Caustic Commentary, Fall 2023

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Sally Fallon Morell takes on the Diet Dictocrats

ADVIL AND THE BRAIN

Baby has a fever? Baby is fussy after a vaccination? “Give him Tylenol” is the advice. A new literature review by Wil­liam Parker, PhD, and others, published in the European Journal of Pediatrics (May 2022), reveals that this is not a good idea at all. Parker’s review has uncovered “troubling associations” between acetaminophen—the active ingredient in Tylenol and hundreds of prescription and over-the-counter medications—“at typical pediatric doses and serious, likely permanent, impairments in cognition and socialization in susceptible children.” The authors note that “recent studies in animal models demonstrate that cognitive development is exquisitely sensitive to paracetamol [acetaminophen] exposure during early development.” In a literature search, the authors found fifty-two papers designed to test safety, but these looked only at liver toxicity; none monitored neu­rodevelopment. While “abundant and sufficient” evidence indicates that Tylenol and related drugs do not induce liver damage in babies or children, the target organ for toxicity is the brain, not the liver. Animal studies reveal long-term brain damage and behavioral changes in youngsters follow­ing exposure to acetaminophen in doses considered safe, with the brains of male animals affected more than the brains of females. Parker notes that an analysis of over sixty thou­sand babies in the Danish National Birth Cohort found an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) up to 66 percent after exposure to acetaminophen, and he connects widespread accidental overdoses of acetaminophen in Korea with the country’s otherwise inexplicably high rates of ASD. Not just in Tylenol, acetaminophen is often combined with other active ingredients in medications for allergies, colds, flu and sleeplessness.

ADVIL AND THE SPERM

Ibuprofen (sold as Advil, Motrin and Smart Sense Children’s Ibuprofen) is a popular nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) taken for headache, toothache, back pain, arthritis, menstrual cramps and minor injury that works “by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body.” It turns out that the drug reduces other hormones as well, namely androgens such as testosterone. In an article titled “Ibuprofen alters human testicular physiology to produce a state of compensated hypogonadism,” published in Proceed­ings of the National Academy of Sciences (January 8, 2018), the authors review evidence that analgesics like ibuprofen “may be involved in adult male reproductive problems and lead to depression of important aspects of testicular func­tion, including testosterone production.” A clinical trial with young men exposed to ibuprofen indicates that the “analge­sic resulted in the clinical condition named ‘compensated hypogonadism,’ which is prevalent among elderly men and associated with reproductive and physical disorders.”

MORE DANGERS FOR MEN

Fluoride added to water is said to make circus animals calm and prisoners docile. Now we know the reason. A Google Scholar search of “fluoride” and “testosterone” turns up dozens of studies showing adverse effects, such as “Effects of sodium fluoride and sulfur dioxide on sperm motility and serum testosterone in male rats,” “Sodium fluoride disrupts testosterone biosynthesis by affecting the steroidogenic pathway in TM3 Leydig cells” and “Fluoride toxicity in the male reproductive system.” It’s mostly Chinese research­ers who are looking at this problem. A group from Shanxi, China, led by Jiahai Zhang investigated what happened to rats when given sodium fluoride in their drinking water (and also exposed to sulfur dioxide in the air) for eight consecu­tive weeks. Exposure to fluoride with sulfur dioxide but also to fluoride alone adversely affected testis tissue and serum testosterone levels in rats. Addition of fluoride—a toxic waste—to drinking water should be banned worldwide, but of course there is resistance, because then the industries pro­ducing it (such as the fertilizer and nuclear industries) would have to engage in the expensive process of cleaning it up.

MORE REASONS FOR USING PLENTY OF SALT

Did you know that not using enough salt could cause your bones to weaken? That’s because your salt status controls magnesium and calcium levels. If you don’t use enough salt, your body will start pulling sodium and magnesium from your bones. You might also become diabetic and salt deficiency increases your chances of developing insulin re­sistance—because higher insulin helps your kidneys retain more salt. Many conditions contribute to sodium loss and increase our requirement for this essential food—such as inflammatory bowel diseases, sleep apnea, kidney diseases, hypothyroidism and adrenal deficiency. And when you ex­ercise, especially in the heat, you need more salt. Lack of salt often leads to sugar cravings and other addictions. Read more in The Salt Fix by James DiNicolantonio.

DOUBLE SIGH

A new million-dollar project aims to produce sheep whose farts have a low methane content! Oh my, they are very serious about this. Breed for CH4ange, led by genetics com­pany Innovis, will measure methane emissions from almost fourteen thousand sheep in forty-five flocks using “new and innovative tools and technologies including Portable Accu­mulation Chambers (PAC).” The information gathered “will enable understanding of the genetic control of these char­acteristics and DNA sampling will allow relationships with the underlying genome of the sheep to be investigated. This will result in tools to compare the breeding value of sheep in the flocks, identifying breeding stock that will contribute to improving farm carbon footprint” (britishlivestockgenetics. co.uk, July 9, 2023). I have a prediction for these jolly geneti­cists: sheep that produce less methane will not be healthy. Since sheep are ruminants and the main job of the rumen is to break down cellulose into methane, sheep that can’t do this very well won’t thrive. But what’s a few million sickly sheep compared to the noble goal of stopping climate change!

