Health & Fitness

12/23/20

Scientists develop new gene therapy for deafness

A new study presents an innovative treatment for deafness, based on the delivery of genetic material into the cells of the inner ear. The genetic material 'replaces' the genetic defect and enables the cells to continue functioning normally. They maintain that this novel therapy could lead to a breakthrough in treating children born with various mutations that eventually cause deafness.

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Genetic engineering without unwanted side effects helps fight parasites

Modified CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing scissors are enabling researchers to make alterations to the genetic material of single-cell organisms that are indistinguishable from natural mutations. This method is making it possible to develop a (harmless) experimental live vaccine for the widespread parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

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Light flips genetic switch in bacteria inside transparent worms

Similar factors cause health disparities in cancer, COVID-19

With COVID exacerbating superbug threat, researchers ID new weapon

Cost-effective hood reduces aerosol exposures to patients, otolaryngologists

How our brains track where we and others go

Disposable surgical masks best for being heard clearly when speaking, study finds

Researchers have published the results of a new study evaluating the acoustic effects of face masks on speech. The team tested medical masks, disposable surgical masks, masks with clear plastic windows around the mouth, and homemade and store-bought cloth masks made of different fabric types and numbers of layers.

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Why an early start is key to developing musical skill later in life

The brain's protein factories at work

Protein synthesis is a finely tuned process in the cell by macromolecules known as ribosomes. Which regulators are responsible for controlling protein synthesis in the brain? To address this question, researchers studied the structure of the brain's ribosomal complexes in great detail. The team was able to identify a new factor which is also involved in controlling brain development.

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Even after long-term exposure, bionic touch does not remap the brain

Secondary bloodstream infections associated with severe COVID-19

Liquid bandage detects tissue oxygenation without the drawbacks of wired oximeters

A paint-on, transparent bandage containing phosphorescent materials reads the amount of oxygen reaching transplanted tissue -- a critical component of a transplant's success. Existing oximeter technology is complicated to use, restricts patients' movements, and is subject to false alarms. The first human trial of the liquid bandage in women undergoing breast reconstruction after cancer found that it performed as well as a wired oximeter device, the current clinical standard.

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New mammogram measures of breast cancer risk could revolutionize screening

Increased meat consumption associated with symptoms of childhood asthma

Controlling cardiac waves with light to better understand abnormally rapid heart rhythms

Over 300,000 people die each year in the US due to sudden cardiac death. In many cases, sudden cardiac death is caused by abnormally rapid heart rhythms called tachycardias, which means the heart cannot pump adequate blood to the body. In Chaos, researchers use mice to study tachycardias and find there are intrinsic mechanisms that exist in heart tissue that they hypothesize lead to the self-termination of rapid cardiac rhythm.

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Cannabis use blunts stress reactivity in female rats

Female rats that inhaled vaporized cannabis daily for a month developed a blunted physiological response to stress, according to a new study. In contrast, male rats that were provided access to the same potency of cannabis over the same 30-day window did not experience any physiological changes in how they responded to a stressful situation.

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Scientists discover mutations associated with early onset dementia

Scientists have announced a significant advance in our understanding of an early onset form of dementia that may also progress our understanding of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. Adult onset Leukoencephalopathy with axonal Spheroids and Pigmented glia (ALSP) is an ultra-rare condition that manifests initially with psychiatric and behavioural changes in patients followed by a rapid progression of dementia in the third or fourth decade of life.

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Where Did Eggnog Come From?

“Oh, the weather outside is frightful …” or at least that’s how it’s depicted in song in the weeks before Christmas when many envision sitting before a roaring fire with a cup of eggnog.

In the U.S., the traditional drink is passed around from October through December, when sales of the store-bought variety fall precipitously after Christmas.¹ In the last 50 years, sales in grocery stores have quadrupled. Although it’s impossible to measure the popularity of the homemade version, it’s estimated people in the U.S. drink more than 135 million pounds of it annually.²

While most eggnog is consumed over a short two months of the year around Thanksgiving and Christmas, retailers have noticed that the colder it is outside, the more eggnog they sell. Sales in the Midwest and Northeast U.S. outstrip the Southern states, but even in areas that are normally cold, when the temperature goes up, sales go down.

