tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9593302.post8905074819739641104..comments2024-02-14T20:41:31.962-08:00Comments on Natural Health News: Maybe Its Pink, Maybe Its Not Breast HealthyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02073710851277872074noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9593302.post-82379170443126395552008-02-18T06:10:00.000-08:002008-02-18T06:10:00.000-08:00It is amazing and scary how many environmental tox...It is amazing and scary how many environmental toxins seem to play a part is (breast) cancer development. I found that deodorants / antiperspirants are also likely to play a big role in the development of breast cancer. Please click on my name or take a look at the link below for more information.<BR/><BR/>http://www.controlyourimpact.com/articles/deodorants-antiperspirants-parabens-and-breast-cancer/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9593302.post-75869088338685663022008-02-12T06:16:00.000-08:002008-02-12T06:16:00.000-08:00folic acid prevents neurotoxicity from formic acid...folic acid prevents neurotoxicity from formic acid, made by body from<BR/>methanol impurity in alcohol drinks [ also 11 % of aspartame ], BM Kapur, PL<BR/>Carlen, DC Lehotay, AC Vandenbroucke, Y Adamchik, U. of Toronto, 2007 Dec.,<BR/>Alcoholism Cl. Exp. Res.: Murray 2007.11.27 [ actually, a fairly complete<BR/>review of recent developments... ]<BR/>http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.htm<BR/>Wednesday, November 27, 2007<BR/>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1495<BR/><BR/><BR/>The aspartame content of two liters diet soda, 5.6 12-oz cans, is 1,120<BR/>mg, releasing 11 % as 123 mg methanol.<BR/><BR/>Usually, there is not a concurrent larger amount of ethanol taken, which<BR/>would prevent the production of formaldehyde.<BR/><BR/>So, the methanol from any aspartame is quickly turned into formaldehyde.<BR/><BR/>An expert review by a competent, unbiased team led by M. Bouchard, 2001,<BR/>cites references, many from aspartame industry funded studies, states<BR/>that about 30 - 40 % of the methanol remains in the body as unknown,<BR/>durable reaction products.<BR/><BR/><BR/>http://www.faslink.org/Formic%20Acid%20Kapur.htm<BR/><BR/>Brief Summary:<BR/><BR/>Methanol in small amounts is present along with ethanol in beverage<BR/>alcohol. [Murray: and about the same amounts from aspartame diet sodas]<BR/><BR/>The body's natural enzymes preferentially metabolize ethanol while<BR/>methanol breaks down into highly neurotoxic Formic Acid.<BR/><BR/>Use of high levels of Folic Acid was found to inhibit brain damage<BR/>caused by the methanol.<BR/><BR/>The use of Folic Acid during pregnancy has been recommended for several<BR/>years to prevent neural tube defects.<BR/><BR/>However, this study indicates that even higher levels of Folic Acid can<BR/>be very beneficial to the developing baby, particularly where alcohol<BR/>exposure is a factor.<BR/><BR/>Folic Acid is mandated as an additive to all flour sold in Canada.<BR/><BR/>The debate has begun on its required addition to all beverage alcohol to<BR/>help mitigate damage caused to both infants and adults.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Formic Acid in the Drinking patient and the expectant mother<BR/>Dr. Bhushan M. Kapur<BR/>Departments of Laboratory Medicine,<BR/>St. Michael's Hospital , Toronto, Ontario, Canada<BR/><BR/>Abstract<BR/><BR/>Methanol is produced endogenously in the pituitary glands of humans and<BR/>is present as a congener in almost all alcoholic beverages.<BR/><BR/>Ethanol and methanol are both bio-transformed by alcohol dehydrogenase;<BR/>however, ethanol has greater affinity for the enzyme.<BR/><BR/>Since ethanol is preferentially metabolized by the enzyme, it is not<BR/>surprising that trace amounts of methanol, most likely originating from<BR/>both sources, have been reported in the blood of people who drink alcohol.<BR/><BR/>Toxicity resulting from methanol is very well documented in both humans<BR/>and animals and is attributed to its toxic metabolite formic acid.