement.

$445M on Federal Lobbying in 2007

Health care interests spent $445 million on federal lobbying in 2007--more than any other sector of the economy--to finish as the top spender for the second consecutive year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, HealthBeat reports.

In 2007 pharmaceutical and medical products companies rank first with $227 million in spending, while health insurance companies spent the second-most at $138 million. Hospitals and nursing homes spent $91 million, ranking fifth; while health professionals spent $70 million, ranking 15th; and HMOs/health services spent $52 million, ranking 19th.

Among specific organizations or companies, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spent the third-most at $22.1 million, the American Medical Association spent the fourth-most at $22.1 million and the American Hospital Association was fifth, spending $19.7 million.

According to the CRP, the pharmaceutical industry has spent $1.3 billion on federal lobbying in the last decade, more than any other industry. In addition, the drug industry's reported lobbying increased by 25% from 2006 to 2007.

Lobbying firm, Patton Boggs, whose clients include Bristol-Myers Squibb and Hoffman-La Roche, reported $41.9 million in 2007 revenue—an increase of 20% over 2006--and the most among Washington, D.C.-area firms.

What can we say, except that hopefully a new administration will take some power away from those who blatently put obscene profits before the health care needs of the public.

Chocolate & Pregnancy

The May 2008 issue of Epidemiology published a Yale study that suggests women who eat dark chocolate are at decreased risk of developing preeclampsia, a potentially dangerous complication of pregnancy.

The study looked at self-reported chocolate consumption and also at levels of a byproduct of chocolate consumption, called theobromine, in the cord blood of pregnant women.

Those who reported chocolate consumption of more than five servings a week had a 70% lower risk of developing preeclampsia.

The researchers have speculated that the presence of anti-oxidants called flavonoids in dark chocolate may confer cardiovascular benefits.

This does not mean pregnant women should eat all the chocolate they want, as tempting as this information may be. Excess consumption of all sweets can lead to weight gain and other health problems during pregnancy, just as it does in a non-pregnant state.

It's Not Easy Being Green

It's Earth Day and regardless of whether you support or scoff at the idea of global warming, the day is a pretty big deal to a lot of people.

The Earth Day Network estimates that: 500 million people from 4,500 organizations in 180 countries will participate in Earth Day events during April and that for elementary school students, Earth Day is the third most activity-inspiring holiday, after Christmas and Halloween.

Kids intuitively get it - why can't some adults?

It's important that our actions speak as loud as our words. Biosyntrx Inc. pledges to continue considering sustainable design when making science and business decisions.

ScienceDebate2008

If you strongly believe that voters do not need to be subjected to another inane presidential candidate debate like the one arranged by ABC news last Wednesday night, please urge the three candidates left standing to accept the May 2008 invitation from the leading scientists in this country to ScienceDebate2008, which will be covered by the science channel "Nova."

Voters have the right to know, and a vital need to know, where the three presidential candidates stand on science policy issues. We also have the right to know who they are considering as advisors in this important arena. Frankly, a huge number of votes depend on their willingness to participate in this debate, and the numbers are growing every day.

Protecting our future starts with understanding that much of the wealth and the wellbeing in this country comes from scientific research and technological innovation, which has suffered from inadequate government funding for way to many years.

It seems that the public is generally unaware of the vital role of Federal funding agencies (NIH and NSF) in driving biomedical and technology research, which in the minds of many of us is the heart of the ScienceDebate problem; all three candidates feel they can blow off this request from millions of people because the general public is ignorant of the issues.

Use the following link to add your support for this proposed debate:

http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=23

Vitamin D, Calcium & Colon Cancer

A clinical study on 92 patients suggests that supplementing diet with calcium and vitamin D appear to increase the levels of a protein called Bax that controls programmed cell death in the colon. More Bax might be pushing pre-cancerous cells into programmed cell death.

The studies of colorectal biopsy samples are part of a ten-year multi-center study of the effects of increased vitamin D and calcium and biomarker-guided treatment of colon cancer recurrence. This effort is to identify a portfilio of measurments that together can gauge someone's risk of getting color cancer. The study involves almost 2,500 people nationwide who have regular colonscopies.

Botox in My Face? Probably Not!

The April Journal of Neuroscience reported that scientists injected rats' whisker muscles with botulism toxin. Tests of the rodents' brain tissue found that botulism had been transported to the brain stems.

Botox is Allergan's (the largest ophthalmic pharmaceutical company) biggest product, with $1.21 billion in sales last year. The drug, approved in 1989, became fashionable among aging celebrities, and many of my friends, who were seeking to smooth facial wrinkles. It it is now used to treat some neurological disorders with fairly good success.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether patients contracted botulism, a muscle-weakening illness, from Botox. Wouldn't you think they would have investigated this, admitedly small, possibility before it was approved.

I must ask you, didn't the idea of injecting botulism into ones face seem beyond reasonable the first time you heard that Hollywood was doing this to preserve the illusion of youth?

Black Labels for ED Supplements

The FDA released a warning to consumers not to purchase or use "Blue Steel" or "Hero" dietary supplements promoted and sold online for erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment.

