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Toilet Paper Can be Harmful to Health: These Are Better Alternatives

The corresponding toilet paper is not only a major polluter, but can also contain dangerous chemicals.

270,000 trees are cut down every day to make toilet paper

Where does our toilet paper come from? If you get to the bottom of this question, the price for toilet paper that we pay in the supermarket or drugstore seems too low: According to Statista.de, 270,000 trees are cut down for the production of toilet paper every day.

This means that every two seconds an area of ​​primeval forest the size of a soccer field disappears. According to a study by the Industry Association for Personal Care and Detergents, every German uses around 64 rolls of toilet paper per year.

With our consumption, we are in the middle of the field worldwide. In the south, in Spain for example, only about half of our toilet paper requirements are consumed, while in Sweden twice as much. Americans top the list using an average of 141 rolls per capita per year.

Alternative to toilet paper: rainforest becomes toilet paper

The consumer determines the market – this is also the case here in Germany with toilet paper. Since we Germans prefer to use comfortable, white, soft, multi-layer, tear-resistant and fragrant toilet paper, the market also responds to our request. Since 1928, new toilet paper has been produced for us from freshly cut trees. For the production of toilet paper, the jungle has to give way for the cultivation of suitable trees, which are planted like plantations on the cleared jungle area.

Usually these are eucalyptus trees. The largest planting areas of eucalyptus plantations are in Brazil, Chile, Canada, Russia and Uruguay. In addition to eucalyptus, the woods of birch and spruce are suitable for processing. Cellulose fibers are required for the processing of toilet paper. To do this, these fibers must be detached from the wood of the tree in a specific process. However, around half of the tree is unusable for the production process and is burned after processing. Another problem: around 12,000 liters of water per hectare of plantation area are needed per day for eucalyptus plantations, as the Tropical Forest Foundation explains. This lowers the groundwater level drastically.

What a waste for a disposable item! Around 122,000 square kilometers of rainforest were lost last year for reasons such as the production of toilet paper. 42,100 square kilometers of it were previously untouched jungle. After long transport routes, the pulp finally reaches Germany from the production countries for further processing. There, the toilet paper is finished using a high level of energy and water consumption and is then placed on the shelves for us.

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health

Salt in Food is Harmful: Here’s How Cheese Can Protect Your Body

Cheese can be healthy? Yes! Many foods contain excessive amounts of salt, which is why many people exceed the daily recommended amount of salt. This can lead to kidney damage in the long term and damage the heart and blood vessels. According to a new study, cheese is the answer.

Too much salt excreted by the kidneys – significant water loss is associated

Too much salt in the body is primarily eliminated through the kidneys. There is a significant loss of water in the body. Over a long period of time, this puts a strain on the kidneys. Furthermore, the lack of water can lead to vasoconstriction and thus affect blood pressure and the heart. PennState University from Pennsylvania takes a closer look at this phenomenon.

Cheese is said to protect blood vessels from damage caused by excessive salt consumption

Accordingly, it is difficult to find a balance between delicious food and the right amount of salt, since a lot of food is characterized by a high salt content. Antioxidants in cheese have been found to help protect blood vessels from damage caused by high levels of salt in the body, in a new study from PennState University. Billie Alba, who led the study, confirms that the new findings could strike a balance between minimizing the risk of eating too much salt and eating tasty food.

Eleven adults follow four different diets for eight days

To support the theory that a diet containing cheese is good for blood pressure and heart health, 11 adults were included in the study. Each subject followed four different diets for eight days each: a low-sodium diet without cheese products, a low-sodium diet high in cheese, a diet high in cheese and sodium, and a high-sodium diet without cheese.

On the high-sodium diets, participants consumed 5,500 mg of salt per day, while those on the low-sodium diets only consumed 1,500 mg of salt. The cheese content in the high-cheese diets was about 170 grams, which translates to about four servings of different types of cheese per day. After each week-long diet, subjects returned to the lab for testing.

