Lung Health Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Four Advances That Could Change Tuberculosis Treatment

The AHA! Team — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 05:47:50 +0000

American Chemical Society via EurekAlert! – As of early 2025, tuberculosis cases are increasing in the U.S. As of early 2025, tuberculosis cases are increasing in the U.S. This disease, often shortened to TB, causes significant lung damage and, if not treated, is almost always lethal. World TB Day on March 24 raises awareness about the disease and commemorates Robert Koch’s discovery of the source bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. More than a century later, scientists continue refining TB diagnosis methods and treatment strategies, some of which are in these four ACS journal articles. Reporters can request free access to these papers by emailing newsroom@acs.org. 1. Fluorescence for a faster TB diagnosis. Currently, testing saliva samples for M. tuberculosis is time-consuming because of the bacterium’s slow growth and resistance to stains used in imaging. To develop a faster method, researchers targeted a protein that the bacterium uses to steal iron ions from its host’s cells. In a study published in ACS Central Science, the team explains how to label the iron-transporter protein with a fluorescent tag, which turns on after releasing the iron inside the M. tuberculosis cells. In separate tests on saliva from 11 people diagnosed with TB, the fluorescence technique identified infectious levels of the bacterium within 10 minutes. 2. White blood cell-focused M. tuberculosis therapy. A type of white blood cell called a macrophage gets taken over during a tuberculosis infection, becoming an incubator for the pathogen. So, researchers report in ACS Infectious Diseases that they have developed sugar-coated nanoparticles that get absorbed by infected macrophages. And once inside, the nanoparticles interrupted critical cellular pathways and prompted the damaged cells to be recycled. In infected mice, 6 weeks of nanoparticle treatment significantly reduced the amount of M. tuberculosis in the lungs. 3. A potential nasal treatment for tuberculous meningitis. If M. tuberculosis reaches cerebrospinal fluid, the result can be tuberculous meningitis — a life-threatening inflammation around a person’s brain and spinal cord. To get the TB drug clofazimine across the blood-brain barrier, researchers have encapsulated it inside tiny particles and created a nasal spray. According to their study in ACS infectious Diseases, the spray didn’t adversely affect mice with tuberculous meningitis. A 4-week treatment significantly reduced the bacterial burden within the animals’ brains and lungs compared to untreated mice. 4. Light-activated particles inactivate bacteria. Many new TB cases are multidrug resistant. So, a research team wanted to improve treatment efficacy and reduce the risk of further antimicrobial resistance by creating a photoreactive therapy. They encapsulated light-activated particles inside nanometer-wide spheres. When the nanospheres were injected into mice, red laser light triggered the particles to produce reactive oxygen species that inactivated Mycobacterium marinum, a bacterium that causes TB-like illness in fish. The initial animal study results are published in ACS Omega. Additionally in March 2025, ACS Webinars and ACS Publications co-hosted a virtual event, “Disrupt & Destroy: Starving Tuberculosis with Smarter Science,” about innovative drug strategies and cutting-edge TB research. The webinar is available to watch on demand. ### Journal ACS Central Science To read the original article click here.

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Novel Antibody May be Key to Better Lung Cancer Treatment

The AHA! Team — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 08:10:14 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – Researchers develop synthetic antibody that, when combined with common lung cancer drug, prevents relapse of adenocarcinoma tumors in mouse models. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and the most common form is a non-small-cell type called adenocarcinoma. The main course of treatment today, a kinase inhibitor drug called Osimertinib, is effective for many adenocarcinoma patients. But after a year or more, the cancer usually develops resistance to the drug and the tumor can regrow. Researchers from Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science just reported their success in developing a novel synthetic antibody that, when combined with Osimertinib, prevents or slows drug resistance and the relapse of adenocarcinoma tumors in mouse models. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths The results were published in Cell Reports Medicine. “When patients take only the drug, there can be relapse and it’s very bad for the patient because the new tumors are more aggressive,” explains lead author Arturo Simoni-Nieves, a postdoc researcher from Mexico who worked on the project in the lab of Prof. Yosef Yarden, his faculty adviser and incumbent of the Harold and Zelda Goldenberg Professorial Chair in Molecular Cell Biology. “The combination of the antibody and the drug targets two different proteins simultaneously in mouse models and helps us avoid the relapsing of the tumors,” Simoni-Nieves says. This phase of the research project took about three years to complete. “Our next task after testing is understanding the mechanism of how it works. Once we get that information, we can think about trying it with human patients,” says Simoni-Nieves. He expects this step to take another two or three years. Future clinical trials would reveal whether this novel antibody can be developed into a new treatment for lung cancer that not only inhibits the disease but also helps prevent its recurrence. “Osimertinib is the only treatment these patients have so far. Maybe with this antibody we can improve treatment,” says Simoni-Nieves. Osimertinib is the only treatment these patients have so far In addition to Simoni-Nieves and Yarden, the paper has 15 contributing authors, most from the Weizmann Institute as well as two collaborating researchers from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Osaka University in Japan and three researchers in Italy, from the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of the University of Bologna and from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome. They concluded that their EGFR-AXL antibody “holds therapeutic promise.” The study was supported by Merck KGaA, the Israel Science Foundation, the European Research Council, the Israel Cancer Research Fund and the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation. To read the original article click here.