VITAMIN K AND DIABETES

The more we learn about the animal form of vitamin K2 (MK- 4)—Dr. Price’s X Factor—the more amazed we become. The vitamin is important for building strong bones and teeth while preventing mineralization of the soft tissues, such as the arteries. Vitamin K2 helps prevent heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease and cancer. Now investigators have added another malady that vitamin K2 helps prevent: diabetes. Researchers have found vitamin K in large quanti­ties in the beta cells, where insulin is produced, and have discovered that it plays an important role in maintaining calcium, which supports insulin secretion (https://nouvelles. umontreal.ca/en/article/2023/05/19/vitamin-k-helps-protect-against-diabetes/). So, in addition to moderating sugar and carbohydrate intake and avoiding artificial sweeteners, in­dustrial seed oils and statin drugs, maximizing vitamin K2 intake is a good strategy for avoiding this modern affliction. That means eating the fats of grass-fed animals—butter and egg yolks, and especially poultry liver and fat. No more skinless chicken breasts! Opt for the wings and thighs and enjoy the skin! Enjoy chicken liver pȃtѐ. In 2018, diabetes was responsible for over eight million hospital visits, seventeen million emergency room visits and sixty-two thousand cases of end-stage kidney disease. Saying no to the lowfat dietary guidelines is the best way to avoid joining the thirty-seven million Americans afflicted with diabetes.

SUCRALOSE DANGERS

When the toxic effects of aspartame (the active ingredient in Equal and Nutrasweet) began to emerge, the industry came up with another artificial sweetener: sucralose (Splenda). Described as six hundred times sweeter than table sugar, the ingredient shows up in baked goods, canned fruit, beverages, chewing gum, gelatins and frozen dairy desserts. The FDA says sucralose is safe, but some researchers are not so sure. In an article published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health (2023 Aug 18;26(6):307-341), Susan S. Schiffman and her team found that sucralose-6-acetate, an intermediate and impurity in the manufacture of sucra­lose, caused DNA strand breaks and impaired intestinal integrity. According to the research team, “The amount of sucralose-6-acetate in a single daily sucralose-sweetened drink might far exceed the threshold of toxicological concern for genotoxicity. . . Overall, the toxicological and pharma­cokinetic findings for sucralose-6-acetate raise significant health concerns regarding the safety and regulatory status of sucralose itself.”

ONE SAUSAGE PER MONTH

The average consumption of meat in Germany today is seven hundred sixty-three grams per week—just over one and one-half pounds, a low number compared to other westernized countries—Americans, for example, consume over twice that amount. Recently the German Nutrition Society (DGE) decreed that Germans should reduce their consumption to no more than six hundred grams weekly. Now, the German Nutrition Society has announced that Germans should con­sume no more than ten grams (about two teaspoons) of meat per day, which amounts to just one sausage per month! Why the sudden change? The Society is now taking into account “climate factors” in addition to nutrition standards. Germans need to eat more meat, not less, says Heike Harstick, general manager of a meat association. “Even in Germany, many people are already undersupplied with certain nutrients, such as iron or vitamin B12” (climatedepot.com, June 4, 2023). Of course, Germans don’t have to comply—not yet. The DGE certifies restaurants and canteens and could refuse to issue certificates to establishments that offer meat beyond the recommended quota. And electronic banking systems could be used to punish those who purchase “too much” meat for themselves and their children.

AT IT AGAIN

They are at it again! Even as evidence for the ineffectiveness of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs continues to mount, and reports of side effects accumulate, physicians are targeting these poisons to young men and women. “More young people should be getting their cholesterol tested and taking statins,” argues Dr. Su­has Gondi, resident physician in internal medicine and primary care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (statnews.com, May 29, 2023). Gondi decided to start taking statins at the age of twenty-seven because his LDL-cholesterol was “at the upper limit of normal range.” Gondi laments that “Young adults are often excluded from studies of cardiovascular risk because heart attacks are less common under age forty. As a result, evidence on choles­terol and statins in young adults is lacking, which makes it difficult for national committees and professional societies to write useful guidelines that apply to us.” Alas, young people are not being checked, and hence, not treated. One cardiologist who spoke to Gondi declared, “LDL is a toxin— just get rid of it.” Statins “are highly effective at lowering LDL and reducing cardiovascular risk.” Well, actually no. For example, the Honolulu Heart Study found that “those individuals with a low serum cholesterol maintained over a 20-year period will have the worst outlook for all-cause mortality” (Lancet 2001 Aug 4;358:351-355). And there’s no downside, says Gondi, except for some muscle pain and a “slightly increased” risk of diabetes. Oh, and Parkinson’s, mental decline, heart failure, depression, anger, risk of ac­cidents and suicide and erectile dysfunction. Good luck, Dr. Gondi! Your statin-pushing ways may make you head of your department, but will you be happy?

MORE BAD NEWS FOR FISH OILS

The observation that populations who eat lots of oily fish have fewer coronary events had stoked a thriving industry in fish oil supplements—but study results have been disap­pointing. In the OMENI trial involving about one thousand older patients, researchers found no difference in the rate of myocardial infarction, revascularization, stroke, death or hospitalization for heart failure between those taking a fish oil supplement and those taking a placebo. In fact, a secondary analysis of patients with no prior history of atrial fibrillation (AF) found that individuals in the supplement arm had a 90 percent higher rate of AF compared to those on the placebo. Two other trials—ASCEND and VITAL—looked at low-dose supplementation and found that AF occured at approximately the same rate in the supplement group and controls. A trial of high-dose supple­mentation, STRENGTH, was termi­nated early because of a signal for in­creased AF risk in the supplement arm. A meta-analysis found that omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) supplements were associated with a 25 percent increased risk of AF in the treatment group (medscape.com, August 10, 2023). WAPF has never recommended fish oils, which are processed at very high temperatures from the waste products of the commercial fishing industry, temperatures bound to degrade the delicate omega-3 fatty acids they contain. Better to take cod liver oil processed at low temperatures, which provides not only intact omega-3 fatty acids but valuable vitamins for the heart.

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