Drug acetylcholine helps with examinations

In order to obtain meaningful results, tiny fibers were placed under the skin of all test subjects and soaked with the drug acetylcholine. This ensures that the blood vessels relax. The blood vessels of each test person reacted differently to the drug – this allowed the function of the blood vessels to be measured. The subjects also had their blood pressure measured and urine tested to make sure they were consuming the right amount of salt.

Antioxidants in cheese have a positive effect on blood vessels

After the week-long high-salt, low-cheese diet, it was observed that the participants’ blood vessels did not respond as well to the acetylcholine and had more difficulty relaxing. This was not observed after the high-salt, high-cheese diet.

“While the participants ate the high-sodium chloride, no-cheese diet, you could see that blood vessel function dropped to levels seen in people at advanced cardiovascular risk,” said Lacy Alexander, professor of the cardiovascular system Exercise Science at PennState. “But when they consumed the same amount of salt and cheese was one of those sources of salt, those effects were completely avoided.”
While the test results cannot indicate that specific nutrients in cheese cause the effect, the antioxidants in cheese are considered contributing factors. According to Billie Alba, there is scientific evidence that milk-based nutrients, particularly peptides formed during the digestion of milk proteins, have beneficial antioxidant properties. This means they can scavenge these oxidant molecules, protecting them from their harmful physiological effects.

In the future, it is important to examine these effects in larger studies, as possible new mechanisms could help dairy products to maintain vascular health.

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Food

How Healthy is Fruit – and Can Too Much Even be Harmful?

Fruit is healthy. But: is too much fruit unhealthy? Experts are now showing when fruit can promote diseases such as diabetes, heart attacks or strokes.

Too much fruit: when does consumption become unhealthy?

According to the fructose even increases the likelihood of developing diabetes, heart attack and stroke. This also promotes obesity and cholesterol levels. But unlike glucose, fructose does not increase blood sugar levels.

This is finally broken down directly in the liver. However, a precursor of molecules is formed here that serves to store fat, as Dr. Philipp Gerber reports. Fat pads are no longer essential for survival these days and are therefore superfluous. They are considered unsightly, annoying and harmful to health.

Fructose has no direct benefit for the organism and, in large quantities, could stimulate substances such as uric acid, which can increase blood pressure and cause mild inflammation in the vascular system. This increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Fruit does not provide any proteins, fats or B vitamins

According to the nutrition expert Birthe Wulf, the fear that the high sugar content of fruit can have a negative effect on body weight is rather inappropriate towards Edeka. In general, the more calories we consume, the more we should consume.

Among these 5 foods there is even a fruit that is said to promote weight loss. Anyone who thinks that they can only eat fruit is also wrong, because this would lead to an undersupply of vital nutrients such as fat, proteins and B vitamins. Bananas, pears and the like do not contain enough of these or none at all, but our body urgently needs them for metabolism.

In the right amount, fruit is completely harmless and really keeps us fit. Experts usually recommend the “five times a day rule”. This states that a daily consumption of three servings of vegetables in relation to two servings of fruit represents an ideal nutrient supplement.

Fructose can be dangerous: Negative effects from sweetened drinks

The levels at which fructose becomes problematic come primarily from sweetened beverages like soda, but also honey and orange juice. Consuming these sweet products over a longer period of time can have negative effects. However, there are also some types of fruit, some of which should better keep your hands off.

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Food

The Secret Killer: Cola, Fanta & Co. are so Harmful to Your Health

Due to their high sugar content, soft drinks are anything but healthy. But what happens if we really drink Cola, Fanta, Sprite & Co. every day? We show what drinking lemonade does to your health.
Cola, Fanta, Sprite and Co. are among the most popular soft drinks worldwide. For many, the soft drinks are a little luxury that you treat yourself to from time to time. But for some, the sugary drinks are firmly integrated into everyday life. Coca-Cola is one of the most popular soft drinks. But how does our body react to the daily consumption of the caffeine-containing pick-me-up?

Drinking soft drinks every day: what is actually in cola?

Even as a child, it is made clear to you that soft drinks are not particularly healthy. But what was actually in Cola? A look at the nutrient table reveals the above-average sugar content. With around 10 to 15 percent sugar and around 42 calories per 100 grams, cola is a real calorie bomb. The values ​​for other soft drinks are also in a similar range.

