This is a bitter pill to swallow. Many cocoa products in the US contain concerning levels of toxic heavy metals, a new study from George Washington University warns. Many cocoa products in the US contain worrisome levels of lead and cadmium, a new study from George Washington University warns. Picture Partners – stock.adobe.com Researchers analyzed 72 cocoa-based foods — including dark chocolate, often praised as a heart-healthy treat — over eight years. They found that 43% of the products contained an amount of lead that tops recommendations, while 35% exceeded cadmium limits. Surprisingly, organic-labeled products had higher levels of lead and cadmium than non-organic products, the researchers said. Contamination can come from soil or occur during manufacturing. A single serving of these cocoa items may not pose significant health risks, but several servings might. Leigh Frame, director of integrative medicine at GW, led the testing of 72 cocoa-based products. The George Washingto...
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Excess belly, arm fat raises Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's risk: study
Obesity has long been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease because it can cause inflammation that harms the brain, among other reasons. Now, researchers say that focusing on belly and arm fat can lower your risk of developing these debilitating diseases.
“Targeted interventions to reduce [belly] and arm fat while promoting healthy muscle development may be more effective for protection against these diseases than general weight control,” said Dr. Huan Song of Sichuan University in China.
Reducing belly and arm fat can lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, a new study says. Getty Images/iStockphoto
For the study, Song’s team recorded the waist and hip measurements, grip strength, bone density, fat and lean mass of nearly 413,000 older adults.
They were followed for about nine years. Some 8,200 participants were diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases — mostly Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers found that those with beer bellies or spare tires were 13% more likely to develop these disorders than people with lean stomachs, while excess arm fat increased the risk by 18%.
The good news is that good muscle strength lowers the risk by 26%.
Aiming at these areas may be easier said than done — targeted fat loss has been called a myth.
Experts say it’s best to eat a healthy diet and burn calories in workouts to slim down all over and lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Many of the study participants who developed dementia had these cardiovascular complications.
About 5.8 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, while about a million Americans have Parkinson’s disease. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Song’s findings were published Wednesday in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. He acknowledges the study population primarily consisted of white people from the UK and Northern Ireland, so the results may not apply to everyone.
Around 5.8 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, which are characterized by memory loss and communication problems.
About a million Americans have Parkinson’s disease — patients may experience slow movement, tremors, stiffness and difficulty walking.
“It’s crucial that we identify ways to modify risk factors to develop some preventive tools,” Song said.
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This is a bitter pill to swallow. Many cocoa products in the US contain concerning levels of toxic heavy metals, a new study from George Washington University warns. Many cocoa products in the US contain worrisome levels of lead and cadmium, a new study from George Washington University warns. Picture Partners – stock.adobe.com Researchers analyzed 72 cocoa-based foods — including dark chocolate, often praised as a heart-healthy treat — over eight years. They found that 43% of the products contained an amount of lead that tops recommendations, while 35% exceeded cadmium limits. Surprisingly, organic-labeled products had higher levels of lead and cadmium than non-organic products, the researchers said. Contamination can come from soil or occur during manufacturing. A single serving of these cocoa items may not pose significant health risks, but several servings might. Leigh Frame, director of integrative medicine at GW, led the testing of 72 cocoa-based products. The George Washingto...
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