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Discover 5 Powerful Herbs to Support Respiratory Function

AHA Publisher — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 07:00:57 +0000

Stephanie Vick via NaturalHealth365 – We all want healthy lungs. Unfortunately, chemtrails, secondhand smoke, poor quality food, and aerosol contaminants (to name a few) create a greater risk of respiratory diseases. To make matters worse, many of the medications doctors prescribe for these respiratory problems have a number of unwanted side effects, including insomnia, nausea, and irritability. The good news is that nature offers much safer (and effective) alternatives. Herbs, in particular, play a huge role in maintaining healthy lungs. Used correctly, they can provide great relief and support respiratory function. 5 Great Herbs to Improve Your Breathing Naturally Osha root is indigenous to North America in the area of the Rocky Mountains and is long revered by Native people for its healing properties. The root of the osha plant appears to possess lung-strengthening capabilities. Osha root contains camphor and other beneficial oils, which clear away mucous, improve blood flow to the lungs and increase your ability to take a deeper breath. Lomatium is another traditional Native American medicinal herb. It has antibacterial and antiviral properties and has been used with great success by many suffering from allergies and other ailments affecting lung function. By the way, the Naturopathic Handbook of Herbal Formulas: A Practical and Concise Herb User’s Guide supports the use of lomatium for these purposes. For generations, pleurisy root has been used for respiratory complaints by supporting the immune system. While we do not have many clinical studies on this plant, it has a long history of anecdotal evidence demonstrating its effectiveness. Pleurisy root’s expectorant abilities are quite remarkable. It has an outstanding ability to clear mucous from the chest and lungs, which makes it easier to heal from a variety of respiratory ailments. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that help in these circumstances. Licorice root is somewhat of a wonder herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) when it comes to treating respiratory diseases and promoting healthy lungs. With a long track record of success in TCM – dating back thousands of years – it also has expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties. Licorice root soothes bronchial spasms and eases sore throats. It even has the noted ability to block the formation of lung cancer cells. In addition, it has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Mullein is native to Europe and Asia but has been successfully grown in America since the time of European colonization. It was considered an important healing herb back then, and, according to the University of Michigan, studies support that tradition today. Thanks to its unique chemical compounds, mullein supports healthy pulmonary function. It is also an excellent expectorant and soothes the mucous membranes when irritated. Its healing properties are known to be very powerful. If you are looking for natural ways to support your respiratory function, try one or more of these excellent herbal supplements. While you should never quit taking your medication without the advice of a trusted medical professional, you may find these herbs help you feel a lot better and without adverse side effects. Learn to trust the wisdom of plant intelligence and enjoy the various health-promoting benefits of medicinal herbs. Sources for this article include: NIH.gov Newstarget.com NaturalPedia.com To read the original article click here.

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Lung Changes Can Be Early Warning of Breast Cancer Spread

AHA Publisher — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 07:00:11 +0000

Michelle Marks via NaturalHealth365 – Changes in healthy lung tissue can be an early signal that the lung is preparing to receive breast cancer cells that are metastasizing — spreading to other organs. This is the breakthrough finding of a study from researchers at Israel’s Tel Aviv University, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and Weizmann Institute of Science. In many types of cancers, including breast cancer, the main cause of death is when the cancer cells metastasize and proliferate in essential organs. Metastases may appear after several years even after surgical removal of the primary tumor, chemotherapy and radiation. Methods currently available locate metastases only when they are quite large – when the disease is at an advanced stage, and there are few treatment options. Prof. Neta Erez, chair of pathology at TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, previously discovered that designated tissues in organs where the metastases are set to arrive prepare a hospitable environment for them, long before the appearance of the metastasized cells. In the present study, Erez and her research team searched for signs of these changes, which may be used in the future to identify the start of the process. They focused on connective tissue cells, known as fibroblasts, in the lungs of lab mice with a model of breast cancer. “In a normal situation, fibroblasts play a central role in healing wounds and injury to the lungs, but recent studies revealed that cancer is successful in recruiting them and causing them to produce a supportive environment for it,” Erez said. As described in the journal eLife, the scientists also identified the proteins that initiate the preparation processes in fibroblasts. “We believe that in the future, our findings can aid in the identification of the metastatic process even before the disseminated cancer cells thrive and colonize the metastatic organ, with the purpose of providing prophylactic treatment. Such treatment may save the lives of millions of people worldwide,” Erez said. To read the original article click here.