The chemicals similar to sildenafil, Viagra's active ingredient, which aren't noted on the Blue Steel and Hero product labels, "may dangerously affect a person's blood pressure level," an FDA news release states.

People with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease often take nitrates. ED is a common problem in men with these medical conditions. Because they may have been advised against taking ED drugs, these men may seek products like Blue Steel and Hero because the products are marketed as "all natural" or as not containing the active ingredients in approved ED drugs, the FDA notes.

The FDA advises people who have used either of these products to discontinue use and consult their health care professional if they have experienced any adverse events that they feel are related to the use of these products.

Consumers or health care professionals can report adverse events to the FDA's MedWatch program by phone at 800-FDA-1088 or on the FDA's web site.

Time to Rethink Free Samples

A broken healthcare system needs to rethink a lot of areas that could save patients, government and insurance companies money. Free samples of prescription drugs and dietary supplements is one of those areas.

University of Chicago researchers recently found that, on average, patients spend 30% more for therapies that come with free samples, than on equal or better therapies that don't offer free samples.

So, leaving your doctor's office with a bagful of free samples may seem like a good way to save money, but folks banking on the freebies need to think again.

Samples cost companies a ton of money, and the cost of those samples is simply added into the price you pay for the product. In the supplement world, you are far better off to purchase from companies who don't sample, but who guarantee to return your money if you are not satisifed with the product within a reasonable amount of time.

Food Stamps & Vitamins

Food stamp recipients can use their benefits to purchase “any food or food product intended for human consumption,” regardless of nutritional value, yet USDA policy prohibits the use of food stamps to purchase vitamin and mineral supplements whose specific function is to improve nutritional status.

Does anyone else but me object to a government policy that allows our food stamp tax dollars to be spent on sodas, potato chips, Twinkies and Oreos, but not on a basic multiple vitamin that can help prevent disease?

Airborne settles lawsuit for $23.3 million

It took 6 years for them to stop claiming their product cures the common cold, but who cared, sales of the product soared after the product was featured on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Even after the company stopped making such a claim, sales rose in the last 4 years to over $100 million a year. Yesterday Airborne agreed to compensate duped consumers $23 million.

The Moral: It's not wise for teachers to make outrageous health claims for micronutrients they know little about and to blantly ignore FDA label laws. This sort of nonsense gives the entire supplement industry an undeserved bad reputation.

Defending DSHEA

The editorial below is by Robert Watson, the President of the industry-esteemed company, Vitamin Research Products. VRP manufactures the formulations Biosyntrx designs.

" I was dismayed that baseball officials are blaming the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) for the alleged steroid abuse by athletes. Donald Fehr, Major League Baseball’s union chief, recently testified to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that Congress has played a role in the steroid abuse scandal by passing DSHEA in 1994.

In an interview with The New York Daily News, UCLA professor Don Catlin, who runs the Olympic lab in Los Angeles, jumped on the anti-DSHEA bandwagon, saying, “It was very clear to me that DSHEA was created in order to give the supplement manufacturers a huge shield so they could distribute steroids.”

As the President/CEO of a company that prides itself on producing well-researched, high-quality nutritional supplements that contain exactly what is listed on the label, I’m appalled at these ridiculous statements.

First, DSHEA was passed to protect the rights of consumers. Prior to DSHEA, FDA was arbitrarily treating supplements as either unapproved food additives or drugs, which they are not, restricting consumers’ access to nutritional supplements.

Second, the anabolic steroid drugs athletes are abusing cannot scientifically or ethically be compared to nutritional supplements. Hormones such as DHEA, pregnenolone and progesterone are all found naturally in the human body, do not produce the same potent effects associated with prescription anabolic steroid drugs and have been shown to enhance many aspects of health.

Fehr’s testimony has unearthed the first stirrings of DSHEA unrest in Congress. House Oversight Committee’s chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), agrees with Fehr that DSHEA is ripe for review.

Fehr and the baseball industry clearly are trying to find a scapegoat to distract Congress and pull attention away from the true problem. This misguided approach is endangering DSHEA, one of the most important and beneficial laws Congress has passed. I urge you to contact your representatives and senators and ask them to continue to support DSHEA and your right to have access to nutritional supplements."

Heath Ledger, RIP

Heath Ledger was a talented young actor with a bright future. We extend our sincere sympathy to his family and friends.

If toxicology reports prove that he died from a combination of FDA approved anti-depressants and sleeping pills, we can only hope society will wake up and start to take precautions to protect our innocent children and ourselves from similar fates in the future.

The media-driven mass-medication of our population needs more controls. However, patients and parents need to take more responsibility for the drugs they put in their bodies and their children's bodies by carefully reading the drug inserts, as well as the information most pharmacists provide when they fill scripts.

An obvious question: why isn't every filled FDA prescription logged into a national data base (patient SS number, date of birth, and address, plus prescribing doctor)? Fairly simple programing of this data base could instantly alert all pharmacists to question the prescribing doctor when filling scripts that adversely react with drugs the patients is already taking, as well as expose over-prescribing physicians, and most of those patients who go from doctor to doctor for scripts for physically addicting drugs.

