debor015

          In recent decades, growing evidence has mounted regarding the health effects of a group of compounds known as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) which are generated on the surfaces of meats cooked at excessively high temperatures (i.e. frying, grilling, and barbequing).   Among the most mutagenic substances ever studied, HCAs have been implicated as a cause for several cancers in humans including breast, prostate, pancreatic, as well as colorectal cancer.   Unfortunately, popular muscle meats such as beef, pork, fowl, and fish are all subject to HCA formation as a result of these cooking practices.   However, since HCA formation is temperature dependent, meat that is well done or slightly burned will tend to have higher levels of HCAs than that which is prepared medium or rare.   Fortunately, there are tricks to cooking that will limit HCA levels in the meat you cook without forcing you to abandon your favorite cooking p...

          How does flipping on your light switch affect your health?   To answer this, consider the way electricity is generated.   Typically, plants generate electricity using superheated water or steam to drive the rotation of turbines.   In much of the United States , power plants burn coal and natural gas (NG) in order to heat this water.   Known as fossil fuels, coal and NG unfortunately contain a number of toxic compounds such as mercury.   When plants burn fossil fuels, these chemicals are released into the atmosphere and in turn affect our health.   If you think you’re not at risk simply because you don’t live near a power plant, think again.   These compounds, when released into the air, are rather efficiently transported around the world via jet streams and other weather systems.   That said, since the industrial revolution, global mercury concentrations have increased 3 to 6 times that of est...

           To no surprise, the food we eat plays an integral role in determining our fitness and health.   Interestingly, broccoli, while perhaps not a favorite among people, has demonstrated remarkable disease-preventing qualities.   This vegetable contains a chemical called sulforaphane (SP) which, through experimentation, has been shown to protect against harmful bacteria.   Most notably, SP destroys H. pylori, a bacteria associated with inflammation, stomach cancer, and ulcers.   While antibiotics are often effective in combating H. pylori, this bacteria can evade such treatment by entering cells on the stomach walls only to reemerge post-treatment.   Studies at Johns Hopkins University , however, show that SP kills these bacteria even when “hiding” in stomach-wall cells.   What’s more, the concentrations of SP needed to achieve such a benefit can be obtained by eating broccoli (as opposed to an SP sup...