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Could Harmful Emotions Be Caused By Poor Organ Function?

AHA Publisher — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 07:00:14 +0000

Edit Lang via NaturalHealth365 – According to statistics published by the Mental Health Foundation, one in five Americans struggles with mental health issues each year. Shockingly, fifty percent of chronic mental health problems start before age 14. Not surprisingly, during the COVID pandemic, the percentage of adults with anxiety or depression symptoms rose from 36.4% to 41.5%. Considering the magnitude of the problem, one would expect that Western medicine has many effective treatment options to offer to those suffering. But in reality, medical doctors have limited options available to treat these conditions, aside from the multitude of prescription anxiolytics and antidepressants. Although there is increasing awareness in the scientific community of the connection between our psychological and physical health, the intricacies of this link are still not well understood. In a recent video, Jonathan Landsman of NaturalHealth365 interviewed America’s Drugless Doctor, Dr. Robert DeMaria, to reveal how our organs’ functioning and our emotional health can affect each other. Are You Listening? Understanding Your Body’s Language Is Critical to Achieving Optimum Health In the video, Jonathan and Dr. Bob focus on discussing how changing the vitality of specific organs in the body can affect our mental and emotional health. During the conversation, Dr. Bob points out how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) recognizes that emotions affect the physical health of the body and vice versa. For instance, according to TCM theory, anger and irritability can affect the liver’s health and result in various ailments, including an enlarged or fatty liver. Many people don’t know, but the liver performs hundreds of critical functions and plays a vital role in digestion and nutrient processing. Anything we put into our body – whether non-productive, unhealthy foods, or the highest quality organic fruits and vegetables – will go through the liver and either weaken or strengthen its vitality. Toxic emotions can also undermine the liver’s functioning. TCM practitioners believe that feelings of resentment, anger, frustration, and irritability are key emotions detrimental to this organ’s wellbeing. Suppose, for instance, that you are one of the 100 million Americans living with fatty liver disease. If at the same time, you are also known for your hot temper, your dysfunctional liver may be to blame for your intense emotional outbursts and anger issues. Interesting concept, isn’t it? Your Lungs Speak Too: Here Is What May Be Behind Chronic Lung Issues So while the dominant emotion associated with the liver is anger, unprocessed and persistent feelings of sadness appear to manifest ailments in the lungs. To illustrate the connection between lung issues and sorrow or grief, Dr. Bob shared a story about his wife, who developed a chronic lung problem due to the profound sadness she experienced when her younger son was going off to college. Once they uncovered that the root of her chronic lung issue was not a physical dysfunction but rather the consequence of her harmful emotions, they could successfully address the condition. Whether this is the first time you hear about the relationship between mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, or you are quite familiar with the concept, you don’t want to miss watching this video. Learn the Five Basic Feelings Associated with Specific Organs in the Body, According to TCM Traditional Chinese Medicine narrows human emotions to five basic feelings and links each of them with a corresponding organ in the body: Anger with the liver Sadness and grief with the lung Worry and anxiety with the spleen Fear with the kidney Joy with the heart Take note of these emotion-organ relationships, as this information may come in handy next time you feel overwhelmed by negative emotions or receive a diagnosis of a physical ailment. Even a basic understanding of these concepts can be incredibly empowering and may open the door to various treatment modalities previously unavailable to you. What’s the Bottom Line? It’s time to expand our horizon and consider TCM’s 2,000-year-old pearls of wisdom and recognize how intricate the connection is between our emotional and physical health. Understanding that emotional imbalances can act as both symptoms and causes for physical issues can be life-changing to millions of people seeking an alternative to the “pill for every ill” medical approach. Find a qualified healthcare provider to guide you on your journey towards improved health. And, of course – above all, stay positive (confident) that you can make a change for the better with simple lifestyle adjustments. Sources used for this article: MentalHealthFolundation.org NIH.gov CDC.gov To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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Scientists Explore Herbal Treatment for COVID-19

AHA Publisher — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 07:00:07 +0000

