👩🔬 Concerning new research about artificial sweeteners
Health Squeeze
June 09, 2023
A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought – they must be earned.
In This Newsletter
🧬 Concerning new research, may suggest caution when using artificial sweeteners such as Splenda.
🔥 As wildfire smoke blankets parts of Canada and the U.S., how could it impact your health and how can you stay safe?
🦠 Are you suffering from long COVID? The 12 symptoms to watch for.
Health Q and A
Is frozen fruit and veggies as healthy as fresh?
Answer at the bottom
🧬 New Study Finds Splenda Damages DNA
Sucralose, a synthetic compound used as an artificial sweetener in products like Splenda, has long been touted as a healthier alternative to traditional sugar. However, research continues to raise concerns that this may not be the case.
A new study from North Carolina State University found that a chemical formed when we digest the common artificial sweetener, sucralose-6-acetate, could be toxic to DNA.
The researchers conducted a series of in vitro experiments exposing human blood cells to sucralose-6-acetate and monitored for markers of genotoxicity. They found that the chemical effectively broke up DNA in cells exposed to the chemical.
The researchers also exposed human gut tissues to sucralose-6-acetate and found that both sucralose and sucralose-6-acetate caused "leaky gut." This means that the wall of the gut becomes more permeable, allowing things that would usually be flushed out of the body to leak into the bloodstream. The chemicals also damaged the tight junctions where cells in the gut wall connect to each other.
Furthermore, the researchers looked at the genetic activity of the gut cells to see how they responded to the presence of sucralose-6-acetate.
They discovered that those exposed to sucralose-6-acetate had increased activity in oxidative stress, inflammation, and carcinogenicity-related genes.
The evidence raises significant concerns regarding the safety of sucralose and its metabolites, leading the authors to call for a revisit to its regulatory status.
Sucralose can be found in thousands of products, including baked goods, beverages, chewing gum, gelatins, and frozen dairy desserts.
🔥 Canadian Wildfire Smoke Threatens the Health of Millions
Hundreds of wildfires continue to rage out of control in southeast Canada. The situation has threatened the health of millions of Canadians and Americans in the Northeast and Northern tier of the U.S. as the plume of smoke makes its way further south.
The smoke blanketed the region leading to extremely poor air quality for more than 100 million people, rendering cities invisible behind the smog, slowing air travel, and canceling schools and outdoor events.
Wildfire smoke is extremely hazardous. Breathing in smoke can have immediate health effects, including coughing, trouble breathing normally, stinging eyes, a scratchy throat, runny nose, irritated sinuses, wheezing and shortness of breath, chest pain, headaches, an asthma attack, tiredness, and fast heartbeat.
Older adults, pregnant women, children, and people with preexisting respiratory and heart conditions may be at greater risk.
The air quality index, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency metric for air pollution, exceeded 400 at times in Syracuse, New York City and parts of Pennsylvania earlier this week. Anything over 300 is considered “hazardous,” and the guidance during those alerts is for everyone to stay indoors.
According to the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, “Communities exposed to wildfire smoke causing AQI of 150 for several days is equivalent to about seven cigarettes a day if someone were outside the whole time. Even if you’re indoors, you could be breathing in this poor air quality due to leakage.”
So how can you stay safe when it comes to air quality and air pollution, a situation that may continue to occur over the coming months?
Here are a couple of important things you can do:
Understand the AQI (Air Quality Index), and check it before planning outdoor activities for the day. You can check it on most weather apps or at Airnow.gov.
When the levels are above 150, consider limiting outdoor activities, over 300, do NOT go outside unless you have to.
If you have to spend time outdoors, consider using an N95 or a more effective P100 mask to filter out the particulate matter in the air.
Use recirculating settings on car AC or window/wall units if you have them. Central AC does not pull outside air, so that is OK to use. Service your HVAC system regularly to keep indoor air clean.
Keep windows and doors in the home closed as much as possible.
Invest in high-quality air purifiers for your home. This is helpful for airborne toxic events and to improve the air quality in your home overall.
Do not add to air pollution inside your home. Avoid burning candles or fireplaces, do not vacuum as this stirs up particle matter in the home.
Know your risk. If you have chronic health conditions, heart or lung conditions, babies, elderly, or others who are chronically ill - all should take extra precautions.
🔍 12 Symptoms of Long COVID Identified
According to some estimates, lingering symptoms of COVID-19 impact 65 million individuals across the globe.
A groundbreaking scientific study published in JAMA on May 25th proposed a list of 12 symptoms that can be used to diagnose long COVID. Researchers believe this is a significant first step toward finding a potential treatment or cure for the condition.
The published report is part of the initial wave of findings from the ongoing $1.2 billion National Institute of Health (NIH) RECOVER trial. The primary objective of the study was to create a data-oriented approach to recognize people with long COVID based on their symptoms, according to co-lead author Andrea Foulkes, ScD, who serves as the Director of Biostatistics at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Dr. Foulkes stated that they identified 12 symptoms as distinguishing factors between individuals with and without a history of infection:
Post-exertional malaise (the worsening of symptoms following even minor physical or mental activity)
Fatigue
Brain fog
Dizziness
Gastrointestinal symptoms
Heart palpitations
Issues with sexual desire or capacity
Loss of smell or taste
Thirst
Chronic cough
Chest pain
Abnormal movements
The study revealed that 1 in 10 people who contracted COVID-19 after the onset of the Omicron wave ended up with long COVID.
The study also identified that some symptoms tend to occur together, leading the researchers to define four subgroups or "clusters" with varying impacts on health.
This finding is particularly interesting as it suggests that there may be different types of long COVID, which aligns with the wide range of symptoms and severity levels observed in clinical settings.
Numerous investigations from the RECOVER trial are currently being prepared for publication. Further research utilizing laboratory tests, clinical and subclinical findings, and other data modalities will be conducted to identify additional people with long COVID who do not meet the symptom-based definition.
📝 Health Snippets
💊 Medication, Not Therapy. A new study published in Pediatrics shows that medication, not counseling, is the primary treatment for anxiety disorders among children and teenagers. The study found that even though the number of youth with anxiety disorders has increased continually since 2006, the number of children receiving psychotherapy has decreased.
🧪 Hundreds Falsely Diagnosed with Cancer. Around 400 patients who purchased Grail’s Galleri test, a cancer test that uses drawn blood to detect 50 types of cancer, were incorrectly told they might have cancer due to a software configuration issue from telemedicine vendor PWNHealth.
👂 New Relief for Tinnutis. A new study conducted by the University of Michigan’s Kresge Hearing Research Institute found that people with somatic tinnitus, a form of the condition where things like clenching the jaw or applying pressure to the forehead result in a noticeable change in pitch or loudness of experienced sounds, may find relief with bi-sensory treatment.
👶 Breastfeeding Impacts Child’s Test Scores. A study published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood shows that whether children were breastfed as infants and for how long may have an impact on their test scores when they are adolescents. It followed about 5,000 British children from their infancy in the early 2000s to their last year of high school and found that children who were breastfed for at least 12 months were 39% more likely to have a high pass for both math and English GCSE exams and were 25% less likely to fail the English exam.
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