stars2man

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Economic Impact of 0bes!ty to Surpass $4 Tr!ll!0n by 2035

Economic Impact of Obesity is a lie made by industry

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

The growing obesity epidemic shows no sign of stopping and is predicted to cost over $4.3 trillion by 2035, when experts estimate more than half of the global population will be overweight or obese, and nearly 2 million will be obese
The rising number of children with obesity not only increases a child's risk of health challenges during childhood, but also raises their risk for health concerns in adulthood including blood clots, overweight and obesity, cardiovascular disease and premature death
According to the Pentagon, 77% of persons aged 17 to 24 do not qualify for military service for three critical reasons, one of which is being overweight or obese
Obesity is the leading cause of knee replacements, infertility, liver failure and severe COVID-19. Conflicts of interest obstruct truthful nutritional guidance, such as Coca-Cola's campaign to promote exercise and drink Coke and pushing seed oils high in linoleic acid, which increases inflammation and increases snacking

In 1954, obesity was called a common physical abnormality.1 Today it's called an epidemic.2 Many of the complications related to obesity are health conditions that negatively impact quality of life and increase health costs. These include lung, liver and heart diseases, arthritis and gout.3

The 2023 report4 from the World Obesity Federation estimates that the economic impact of overweight and obesity will surpass $4.3 trillion annually by 2035. In the U.S., the CDC5 reports the prevalence of obesity in adults was 41.9% measured from 2017 to March 2020. This represented an increase from 30.5% from 1999 to 2000. The estimated annual medical costs were roughly $173 billion in 2019 dollars.

Using this estimate, medical costs for obese adults were $1,861 higher than those who had a healthy weight. In children and adolescents6 aged 2 to 19 years from 2017 to 2020, the prevalence of obesity was 19.7%, which in raw numbers was approximately 14.7 million adolescents and children. The prevalence ranged from 12.7% in 2- to 5-year-olds to as high as 22.2% in 12- to 19-year-olds.

According to data collected by the CDC, obesity affects some groups more than others7 and some areas of the country more than others.8 Kentucky and West Virginia have the highest percentage of the population who are obese in the country, while Washington, D.C., has the lowest.

2035 Obesity Economic Impact Estimated to Surpass $4 Trillion

The World Obesity Federation 2023 report9 predicts that more than half of the global population will be overweight or obese by 2035 and nearly 2 billion will be obese. The 2022 estimate10 was that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men or roughly over 1 billion people will be obese by 2030. In other words, in just five years, from 2030 to 2035, they estimate the number of individuals who will be obese will nearly double.

According to the World Obesity Federation,11 1 in 7 people across the globe is living with obesity. They estimate this number will increase to 1 in 4 by 2035. The rising number of overweight and obese individuals has a significant impact on health care costs. According to the report, the economic impact in 2035 will reach 3% of the global GDP which is comparable to the cost of COVID-19 in 2020.

Additionally, childhood obesity may double from 2020 levels in boys and is predicted to more than double in girls. Of the 10 countries with the greatest estimated increase, all are either in Asia or Africa and nine are from low or lower-middle-income countries.

They estimate that continued failure in prevention and treatment will lead to these 12-year estimates, and they call for the development of national plans around the world to address this growing epidemic.

According to the Federation, the report emphasizes the need for action plans but acknowledges the impact of several external factors such as climate change, COVID-19 restrictions, chemical pollutants and new pandemics. The Federation’s partners include pharmaceutical, technology and weight loss companies, including:12

Boehringer Ingelheim	IFA Celtics	Medtronics
Allurion	Vivus	Lilly
Pfizer

The report is used to promote World Obesity Day, during which the Federation encourages conversations about obesity to correct misconceptions, “acknowledge its complexities, and take effective, collective action. Because when we all talk, debate and share, we can shift norms and transform health outcomes for everybody.”13

Childhood Obesity Raises Risk for Adult Health Concerns

The rising number of children with obesity not only increases a child's risk of health challenges during childhood but also raises their risk for health concerns in adulthood. Obese children14 are more likely to have other serious physical and mental health conditions. Mental health challenges may include anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, a higher risk of being teased and bullied, and poor social skills.

Some of the serious medical problems that can arise from childhood obesity during childhood are liver disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, sleep disorders, respiratory problems and premature puberty. Each of these conditions also raises health care costs.

