EWG Sun Safety Guide

The warm weather is here, and that means plenty of sun! And while nothing beats a warm day at the beach, it is so important that we all stay safe and protect ourselves from too much sun exposure. Skin cancer is the most common form of all cancers in the U.S. Rates of new melanoma cases have tripled over the last 35 years. Yet many Americans behave as if it can’t happen to them. Fewer than one in three adults report using sunscreen frequently. According to a national surveys conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even fewer say they routinely seek shade, wear a hat or cover up with long sleeves. The Environmental Working Group has launched a Sun Safety Campaign which is filled with valuable information on what you can do to prevent skin cancer.? We all know that sunscreen is an essential part of skin protection, but not all sunscreens are created equal. EWG?s sunscreen guide provides you with Do?s and Don?ts for picking out a sunblock, along with a list of a variety of sunscreens that meet their standards for safety and effectiveness. Click here to check out the guide.

Chinese Army Bans All GMO Grains and Oil from Supply Stations

The Chinese army has ordered all military supply stations to only allow the purchase of non-GMO grain and food oil due to health safety concerns over GMOs. This move is yet another step towards the Chinese government?s expected ban on the import of all GMO grains and oilseeds within the next 2 years. The Chinese army is the world?s largest military force, with approximately 2,285,000 personnel, about 0.18% of the country?s population.The expected ban will clearly be a huge blow to the Biotech industry worldwide (which is great!). The reluctance of several countries to produce and/or consume genetically engineered crops should be an obvious indication of their lack of safety or sustainability.

New Research Helps to Explain the Success of the Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is known to be one of the healthiest diets in the world, especially when it comes to heart health. It consists of an abundance of vegetables, fresh fruit, wholegrain cereals, olive oil and nuts, as well as poultry and fish, rather than lots of red meat and butter or animal fats. While each component of the Mediterranean diet has obvious nutritional benefits, researchers have been puzzled about what precisely makes the diet as a whole so healthy.New research indicates that part of the reason the diet has been so successful is because of the combination of olive oil and leafy salad or vegetables. When these two food groups come together they form nitro fatty acids, which lower blood pressure. The unsaturated fat in olive oil joins forces with the nitrite in the vegetables (Nuts and avocados along with vegetables should work too). In a study conducted by King’s College London, and colleagues from the University of California, the researchers used genetically engineered mice to see what impact nitro fatty acids had on the body. Nitro fatty acids helped lower blood pressure by blocking an enzyme called epoxide hydrolase.