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Naturopathic Medicine and the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease
Published in Stephen T. Sinatra, Mark C. Houston, Nutritional and Integrative Strategies in Cardiovascular Medicine, 2022
Many studies have looked at the effects of environmental toxins on blood pressure and CVD. It is known that heavy metals including mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and lead, cigarette smoke, and pesticides can cause elevations in blood pressure.104,105 In one study looking at residents living near a Monsanto chemical plant, those with high polychlorinated bisphenyl exposure had elevations in SBP and DBP. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are manmade chemicals banned in the United States in 1979 due to their high level of toxicity. Although the exact mechanism for how PCBs affect blood pressure is unclear, it is thought that they promote endothelial dysfunction through their pro-inflammatory nature. PCBs have been shown to induce oxidative stress in endothelial cells, which may be an underlying mechanism for the development of atherosclerosis and hypertension.106 Sadly, PCBs are still showing up in our food supply, and subsequently our bodies, as they continue to be dumped into the environment, and have a considerably long half-life (EPA.gov).
Lifestyle and Diet
Published in Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy, Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organic chlorine compounds that were manufactured between 1930–1977 and were predominantly used as coolants and lubricants in electrical equipment or as plasticizers in paints, plastics, and rubber products (197). PCB exposure induces various adverse health effects in animals and humans. Environmental and occupational exposures to PCBs have been associated with cancer development, adverse effects in the liver, kidney, and endocrine systems, neurodevelopmental issues, and immunological alterations. PCBs have been banned worldwide since 1977 due to their accumulation and persistence in the environment (197). No known consumer product currently manufactured in the United States contains PCBs, although some industrial processes still release them (197).
Fetal programming
Published in Hung N. Winn, Frank A. Chervenak, Roberto Romero, Clinical Maternal-Fetal Medicine Online, 2021
Katherine E. Pelch, Jana L. Allison, Susan C. Nagel
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of chemicals used in a variety of manufacturing applications, for example, in coolants, transformers, plasticizers, oils, adhesives, and so on. PCBs are persistent organic pollutants that are highly toxic, similar in action to dioxin, and used widely until their ban in 1976 in the United States. In addition to acute toxicity, PCBs are endocrine disruptors and interfere with normal hormone action, particularly estrogen and thyroid hormone signaling.
Group Solidarity Versus Individual Autonomy in Research Involving American Indian/Alaskan Native Communities
Published in The American Journal of Bioethics, 2021
Conducting scientifically rigorous and ethically sound biomedical research involving AI/AN people is essential to improving their health and well-being. Since 1998, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the organization for which I work, has partnered with Tribal organizations and other National Institutes of Health (NIH) and federal agencies to support dozens of community-engaged research projects aimed at promoting the health of AI/AN populations (Birnbaum 2016; Lewis 2019). These projects have focused on identifying, describing, and ameliorating exposures to hazardous environmental substances that threaten the health of people living on Tribal lands, including exposures to lead, arsenic, uranium, zinc, persistent organic pollutants, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and airborne particulate matter. Saunkeah and colleagues’ (2021) target article “Extending Belmont Protections to Tribal Communities” therefore raises issues that are important for the health and well-being of AI/AN people and for the integrity of the organizations that support research involving American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
Development of a Natural Product Rich in Bioavailable Omega-3 DHA from Locally Available Ingredients for Prevention of Nutrition Related Mental Illnesses
Published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2020
Christina N. Charles, Hulda Swai, Titus Msagati, Musa Chacha
Fish oil is currently the major dietary source of omega-3 DHA. However, according to Lane and colleagues, there are several limitations to relying fish oils as a source of supply of omega-3 DHA (17). Some of these limitations include the undesirable odors, flavors, and tastes of fish oils which discourage consumers from consuming them in their pure forms and neither is traditional supplementation much appreciated. Furthermore, some fish contain high levels of methyl-mercury, which creates a risk of mercury poisoning to consumers (17). Also, some fish oils have been found to contain environmental contaminants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls which dissuade its use. In addition, fish oil production has reached maximum global production and its stock is decreasing throughout the world (17), thus may not be a sustainable source of DHA, especially in resource-poor countries. This calls for development of products or formulations that are rich in preformed DHA and other health promoting compounds from other sources.
Plasma levels of polychlorinated biphenyl, genetic polymorphisms, and the risk of advanced stage endometriosis
Published in Gynecological Endocrinology, 2020
Miran Kim, Sung Hoon Kim, Hyun Jin Kim, Dong Hee Whang, Sung-Cheol Yun, Sa Ra Lee, Hee Dong Chae, Byung Moon Kang
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are typical endocrine disrupting chemicals, and were widely used for commercial purposes such as dielectric fluids in capacitators, transformers, and coolants in the past. PCBs are hardly degraded and can be absorbed and accumulated in the food chain due to strong lipophilic nature and resistance to hydrolysis, oxidation, and degradation. Therefore, although PCBs were prohibited from use worldwide since 1979, they are still ubiquitous, stable molecules causing diverse systemic effects in human body [7,8]. Several studies have shown a positive association between the risk of endometriosis and exposure to PCBs [9]. However, others found no association, and the data are inconsistent among various populations [10–12]. It is possible that some individuals with certain genetic polymorphism involved in the detoxification pathway may have higher risk of endometriosis when they are exposed to higher level of PCBs compared with those without the genotypes. Interestingly, one study has shown a possible presence of gene-environment interaction between glutathione transferase polymorphisms and the serum PCB levels [4]. However, there have been few studies supporting the hypothesis afterwards.