Yet, as data have demonstrated, the psychological, physical and financial challenges associated with childhood obesity follow an individual into adulthood. One study15 published in March 2023 from the University of Gothenburg demonstrated that overweight children had an increased risk of blood clots as they moved into adulthood.16

The researchers sought to evaluate the contribution that childhood obesity may play in the one-third of thromboembolic events that are known to be related to obesity. They gathered data from 37,672 men for whom they had data on height and weight during childhood, puberty and young adulthood.

They concluded that being overweight as a young adult was a strong determinant in the risk of adult venous and arterial thromboembolic events in men and that being overweight as a child was a moderate determinant.17 A 2016 meta-analysis of 15 studies and 200,777 participants demonstrated that obese children and adolescents had a five times higher risk of being obese in adulthood than those who were not obese.18

Although childhood obesity can increase the risk of certain cardiovascular health challenges in childhood, a 2017 systematic review with meta-analysis19 also demonstrated that childhood obesity could be a risk factor for adult cardiovascular disease.

A 2020 literature review20 acknowledged that the rise in body mass index in children triggers a variety of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases that increase the risk of early onset disease in young adults that ultimately reduces their productive years and may lead to early disability.

Childhood obesity also increases the risk of premature death beginning in middle age. A 2020 study21 published in PLOS Medicine sought to evaluate whether that risk also occurred in young adulthood. The researchers collected data from 41,359 individuals and determined that the risk of mortality in early adulthood could be higher for individuals who were obese as a child.

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77% of Potential U.S. Military Recruits Considered Unfit

A 2009 military fitness report from the Pentagon entitled “Ready, Willing, and Unable to Serve,”22 revealed that 75% of Americans aged 17 to 24 were ineligible for the military based on three crucial reasons — lacking a high school diploma, having at least one prior criminal conviction or being physically unfit.

The report revealed 27% of potential recruits are too overweight to join the military and many of them are turned away by recruiters. Roughly 15,000 potential recruits failed their entrance physicals because they were overweight or obese. These numbers rose further in the 2022 Pentagon report.23

The 2022 study showed 77% of individuals aged 17 to 24 would not qualify for military service due to being overweight, using drugs or having physical or mental health challenges. Most of the applicants were disqualified for multiple reasons. Major Charlie Dietz, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense, noted that other factors are also involved including a declining veteran population and youth who are more disconnected and disinterested than previous generations.

"The retired admirals and generals of Mission: Readiness recognize that the underlying causes of obesity cannot be solved by the efforts of the military alone," the Council for a Strong America said in a statement.24

"With an increase in youth being ineligible for military service, it is more important than ever for policymakers, including state and local school boards, to promote healthy eating, increased access to fresh and nutritious foods, and physical activity for children from an early age."

Adult Obesity Raises Risk for More Health Challenges

Obesity increases the risk of several multiple health conditions in adults,25 including but not limited to high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, respiratory problems, gallstones and gallbladder disease and joint problems.

Obesity is also a leading cause of knee replacements, infertility, liver failure and severe COVID-19. One Australian study26 of 56,217 patients showed that obesity increased the risk of knee replacement surgery. Of the patients who received a knee replacement due to osteoarthritis, 31.9% were overweight and 57.7% were obese.

Obesity also affects male fertility. Research presented at the Endocrine Society's 2022 annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia,27 revealed that maintaining healthy body weight in childhood could help prevent male infertility later in life.

Children and adolescents who were overweight or obese, or who had high levels of insulin or insulin resistance, tended to have smaller testicles compared to their normal-weight peers with normal insulin levels. According to the study’s lead researcher, “More careful control of body weight in childhood and adolescence may help to maintain testicular function later in life.”

High fructose intake and obesity are also driving factors in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This is the most common chronic liver disease in developed countries28 that results from lifestyle factors, such as diet, exercise, weight management and smoking, and is not related to heavy alcohol use.

In the U.S., 24% of adults have NAFLD, and another study29 presented at the Endocrine Society's 2022 annual meeting suggested that high fructose consumption was associated with an increased risk of NAFLD. Foods high in fructose, including soda and candy, are associated with obesity and diabetes, which are also associated with NAFLD.

