With obesity being dubbed an “epidemic” in the US, there are always new diets emerging claiming to provide the most results with the least amount of effort. After all, we’re Americans and we want everything 5 minutes ago right? Crash diets earn their namesake as they often hit a wall with ill consequences, but that doesn’t stop people from churning out idea after wacky idea. Some of these plans are wilder than others, but they all scream danger for your body if you take the lazy approach. Here are some of the worst fad diets circulating today, you may be surprised:

While research suggests that sleep deprivation can contribute to weight gain, does that mean that the inverse is also true? If you believe whoever came up with the “Sleeping Beauty Diet” then the answer is yes. The danger with this diet is that they suggest that you sedate yourself for multiple days to avoid eating and thus lose weight. Elvis apparently swore by it, although if you look at his later years it must not have worked too well. Then again, it could be all the peanut butter and banana sandwiches he ate during his waking hours that days of sleep couldn’t make up for.

Of all the diets you can blame on the fashion industry, probably the wildest one is the “Cotton Ball Diet”. No fancy buildup here, it’s exactly what it sounds like: eat cotton balls. The genius who came up with this weight loss miracle got lots of people to go along with the idea that cotton balls, while terribly bland and dry, are high in fiber and low in calories. Sure, you can soak them in juice or some other liquid first to add some flavor, but it turns out that’s not exactly the kind of fiber your body needs, and it can lead to some major problems in the digestive system.

The absolute unhealthiest diet of all though has got to be the “Air Diet” that apparently is loved by French women. This one is just plain starvation, only you get to tease yourself while you’re at it. Never consuming food, but only holding it up to your mouth. Leave it to the French to create a diet that requires you to mime eating.

When the food safety act was passed by congress earlier this year, we knew that it would allow the FDA the authority to shut down any food growers they deemed unsafe. A story out of Michigan is dangerously close to that sort of situation, but on a smaller scale. Who knew that depending on your city codes could be illegal to grow vegetables in your own yard? Apparently if you live in Oak Park, MI that’s exactly the case and you can ask Julie Bass all about it.

Bass’ front yard was dug up due to construction on sewer lines, and instead of sewing grass seeds over the soil it would be much more beneficial to plant a vegetable garden instead. Not only would it be cheaper to provide food for her family, but it would also be a sure fire way to avoid all the chemicals that usually come into contact with mass produced vegetables and teach her children about providing for themselves at the same time. The city planner for Oak Park doesn’t quite agree with Julie though, and has already cited and fined her for her garden on the grounds that front yards aren’t “suitable” for gardens.

“Suitable” is the exact word used too, as the city code says “All unpaved portions of the site shall be planted with grass, shrubbery, or other suitable live plant material.” However, Oak Park’s city planner has created his own definition for suitable as he refers to it as meaning “common” and claims that “You can look all throughout the entire city and you’ll never find a vegetable garden that consumes the entire front yard.”

Julie has an upcoming jury trial that she asked for herself, and hopefully her so-called peers that witness that trial will have more common sense. After all, she hasn’t received any other complaints.

Sources:

Washington Post

Oak Park Woman Faces 93-Days in Jail For Planting Vegetable Garden: MyFoxDETROIT.com

If you’ve ever been a smoker, or even known one in the past few years you’re probably familiar with Chantix. The new “wonder drug” to help people quit smoking, if you can afford it that is. As is always the case with the mega popular prescription drugs pushed on Americans, there are side effects. With Chantix however, the side effects are significant enough that the FDA has actually stepped in and required a new set of clinical trials that could possibly end up causing the drug to be pulled from the market. It turns out that Chantix actually increased the risk of cardiovascular health issues including heart attack that smokers already face.

700 smokers who already had some issue with cardiovascular disease were participants in a trial where some took placebos while others took Chantix. Up to a year Chantix was helpful to patients trying to quit smoking, but they also had more cardiovascular events like heart attacks than those on the placebo.