<BR/><BR/>To understand ethanol toxicity and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, it<BR/>is important to consider methanol and its metabolite, formic acid, as<BR/>potential contributors to the toxic effects of alcohol.<BR/><BR/>Accumulation of methanol suggests that alcohol-drinking population<BR/>should have higher than baseline levels of formic acid.<BR/><BR/>Our preliminary studies do indeed show this.<BR/><BR/>Chronic low-level exposure to methanol has been suggested to impair<BR/>human visual functions.<BR/><BR/>Formic acid is known to be toxic to the optic nerve.<BR/><BR/>Ophthalmological abnormalities are a common finding in children whose<BR/>mothers used alcohol during pregnancy.<BR/><BR/>Formic acid, a low molecular weight substance, either crosses the<BR/>placenta or may be formed in-situ from the water soluble methanol that<BR/>crosses the placenta.<BR/><BR/>Embryo toxicity from formic acid has been reported in an animal model.<BR/><BR/>To assess neurotoxicity we applied low doses of formic acid to rat brain<BR/>hippocampal slice cultures.<BR/><BR/>We observed neuronal death with a time and dose response.<BR/><BR/>Formic acid requires folic acid as a cofactor for its elimination.<BR/><BR/>Animal studies have shown that when folate levels are low, the<BR/>elimination of formic acid is slower and formate levels are elevated.<BR/><BR/>When folic acid was added along with the formic acid to the brain slice<BR/>cultures, neuronal death was prevented.<BR/><BR/>Therefore, folate deficient chronic drinkers may be at higher risk of<BR/>organ damage.<BR/><BR/>Women who are folic acid deficient and consume alcohol may have higher<BR/>levels of formic acid and should they become pregnant, their fetus may<BR/>be at risk.<BR/><BR/>To our knowledge low level chronic exposure to formic acid and its<BR/>relationship to folic acid in men or women who drink alcohol has never<BR/>been studied.<BR/><BR/>Our hypothesis is that the continuous exposure to low levels of formic<BR/>acid is toxic to the fetus and may be part of the etiology of Fetal<BR/>Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.<BR/><BR/><BR/>http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00541.x<BR/><BR/>Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research<BR/>Volume 31 Issue 12 Page 2114-2120, December 2007<BR/><BR/>Bhushan M. Kapur, b.kapur@utoronto.ca,<BR/>Arthur C. Vandenbroucke, PhD, FCACB<BR/>Yana Adamchik,<BR/>Denis C. Lehotay, dlehotay@health.gov.sk.ca,<BR/>Peter L. Carlen carlen@uhnres.utoronto.ca,<BR/>(2007) Formic Acid, a Novel Metabolite of Chronic Ethanol Abuse, Causes<BR/>Neurotoxicity, Which Is Prevented by Folic Acid<BR/>Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31 (12), 2114-2120.<BR/>doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00541.x<BR/><BR/>From:<BR/>the Department of Clinical Pathology (BMK),<BR/>Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, Division of Clinical Pharmacology and<BR/>Toxicology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;<BR/><BR/>St. Michael's Hospital (ACV), Toronto, Canada; Department of Laboratory<BR/>Medicine and Pathobiology (BMK, ACV),<BR/>Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;<BR/><BR/>Departments of Medicine (Neurology) and Physiology (YA, PLC),<BR/>Toronto Western Research Institute, University of Toronto,<BR/>Toronto, Ontario, Canada;<BR/><BR/>and University of Saskatchewan (DLC), Saskatchewan, Canada.<BR/><BR/>Reprint requests: Dr. Bhushan M. Kapur, Department of Clinical<BR/>Pathology, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, 2075 Bayview Ave,<BR/>Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada; Fax: 416-813-7562; E-Mail:<BR/>k.kapur@utoronto.ca,<BR/><BR/>Abstract<BR/><BR/>Background: Methanol is endogenously formed in the brain and is present<BR/>as a congener in most alcoholic beverages.<BR/><BR/>Because ethanol is preferentially metabolized over methanol (MeOH) by<BR/>alcohol dehydrogenase, it is not surprising that MeOH accumulates in the<BR/>alcohol-abusing population.<BR/><BR/>This suggests that the alcohol-drinking population will have higher<BR/>levels of MeOH's neurotoxic metabolite, formic acid (FA).<BR/><BR/>FA elimination is mediated by folic acid.