Data has also shown that obesity increases your risk of severe consequences from COVID-19. A July 25, 2021, article30 by Joel Hirschhorn on Trial Site News highlights what he refers to as a “missed public health opportunity.”

Hirschhorn is a full professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a senior official at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and the National Governors Association, and a member of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and America’s Frontline Doctors.

Even though we’ve known for well over a year that obesity is one of the most common and most significant risk factors for COVID-19 (aside from age, which you have no control over), public health authorities have ignored the issue and failed to provide guidance on how to reduce excess weight.

“Would not fighting obesity qualify as a valid prevention approach to curbing the ill effects of the COVID pandemic?” Hirschhorn asks. “Could the reason for the government's lack of aggressively pursuing an anti-obesity campaign be a bias for promoting vaccines? It seems a likely explanation.”

Conflicts of Interest Obstruct Truthful Nutrition Guidance

Many factors contribute to overweight and obesity challenges, but the primary focus must be on the food and beverages you consume. However, instead of producing healthier products, the food industry develops campaigns designed to increase their profits without regard to your life.

For example, to improve the perception of their product, Coca-Cola created a public relations campaign promoting exercise to fight obesity and argued that their beverages are part of a healthy lifestyle.31 The campaign blamed the growing obesity problem on a lack of exercise in children and adults. Yet, as research has demonstrated, this was a lie since you can never out-exercise a bad diet.

Other factors that contribute to the growing obesity problem is chronic inflammation32 and the endocannabinoid receptors in your brain. One food substance you eat that is related to both factors is linoleic acid (LA). As I have written before, LA is a significant contributor to the inflammatory domino effect that eventually kills.

LA also stimulates the endocannabinoid receptors in your brain that cause an effect similar to the “munchies” people experience after consuming cannabis. Blocking these endocannabinoid receptors was the mechanism the obesity drug Rimonabant used to cause people to lose weight. However, it also caused a significant increase in suicidal depression and was removed from the market, which was a strong illustration of the law of unintended consequences.

Collectively, consuming too much LA is a primary factor driving the overweight and obesity epidemics. The obvious solution? Radically limit PUFA and LA so as not to stimulate the endocannabinoid receptors in the first place. PUFA also impairs mitochondrial function to decrease energy production, along with impairing thyroid function, so there are additional reasons to cut way down on your intake, even if you're not overweight.

Examples of seed oils high in omega-6 PUFAs include soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, rapeseed (canola), corn and safflower.33 These processed seed oils and vegetable oils get integrated into your cell and mitochondrial membranes, damaging the structures34 and setting the stage for health problems. With a half-life of 680 days,35,36 it can take years to clear them out of your body.

They also get incorporated into tissues such as your heart and brain. One result of this could be memory impairment and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. Canola oil, in particular, has been linked to further damage in people with Alzheimer's disease.37

One thing standing in the way of proper nutrition guidance from the government is also a conflict of interest. In her book, “The Obesity Epidemic: What Caused It? How Can We Stop It?” Zoe Harcombe exposes the fallacy that a calorie isn't a calorie and explains:

"The UK has something that it calls the Responsibility Deal. We call it the Irresponsibility Deal. It's actually the stated intent of the government to work with the fake food industry, to try to do something about obesity.

There's a professor in the UK who said, "You may as well put Dracula in charge of the blood bank." It really is as crazy as that. I have a little chart [showing] these conflicts of interest. Those are the organizations behind public health dietary advice."

- Sources and References

From Dr. Joseph Mercola

Since COVID-19 first entered the scene, exchange of ideas has basically been outlawed. By sharing my views and those from various experts throughout the pandemic on COVID treatments and the experimental COVID jabs, I became a main target of the White House, the political establishment and the global cabal.

Propaganda and pervasive censorship have been deployed to seize control over every part of your life, including your health, finances and food supply. The major media are key players and have been instrumental in creating and fueling fear.

I am republishing this article in its original form so that you can see how the progression unfolded.

https://covid19criticalcare.com/treatment-protocols/math-covid-hospital-treatment/

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/11/3361/htm

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Exercise More Effective Treatment for Depression

Study: Exercise Should Be First Treatment for Depression

Exercise Is 1.5x More Effective Than Best Antidepressants

In all, 97 systematic reviews with meta-analyses of controlled trials assessing the effects of exercise on adult depression, anxiety and psychological distress were included (amounting to a total of 1,039 trials involving 128,119 participants).