In addition to the large amount of sugar, cola also contains caffeine and the acidifier E338. E338 stands for phosphoric acid.
The additive provides the sour taste. Other soft drinks such as Fanta or Sprite use the acidifier citric acid (E330).

1. Soft drinks damage teeth

First of all, the obvious: We are taught from an early age that too much sugar is bad for our teeth. Harmless oral bacteria feed on sugar and excrete acid as a metabolic product.

The acid in the additive E338, which is contained in cola, can attack tooth enamel after just a few sips.

2. Blemishes caused by too much sugar

An unhealthy and sugar-heavy diet is not only reflected in our waist gold, but can also be felt on our skin. Skin blemishes such as pimples or acne are often associated with high blood sugar levels.

It has been scientifically proven that young men with skin problems have, on average, higher blood sugar levels than men without skin changes.

So if you drink a soft drink every day, you run the risk of raising your blood sugar level and thus also the risk of pimples, acne and the like.

3. Soft drinks are fattening

Bad teeth, bad skin – all the sugar in lemonade and soft drinks is poorly absorbed by the body. The weight also suffers from the sugary drinks. With 42 kilocalories per 100 milliliters, cola is one of the unhealthiest drinks of all. It does not contain any vitamins or minerals and the body needs a long time to break down the many calories.

Other soft drinks also have high calorie values. Probably the healthiest alternative is water. If the taste is too boring for you, you can switch to unsweetened tea or give your mineral water a delicious taste with freshly cut fruit.

Sugar-free soft drinks also sound tempting at first: They contain fewer calories and you don’t have to worry about the harmful properties of sugar. But the low-calorie drinks are far more harmful than we think. Our intestines in particular suffer from this.

4. Caffeine promotes cardiovascular disease

Cola is also often called a pick-me-up. This is due to the caffeine it contains. If you consume too much coffee or cola, you also exceed the maximum daily recommended amount of caffeine (400 mg per day). This can increase blood pressure.

High blood pressure is considered a risk factor for numerous diseases such as heart attacks, cardiac insufficiency and strokes.
Those who like to drink coffee should avoid energy drinks and caffeinated beverages. A combination of both can quickly lead to an overdose, which can cause long-term damage to health.

5. Bad for the bones

Coke, in particular, can also damage your bones. Why is that? Cola contains phosphoric acid (E338).
If this is taken in large quantities, the absorption of calcium in the bones can be inhibited and bone resorption is promoted.

Calicum is an important part of bone formation and crucial for our bone density. Too little calcium can also be the trigger for the bone disease osteoporosis.

Conclusion on Cola, Fanta and Co.: Enjoy soft drinks in moderation instead of in bulk

Bad teeth, bad skin, bad for the bones, harmful for the cardiovascular system and bad for the body weight: It is best to stop consuming soft drinks and cola at all – at least that’s what it sounds like. However, you should note that all of the above points relate to excessive consumption of sugary soft drinks. Everyone can safely drink a glass of cola in between without getting caries directly. The motto here is: Enjoy soft drinks in moderation instead of in bulk.

As unhealthy as the consumption of cola may be, in other areas the lemonade turns out to be a real all-rounder – for example as a de-icer, toilet cleaner or limescale remover.

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How Much Coffee is Harmful? Risk of Dementia and Stroke

Can coffee be dangerous? Researchers Say “Yes”: According to a new study, drinking too much coffee can lead to serious illnesses and even change the size of the brain.

Then coffee becomes harmful: too much consumption can impair brain health

The data also showed a link between increased coffee consumption and reduced brain volume. “Basically, drinking more than six cups of coffee a day can increase your risk of brain diseases like dementia or stroke,” said lead researcher Kitty Pham of the University of South Australia in a press release.

In view of the high consumption of coffee worldwide, the researchers want to better understand the effects of the hot drink. They are not alone in this: long before that, other researchers had been investigating how much coffee is still acceptable.