The Cost of Drugs

A 2007 article in Medical Economics estimated there to be 90,000 to 100,000 drug reps nationwide; each is supposed to call on eight to 10 physician offices a day.

Some practices may get only two to four visits a week, but primary care physicians deemed as "heavy prescribers" were called on by an average of 29 reps a week, according to 2005-2006 data gathered by Health Strategies Group, a research firm that tracks the pharmaceutical industry.

The cost of the drug samples being handed out daily, by almost 100,000 drug reps, is passed right on to the consumer in the price of drugs.

Once again we learn: there is no free lunch.

Fish & Fat Loss

The fact is, fish oil has a number of important health benefits. But, the idea that fish oil is some kind of magic bullet for weight loss is nothing more than a myth. You can't just pop a lot of fish oil capsules and expect your fat to melt away without making changes to your diet and exercise program first.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that daily consumption of fish or fish oil is only effective for weight loss, if it is combined with moderate exercise like walking for 45 minutes three days a week.

This study looked at 75 overweight subjects for a period of six weeks who took fish oil and exercised: subjects who took fish oil and did not exercise, and subjects who took Omega-3 sunflower or flax seed oil and exercised for three days a week, vs those who took the vegetable oils and did not exercise.

The subjects who lost the most weight were in the group who ate moderate amounts of healthy foods, exercised three days a week, and took fish oil.

Are we really surprised?

Vitamin C & Stroke

A study published in the January 2008 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that persons with a mean age of 58 years with the highest levels of vitamin C had a 42% lower risk of having a stroke than did the study participants with the lowest level of plasma vitamin C.

Correlation does not always mean causation, so although data from this study cannot be used to infer a causal relation between intake or plasma concentration of vitamin C and risk of stroke, they can justifiably be used to suggest that low plasma vitamin C concentrations may serve as an excellent biological marker in identifying individuals at high risk of stroke.

It's important to note that data from this study and others suggests that smoking dramatically lowers plasma vitamin C. So, if you are still smoking - give it up!

Pee, Sweat & Tears

Question One:

How often do women pee or sweat compared to the men in their lives? I think we all know the answer.

Sweat removes excess salts from the body and cools us down when we are overheated; urine expels waste products that can harm the body. Both sweat and urine lower the level of toxic proteins associated with stress. This speaks to the efficiency of human design. If males had to sit down every time their bladders responded to stress, there would be lines in front of every men's room door and we would see a lot more men peeing their pants.

Tears are body excretions just like sweat and urine. There are three types of tears and they differ completely in function and biochemical composition. Basil tears (also called continuous tears) keep the ocular surface moist; reflex tears (also called irritant tears) are a reaction to onion vapors, smoke or foreign bodies; emotional tears, secreted in moments of intense feelings or total fatigue, lower levels of proteins and hormones that can become toxic when the body experiences emotional stress.

One of the major stress hormones released from tears is prolactin, which is found in higher concentration in women's bodies than in men's, therefore explaining the tendency for females to tear up quicker than males.

If the hormones and proteins associated with stress are not discharged through body excretions, they build up to toxic levels---the outcome being a compromised immune system in both males and females.

So, let's make a deal. We women will continue to pretend we don't notice how often you men suddenly have to pee, and you men will understand that when a woman gets a tear in her eye, it's a similar physiological response designed to protect our health.

Question Two:

Forgive me, but I have to ask this question, too.

Given the information above and in order to be fair, shouldn't both the liberal and conservative press start giving the same amount of coverage to the number of times the presidential hopefuls visit the men's room, as they are giving to one tear that didn't even fall.

I'm Ellen Troyer, and this article is meant to be educational, not a Senator Clinton endorsement.

Who Gets Pain Drugs?

A study published in this week's JAMA suggests a dramatic difference in prescribing practice for whites and non-whites.

Among patients in severe pain, opioids were prescribed to 52 percent of whites, 42 percents of Hispanics and 39 percent of African-Americans.

The use of opioids increased overall from 1993 to 2005, but the differences in use between racial and ethnic groups did not change.

The study data comes from analysis of 374,891 emergency department visits over 13 years.

Another study published in the January 2006 issue of Cancer found that white women with metastatic breast cancer suffer less pain than nonwhites.

Nalgene Water Bottle Safety

Canadian retailers have pulled nalgene plastic water bottles from store shelves. These bottles contain a hormone-mimicking chemical bisphenol A (BPA).

Few scientists dispute the fact that BPA causes hormonal system disruption, but the FDA and the plastics industry have argued the BPA-based products do not pose a health risk.

An expert panel of researchers recently reported that many Americans have higher levels of BPA than those found to cause harm in lab animals.

Hostility & Antioxidants

New research, published in the January, 2008 American Journal of Epidemiology, suggests that certain heart-healthy antioxidants could lower the risk of heart disease associated with the hostile personality, so frequently linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

Epidemiological studies strongly suggest that hostile individuals are more likely to smoke, drink and suffer micronutrient deficiencies, which all affect antioxidant status.

Does this research suggest the possibility of a full-spectrum multiple becoming the first line of heart-health defense for hostile people?