Despite fluctuations in sales around cold weather, culinary historian Andrew Smith reports that eggnog was traditionally a Southern drink when, in the early days of the U.S., alcohol consumption at Christmas was frowned upon.³

The Original Nog Was Made With Wine or Beer

The original eggnog made its first appearance around the 13th century in England.⁴ Only the wealthy could afford eggnog as it was made with liquors, eggs and milk that were rare foods for commoners. Large estates had farms and there was no refrigeration that would allow the ingredients to stay fresh.⁵

Most believe the first iteration of eggnog was the British “posset.” This was a hot milk drink that included ale. Posset may have been used to treat colds and flu when the drink was mixed with ale and spices.⁶ The upper-class mixed it with sherry or brandy instead of beer.

Since milk, eggs and sherry were foods only the wealthy could afford, eggnog became associated with toasting for prosperity.⁷ It wasn't until the 1700s when the drink was brought to the Americas that it became tied to the holidays.

Since many of the colonies had farms that were full of chickens and cows, eggnog made the jump from the aristocracy to the rest of society. However, sherry was still expensive in the Americas because of heavy taxing, so cheaper rum from the Caribbean was added instead.⁸

Eggnog first made an appearance in written prose in a comic poem by Jonathan Boucher in 1775. But the earliest connection with Christmas came in the Virginia Chronicle in 1793 when it was reported:⁹

"On last Christmas Eve several gentlemen met at Northampton court-house, and spent the evening in mirth and festivity, when EGG-NOG was the principal Liquor used by the company. After they had indulged pretty freely in this beverage, a gentleman in company offered a bet that not one of the party could write four verses, extempore, which should be rhyme and sense ..."

The drink has become a tradition across the world, with a few alterations depending on the country. In Mexico, it's known as rompope, which was a drink created in a convent in Puebla.¹⁰ The basic recipe adds cinnamon and rum or grain alcohol. In Peru, it's called biblia con pisco and made with Peruvian pomace brandy.

The Germans call their drink Biersuppe and it’s made with beer. And, in Iceland, they have a soup resembling eggnog that’s served as a hot dessert without alcohol. People who love the drink say the store-bought variety doesn’t come close to the taste and texture of what you can make at home.

What’s in a Name?

The drink is still sometimes called “egg flip” in Britain, referring to how it was made. Some in Australia also call it an “eggflip,” made with vanilla, milk, raw egg, sugar and grated nutmeg. Kidspot.au writes it “is a healthy, nutritious meal in a glass. Just don't tell the kids that there is an egg in it and they will never know.”¹¹

It is a mystery how the word “nog” came to be associated with eggnog. There are several theories, none of which have been proven. One says the word nog was the name of a strong beer made in East Anglia, England, that had a higher alcoholic content than other types of beer or ale.¹² When eggs were added, the drink became eggnog.¹³

Another says the word comes from the word “noggin,” which today means a person’s head, but in Middle English meant a carved wooden mug in which people drank alcohol. Another theory says it came from the word “nug,” which is a type of ale drunk in Scotland that is warmed by a fire poker.

And finally, a theory that isn't as plausible says the drink was named only after arriving in the colonies, coming from the term "grog" that refers to the rum early Americans used in their eggnog.¹⁴ The term grog morphed into nog and became eggnog. Wherever the term originated, it started showing up in the early 19th century in England and America.

Is There a Raw Egg in Your Nog?

Traditionally, homemade eggnog is made with a raw egg or two, depending on how much you’re making. However, if you’re getting the store-bought variety, you’ll find the FDA limits the amount of raw egg to 1% egg yolk, which is barely enough to say that there is an egg in the drink.¹⁵

Along with the minuscule portion of an egg are several other ingredients you may not be able to pronounce, as well as pasteurized milk products, sweeteners and artificial flavors.¹⁶ If you choose to make your own healthy recipe at home, I highly advise only using eggs from certified organic and true pasture-raised chickens from a trustworthy local farmer.