However, study author Elina Hyppönen emphasizes: “This research provides important insights into heavy coffee consumption and brain health, but as with many things in life, moderation is key.” The exact mechanism behind how coffee affects our brain is not yet clear. According to the researchers, however, it is advisable to stay well hydrated and drink water in addition to the cup of coffee.

Average coffee consumption: One to two cups a day

“Typical daily coffee consumption is somewhere between one and two standard cups of coffee. Of course, units of measurement can vary, but a couple of cups of coffee per day is generally fine,” says Hyppönen.

However, if one notices that the daily coffee consumption is heading for more than six cups, it is time to “reconsider the next drink.”

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Danger From Too Much Protein: When it Becomes Harmful

Proteins are made up of important amino acids that the body needs. But many can do without high-protein products. In fact, they should: otherwise they can harm their bodies.

Doctors warn: be careful with the protein – how much is too much?

The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) has the rule of thumb: Adults (19 to 65 years) should consume 0.8 g protein/kg body weight per day. This means that an average adult weighing around 70 kilograms needs around 56 grams of protein per day. If you exercise for more than five hours a week, the protein requirement climbs to 140 grams a day.

Elisabeth Schieffer, a professor at Hannover Medical School, explains that only very limited amounts of dairy products are needed to prevent cardiovascular disease. Special foods

This is also confirmed by the nutritionist of the DGE, Antje Gahl. “Protein consists of various amino acids and the breakdown product in the body is urea.” This urea then has to be broken down by the kidneys. Too much protein leads to an overload of the organ

Protein hype comes from craze for low carb diets

Monika Bischoff, nutritionist from the Center for Nutritional Medicine and Prevention in Munich, explains where the “high protein” hype came from in the first place. The initial spark for the many products was the idea of ​​the “low carb diet”. “That means we reduce carbohydrates and fats – and replace the whole thing with proteins, i.e. proteins,” she is quoted as saying by Bayerischer Rundfunk. With the proteins absorbed in this way, one hopes that losing weight will be easier. In addition, the consumers of the protein-rich products want faster muscle building.

Nevertheless, she considers this consideration to be a blatant fallacy: “When losing weight, it is important to eat fewer calories than you actually need. If the daily calorie account is full, the proteins are no longer of any use.” On the contrary: the excess proteins could be converted into body fat. That’s why “high protein” is not a slimming product.

According to Elisabeth Schieffer, certain protein building blocks, such as the amino acids valine, isoleucine and leucine, should only be consumed in small amounts. Because: an increased level is associated with insulin resistance, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. According to Schieffer, conventional dairy products are absolutely sufficient for an animal diet to cover the daily protein requirement. The expert recommends fermented milk products. For example, like buttermilk, kefir or natural yoghurt. For a healthy lifestyle, the professor at the Hannover Medical School recommends a balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, nuts, whole grain products and fish.

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Beer, Wine and Schnapps: Study Shows at What Age Alcohol is Particularly Harmful

People like to drink alcohol after work, at the weekend or in a relaxed atmosphere. The results of a study now show at what age beer, wine & Co. is particularly harmful to us.

Alcohol more or less harmful? Age matters

However, there are phases in life when you should urgently avoid alcohol consumption. A study has identified three phases in which beer, wine, schnapps and the like are particularly harmful. The British-Australian study was published in the medical journal British Medical Journal

Heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy, for example, can cause enormous brain damage in infants. “Around 10 percent of pregnant women worldwide consume alcohol, with rates in European countries being significantly higher than the global average,” said Louise Mewton, who led the study.

Alcohol greatly reduces the brain volume of the newborn and can lead to cognitive impairment. This is also known as fetal alcohol syndrome.

Alcohol during pregnancy: How consumption affects the baby

But according to the study, even small amounts of alcohol are harmful: at a sensitive point in time, such as during the development of the brain in the embryo, even a few milliliters of alcohol are dangerous for the brain structure of the child.