Populations included healthy adults, people with mental health disorders and people with chronic diseases. It's the most comprehensive review of research to date, and clearly demonstrates that exercise can rapidly alleviate mild to moderate symptoms of depression, anxiety and other forms of psychological distress. As reported by the University of South Australia, which performed the umbrella review:4

"University of South Australia researchers are calling for exercise to be a mainstay approach for managing depression as a new study shows that physical activity is 1.5 times more effective than counselling or the leading medications …

[The study] shows that physical activity is extremely beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety, and distress. Specifically, the review showed that exercise interventions that were 12 weeks or shorter were the most effective at reducing mental health symptoms, highlighting the speed at which physical activity can make a change.

The largest benefits were seen among people with depression, pregnant and postpartum women, healthy individuals, and people diagnosed with HIV or kidney disease … Lead UniSA researcher, Dr Ben Singh, says physical activity must be prioritized to better manage the growing cases of mental health conditions.

'Physical activity is known to help improve mental health. Yet despite the evidence, it has not been widely adopted as a first-choice treatment. Our review shows that physical activity interventions can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in all clinical populations, with some groups showing even greater signs of improvement.

Higher intensity exercise had greater improvements for depression and anxiety, while longer durations had smaller effects when compared to short and mid-duration bursts.

We also found that all types of physical activity and exercise were beneficial, including aerobic exercise such as walking, resistance training, Pilates, and yoga. Importantly, the research shows that it doesn't take much for exercise to make a positive change to your mental health.'"

Sources and References

Monday, March 13, 2023

Promises, promises, promises.

GM0 - the Lie That Won't Die

The toxic world of genetically modified organisms (GM0s) and industrial agriculture is built on deceptions and manipulated data. For nearly 30 years we have been listening to the propaganda of the big biotech companies like Monsanto/Bayer, Syngenta, DuPont/Pioneer, BASF and others about how genetic engineering will transform farming and food production.

Increasing Pesticide Use

First and foremost, since GM0 crops were introduced, there has been a dramatic increase in pesticide use on those crops worldwide.

GM0 crops have turned glyphosate into one of the most widely and recklessly used herbicides in history. According to the USDA,1 more than 90% of the soybeans harvested on U.S. farms are genetically engineered to withstand herbicides like Roundup.

Weeds and insects rapidly evolve2 to be immune to these poisons. Most agricultural weeds have become resistant to Roundup, causing farmers to spray more each year. The heavier use of herbicides creates ever more “superweeds” and even higher herbicide use.

The increase was first seen in pesticide resisters. A 2012 study3 out of Washington State University found that planting GM0 crops quickly resulted in herbicide-resistant “superweeds” and, as a result, increased herbicide use.

By 2016, research from University of Virginia confirmed that glyphosate-resistant weeds have led to a 28% hike in herbicide use on GM0 soybeans4 compared with non-GM0. This rise has also been reported in other countries such as Canada,5 Brazil6 and Argentina.7

More recently, insects have begun to become resistant8 to the insecticides bred into pesticide products, causing farmers to use even more and more dangerous mixtures of pesticides to try and keep them under control.

Loss of Biodiversity

Modern industrial farming involves often-large tracts of land devoted to a single crop, known as monocultures. In monocultures diversity is discouraged by the use of pesticides which keep every living thing, except the valuable crop, off the land.

In the U.S., land converted to soy production has typically been pre-existing agricultural land10 and so is not linked to deforestation, as it is in South America.

But, increasing demand for soy is destroying American prairies and analysis of satellite data has shown that between 2006 and 2011, farmers in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska had converted 1.3 million acres of grassland into soybean11 and corn production. Research by the USDA's Economic Research Service12 echoes this finding.

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No Benefit to Farmers

An in-depth investigation by The New York Times13 in 2016 revealed that, in addition to increasing pesticide use, genetic modification in the U.S. and Canada has failed to bring the expected increases in crop yields.

This resonates with the findings of a 2016 National Academy of Sciences report that found “there was little evidence”14 that the introduction of genetically modified crops in the United States had led to yield gains beyond those seen in conventional crops.