<BR/><BR/>Neurotoxicity is a common result of chronic alcoholism.<BR/><BR/>This study shows for the first time that FA, found in chronic<BR/>alcoholics, is neurotoxic<BR/>and this toxicity can be mitigated by folic acid administration.<BR/><BR/>Objective:<BR/>To determine if FA levels are higher in the alcohol-drinking population<BR/>and to assess its neurotoxicity in organotypic hippocampal rat brain<BR/>slice cultures.<BR/><BR/>Methods:<BR/>Serum and CSF FA was measured in samples from both ethanol abusing and<BR/>control patients, who presented to a hospital emergency department.<BR/><BR/>FA's neurotoxicity and its reversibility by folic acid were assessed<BR/>using organotypic rat brain hippocampal slice cultures using clinically<BR/>relevant concentrations.<BR/><BR/>Results:<BR/>Serum FA levels in the alcoholics<BR/>(mean ± SE: 0.416 ± 0.093 mmol/l, n = 23) were significantly higher than<BR/>in controls (mean ± SE: 0.154 ± 0.009 mmol/l, n = 82) (p < 0.0002).<BR/><BR/>FA was not detected in the controls' CSF (n = 20),<BR/>whereas it was >0.15 mmol/l in CSF of 3 of the 4 alcoholic cases.<BR/><BR/>Low doses of FA from 1 to 5 mmol/l added for 24, 48 or 72 hours to the<BR/>rat brain slice cultures caused neuronal death as measured by propidium<BR/>iodide staining.<BR/><BR/>When folic acid (1 micromol/l) was added with the FA, neuronal death was<BR/>prevented.<BR/><BR/>Conclusions:<BR/>Formic acid may be a significant factor in the neurotoxicity of ethanol<BR/>abuse.<BR/>This neurotoxicity can be mitigated by folic acid administration at a<BR/>clinically relevant dose.<BR/><BR/><BR/>http://www.uhnresearch.ca/researchers/profile.php?lookup=801<BR/><BR/>Peter L Carlen, FRCPC, MD<BR/>Head, Division of Fundamental Neurobiology<BR/>Toronto Western Research Institute (TWRI)<BR/><BR/>Senior Scientist, Division of Fundamental Neurobiology<BR/>Toronto Western Research Institute (TWRI)<BR/><BR/>Keywords: stroke, gap junctions, synaptic transmission, mitochondria,<BR/>calcium chelators, whole cell patch clamp recordings, fluorescence<BR/>imaging, epilepsy, dementia, fetal alcohol syndrome, brain state<BR/>classification<BR/><BR/>Research Interests:<BR/>Mechanisms of neural synchrony and entrainment (epilepsy), and<BR/>neurodegenerative processes<BR/><BR/> * In collaboration with Drs. Bhushan Kapur, James Reynolds and<BR/>James Brien, we are examining the role of formic acid in the causation<BR/>of the brain damage in the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and its<BR/>rescue by folate.<BR/><BR/>Peter L Carlen<BR/>Mailing Address<BR/>Primary Office<BR/>Toronto Western Hospital, McLaughlin Pavilion, 12th Floor Rm. 413<BR/>399 Bathurst St., Toronto, Ontario Canada M5T 2S8<BR/>Email carlen@uhnres.utoronto.ca,<BR/>Phone Numbers 416.603.5800 x5044<BR/><BR/>http://www.clinpharmtox.utoronto.ca/Page60.aspx<BR/><BR/>http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/45698.php<BR/><BR/>Queen's-led Network Looks At FAS Aiming To Minimize Life-long Learning <BR/>Problems<BR/>Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics News<BR/>Article Date: 24 Jun 2006 - 12:00 PDT<BR/><BR/>For the first time researchers are testing to see whether fetal exposure<BR/>to methanol, a contaminant found in many alcoholic beverages, plays an<BR/>important role in causing the life-long learning and behavioural<BR/>problems associated with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).<BR/><BR/>By understanding fetal brain injury caused by exposure to methanol and<BR/>related toxins, an emerging team of researchers is laying the groundwork<BR/>for potential new therapeutic interventions to protect fetuses at risk<BR/>for FASD.<BR/><BR/>"The main goal will always be prevention of FASD," says lead researcher<BR/>James Reynolds, Queen's University professor of Toxicology and<BR/>Pharmacology, "but we also have to develop strategies to minimize injury<BR/>to the developing fetus and individualize earlier therapeutic<BR/>interventions for children with pre-natal exposure to alcohol."