Eggs from conventionally farmed hens can increase your risk of infections and diseases like salmonella, as bacteria proliferate in livestock raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), where conditions are cramped and unsanitary.

Local farmers that grow their hens in certified organic and true pasture-raised environments use stainable methods, including clean and spacious coops with adequate access to sunlight and room for the hens to forage for their natural food.

This is why salmonella contamination is rare in these animals. You can see the difference in the yolk of eggs harvested from CAFOs or pasture-raised chickens. Egg yolks from CAFOs are a light-yellow anemic color, while egg yolks from pasture-raised chickens are a rich orange color.

The same is true for raw milk. Many believe that pasteurized milk is safer than raw milk from grass fed cows, but this simply isn't true, provided the raw milk is from a high-quality source. Pasteurization is necessary for commercial milk since the cows are exposed to contamination and disease and loaded with antibiotics that proliferate antibiotic-resistant infections.

The pasteurization kills the bacteria but leaves the protein shell in the milk. Raw milk from grass fed, pastured cows that are raised in clean and healthy conditions do not present these dangers. Instead the milk is teaming with nutrients, beneficial bacteria and probiotics, which are benefits you simply cannot get from CAFO milk.

Fun Facts About the Traditional Holiday Drink

Whether you are a fan of the rich egg/milk mixture or think it’s a drink best relegated to long-past traditions,¹⁷ eggnog has an interesting history. According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the first U.S. president enjoyed eggnog during the Christmas season. His recipe had an unhealthy amount of alcohol and sugar and didn’t specify the number of eggs needed. Printed in his words, Washington wrote:¹⁸

“One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, ½ pint rye whiskey, ½ pint Jamaica rum, ¼ pint sherry — mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently.”

Dwight Eisenhower loved to destress by cooking and concocted his own eggnog recipe that called for “one dozen egg yolks, 1 pound of granulated sugar, 1 quart of bourbon, 1 quart of coffee cream (half & half), and 1 quart of whipping cream.”

The tradition of drinking eggnog laced with alcohol during the Christmas season was brought to a halt at West Point Academy in 1826. Earlier in the year, Col. Sylvanus Thayer, who was known as the “father of West Point,” forbade alcohol on campus. What followed became known as the Eggnog Riot.¹⁹

It began when some cadets smuggled liquor on campus for a holiday party and proceeded to get inebriated. By the end of the night, there were smashed windows, broken furniture and gunshots. No one was hurt, but one month later 19 students had been court-martialed and 11 were ultimately expelled from the school.²⁰

In 1920 a British journalist, Pierce Egan, invented an eggnog drink made with rum and brandy. He called it the “Tom and Jerry.” Some believe the Tom and Jerry cartoon was named after the drink.²¹

Delicious and Healthy Holiday Treat

Whether you enjoy it each year or are considering trying it this year for the first time, using a homemade eggnog recipe is your best choice for appreciating the real flavor of the drink and avoiding unnecessary ingredients from the store-bought variety.

It's important to remember that when alcohol is consumed in excessive amounts it can wreak havoc on your liver and overall health. The good news is that you can enjoy a healthy and delicious eggnog drink without alcohol. Judy Peacock, a Mercola.com reader, shared her personal healthy eggnog recipe that is delicious, alcohol-free and perfect for all ages. Consider trying it this season.

Healthy Holiday Eggnog Recipe

Serving Size: 1

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 raw pastured eggs

• Your milk of choice, such as grass fed cow's milk or coconut milk, enough to fill your glass or mug

• A dash of nutmeg or vanilla

• Raw honey to taste

• One scoop of whey protein powder (optional)

Procedure

Put the eggs, milk, honey and whey protein powder (if using) in a mug or glass. Add a dash of vanilla or nutmeg.
Use a hand blender to blend the mixture until frothy.
Consume immediately.

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Will You Eat Cultured Meat Grown From Human Cells?

