We like to stay on top of the latest news in functional medicine and nutrition. If you do too, you’ll find our monthly, easy-to-digest compilation of research and news articles right here. Check back regularly to find updates, or follow us through our newsletters and social media to ensure you don’t miss any.
Antibacterial Soap Exposure Linked with Osteoporosis in Women
Glyphosate Toxicity May Extend Over Generations via Epigenetic Inheritance
Sugared Beverages Including Fruit Juice Associated with Increased Cancer Risk
Fecal Transplants for Food Allergy
Billions of Air Pollution Nanoparticles Found Doing Damage in Hearts
Antibacterial Soap Exposure Linked with Osteoporosis in Women
Exposure to the antibacterial chemical triclosan is associated with 2.5 times greater risk for osteoporosis, with the strongest association in post-menopausal women. This according to a new cross-sectional study of 1,848 adult women. Triclosan is known to interfere with estrogen metabolism which is essential for bone health, disrupts the microbiome and harms mitochondrial function. Triclosan was banned from soaps in the US in 2016, however it is still found in the environment and may still appear in other products such as deodorant, shaving cream, toothpaste, trash bags, clothing and credit cards.
Glyphosate Toxicity May Extend Over Generations via Epigenetic Inheritance
Glyphosate, commonly found in the herbicide Roundup, may generate epimutations that persist across generations. Transgenerational, epigenetically-induced diseases that have now been linked to glyphosate in animal studies include prostate disease, obesity, kidney disease, ovarian disease, and birth abnormalities. Worryingly, the effects appeared to be compounded over generations, with the F2 and F3 generations demonstrating the most dramatic increases in disease rates even though only the F0 generation was exposed.
Sugared Beverages Including Fruit Juice Associated with Increased Cancer Risk
Just ONE fruit juice, soft drink, or sugared tea drink per day may increase the risk for cancer. This study that tracked more than 100,000 people in France found a 12% increased odds for cancer in fruit juice drinkers (even freshly-squeezed) and 19% increased odds in sweetened soft drink consumers. Children are often most at risk of being over-consumers of sugared beverages and other sweetened foods. Our nutrition team recommends substituting water, unsweetened herbal teas with no additives, and unsweetened milk/non-dairy fortified milk alternatives.
Targeting the Microbiome in Food Allergy
Manipulating the microbiome may treat food allergies, according to new research from the Boston Children’s Hospital. A causal relationship has previously been demonstrated between the microbiome and allergic reactions to food. Now, fecal transplants given to mice have been shown to induce sensitization if the donor is allergic. In Functional Medicine, working to restore microbial health is key to supporting those with allergic disease.
Billions of Air Pollution Nanoparticles Found Doing Damage in Hearts
Air pollution is a strong (and likely dose-dependent) driver of heart disease. A recent study in Mexico City, known for its heavy air pollution, found billions of pollution nanoparticles residing in heart tissue that would potentially disrupt the heart’s electrical impulse pathways and response to magnetic fields. The researchers’ conclusion: ‘Exposure to (pollution) nanoparticles appears to be directly associated with early and significant cardiac damage.’