Most recently, U.S. farmers have been suffering from a glut of soy,15 linked to ongoing trade disputes with China, which have resulted in low prices and farm bankruptcies.

A Poisoned Plate

All those monoculture crops and all that spraying, especially with glyphosate, have consequences for the food we eat. GM0 crop monocultures lead to “monodiets.”

Today just a handful of crops now dominant diets around the world.16 This new monodiet has more calories and less nutrition. It’s a dietary disaster that is accelerating the worldwide rise in noncommunicable diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

There is also evidence that glyphosate and its toxic breakdown product AMPA (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) accumulates in foods like GM0 soy.17 Laboratory tests in both the U.S.18 and Europe19 have found it in the popular ice cream brand Ben & Jerry's, likely due to its cookie, cake and other cereal ingredients. It is also a contaminant in honey20 and in popular oat-based cereals and multiple other foods,21 especially those containing soy.

A recent laboratory analysis by Moms Across America found glyphosate residues in the new recipe Impossible Burger. The levels of glyphosate and AMPA22 were low (11ppb) but evidence from animal feed studies indicates that just 0.1 ppb of glyphosate can destroy gut bacteria.23

Hardly surprising, then, that tests show 93% of Americans tested were positive for glyphosate.24 Worryingly high levels have been found in the breastmilk and urine25 of American mothers, as well as in their drinking water.

Passed on to babies through breastmilk or the water used to make formula, this could impact infant health since glyphosate is a suspected hormone disrupter.

Other studies of animals fed GM0 foods and/or glyphosate show worrying trends including damage to vital organs26 like the liver and kidneys, damage to gut tissues and gut flora, immune system disruption, reproductive abnormalities and even tumors.

In March 2015, when glyphosate was classified by the World Health Organization as “probably carcinogenic to humans,”27 not many could have been surprised.

Judgment Day

Agrichemical companies continue to claim that glyphosate is safe. But juries across the U.S. say otherwise. Currently more than 40,000 people in the U.S. have filed lawsuits28 alleging exposure to Roundup is the cause of their cancer and in particular, lymphomas. Once a rare cancer, the most common type of lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, is now the seventh most common cancer in U.S. men and women.29,30

The first three cases to go to trial resulted in a combined $2.424 billion in jury verdicts31 (though this was subsequently reduced by judges). The science supports these verdicts.

A recent study showed convincing evidence32 of a link between glyphosate-based herbicides and endocrine disruption and genetic alterations commonly associated with the development of lymphomas.

One shocking fallout from the first glyphosate case to go to trial, that of Dewayne Johnson,33 was the unsealing of several previously classified documents.34 The documents detailed Monsanto’s efforts to collude with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cover up glyphosate’s cancer risks.

Most recently another Monsanto legacy pesticide, dicamba, has hit the headlines. In 2017-18, “dicamba drift” was responsible for damage to an estimated 5 million acres of non-GM0 soybeans35 in 24 states, and numerous specialty crops and wild plants.

In February 2020, in the first U.S. dicamba trial, a Missouri jury awarded $265 million in damages36 to peach producers Bader Farms when drift from a nearby GM0 soybean field killed their trees. All these trials point to a health and environmental emergency and, yet, action at the federal level to curb the use of these toxic chemicals is sorely lacking.

Taking matters into their own hands, some states and local communities are beginning to ban or restrict the use of chemicals like glyphosate. In 2018, both Portland37 and the city of Austin38 banned it. In 2019 Miami39 and Los Angeles County40 approved their own bans on city property, while Seattle41 agreed to restrict its use.

Beyond U.S. borders, more than two dozen countries42 including Canada, Argentina, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the U.K. have put bans and/or restrictions in place.

Consumer Awareness Rising

Ever since the first genetically modified (GM0) foods and animal drugs, the Flavr Savr tomato43 and recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), came onto the U.S. market in 1994, the biotech industry has been waging a public relations war to get the public to accept genetically engineered food.

But studies continue to show that the public doesn’t buy it, and doesn’t want to eat it. Most are concerned about health,44 and rightly so. Others are worried about the damage these crops cause to the environment. These are legitimate concerns, as are those about corporate control of our food.

