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Wow, this newly released article points to pesticides, chemicals and heavy metals as causative factors in Type 2 diabetes, a growing epidemic blamed largely on diet and lifestyle. Personally, I've always believed many autoimmune diseases, including MC, also have a strong relationship to environmental contaminants. I'm glad researchers are finally beginning to uncover these truths. Notice they are not American though. Our home-grown scientists have been shut-up or denied funding to study these connections.
Environmental pollutants and type 2 diabetes: a review of mechanisms that can disrupt beta cell function.
Diabetologia. 2011; 54(6):1273-90 (ISSN: 1432-0428)
Hectors TL; Vanparys C; van der Ven K; Martens GA; Jorens PG; Van Gaal LF; Covaci A; De Coen W; Blust R
Department of Biology, Laboratory of Ecophysiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium, tine.hectors@ua.ac.be.
The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is currently at epidemic proportions and it is estimated that it will increase even further over the next decades. Although genetic predisposition and lifestyle choices are commonly accepted reasons for the occurrence of type 2 diabetes, it has recently been suggested that environmental pollutants are additional risk factors for diabetes development and this review aims to give an overview of the current evidence for this. More specifically, because of the crucial role of pancreatic beta cells in the development and progression of type 2 diabetes, the present work summarises the known effects of several compounds on beta cell function with reference to mechanistic studies that have elucidated how these compounds interfere with the insulin secreting capacity of beta cells. Oestrogenic compounds, organophosphorus compounds, persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals are discussed, and a critical reflection on the relevance of the concentrations used in mechanistic studies relative to the levels found in the human population is given. It is clear that some environmental pollutants affect pancreatic beta cell function, as both epidemiological and experimental research is accumulating. This supports the need to develop a solid and structured platform to fully explore the diabetes-inducing potential of pollutants.
Verrrrry interesting. I have long been concerned about the more than 70,000 pesticides/chemicals on store shelves that have never been tested on pregnant women and children. And that sickening smell scares me when walk by the "Ortho" display in the garden shop. Turns my stomach. For many years now I have refused to use any chemicals or fertilizers in my yard - I just couldn't take the chance with kids, pets, and wildlife around, not to mention the negative impact on the Chesapeake Bay. Each year we dig up more lawn and replace it with native trees/shrubs/plants. (Lawns are thought to be very unhealthy for the environment now).
Also, even though it's expensive, I order my canned wild tuna and salmon from Vital Choice in Washington state. It is caught sustainably and tests have shown it to contain 1/3 of the mercury and other heavy metals that other commercial brands contain. I made a decision some time ago to be extravagant, if necessary, in only one purchase - my food. With all of my 40 plus sensitivities, I try to eat as purely as possible - organic, heirloom, local, free-range, mom and pop farms where you know the farmer and their farming methods. And, to me, it all tastes far superior to grocery store food.
It's scary, too, that these chemicals are running off of the land and contaminating our water supplies.
Thanks for sharing.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Polly wrote:And that sickening smell scares me when walk by the "Ortho" display in the garden shop.
Interesting observation. Being a farmer, I have smelled, (and used, at least on an experimental basis), more pesticides than you can shake a stick at, but I'm just like you - the smell of that product really makes me wonder how many volatile solvents my lungs are absorbing when I'm around it. It's one of the most potent products available for controlling fire ants, (which, of course, are a major problem here in the South), but I tried it one time, and that was enough for me.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Polly,
Incidentally, have you ever heard about this doctor in Houston, TX, who is treating terminal cancers with antineoplastons? I recently watched a documentary about him and was blown away. Inoperable brain tumors cured in one year. His treatment is based on enzymes that target oncogenes. Apparently cancer patients have too many oncogenes compared to tumor supressor genes? Something like that.
I'm not trying to dole out false hope, just wondering how much of the medical community knows about him. Apparently the state medical board has been trying to shut him down for years to no avail, because he has scores of cancer-free patients and the records to prove the treatment worked. And no one was harmed in the process (besides the oncologists who had written off their patients as terminal). There is too much money already invested in chemo and radiation to consider a radically different form of cancer treatment. One that's non-toxic.
What are Antineoplastons?
Antineoplastons (ANP) are peptides and amino acid derivatives, discovered by Dr. S. Burzynski, M.D., Ph.D. in 1967.
Dr. Burzynski first identified naturally occurring peptides in the human body that control cancer growth. He observed that cancer patients typically had deficiency of certain peptides in their blood as compared to healthy individuals. According to Dr. Burzynski, Antineoplastons are components of a biochemical defense system that controls cancer without destroying normal cells.
Chemically, the Antineoplastons include peptides, amino acid derivatives and organic acids. They occur naturally in blood and urine and they are reproduced synthetically for medicinal use. The name of Antineoplastons comes from their functions in controlling neoplastic, or cancerous, cells (anti-neoplastic cells agents).
How do Antineoplastons work?
Antineoplastons act as molecular switches, which turn off life processes in abnormal cells and force them to die through apoptosis (programmed death of a cell). While they trigger the death of cancer cells, they do not inhibit normal cell growth. They specifically target cancer cells without harming healthy cells.
It is generally known that the cancerous process results from increased activity of oncogenes and decreased expression of tumor suppressor genes. Antineoplastons "turn on" tumor suppressor genes and "turn off" oncogenes restoring the proper balance in gene expression.
Antineoplaston Therapy is an experimental therapy offered at the Burzynski Clinic, currently available only within clinical trials.
No, I hadn't heard about that treatment. It's exciting! Thanks for sharing. It looks like it may only apply to brain tumors at present. But it is likely that my brother might be eligible for any clinical trial he chooses.
I wouldn't be surprised either if certain pollutants didn't cause beta cell damage eventually leading to pancreatic cancer. Longstanding diabetes is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. My brother has had type 2 diabetes for many years now. He has always wondered if it might have been precipitated, in part, by his exposure to agent orange while in the service in Vietnam. The area where he was deployed was the area with the highest concentration of agent orange. We'll probably never know.
Tex, interesting that you don't like being around those products either, despite your extensive exposure to chemicals.
Nancy, you are SO right - I have learned oodles about all kinds of topics here!
Hugs,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
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