The second highly sensitive phase is between the ages of 15 and 19. Heavy alcohol intoxication has serious consequences for adolescents. According to the study, about one in five young people would regularly consume 60 grams of pure alcohol. The result:
decreased brain volume
Deficits in cognitive performance
slower white matter development
According to the scientists, the delayed development of brain mass would result in an increased risk of traffic accidents and a higher affinity for suicidal thoughts.

Alcohol at retirement age: Even small amounts accelerate deterioration

The third critical phase of life concerns the older generations. According to the study, anyone who continues to drink alcohol regularly from the age of 65 upwards must expect a reduction in brain volume. Even moderate alcohol consumption would reduce the size of the brain. However, it is unclear whether this structural change in the brain also affects cognitive abilities. However, the authors of the study strongly believe that this is not the case.

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Frozen Pizza, Nutella and Co.: Many Sweets and Ready Meals Are Really That Harmful

Researchers have found that palm oil promotes the spread of cancer cells. Although the substance is so dangerous, it is found in many foods.

A new study shows how dangerous many foods and other everyday products are. Because palm oil is found in many foods, such as pizza, chocolate spread or baby food. But also in shower gel, hand cream and detergent. According to a new study, the palmitic acid contained in palm oil can promote the spread of metastases – and thus the spread of cancer.

Palm oil in food: Palmitic acid can alter cancer cells

Researchers at the “Institute for Research in Biomedicine” (IRB) in Barcelona have proven that palmitic acid, which is mainly found in palm oil, changes cancer cells. The food industry often uses palm oil as a cheap fat in many finished products. Because: Palm oil tastes similar to butter and gives food a spreadable, creamy consistency. Palm oil is often added to many finished products, sweets and baby food. In the cosmetics industry, surfactants and emulsifiers are made from palm oil components.

But palm oil is not exactly one of the highest quality vegetable fats. It’s fairly high in unhealthy saturated fat and low in healthy unsaturated fat. Furthermore, palm oil has long been suspected of being involved in the development of diseases.
The IRB study now shows how palmitic acid promotes the spread of metastases.

Why does palm fat promote the spread of cancer?

The researchers at the IRB were able to find out in mouse models how palmitic acid from palm fat causes cancer by altering its genome. This increases the likelihood that tumors will spread. Metastasis, or the spread of cancer, remains the leading cause of death in cancer patients. The vast majority of these people can now be treated but not cured.

“There is something very special about palmitic acid that makes it an extremely powerful promoter of metastasis,” IRB director Salvador Aznar-Benitah told the Guardian newspaper. The study, conducted on mice, found that palmitic acid promotes long-term metastasis in oral and skin cancer.

The study noted that there is no evidence to date that all dietary fatty acids can promote cancer metastasis. Other fatty acids such as oleic and linoleic acid, so-called omega-6 and omega-9 fats found in foods like olive oil and flaxseed, did not show this effect. More specifically: None of the other fatty acids tested generally increased the risk of developing cancer. With palmitine, however, this is different.

Breakthrough in cancer research?

In order to spread, cancer cells need certain nutrients. The researchers at the “Institute for Research in Biomedicine” are certain that cancer cells are primarily dependent on fatty acids. In the experiment with the mice, it became clear that oral and skin cancer spread more quickly when the animals were given palmitic acid. Palmitic acid appears to regenerate cancer cells, causing metastases to form.

According to Dr. Helen Rippon, executive director of Worldwide Cancer Research, “a major breakthrough in our understanding of the link between diet and cancer and, perhaps more importantly, how we can use this knowledge to develop new cures for cancer.”

This knowledge could now also help to improve cancer treatments in the future. Because metastases are responsible for about 90 percent of all deaths in cancer patients. As the authors of the study noted, if we now learned more about which foods or components of products promote the spread of cancer, we could possibly reduce the number of cancer deaths in the future

Can’t you just replace palm oil?

Palm oil has long been criticized and raises the suspicion that it promotes the development of diabetes, vascular diseases and cancer. This is due to the high proportion of saturated fatty acids and industrial processing, which can produce carcinogenic substances. If palm oil is heated too much, fatty acid esters are formed, which the “Federal Institute for Risk Assessment” (BfR) has already classified as carcinogenic.

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