Page 12 - Winter2017

Caustic Commentary

effect in young men—painful swelling of the testicles, often defects. Said the researchers: “Advice to pregnant women on
leading to permanent sterility. This is what happens when the consumption of liver based on the reported teratogenicity
through vaccination, you don’t allow boys to get the mumps of vitamin A supplements should be reconsidered” (Human
when they are young (Washington Post, November 6, 2017). & Experimental Toxicology (1994) 13, 33-43). In other words,
pregnant women should eat liver rather than take vitamin
OUR TOXIC WORLD A supplements.
The number of chemicals applied to vegetables sold in su-
permarkets has increased by up to seventeen-fold over the MORE DEATHS WITH STATINS
past forty years, according to data presented at a conference Even conventional scientists have to admit that evidence
organized by the Epidemiology and Public Health Section that taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs is “sparse and
of the Royal Society of Medicine in London, November 20 conflicting,” particularly for patients aged seventy-five and
of this year. Even worse, regulators test only the single ac- older. Even worse, new evidence indicates that taking statins
tive ingredient in pesticide formulations, and not the many may make you more at risk for dying. Researchers at the
adjuvants added to enhance the effectiveness of the active in- division of geriatric medicine and palliative care, New York
gredients. No one is looking at the combined effects of these University, performed a secondary analysis of data from the
pesticide formulations, or the results of exposure to multiple ALLHAT (Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment
pesticides. Pesticides are linked to hormone disruption, low to Prevent Heart Attack) trial. Earlier researchers claimed
sperm quality, miscarriage and decreased fertility. Exposure that the group taking statins had lower all-cause mortality,
to very low doses of the Roundup herbicide—far below the but that is not what the New York University researchers
permitted levels—caused non-alcoholic fatty liver disease found. They focused on twenty-eight hundred older par-
(NAFLD) in rats. Today about 25 percent of the population ticipants who had hypertension and “moderate hypercholes-
in the U.S. and Europe suffers from NAFLD. Big Ag argues terolemia” but no atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at
that it is impossible for farmers to manage without pesticides, baseline. Half received the statin pravastatin and the other
a view contested by the final speaker at the conference, Peter half had no statin “therapy.” After six years there were one
Melchett. Melchet has been an organic farmer for nineteen hundred forty-one deaths in the pravastatin group versus
years and was a conventional farmer before that. He reported one hundred thirty in the control group. “This represents a
that since converting to organic, he has only had to spray nonsignificant trend toward increased mortality with statin
a single field once—when he planted two related crops in therapy. The results were similar, with pravastatin provid-
the same field two years in a row. Farmers like Melchett ing no significant benefit regarding coronary heart disease,
use crop rotation, barrier methods against pests, cultivating stroke, heart failure and cancer events” (Cardiology News,
hedge rows and planting cover crops to minimize the need May 24, 2017). Moral: when your doctor offers you a statin,
for pesticides and herbicides (http://gmwatch.org/en/news/ just say No!
latest-news/17988).

VITAMIN A FROM LIVER FOR SCIENTISTS AND LAY READERS
In these pages, we like to keep our readers up to date on any Please note that the mission of the Weston A. Price
research involving vitamin A. But I recently stumbled on a Foundation is to provide important information about diet
1994 paper that compared the results from taking a retinol and health to both scientists and the lay public. For this rea-
son, some of the articles in Wise Traditions are necessarily
supplement (either orally or as an injection) with eating liver. technical. It is very important for us to describe the science
Those given the supplement had higher plasma concentra- that supports the legitimacy of our dietary principles. In
tions of retinyl palmitate compared to those who ate liver, articles aimed at scientists and practitioners, we provide a
but they also had much higher levels of all-trans retinoic acid summary of the main points and also put the most techni-
in their blood. All-trans retinoic acid is considered to be the cal information in sidebars. These articles are balanced by
teratogenic form of vitamin A—the form that causes birth others that provide practical advice to our lay readers.

12 Wise Traditions WINTER 2017