In fact, in the past few years some big and consequential mergers have taken place in the agri-biotech sector. With these mergers the “Big Six” (Monsanto, Bayer, BASF, Syngenta, Dow and DuPont) became the Big Four45 (Bayer-Monsanto, DowDuPont/Corteva, ChemChina-Syngenta, BASF) further concentrating the majority of the power and profits of the seed and GM0 technology market into even fewer hands.

Media response to the proposed mergers has turned up a few surprises. For instance, the normally ultraconservative and financially focused Bloomberg online news channel focused more on the dubious histories of Bayer and Monsanto,46 than on any benefits of the deal.

A more sober article in the Wall St Journal47 suggested this might be a good time to reconsider the path we are on, agriculturally speaking. In the face of superweeds, higher seed prices and dropping yields, it argued, the GM0 crop “boom” could well be over.

But the boom isn’t over yet and independent testing which reveals how much glyphosate is in our bodies and in our foods has become widespread. Likewise, the Non-GM0 Verified48 label is now as important as the organic label for consumers wanting to avoid GM0s in their foods. It’s a testimony to the vehemence of public rejection, and the shameful inaction of government, that the importance of these independent backstops has grown.

The Lie That Won’t Die

In spite of all this, the agricultural biotech industry continues to advance with a new suite of genetic engineering technologies known as gene editing, which includes techniques such as CR!SPR as well as synthetic biology and gene drives.

What makes these GM0 2.049 technologies different is they can create genetically engineered organisms more cheaply and more quickly than ever before.

Fronting up to critics and the farmers who are abandoning the GM0 lie,50 proponents of synthetic biology claim we no longer need farmers to produce food.51 By creating novel food products, including meat substitutes, from genetically engineered microbes in big vats in anonymous warehouses, we can improve the efficiency and sustainability of food production.

For anyone who believes that food should come from a living and connected ecosystem this is the grimmest of grim promises — a world without farmers and without farm animals, where the land is used for … what, exactly?

This grim vision of food production has been given the nickname, the “dark food chain,”52 because it doesn’t need sunlight. Further alarm bells are ringing as the biotech industry moves into other areas of the natural world.

A recent and alarming report53 from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (!UCN) suggests that gene drives and synthetic biology could be used to revive declining or even extinct species,54 eradicate invasive species, improve soil55 by re-engineering soil microbes and therefore improve plant health and biodiversity.

It could engineer trees to absorb more carbon56 or to be resistant to diseases, such as the invasive fungus that plagues the American chestnut tree,57 and re-engineer insects58 for pest management.

Farming is part of the much larger, connected web of nature. What happens “out there” directly and indirectly affects what happens on the farm, which is why we need to challenge this troubling direction of travel for GM0s.

Regulatory Apathy

Strong regulation is there to protect us all — or it should be. But new methods and proposed uses for GM0s have brought greater complexity to the regulatory sphere.

In some cases, as with the new gene-edited Calyno soybean oil,59 which can be sold without labeling, regulators have given in. In others, such as with proposed gene-edited farm animals, regulators really don’t know what to do.60 USDA’s vague and confusing ‘bioengineered’ labeling scheme61 is a yet another case in point.

Biotech companies argue there is no point in regulating GM0 2.0 anyway since its products are so close to “natural” they no longer need to be tested or labeled as GM0.62

This new “naturalness,” they claim, makes it impossible to tell gene-edited products from conventionally produced ones anyway. This is absolutely not true.63 When genetic engineers create new GM0s, they must also create the processes to identify them — if only to monitor and verify their work.

Anyone can use these processes. That’s just what happened in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration study,64 originally published in 2016 and republished in February 2020, which found numerous off-target effects in gene-edited “hornless” cattle, including a strand of bacterial DNA which could pass on antibiotic resistance.

It concluded “that both scientists and regulators need to be alert to the potential for such unintended alterations to take place.” A frank accompanying editorial65 explained further why regulation was important.

Following on from this, Belinda Martineau, Ph.D., developer of the Flavr Savr tomato, noted66 that the GM0 cow developers had the tools to find these mistakes for themselves, but incompetently failed to use them.

“Such big mistakes made during the development of these ‘poster children’ GM0s,” she wrote, “make one wonder how carefully other, more run-of-the-mill GM0s have been developed over the last 25 years as well.”

