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Common foods, drinks increase exposure to PFAS
Associations of dietary intake and longitudinal measures of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in predominantly Hispanic young Adults: A multicohort study; Environment International, Feb. 4, 2024.
Higher intakes of tea and meats were linked to higher levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), but eating home-cooked meals lowered PFAS levels, in a study published this month in Environment International.
PFAS chemicals, found extensively in the environment and even in organic foods, have been linked to a host of diseases.
U.S. researchers recruited 727 young Hispanic adults at risk of metabolic disease, average age 19.2 years, and analyzed their blood for PFAS.
Higher intakes of tea, pork, sports drinks, nut and seed butters, snack chips and bottled water were associated with higher PFAS levels, as were lower intakes of whole fruit, fruit juice, pasta, fried potatoes, soft drinks, cooked grains, nuts and seeds, sugar and tap water.
The strongest associations were seen for tea and processed meat products.
The authors did not explain how some healthy foods (for example nut butters) raised PFAS levels while some considered unhealthy (like sugar) lowered them.
Processing, including food packaging, is a significant source of dietary PFAS.
Common food preservative may affect gut health
Activity of Gut-Derived Nisin-like Lantibiotics against Human Gut Pathogens and Commensals; ACS Chemical Biology, Jan. 31, 2024.
You won’t find it on labels but according to a U.S. study, nicin (or natamycin) — a natural antibiotic (or “antimicrobial”) used as a preservative in hundreds of processed foods and drinks — may be affecting your gut microbiome.
In nature, nicin keeps food from spoiling. Considered a safer alternative to chemical food preservatives, nicin prevents yeasts and common “green mold”-type spoilage.
But it also can affect beneficial bacteria in those who consume it — a previously unknown effect.
Researchers found evidence of nicin’s potential to alter gut bacteria in the microbiome itself, which is composed of about 10,000 species of bacteria, yeast and viruses.
Looking only at bacteria, they discovered six nisin-like antimicrobial chemicals, four of which were previously unknown. All showed the ability to fight common human pathogens including MRSA, Listeria and Clostridioides difficile — but they had an even greater effect on beneficial microbiome bacteria.
An earlier study showed that nicin may increase the abundance of E. coli bacteria in the human gut while reducing Lactobacillus and other beneficial Gram-positive bacteria. However, the study found the microbiome reverts to normal 10 days after nicin ingestion stops.
Niacin should not be confused with the B vitamin niacin. This form of nicin used in foods is isolated from cultured Lactococcus lactis bacteria, which are also used to ferment milk into cheese, yogurt and other products.
FDA approves dermatitis antibody in teens despite unfavorable side effects
LEO Pharma Inc. Announces U.S. FDA approval of Adbry® (tralokinumab-ldrm) for the Treatment of Moderate-to-severe Atopic Dermatitis in Pediatric Patients Aged 12-17 Years; LEO Pharma press release, Dec. 15, 2023.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the approved indication for its Adbry antibody treatment for atopic dermatitis (eczema) to include children between the ages of 12 and 17, according to U.S.-based LEO Pharma.
Eczema, which produces dry, itchy skin anywhere on the body, affects about 30% of Americans, most of them children and adolescents.
Conventional treatments include over-the-counter and prescription medicines such as pain/itch relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs.
The FDA approved Adbry despite known associations between long-term monoclonal antibody treatments and adverse events including harmful, unpredictable immune system effects.
Adbry’s prescribing information lists allergic reactions such as breathing problems, swelling, hives, itching, fainting, skin rash, eye and eyelid inflammation and injection site reactions.
Adbry costs up to $35,000 per year for twice-monthly injections.
Are Type 2 diabetes drugs really safe during pregnancy?
Safety of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Other Second-Line Antidiabetics in Early Pregnancy; JAMA Internal Medicine, Dec. 11, 2023.
The increased use of Type 2 diabetes drugs during pregnancy raises questions about fetal exposure and possible effects on fetal development and survival.
An international research team sought answers to those concerns through a study of 3.5 million pregnancies from Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Investigators were looking for a connection between maternal use of antidiabetic medications and major congenital malformations, or birth defects.
From this large study group, more than 50,000 women had Type 2 diabetes. Of those, around 15,000 were treated with one of several antidiabetic medications. All subjects received an antidiabetic medicine prescription between three months before their last menstrual period and the end of their first trimester.
Medications studied included sulfonylureas, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, both individually and in various combinations.
Baseline rates of major congenital malformations were 3.76% for the 3.5 million pregnancies, 5.28% among diabetics overall, and 4.77% among pregnant women who took no drugs.
Birth defects were highest for children of women who took sulfonylureas (9.71%), GLP-1 receptor agonists (8.23%), insulin (7.83%) and SGLT-2 inhibitors (7.04%).
Despite substantially increased risks — including nearly double the risk for diabetic women who took sulfonylureas compared with those who took no drugs — the authors called their results “reassuring.”
Did pandemic cause speech delays?
Time-Series Analysis of First-Time Pediatric Speech Delays From 2018 to 2022; JAMA Pediatrics, Dec. 4, 2023.
Add speech delays in young children to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientists at Truveta, a health data firm, examined data from nearly 2.5 million children receiving a first-time speech delay diagnosis between Jan. 1, 2018, and Feb. 28, 2023. They compared two time periods: before and after the study’s June 30, 2020, midpoint.
Researchers used the average monthly speech delay diagnosis rate before the midpoint to predict the expected post-midpoint rate in children between ages 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5 years.
Children in all age groups did worse than predicted. Combined data from all children showed a significant increase in first-time speech delay diagnoses. Children ages 2-3 did the worst, followed by ages 1-2.
Dr. Sarah Stewart, a pediatrician and Truveta information scientist and one of the study’s authors, said in a company press release:
“The results of this study are a great reminder to pediatricians to use a more critical lens when screening children for learning disabilities post-pandemic, with the goal of connecting patients with services as needed.”
