Popular Antibacterial Ingredient Has Been Linked to Cancer

The chemical triclosan began to appear in a multitude of products in the early 1970s. From soaps and toothpastes to cleaning supplies and pesticides, this chemical was reportedly an effective antibacterial and anti-fungal compound. After it started to appear in household products, the FDA began to investigate the chemical's safety profile. However, it wasn't until 2016 that it established a final, clear regulation.

It was at this time that the FDA had effectively banned triclosan and 18 other compounds from consumer antiseptic wash products such as hand soap. However, the regulation was limited as it still allowed the chemical to be used in hand wipes or sanitizers and toothpastes. However, Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said, "Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water." 

 

Over the years, a growing body of evidence has come to suggest that triclosan is harmful to humans and to the environment. Initial studies pointed to concerns over the chemical acting as an endocrine disrupter in humans and also increasing the prominence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

However, the direct effect that the chemical has on human health has been controversially debated. According to a review by the government of Canada, it was recently concluded that when used in low concentrations triclosan is not harmful to human health. This includes the current levels found in cosmetics, shampoos, and toothpaste. The Canadian review does note, however, that the chemical can pose a hazard to the environment, and it has been seen to be very toxic and disruptive when found in river ecosystems. In fact, it has been noted as one of the top 10 pollutants found in rivers in the United States. Even more concerning is the result of a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey which found traces of triclosan in 75% of urine samples from participants in the United States. 

 

In a new study which was led by a team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, it set out to explore if triclosan had any relationship with gut inflammation, which has been reported to be an increasingly diagnosed problem. The study fed mice amounts of the chemical relative to concentrations that have been identified in human blood samples. After three weeks of administration in healthy mice, a low-grade of colonic inflammation was identified. 

 

The study then administered the same regime to mice that were genetically engineered to develop inflammatory bowel disease. But after three weeks, the development of symptoms relating to irritable bowel syndrome had significantly accelerated, as did the development of colitis-associated colon cancer cell growth. It was noted that one group of mice, in particular, displayed significantly reduced lifespan.

Researchers hypothesized that triclosan could be affecting the gut microbiome which could be the fundamental mechanism resulting in inflammatory effects. In order to look deeper into this mechanism, the study subsequently found that when fed to germ-free mice (those with no gut microbiome), they found that the harmful effects of triclosan disappeared. Furthermore, they discovered that triclosan did indeed lower the diversity of an animal's gut flora. 

 

It's worth noting that this study is only demonstrated in a small mouse cohort and so far, it has not been validated in humans. But researchers do suggest the results indicate that the effects of this chemical on human health do indeed need urgent and close inspection.

Haixia Yang says "Little is known about the impact of this chemical on human health or other species. Our study indicates there is an urgent need to further evaluate the impact of triclosan exposure and update the potential regulatory policies." 

 

For now, it seems that regulators may be dragging their heels on working out whether this chemical is harmful or not. But, in a statement released last year and co-signed by over 200 scientists and medical professionals suggests that we should probably just avoid it altogether. Within the Florida Statement report, it was found that despite the lack of definitive evidence of its harmful effects, there is no conclusive evidence of its efficacy as an anti-microbial agent. 

 

Barbara Sattler, an environmental health professor at the University of San Francisco says "People think antimicrobial hand soaps offer better protection against illness, but generally, antimicrobial soaps perform no better than plain soap and water." Furthermore, an earlier study conducted at the University of Massachusetts Amherst team found that the chemical can build up to concerning levels of toxicity in the bristles of a toothbrush. What's worse, when a non-triclosan containing toothpaste was applied to the brush, the accumulated triclosan could be released in potentially harmful amounts. 

 

Ultimately, this all leads to a scenario where we have a chemical compound in a variety of household products that is, at best, relatively ineffective, and at worst, cancer-causing and toxic to the environment. Still, further work needs to be done to establish, for certain, whether there is an inflammatory connection in humans. However, at this point, triclosan can be easily avoided by simply paying attention to the ingredient list of purchased products.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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What kind of complications are seen in diabetics, and how to avoid them?

