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Why You Should Never Eat a Hot Dog Again

Would you still eat hot dogs if you knew they caused Cancer?

Hotdogs are a picnic and cookout staple, on average Americans consume over 20 billion of them a year, 115 million on the fourth of July alone! Like many harmful foods that grace our grocery store shelves today they are filled with chemical additives and preservatives that do no good for our bodies.

Everybody enjoys a good hot dog every now and again, but did you know that Hot dogs have been linked to many types of cancers including childhood Leukemia. Recent and past Studies have shown, Children who eat more than 12 hot dogs a month develop childhood leukemia more than nine times as often as normally expected. Children who ate hot dogs once a week doubled their chances of brain tumors, with twice a week they tripled.

Hot dogs and other “cured” meat products typically contain chemical additives such as sodium nitrite, a color and anti-bacterial preservative that has long been suspected as promoting cancer.

The following Question and Answer section will give you all the information that is important for you to know. The information came from the Cancer Prevention Coalition; http://www.preventcancer.com

Q. What’s wrong with hot dogs?

A. Nitrite additives in hotdogs form carcinogens.
Petition to ban nitrites Three different studies have come out in the past year, finding that the consumption of hot dogs can be a risk factor for childhood cancer.

Peters et al. studied the relationship between the intake of certain foods and the risk of leukemia in children from birth to age 10 in Los Angeles County between 1980 and 1987. The study found that children eating more than 12 hot dogs per month have nine times the normal risk of developing childhood leukemia. A strong risk for childhood leukemia also existed for those children whose fathers’ intake of hot dogs was 12 or more per month.

Researchers Sarusua and Savitz studied childhood cancer cases in Denver and found that children born to mothers who consumed hot dogs one or more times per week during pregnancy has approximately double the risk of developing brain tumors. Children who ate hot dogs one or more times per week were also at higher risk of brain cancer.

Bunin et al, also found that maternal consumption of hot dogs during pregnancy was associated with an excess risk of childhood brain tumors.

Q. How could hot dogs cause cancer?

A. Hot dogs contain nitrites which are used as preservatives, primarily to combat botulism. During the cooking process, nitrites combine with amines naturally present in meat to form carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. It is also suspected that nitrites can combine with amines in the human stomach to form N-nitroso compounds. These compounds are known carcinogens and have been associated with cancer of the oral cavity, urinary bladder, esophagus, stomach and brain.

Q. Some vegetables contain nitrites, do they cause cancer too?

A. It is true that nitrites are commonly found in many green vegetables, especially spinach, celery and green lettuce. However, the consumption of vegetables appears to be effective in reducing the risk of cancer. How is this possible? The explanation lies in the formation of N-nitroso compounds from nitrites and amines. Nitrite containing vegetables also have Vitamin C and D, which serve to inhibit the formation of N-nitroso compounds. Consequently, vegetables are quite safe and healthy, and serve to reduce your cancer risk.

Q. Do other food products contain nitrites?

A. Yes, all cured meats contain nitrites. These include bacon and fish.

Q. Are all hot dogs a risk for childhood cancer?

A. No. Not all hot dogs on the market contain nitrites. Because of modern refrigeration methods, nitrites are now used more for the red color they produce (which is associated with freshness) than for preservation. Nitrite-free hot dogs, while they taste the same as nitrite hot dogs, have a brownish color that has limited their popularity among consumers. When cooked, nitrite-free hot dogs are perfectly safe and healthy.

Sources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10453449

http://www.preventcancer.com/patients/children/hotdogs.htm

http://www.encognitive.com/node/3210

Primary Causes of Breast Cancer You’ll Want to Know

It is well known that certain lifestyle behaviors and bad genes can cause cancer, but the things that you didn’t know could be putting your life and body on danger. There are a lot of things that we do or even use that you would never even suspect.

Cancer is from the changes that happen in the DNA. There are some changes that can be passed down from generation to generation. But substances, situation and exposures that can lead to carcinogens. But some carcinogens don’t directly affect the DNA, they can lead to cancer in other ways by causing cells to divide at a normal rate.

When cancer is developed based on abnormal genes that pass through the family tree. It is common for cancer to spread through a family that is based on carcinogenic exposure or coincidence, but genetic mutations do happen. So, pretty much there are some things from the environment that cause cancer.