According to the World Economic Forum — the private, technocratic group leading the global economic “reset” agenda — lab-grown, cultured meat is a more sustainable alternative to conventional livestock. As noted on its website:¹

“As the world looks to reset its economy, along with food systems, in a cleaner way post-pandemic, one more sustainable solution coming to fruition is cultured meat … Cultured meat takes much less time to grow, uses fewer of the planet’s resources, and no animals are slaughtered.”

Fake Meat Is a Catastrophe for Your Metabolic Health

Excess omega-6 fat in the form of linoleic acid (LA) is one of the most significant contributors to metabolic dysfunction. It is literally a metabolic poison that, in my opinion, is the primary contributor to the epidemic in chronic disease we have seen in the past 150 years. I am so passionate about this topic, I’m currently writing a new book with Chris Knobbe about this that will be out next year.

Our LA consumption 150 years ago was between 2 and 3 grams per day. Today it is 10 to 20 times higher. This leads to severe mitochondrial dysfunction, insulin resistance, decreased NAD+ levels, obesity and a radical decrease in your ability to generate cellular energy.

It is obvious that fake meat requires basic substrates or building blocks to create the actual food. The genetic engineering is primarily done to reproduce the flavor and texture composition of real meat. What this process fails to do on steroids is reproduce the healthy fatty acid composition of real meat. Why?

Because they are using canola and safflower as the primary source of fats for their products. The safflower oil used in Beyond Meats is nearly 80% LA. The canola oil used in the Impossible Burger is only 21% LA, so it should be better but both are extraordinarily loaded with unhealthy levels of LA.²

You would be exponentially better served by selecting real meat that is organic and humanely raised. This is because the LA content of beef and bison is extraordinarily low and, in my view, one of the primary reasons they are so healthy for you.

This is largely because excess LA is extraordinarily susceptible to oxidation and causes very dangerous oxidation by products called OXLAMs (oxidative linoleic acid metabolites) that devastate your DNA, proteins, mitochondria and cellular membranes.

A half-pound serving of organic grass fed beef will provide less than HALF a gram of LA (500 mg). Compare this to a serving of an Impossible Burger or Beyond Meat burger, which have 10 to 20 times the amount of LA.³

So not only is fake meat failing all the measures discussed in the rest of this article but it is also adding to the catastrophic metabolic deterioration of your health caused by other processed and ultraprocessed foods. I recently interviewed Tucker Goodrich about the dangers of LA, so for more information, refer back to that interview.

Fake Meat Industry Offers No Real Solutions

Over the past several years, a growing number of start-up companies have joined the brave new world movement to replace real meat with ultraprocessed imitation meats “grown” through a variety of means.

Among them are the Israeli company Aleph Farms, which in mid-2019 introduced the first lab-grown steak,⁴ the Singaporean company Shiok Meats, which specializes in lab-grown shrimp,⁵ and Beyond Meat, which produces imitation beef, pork and chicken in its Chinese facilities.

Then there’s the Impossible Burger, made with genetically engineered (GE) soy, which is now available in burger chains,⁶ restaurants,⁷ grocers⁸ and Target stores⁹ across the U.S.

Despite claims of sustainability, a careful review of its 2019 Impact Report¹⁰ and other data^11,^12,¹³ reveals this soy-based “meat” actually causes greater environmental harm than organic grass fed beef production, which has net negative emissions after all relevant factors are taken into account.¹⁴

A Carbon Footprint Evaluation report¹⁵ for White Oak Pastures — an organic, grass fed livestock operation — shows that when you include enteric emissions, manure emissions, soil carbon capture, vegetation carbon, miscellaneous farm activities, slaughter and transport, the total net carbon emissions from this type of beef production has a negative 3.5 kilos of carbon emissions per kilo of fresh meat.

This makes this integrated, holistic system six times more carbon efficient than the average CAFO (confined animal feeding operation) production model.¹⁶ The same cannot be said for GE soy. Data also show GE soybean and corn farms are a primary source of water¹⁷ and air pollution,¹⁸ and are primary destroyers of grasslands and forests.^19,²⁰

Regenerative grazing is actually a key activity required for the optimal sequestering of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into our rangelands and pasturelands, while GE soy production is associated with resistant super weeds²¹ and super pests and uncontrollable cross contamination.