A chronic health disease, diabetes is characterised by increased blood sugar along with other metabolic disorders. Dr Rajeev Gupta, internal medicine, CK Birla Hospital, Delhi explains that when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin, or insulin action on cells becomes ineffective, hyperglycemia with its complications are seen in a patient.

“These complications include infection in blood vessels and nerves. Symptoms of hyperglycemia are increased urination, weakness, weight loss, increased appetite, recurrent infections and other complications of diabetes like heart attacks, strokes or kidney failure,” he says.

According to the doctor, diabetes mellitus is divided into 3 types:

Type 1: Wherein the primary defect is the failure of the pancreas to produce insulin, so regular mellitus treatment is mandatory to sustain life and prevent complications. It generally affects children and young adults, but can occur at any age. Damage to cells or pancreas can be genetic or acquired by viral levels or autoimmune reactions of the body.

“Type 1 diabetes demands the adoption of strict lifestyle changes and dietary habits to keep this condition under control. Unlike other conditions, an individual’s participation and medical and social support are of paramount importance,” Dr Gupta adds.

Patients with type 1 diabetes need to:

– Monitor and control blood sugar, cholesterol and BP consistently.
– Manage blood sugar with insulin shots as advised by a doctor.
– Rest and relaxation to reduce stress.
– Stay active with exercises.
– Make healthy food choices.
– Manage stress to postpone or avoid diabetic complications. Consult your doctor to understand how to recognise and manage complications like kidney disease, eye disease, and cardiovascular complications.
– Go for regular urine tests for albumin (ACR), fundus examination for retinopathy, and lipids assessment along with strict blood pressure control.

Dr Gupta says type 2 diabetes is a more common type, characterised by primarily ineffective insulin action (insulin resistance) with a variable defect in insulin secretion. “Generally, these patients are adults who are obese or have a sedentary lifestyle. Dealing with the complications of diabetes requires effective management to reduce morbidity and mortality.

“Patients must pay attention to blood sugar control, blood pressure, cholesterol, avoid smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, keep their weight under control and exercise regularly to reduce the risk of heart disease,” he explains.

People with type 2 diabetes must recognise signs of impending stroke — like numbness or weakness of any limb, slurred speech, headaches, or dizziness. For early detection of kidney disease, a regular urine albumin test and kidney function test are needed.

Gestational diabetes

This is the third type, majorly diagnosed in pregnant women who are not diabetic before pregnancy. Generally, a glucose tolerance test at the 27th week of gestation is routinely done to detect this condition.

“Once diagnosed, the pregnancy needs to be closely monitored as there is increased risk to the fetus as well. Pregnant women with gestational diabetes should exercise regularly, ensure proper diet and insulin dosage as recommended by the doctor. After delivery, gestational diabetes normally resolves. Obese mothers need to be followed-up for any future development of diabetes,” the doctor concludes.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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6 Important Things We Learned About COVID-19 This Month

It’s been over a year that COVID-19 spread worldwide and turned our lives upside down. During this year, many advancements were made that deepen our understanding of this new invisible threat, but new and important data on the topic keep emerging every week and month.

With new variants of the virus emerging every month now, as well as new vaccines being approved and tested, this month has been quite dense in terms of new information. If you feel like you’ve missed out on the latest developments, this quick read will fill you in. 

 

1. New variants of the virus keep emerging

Just a few months ago, we wrote a piece about four new known strains of the novel coronavirus: the UK strain, the South African variant, the California strain, and the Brazil variant. These new coronavirus mutations are more contagious, and so they spurred another wave of lockdowns and restrictions across the globe. Since then, it was discovered that one of these variants - the California strain - is associated with higher mortality risks. 

 

However, it seems that new versions of COVID-19 just keep emerging, and there are at least two other known variants in the US: the New York strain, and more recently, a new variant from Oregon. Like the previous mutations we mentioned, the so-called New York strain is more transmissible. 

 

As for the new strain found in Portland, Oregon, it seems to combine the mutations of several strains. As reported by USA Today, “Discovered in a patient in Portland, it is similar to the UK strain but carries a mutation seen in variants of the virus being spread in South Africa, Brazil, and New York City.” This variant, too, is considered to be more easily contractable. But transmissibility isn’t the only concern with all these new variants of COVID-19. 

 

Medical professionals are concerned that these new strains could be more difficult to target by existing vaccines, which brings us to our next point.

2. The efficacy of vaccines against new COVID-19 variants

When it comes to the newest variants like the New York strain and the California variant, little is known on whether or not existing vaccines are as effective against them, but scientists do speculate that the New York variant specifically may be less responsive to existing vaccines. 

 

That said, there’s some recent good news, too. Just a few days ago, on March 8, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, which is one of the top vaccines administered to patients, is highly effective at protecting patients from the Brazil strain. This is great news, as the Brazil variant of COVID-19, also known as P.1, is capable to reinfect those who have already had COVID-19, and so it’s a relief to know that vaccination can help prevent this from happening. 

 

Earlier, follow-up lab studies also established that the Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines all offer protection against the UK and the South African strain, but they also point out that current vaccines are less effective against the South African strain. It’s also important to note that NO existing variant of COVID-19 was explicitly found to be immune to vaccinations, which is great news! 

 

3. Eyeglasses help protect you from COVID-19

In a previous article, we pointed out that the novel coronavirus can penetrate the body through the eyes and also that it is possible to catch COVID-19 from someone’s tears. There is new scientific evidence on that topic. The study suggests that wearing eyeglasses provides added protection against COVID-19. According to the research, glasses wearers are 3 times less likely to get COVID-19 than those who don’t wear glasses. 

 

This evidence is in line with Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recommendation to wear a face shield or goggles to get better protection than wearing a mask alone. Though there is no official regulation to wear glasses or a face shield in public, you can try to wear a pair to get better protection from the virus.

4. Travel bans are almost completely ineffective

A recent study seriously questions the continuous travel bans that are being imposed worldwide. According to the researchers, limiting travel was really only effective at the first stages of a pandemic. After that, travel restrictions have little effect on limiting the spread of the disease, so at this point, travel bans are pretty much redundant, according to the authors of the study and other experts. Instead, the authors suggest that widespread COVID-19 testing on the borders between countries would be a more useful and effective approach. 

 

5. A new side effect to vaccinations

We’ve covered the possible side effects of COVID-19 vaccinations in a previous article in detail, and for those of you who have already received the vaccine, the occasional muscle pain in the arm, possible fever, and fatigue are all known occurrences. However, doctors also point out that recently-immunized people may also have swollen lymph nodes. 

 

This is completely normal and is not a cause for concern. The reason why it’s still important to point out is that swollen lymph nodes are a symptom of other health conditions, including cancer. So, if you do end up getting any type of screening immediately after getting a vaccination, this symptom could lead to a false-positive result. If you’ve recently received any dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, it’s best to wait for a month until you have your yearly health exam, routine breast cancer screening, or any other imaging done.

6. COVID-19 mortality is significantly higher in countries with higher obesity rates

A report published by the World Obesity Forum shared an alarming tendency: COVID-19 mortality is 10 times higher in countries where the majority of the population is overweight. The study looked at data provided by the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University, and they established that countries where obesity levels are low also reported much lower levels of COVID-19 deaths, on average. 

 

Of the 2.5 million deaths due to COVID-19 reported in late February 2021, a whopping 2.2 million occurred in countries where at least half of the population is struggling with excess weight. Although it’s difficult to give this data its due meaning, as it’s unknown whether or not the authors controlled for other factors known to increase the risk of COVID-19, it certainly brings home the point that the obesity epidemic is just as serious of a global issue as is the coronavirus pandemic itself.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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