Causes

– Synthetic hormone replacement therapy: Breast cancer is an estrogen-related cancer, breast cancer rates for women dropped in tandem with decreased use of hormone replacement. There are similar risks for younger who birth control pills. If you experience excessive menopausal symptoms, consider a bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. This uses hormones that are molecularly identical to ones that the body produces and don’t wreak havoc on the system.
– Cell phones being kept in bras: There have been ongoing X-rays and CT scans can raise a women’s risk of developing breast cancer. It has been found that women who were treated with radiation to chest for a childhood cancer have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
– Alcohol consumption: When women consume more alcohol are at a higher risk if development of breast cancer. Do not exceed one alcoholic beverage a day.
– Wrong antiperspirant: Antiperspirants clog or block the pores that release sweat under the arms. It raises concerns about where the metals are going once you roll or spray them on. Research includes a study has shown that the aluminum isn’t absorbed by the body, but it’s deposited in breast tissue and even can be found in nipple aspirate fluid a fluid present in the breast duct tree that mirrors the micro-environmental in the breast.
– High Cholesterol: A new study has revealed that women who have high cholesterol may be at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Researchers determined high cholesterol increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer by 64 percent.
– BPA, Phthalates & Other Xenoestrogens: Estrogen-like compounds that have been lead to increased breast cancer risk.
– Iodine deficiency: Iodine has potent anticancer properties and has been shown to cause cell death in breast and thyroid cancer cells.

Sources:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/cancer-photos/surprising-cancer-causers.aspx

http://www.newsmax.com/Health/Health-News/5-Surprising-Things-That-Cause-Cancer/2013/03/12/id/494258/

http://cms.carepages.com/CarePages/en/ArticlesTips/FeatureArticles/Contributors/cancer-causes.html

Top 5 Phones With The Worst Radiation Levels

You probably know by now that your phone exposes you to radiation. But, is your cell phone one of the worst?

According to a study conducted by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, in as short a period as 10 minutes, a cell phone can trigger changes on the brain linked to cell division and cancer. Some healthy ailments have already theoretically been attributed to high cell phone usage including increased headache, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease, and of course cancer.

“As of now, with only 10-12 years exposure, and use increasing dramatically, there is a concern of increase in brain cancer, related to use. Children have a configuration of the skull that allows deeper penetration of cell phone radiation with a potentially greater risk.

Sources:

http://www.cnet.com/pictures/highest-cell-phone-radiation/

http://www.lef.org/magazine/2007/8/report_cellphone_radiation/Page-01

Flame Retardants & DEET Now in Swimming Pools

A new study has found that urine could be the least of your worries when swimming in a pool. There are more harmful chemicals that could be floating around in your local swimming including insect repellent, caffeine and flame retardants.

All of these have the potential to be ingested by swimmers and pose a hazard to their your health. Previous research has shown that urine in pools can react with chlorine to create potentially hazardous chemicals. Now, a study by Purdue University has revealed that chlorine could be reacting with body care products to create a similar effect.

Professor Ernest Blatchley from the Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering said: “The motivation for examining pharmaceuticals and personal care products is that there is this unknown potential for them to bring about undesired or unexpected effects in an exposed population.”

“There are literally thousands of chemicals from pharmaceuticals and personal care products that could be getting into swimming pool water.”

Samples of water were taken from a variety of indoor swimming pools in the US.

Using a technique, which was developed by professor Ching-Hua Huang, of Georgia Institute of Technology, they were able to identify and quantify 32 pharmaceuticals and personal care products in water. Out of the 32 chemicals investigated, researchers found that there were three which showed up more regularly.

These included Deet (which is found in insect repellents), caffeine and tri(2-chloroethyl)-phosphate (TCEP) – a type of flame retardant.

“Swimmers are exposed to chemicals through three different routes: You can inhale, you can ingest and it can go through your skin. So the exposure you receive in a swimming pool setting is potentially much more extensive than the exposure you would receive by just one route alone,” Blatchley added.

The study is published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols, or having contact with contaminated water. RWIs also can be caused by chemicals in the water or chemicals that evaporate from the water and cause indoor air quality problems. A wide variety of RWI infections include gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurological, and wound-related. The most commonly reported RWI is diarrhea.

The research is ongoing.