George Mason University via EurekAlert – Could an over-the-counter health “shot” help fight COVID-19? George Mason University researchers think it just might. Cell and Bioscience recently highlighted research led by Yuntao Wu and Ramin Hakami in which they examined the potential anti-coronavirus activities of an over-the-counter drink called Respiratory Detox Shot (RDS). RDS is a remedy containing nine herbal ingredients traditionally used in Eastern medicine to manage lung diseases. The researchers reported that RDS inhibited the infection of target cells by SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses and by infectious wild-type SARS-CoV-2. Their results suggest that RDS might broadly inhibit respiratory viruses, such as influenza. SARS-CoV is the viral pathogen causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and its sister virus, SARS-CoV-2, is the pathogen that causes COVID-19. The COVID-19 global pandemic is a major focus of researchers around the world. While effective vaccines have been developed, there is still a need for developing effective treatments. In particular, new variants of the virus are continuously emerging, and some of these variants may make the vaccines less effective. Ramin Hakami, an Associate Professor in Mason’s School of Systems Biology and one of the authors of the study, said that the fact that RDS is a drinkable food supplement is helpful. “If it proves effective in vivo, it should be a treatment for COVID-19 that is easy to administer,” said Hakami, who also works at Mason’s National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases. “That’s a big plus.” For their study, Hakami, Wu, and Mason researchers Brian Hetrick, Adeyemi A. Olanrewaju, Linda D. Chillin, Sijia He, and Deemah Debbagh worked with Dongyang Yu of Virongy LLC, Yuan-Chun Ma of Dr. Ma’s Laboratories Inc., and Lewis A. Hoffman of the World Health Science Organization. The team screened extracts from approximately 40 medicinal herbs using a SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and human lung cells. They also screened for possible anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of RDS. For the study, they pretreated cells with diluted RDS and then infected the cells in the presence of RDS for four to six hours. After infection, they cultured cells in the absence of RDS and then quantified the cells to determine if viral infection was inhibited at 48 and 72 hours. Subsequently, the researchers used the Biomedical Research Lab on Mason’s Science and Technology Campus to confirm the in vitro efficacy of RDS against infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus. [The] study revealed that RDS contains very potent ingredients that can destroy the infectivity of SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and influenza A virus, even at very low dosages, said Wu, a professor in Mason’s National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases and a study co-author. In addition, the investigators have demonstrated that RDS is effective against the SARS-CoV-2 variants in vitro. Hetrick, a PhD student in biosciences working on the study, said that the discovery was a happy surprise for him. It would be great if there are safe and effective herbal drugs available for the management of COVID-19 in the future. Hakami is currently conducting in vivo animal studies to build on the in vitro discovery that RDS may be used as a SARS-CoV-2 treatment. He is testing RDS using K18-hACE2 transgenic mice that will be infected with SARS-CoV-2. Depending on the results, Dejia Harmony, the sponsor of the above pre-clinical trial, may seek FDA approval to begin human clinical trials. “This study points to the possibility of using a readily available, over-the-counter herbal beverage to provide protection against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A infections,” said Ali Andalibi, senior associate dean in Mason’s College of Science. “It will also be quite interesting to see if RDS shows activity against other respiratory viruses.” To read the original article click here.

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Study Suggests Potential Role for Probiotics in Preventing Respiratory Infections

AHA Publisher — Mon, 17 May 2021 07:19:30 +0000

Digestive Disease Week via News-Medical – Daily probiotic use was associated with fewer upper respiratory symptoms in overweight and older people, according to a study that suggests a potential role for probiotics in preventing respiratory infections. The study was selected for presentation at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2021. “This is not necessarily the most intuitive idea, that putting bacteria into your gut might reduce your risk of respiratory infection, but it’s further evidence that the gut microbiome has a complex relationship with our various organ systems. It doesn’t just affect how our gut works or how our liver works, it affects aspects of how our whole body works.” (Benjamin Mullish, MD, lead researcher on the study and clinical lecturer in the Division of Digestive Diseases, Imperial College London, England) Researchers re-analyzed detailed daily diaries of 220 patients who participated in an earlier double-blind placebo-controlled study on probiotics and weight loss. Reviewing the entries for common symptoms of upper respiratory infection, including cough, sore throat and wheezing, researchers found that participants who took probiotics during the six-month study had a 27 percent lower overall incidence of upper respiratory tract symptoms compared to the placebo group. The effect was largest among participants who were aged 45 years or older, as well as those with obesity. People with obesity are at higher risk for respiratory infections. Previous research has shown that probiotics reduce upper respiratory infections in healthy adults and children, but little data exists on this vulnerable population of older, overweight and people with obesity. “These findings add to growing interest in the gut-lung axis — how the gut and the lungs communicate with each other,” Dr. Mullish said. “It’s not just the gut sending out signals that affect how the lungs work. It works in both directions. It adds to the story that changes in the gut microbiome can affect large aspects of our health.” The researchers did not measure immune response, only respiratory symptoms. Future randomized clinical trials could help identify the mechanisms related to the reduction in respiratory symptoms and explore the possible impact of probiotics on the immune system, Dr. Mullish said. To read the original article click here.

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Novel Way to Protect Your Lungs

AHA Publisher — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 08:00:50 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – The recovery rate from Covid-19 is about 99.75%. Fortunately, most people who have had it won’t have any long-lasting damage. