12 Dangerous Foods Americans Eat That Are Banned Around the World

12 Dangerous Foods Americans Eat That Are Banned Around the World

Think you know what's in your food? You'd be surprised.

It may seem like the government has our best interests in mind when it comes to food, but the FDA has green-lighted a number of products that are forbidden by other countries, but somehow safe for Americans.

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California Lowers Organic Standards in Face of Historic Drought

California Lowers Organic Standards in Face of Historic Drought

Organic farms in 53 out of 58 counties in California are set to produce "faked," cheapened organic meat and dairy products in the first quarter of 2014.

In the face of a historic drought, California's organic standards have been cut in half. Instead of requiring livestock to graze on nutrient-rich grass for four months, the standards will be slashed to accommodate drought conditions. During the drought, livestock will only be required to graze for two months, allowing farmer's to bring in emergency feed for their livestock, which scientifically cheapens the nutritive, organic standards.

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Natural News Now Publishing Heavy Metals Lab Results for Grocery Products, Organic Foods and Superfoods

Natural News Now Publishing Heavy Metals Lab Results for Grocery Products, Organic Foods and Superfoods

TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center (ConsumerWellness.org), Natural News (NaturalNews.com) has begun publishing heavy metals lab reports for off-the-shelf food products. With industrial pollution worsening and many "organic" foods now imported from China, heavy metals and toxic elements are increasingly being found in foods purchased by consumers, including some certified organic foods.

Through NaturalNews.com, heavy metals lab results are available free to the public and include parts per billion (ppb) concentrations of Aluminum, Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury, Lead and Copper. Due to concerns about foods absorbing radioactive fallout from the Fukushima catastrophe, results for Cesium and Uranium are also included. Toxic elements are linked to diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, kidney failure, cognitive impairment, birth defects, hardening of the arteries and more.

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A New Target in Fighting Brain Disease: Metals

Research into how iron, copper, zinc and other metals work in the brain may help unlock some of the secrets of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Iron and copper appear to accumulate beyond normal levels in the brains of people with these diseases, and a new, Australian study published Sunday shows reducing excess iron in the brain can alleviate Alzheimer's-like symptoms—at least in mice.

A genetic mutation related to regulating iron is linked to ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Zinc, on the other hand, appears to impair memory if its levels get too low or if it gets into a brain region where it doesn't belong, as it can with traumatic brain injury.

Research into the complicated, invisible roles these metals play in brain diseases has lagged behind study of the more-visible proteins that are damaged or clump together in the brains of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's sufferers. But better understanding metals' role in the brain could help shed light on a range of medical conditions and might offer a new route for developing treatments, scientists say.

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Research Links Pesticides with ADHD in Children

Research Links Pesticides with ADHD in Children

CHICAGO (AP) — A new analysis of U.S. health data links children's attention-deficit disorder with exposure to common pesticides used on fruits and vegetables.
While the study couldn't prove that pesticides used in agriculture contribute to childhood learning problems, experts said the research is persuasive.

"I would take it quite seriously," said Virginia Rauh of Columbia University, who has studied prenatal exposure to pesticides and wasn't involved in the new study.

More research will be needed to confirm the tie, she said.

Children may be especially prone to the health risks of pesticides because they're still growing and they may consume more pesticide residue than adults relative to their body weight.

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Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury

Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury

Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies...."Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered..."

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