Taken together, these data prove that if sustainability and environmental protection are in fact priorities, then regenerative farming practices that incorporate grazing herds are the way to go, not fake meat and junk food manufacturing.

Fake Meat Is Another Effort to Control Food Supply

Considering everything we know, why won’t our leaders support organic, regenerative, biodynamic farming proven to have a beneficial impact on the environment, climate and human health? It seems like doing so would be a no-brainer.

The answer, unfortunately, is that it’s not really about doing what’s best for the planet or its inhabitants. It’s about wealth and power building. In short, the rise of fake meat is yet another attempt at controlling the global food supply through patents, just like staple grains have been genetically altered and patented.

Once living animals are eliminated and replaced with patented plant-derived alternatives — just like tradable heirloom and conventional seeds were replaced with patented seeds you have to pay for each season — private companies will effectively control the food supply in its entirety, and they will be the ones profiting from it rather than farmers.

By controlling the food supply, private corporations will ultimately have the ability to control countries and entire populations. If we allow this trend to continue, biotech companies will eventually push farmers and ranchers out of the equation.

Looking down the road, it’s easy to see that patented foods actually threaten food security. They don’t strengthen it at all.

Environmentalist and anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva, Ph.D., is an outspoken critic²² of the industrial food movement and the GE food takeover specifically, highlighting the many social and environmental problems a patented food system creates.

As noted by Shiva in a June 18, 2019, article,²³ “Biodiversity-intensive and poison-free agriculture … produces more nutrition per acre while rejuvenating the planet. It shows the path to ‘Zero Hunger’ …” She also points out that while industrial agriculture uses 75% of available farmland, it produces just 30% of the food we actually eat.

“Meanwhile, small, biodiverse farms using 25% of the land provide 70% of the food,” she writes.²⁴ “At this rate, if the share of industrial agriculture and industrial food in our diet is increased to 45%, we will have a dead planet. One with no life and no food.

The mad rush for Fake Food and Fake Meat, ignorant of the diversity of our foods and food cultures, and the role of biodiversity in maintaining our health, is a recipe for accelerating the destruction of the planet and our health.”

Fake Meat Is Ultraprocessed Food

Indeed, when it comes to nutrition and health, there’s absolutely no reason to believe any of these imitation meats will be better — or even equal — to real meat.

Any food that isn’t directly from the vine, ground, bush, tree, body of water or an animal is considered processed. Depending on the amount of change the food undergoes, processing may be minimal or significant. A hallmark of ultraprocessed foods is their long ingredient lists.

Products at the far end of the “significantly altered” spectrum have been robustly linked to obesity,²⁵ ill health and early death in a number of studies.^26,^27,^28,^29,³⁰

For example, in one study,^31,^32,^33,³⁴ which included 104,980 participants followed for an average of five years, each 10% increase in ultraprocessed food intake raised the cancer rate by 12%, which worked out to nine additional cancer cases per 10,000 people per year. The risk of breast cancer specifically went up by 11% for every 10% increase in ultraprocessed food.

While sugar and unhealthy fats (vegetable oils) are key staple ingredients suspected of causing these effects, there’s every reason to believe fake meat has a similar impact as I referenced in the section above. If you click on the link to the reference I quoted, you can see all the unhealthy ingredients that are loaded into it. All of these factors place fake meat squarely in the higher-risk ultraprocessed category.

Enter Human Cell-Based Meat

Now, in a move reminiscent of something straight out of the dystopian film “Soylent Green,” scientists are even working on meat grown from human cells harvested from the inside of your cheek.^35,³⁶

The inventors of this grisly product — presented as “art,” for the time being — are Andrew Pelling, a scientist and founder of the biotech company Spiderwort, Grace Knight, an industrial designer, and Orkan Telhan, an artist. As reported by Tech Times, November 22, 2020:³⁷

“A new ‘DIY meal kit’ that can be used to grow steaks that are made mostly from human cells was just recently nominated by the London-based Design Museum as the ‘design of the year.’³⁸

