New Stealth Chemicals Hidden in Your Food

If you pick up a can of soup and find that the sodium levels are lower than you expected, or that a food item advertises it has “less sugar” or “no MSG” ... then there may be cause for alarm.

A relatively young company, Senomyx, may be responsible for the sodium and sugar levels falling in various grocery store items. They may be putting chemicals into your food right now, without telling you and without you even realizing. Under the law, they don’t have to.

Senomyx has contracted with Kraft, Nestle, Coca Cola, and Campbell Soup to put a chemical in foods that masks bitter flavors by turning off bitter flavor receptors on your tongue. The companies can then reduce sugar and sodium levels by approximately half without affecting the flavor.

All of the companies declined to identify which foods and beverages the chemical additives have been or will be added to. These chemical compounds are not required to be listed separately on food labels; they are grouped into the general category of "artificial flavors."

Senomyx was able to obtain FDA approval and a “generally recognized as safe” classification from the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association in less than a year and a half, based on a safety study of rats conducted for just 3 months.

Food items that are most likely to contain these new chemicals include soups, juices (fruit and vegetable), ice cream and sauces.

• Source: Natural News April 10, 2008

Exercise During Pregnancy Means a Healthier Heart for Both Mom and Baby

Exercise is good not only for mothers-to-be, but also for their developing babies, according to a new study by researchers from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

Maternal exercise during pregnancy may have a beneficial effect on fetal cardiac programming by reducing fetal heart rate and increasing heart rate variability. The heart rates among non-exposed fetuses were higher, regardless of the fetal activity or the gestational age.

The researchers concluded that exercising during pregnancy can benefit a mother’s own heart and her developing baby’s heart as well.

• Source: Science Daily April 10, 2008

Arthritis Can Be Managed With Diet and Exercise

Many people with arthritis automatically reach for pain medication, but it is not always necessary to do so. There are other solutions that work just as well, or even better, for both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

For instance, a variety of supplements -- including bromelain, essential fatty acids, and glucosamine -- can be beneficial for arthritis. But the best supplement of all is proper food. Proper, nutritious food has yielded health effects that surpass any supplement.

Exercises, including activities that engage the full body, are also recommended for individuals with arthritis. This:

• Helps joint mobility
• Prevents loss of lean muscle tissue
• Maintains strength
• Reduces pain and stiffness
• Mobilizes stiff or contracted joints

• Source: ABC News April 15, 2008

Changing Your Clock: New Research Explores How Your Body Keeps Time

Researchers have learned that circadian rhythms -- the 24-hour cycles that keep time for your body -- are involved in sleep, weight gain, mood disorders, and a variety of diseases. They have begun to make remarkable strides in identifying the genes and neural pathways involved in regulating your internal clock.

In one study, it was found that sarkedian rhythms regulate metabolic processes involved in diet-induced weight gain, while others are exploring the connection between the role of temperature in regulating your daily cycles.

And in one surprising finding, researchers found that a single amino acid change in a protein triggers a chain of genetic events involved in internal timekeeping.

If this single modification is impaired, it could disrupt the cascade and serve as the underpinning of circadian rhythm-related ailments.

• Source: Science Daily February 11, 2008