<BR/><BR/>The interdisciplinary research team, which also includes<BR/>James Brien and Doug Munoz from Queen's,<BR/>Peter Carlen (University Health Network),<BR/>Bhushan Kapur (Sunnybrook Hospital)<BR/>and Brenda Stade (St. Michael's Hospital) from Toronto,<BR/>received just under $1.5 million dollars in funding<BR/>from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.<BR/><BR/>The Queen's researchers have found that simple eye movement tasks can be<BR/>used to assess brain function in children with FASD. Since this<BR/>technology is portable, the researchers plan to travel across the<BR/>country to bring the research program into affected communities. "It's<BR/>estimated that the incidence of FASD is about one per cent in the<BR/>general population," Dr. Reynolds says, "but there are regions and<BR/>communities in this country where the population affected by FASD<BR/>increases dramatically."<BR/><BR/>Using blood samples from at risk mother-baby pairs, the Toronto team<BR/>members hope to identify biological markers that may predict brain<BR/>injury in the child. At risk babies will be tracked for 24 months<BR/>following birth so researchers can identify early signs of FASD and<BR/>develop aggressive therapeutic interventions at earlier stages to<BR/>minimize the effects on a child's development.<BR/><BR/>To understand the underlying mechanisms of this novel hypothesis of<BR/>FASD, the Toronto team members are studying the effects of formic acid<BR/>and folic acid on the biological functions and survival of neurons in<BR/>isolated brain tissue. In parallel studies, the Kingston team will<BR/>assess the efficacy of folic acid supplementation as a potential<BR/>therapeutic intervention in preventing FASD.<BR/><BR/>For these researchers, an exciting opportunity has been created by<BR/>linking this study with Queen's University's state-of-the-art Magnetic<BR/>Resonance Imaging (MRI) facility. New experimental procedures being<BR/>developed at Queen's will link eye movement tasks to MRI images of the<BR/>brain, creating an objective and much more specific way to evaluate<BR/>brain function. By isolating individual brain responses, FASD<BR/>researchers hope to gain greater insight into the underlying brain<BR/>injury caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol, leading to more specific<BR/>intervention therapies designed to minimize the affects of FASD.<BR/><BR/>"Not all children exposed to alcohol during prenatal life develop FASD,"<BR/>adds Dr. Reynolds. "There are other contributing factors including<BR/>genetic predisposition and nutrition during gestation that make<BR/>important contributions to the ultimate outcome. We need a way to<BR/>identify the different sub-groups within the FASD spectrum. This<BR/>research will help us develop the standardized tools we need to evaluate<BR/>and treat children with FASD."<BR/><BR/>----------------------------<BR/>Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.<BR/>----------------------------<BR/><BR/>Contacts:<BR/>Lorinda Peterson, 613-533-3234, lorinda.peterson@queensu.ca,<BR/>Nancy Dorrance, 613-533-2869, dorrance@post.queensu.ca,<BR/><BR/>Contact: Lorinda Peterson<BR/><BR/>name: James N Reynolds<BR/>email: jnr@queensu.ca,<BR/>phone: 613 533 6946<BR/>campus_extension: 36946<BR/>department: Pharmacology and Toxicology<BR/>type: Faculty<BR/><BR/>name: James F Brien<BR/>email: brienj@queensu.ca,<BR/>phone: 613 533 6114<BR/>campus_extension: 36114<BR/>department: Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Psychiatry<BR/>type: Faculty<BR/><BR/>Dr. Douglas P. Munoz doug@eyeml.queensu.ca,<BR/>Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience<BR/>Director, Centre for Neuroscience Studies<BR/>Professor of Physiology and Psychology<BR/>Member, CIHR Group in Sensory-Motor Systems<BR/>Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6<BR/>Phone: (613) 533-2111 Fax: (613) 533-6840<BR/><BR/>Dr. Brenda Stade St. Michael's Hospital Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder<BR/>Diagnostic Clinic 61 Queen Street Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8<BR/>Tel: (416) 867- 3655 stadeb@smh.toronto.on.ca,<BR/><BR/>http://www.faslink.org/toc2.htmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com