Marteau went on to say that the data justify, in her mind, “FDA’s intention to carry out mandatory premarket review of all gene-edited livestock and thereby regulate these GM0 products based on the fact that they were created using genetic engineering,” adding “I also think FDA should require premarket review of all GM0 crops as well.”

Regenerative Agriculture — Action, Not Promises

If, to coin a phrase, “a promise is a debt unpaid” then the biotech companies are racking up some serious ethical, moral and environmental IOUs to society.

Out of their failure, however, has emerged the regenerative organic agriculture movement, a response to the growing awareness of the connection between agriculture and health, environmental destruction and climate change. Regenerative agriculture67 refers to farming and grazing practices such as:

Reduction/elimination of tillage and use of synthetic chemicals
The use of cover crops, crop rotations, compost and animal manures
Integrating animals with perennial and annual plants to create a biologically diverse ecosystem on the farm
Grazing and pasturing animals on grass and, more specifically, using a planned multi-paddock rotation system
Raising animals in conditions that mimic their natural habitat

It’s what every diligent farmer should be doing anyway and, formalized into a growing movement, these practices can improve biodiversity on the farm, enhance productivity, and even help tackle climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and improving both carbon drawdown and improved water infiltration and storage in soils.

The truth is that conventional (i.e., chemical and GM0-based) farming needs to change. The problems farmers face now — failing soils, lower yields, toxic working environments — can’t be “magicked” away with genetic engineering. In fact, GM0s just drive farming deeper into a failing, exploitative, chemically-dependent, industrial model.

In contrast, many see regenerative organic farming as the next evolving stage of organic farming, free-range livestock grazing and eco-system restoration. Rather than promising future benefits, regenerative farming can be put into practice and deliver measurable benefits right now. For the future’s sake, this is the path we need to take.

Sunday, March 12, 2023

0pt!m!ze M!t0ch0ndrial Health

Strategies to Optimize Mitochondrial Health in Long COVID

Allopathic medicine has been a leading cause of death in the U.S. for over two decades. In 1998, researchers concluded that properly prescribed and correctly taken pharmaceutical drugs were the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.

Two years later, in 2000, Dr. Barbara Starfield published her groundbreaking paper, "Is US Health Really the Best in the World?"1 in which she provided data showing that medical errors by doctors were the third leading cause of death. Little has changed since then.

In 2016, Johns Hopkins patient safety experts calculated that more than 250,000 patients died each year from medical errors, again pegging it as the third leading cause of death.2

In July 2022, the National Institutes of Health concluded the annual death toll from medical errors could be as high as 440,000 — and possibly even more because of lack of reporting — making it, still, the third leading cause of death.3

In future years, I believe the medical intervention sold as "COVID vaccines" will prove to be the No. 1 killer of Americans, and we’re already seeing that trend. Something extraordinarily odd happened in 2020 and 2021, something that shaved nearly three years off the life expectancy in the U.S.4

Even a tenth or two-tenths of a year mean decline in life expectancy on a population level is a big deal, as it means a lot more people are dying prematurely than they really should be. A three-year drop is simply unheard of.

While media blame this drop on COVID-19 infection, that makes no sense because the average age of those who died from COVID was about 85, well over the life expectancy in 2019. No, this massive drop in life expectancy is due to younger people dying decades earlier than they should, and the only factor that can account for that is the mass injection of people with an experimental bioweapon.

Sources and References

what internet

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Economic Impact of 0bes!ty to Surpass $4 Tr!ll!0n by 2035

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

2035 Obesity Economic Impact Estimated to Surpass $4 Trillion

Childhood Obesity Raises Risk for Adult Health Concerns

Download this Article Before it Disappears

77% of Potential U.S. Military Recruits Considered Unfit

Adult Obesity Raises Risk for More Health Challenges

Conflicts of Interest Obstruct Truthful Nutrition Guidance

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Exercise More Effective Treatment for Depression

Exercise Is 1.5x More Effective Than Best Antidepressants

Monday, March 13, 2023

Promises, promises, promises.

Loss of Biodiversity

Download this Article Before it Disappears

No Benefit to Farmers

A Poisoned Plate

Judgment Day

Consumer Awareness Rising

The Lie That Won’t Die

Regulatory Apathy

Regenerative Agriculture — Action, Not Promises

Sunday, March 12, 2023

0pt!m!ze M!t0ch0ndrial Health