Chantix has already had somewhat of a rough road regarding side effects like depression and suicidal thoughts in patients with no previous history of mental illness. There have also been many reports of traffic accidents blamed on seizures and loss of consciousness caused by the drug. While it was once a very promising aid in smoking cessation, it’s a shame that what smokers have turned to in order to avoid cardiovascular health problems can be just as likely to cause them.

While there’s no immediate plans to remove Chantix it is good to see that the FDA is carefully considering the situation. The only reason that more severe restrictions haven’t been placed on it yet is that the benefits to those trying to quit smoking still outweigh the side effects it can present.

Sources:

FDA

You know that things are bad in the world of nutrition when food manufacturers have to tout that products are made with “real sugar” so highly. When soda companies make special batches of their products and market them as nostalgic just because they have real ingredients, you should really wonder what things have come to. Go down any random aisle in your local supermarket and you’ll likely find more items containing high fructose corn syrup than those that don’t. It’s a manufacturers dream due to how easy to obtain and how cheap it is. It’s also a nightmare, being blamed for spikes in obesity and type 2 diabetes. If that wasn’t bad enough, the manufacturing process brings in some other ingredients that are way more questionable than the final product itself.

The process used to turn corn to corn starch, and then finally into high fructose corn syrup is something out of a mad scientist’s recipe book. Multiple toxic chemicals are used, and one of them has other applications such as sterilizing medical equipment and treating water systems because it kills living cells. Glutaraldehyde is also used as an embalming chemical, and according to the CDC it causes eye, nose, throat, and lung irritation. The chemicals material safety data sheet even explains that if ingested it could actually burn a hole in your stomach.

Some of the other chemicals used in this process actually bring mercury into the mix, which is highly toxic on its own. A 2009 Study found that up to half of the food products containing high fructose corn syrup that are currently being sold were positive for mercury contamination. It was so bad that researchers estimated the average American could easily ingest more than five times the maximum recommended amount of mercury within a year.

The moral of this story is read carefully. There are plenty of food items that you would never think to contain artificial sweeteners that actually do. It may be more expensive to avoid these products, but you’ll likely be around much longer to enjoy them if you do.

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Glutarldhyde MSDS

The  Washington Post

So far in 2011, some long strides have been taken in the fight against fluoride and water fluoridation. Even though numerous studies have been in publication for decades, they’re finally gaining more credibility and action is being taken. Even the CDC has lowered the levels of fluoride added to water supplies in many areas following the release of their own studies showing rapid increases in adolescent dental fluorosis, and while this isn’t a total victory yet, it’s certainly a blow worthy of recognition. New research continues to pile up, and as recently as the month of June a new analysis of reports has been published in the Spanish Journal Neurologia that confirms neurological damage from repeated exposure to fluoride, and how it’s especially dangerous for children to consume.

While this new study specifies children being the most at risk, it can cause similar damage to anyone. “Fluoride can be toxic by ingesting one part per million and the effects are not immediate, as they can take 20 years or more to become evident,” say researchers. We may see effects like dental fluorosis more quickly, but the other dangers are much more than cosmetic. Researchers add that “Fluoride is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, which may cause biochemical and functional changes in the nervous system during pregnancy, since the fluoride accumulates in brain tissue before birth.” This is the first time that such emphasis has been placed on fluoride absorption prior to birth.

The hits keep on coming too, as the US National Research Council’s fluoride panel says that “Fluorides also increase the production of free radicals in the brain through several different biological pathways. These changes have a bearing on the possibility that fluorides act to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.” It’s amazing to think that at one time adding fluoride to water was dubbed one of the greatest health innovations of the 20^th century, and then in 2010 TIME magazine listed it as one of the top 10 common household toxins, saying that it is “neurotoxic and potentially tumorigenic if swallowed.”

This new study doesn’t single out fluoridated water either. It also suggests steering clear of dental products containing fluoride because of the amount of increased exposure that leads to. There are so many ways that we come into contact with fluoride whether it be out tap water or showers, or other beverages that are produced with water that has been fluoridated. Dental products with additional fluoride are the easiest to avoid, and have the most immediate impact by way of fluorosis. The war against fluoride rages on, but 2011 is shaping up to be a major offensive for those opposed to adding poisons to our water supplies.

Sources:

PR Newswire

NEUROLOGIA

TIME Magazine

US National Research Council

In another instance of prescription drugs causing more problems than they solve, a new diabetes drug that is currently being tested has already been linked to numerous types of cancer and increases in various types of infections. Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca’s new medication dapaglifozin actually fares worse than the more well known diabetes drug metformin. Side effects like nausea, diarrhea, chest pain, difficulty breathing, fever, muscle pain, and unusual tiredness or weakness should be enough to make anyone look for other treatment options. However, This new drug jumps past all of the digestive system issues and problems with general wellbeing straight into serious diseases.

The two year study showed that those taking dapaglifozin were five times more likely to develop bladder cancer than those being treated with other medications. Similar numbers were discovered when comparing rates of breast cancer, with dapaglifozin users developing it at four times the rate of those not taking it. Only a single person in each control group for both bladder and breast cancer developed the condition in the 2 year period of the study.

While increases in cancers are certainly serious issues, the more common effects were infections in the genitals and urinary tract. This is most like attributed to the way that dapaglifozin works. It prevents glucose from being absorbed through the kidneys and into the blood stream. Instead, it disposes of excess glucose directly through urine and other bodily waste. This causes an increase in bacterial infections that could be avoided if the sugars were processed and disposed of in other ways.

Diabetes can be reversed naturally, and without drugs of any kind. It’s important to remember that there are other options besides turning to pills for every ailment. While some are helpful, most carry side effects worse than the condition they’re meant to treat.

Sources:

Yahoo! News

Drugs.com

According to the Internet Stroke Center, roughly 795,000 Americans suffer strokes every year. They are the 3^rd leading cause of death in the US, with more than 140,000 deaths annually attributed to stroke. In 2005, 1 out of every 17 deaths that occurred in the US was due to stroke. High blood pressure is the greatest risk factor for stroke, and while maintaining a normal range of blood pressure is important for all aspects of health, it is even more necessary when trying to prevent vascular incidents like stroke. There are some dietary supplementations that have been proven to help lower blood pressure, but none have ever been directly connected with incidents like stroke. However, new research conducted in France intends to prove otherwise.

Strokes is much more common among older people, and according to a French study of 7,000 people age 65 and older Scientists believe that regular use of olive oil may have preventative effects. The medical journal Neurology features their published study that shows people who use more olive oil in cooking or methods of consumption had lower rates of stroke. Researchers now believe that there should be new dietary recommendations for the elderly based upon their findings.

Olive oil has been known for quite some time to have possible health benefits. Other studies have shown it to help prevent oxidative stress, and are also believed to help prevent high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and because of that, heart disease. The American Cancer Society has even said that extra virgin olive oil can help fight breast cancer, of which a new case is diagnosed every 3 minutes in the US. It’s hoped that this protective effect rings true in relation to stroke, but more research is needed.

Sources:

Internet Stroke Center

A few months back, we featured an article about the side effects that can come along with over the counter medications. Whether from that article or other news coverage, most people are aware of the potential hazards that are associated with OTC drugs like allergy medications, sleep aids, and non steroidal anti inflammatory pain killers. A new book is being published that calls out not OTC meds, but prescription drugs for robbing those who take them of vital nutrients that in turn can lead to severe side effects. In some cases, the potential side effects defeat the purpose of taking the medications themselves. Here’s a list of types of prescription drugs, and how they might be making things worse for you:

Antibiotics

They kill harmful bacteria in the body, but they’re not exactly precision strikes. They also knock out good bacteria that produce things like B vitamins which keep the nervous system healthy and maintain the health of muscles and bones. This can put you at risk for heart disease, bone loss, and increase the risk of certain cancers.

Blood Pressure Medications

There are some medical treatments for high blood pressure that include drugs that dilate blood vessels. However, some of these drugs also attach themselves to zinc, and in this form it can’t be recognized as the mineral needed by the body to grow new cells, boost the immune system, and make testosterone in men. This can lead to hair loss, prostate problems, and even slowed wound healing.

Antidepressants

Most of these drugs work by boosting brain chemicals that are associated with mood. The problem is that they can also lower thyroid hormones that affect digestive function, muscle control, and mood. The result can be weight gain, and depression. That’s right, antidepressants can actually cause depression.

Diuretics

For the treatment of high blood pressure and swelling, diuretics are used to make the kidneys produce more urine. In that process though, many essential nutrients are lost with the excess urine flow. Vitamin C happens to be one of these nutrients, and when you’re deficient in it you can not only have lessened immune function, but also depression and weight gain due to its function in burning fat.

Sources:

Daily Mail

Drug Muggers by Suzy Cohen, R Ph

Centuries ago, the only reason for humans to have a “sweet tooth” was so that we would be naturally attracted to nutrient rich fruits. As time went on, and eventually sugar was able to be refined the whole game changed. Suddenly we’re attracted to empty foods for no reason other than sugar itself. While it may satisfy the cravings, this refined sugar isn’t the real deal. It’s been called the reason for the current obesity epidemic, and is certainly a factor in the development of diabetes as well. While numerous health concerns continue to arise in regard to refined sugar, and the even more thoroughly processed high fructose corn syrup, we do little as a society to change our ways. If it wasn’t bad enough that these hollow sweeteners affect our physical health to such a degree, new research shows a link to mental illness as well.

The British Journal of Psychiatry has published a cross-cultural analysis and found strong ties between refined sugar consumption and mental illness. Higher national usage of refined sugar was linked to higher diagnoses of depression and schizophrenia. This could be because sugar suppresses growth hormones in the brain that maintain the health of neurons, and triggers the growth of new connections between said neurons which is vital in memory function. Refined sugar consumption has also been known to increase inflammation, which can lead to higher risk of diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and heart disease. It’s actually surprising that these links weren’t discovered sooner.

Dr. Stephen Ilardi Ph. D., who is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Kansas, has recommended his depression patients to remove high sugar foods from their diets even if just for a few weeks. He stated that many who have tried this have had significant improvements in their moods, energy, and mental clarity.

Sources:

NCBI PubMed.gov (1)

NCBI PubMed.gov (2)

Psychology Today

In American men, cases of prostate cancer are second only to skin cancer in number of yearly diagnoses. In 2010 over 200,000 cases were diagnosed, and over 30,000 men died from it. Treatment ranges from hormone therapy to surgery and radiation. There are also several medications on the market that are designed to shrink enlarged prostates who also claim to reduce risk of cancer. For example, British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline petitioned the US FDA nearly a year ago to approve their prescription grade Avodart for use in cancer reduction based on one of their in house trials and were denied. Now, the FDA is using that same study against them in adding new warnings to Avodart and other prostate drugs that say there is actually an INCREASED risk of more serious types of cancer.

According to FDA statistics, nearly 5 million prescriptions for these drugs were written between 2002 and 2009. Doctors are being advised not to start new patients on these drugs until prostate cancer has been ruled out, as it can mirror the symptoms of enlarged prostate. All drugs affected are in a class called “5-alpha reductase inhibitors” and most are approved to treat enlarged prostates. More aggressive cancer development isn’t the only side effect now being warned about with these drugs though. 3 of the drugs affected by this warning also are associated with increasing risk for erectile dysfunction according to recent research.

While the new studies show a slight increase in risk for high grade cancers, they also show a reduced risk of lesser cancers. Dr. Anthony D’Amico, chief of genitourinary radiation oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston said that the warning is “…appropriate. The risk is very small, but not zero.” He also noted that there isn’t a clear reason why the drugs would reduce risk of lesser cancers but increase that of higher impact varities.

Sources:

Huffington Post

MSN Health