Called ‘Ouroboros Steak,’ this is named right after the circular symbol of a snake known for eating itself tail-first. This hypothetical kit would later on come with everything that one person would need in order to use their own cells to grow miniature human meat steaks …”

The human-cell steak kits are not yet commercially available, but one wonders what possessed someone to even think this might be a viable idea. Would you eat a lump of meat made from your own body? Critics have raised questions about whether this would be considered cannibalism. Defenders of the concept claim it’s not, since it’s grown from your own cells.³⁹

However, if this concept ever does become commercially available, what’s to prevent you from growing meat using other people’s cells? Is it only cannibalism if you eat the cloned meat of someone other than yourself? These tricky debates aside, the ick factor alone will likely prevent this concept from taking off.

Tech Times points out that this particular concept also isn’t nearly as animal-friendly as people might think, as the human cells are grown in fetal bovine serum — blood extracted from unborn calf fetuses.⁴⁰ An alternative might be to use expired human blood from blood banks.⁴¹

Real Food = Life

In her 2019 article,⁴² Shiva discussed the progressive attempts at industrializing the global food system with more fake foods and fake meats, and the destruction that inevitably follows:

“Food is not a commodity, it is not ‘stuff’ put together mechanically and artificially in labs and factories. Food is life. Food holds the contributions of all beings that make the food web, and it holds the potential of maintaining and regenerating the web of life.

Food also holds the potential for health and disease, depending on how it was grown and processed … As an ancient Upanishad reminds us ‘Everything is food, everything is something else’s food’ Hippocrates said ‘Let food be thy medicine.’ In Ayurveda, India’s ancient science of life, food is called ‘sarvausadha’ the medicine that cures all disease.

Industrial food systems have reduced food to a commodity, to ‘stuff’ that can then be constituted in the lab. In the process both the planet’s health and our health has been nearly destroyed.

75% of the planetary destruction of soil, water, biodiversity, and 50% of greenhouse gas emissions come from industrial agriculture, which also contributes to 75% of food related chronic diseases.”

When you look at the whole ecological cycle — of which grazing herds are a crucial part — you can clearly see how industrial agriculture and fake meat manufacturing are key drivers of progressive destruction, yet this destructive cycle is defended in the name of affordable food and the need to feed a growing population.

While we certainly need to maximize food production in affordable ways, what’s being proposed is incredibly short-sighted as it shifts all food production into laboratories and factories that produce patented foods, the profits of which never reach the population at large.

One also has to wonder whether humans will be able to live long productive lives eating an all-fake diet. Think about it. Grain production is already dominated by patented GE grains. Add to that imitation “milk” and “egg” products and imitation beef, poultry and seafood and what real food do you have left?

Fruits and vegetables, basically, but even these foods will eventually become fair game for reengineering and patenting. It’s a dangerous trend that poses tremendous risks to food security and global health.

Choose Organic, Biodynamic and/or Grass Fed

For years, I have advocated for an organic (or better yet biodynamic) diet to optimize your health, avoid common health problems, help regenerate the environment and normalize climate. Choosing organic foods reduces your exposure to pesticides, herbicides, GE ingredients, synthetic food additives and nano ingredients, many of which do not appear on the food label.

In addition to protecting the environment and rebuilding soil, buying organic also supports animal welfare and promotes biodiversity of plants and wildlife. Although many see lab-created meat substitutes as the lesser of two evils when compared to the concentrated animal feeding operations currently dominating the market, altering the natural order of the lifecycle is not the answer.

Analyses on regenerative agriculture have demonstrated holistic herd management as having a positive impact on the environment and producing healthy meat and dairy products.

Ultimately, fake food contributes to the rising number of people who suffer from diet-related health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. For health reasons, ecological reasons and your future, I recommend skipping meat alternatives and opting for real beef raised using regenerative farming practices.

When you do shop for meat, look for a local organic farmer or Demeter (biodynamic) and American Grassfed Association (AGA) certified meats. These accreditations designate foods produced under high-quality, sustainable and environmentally sound practices.

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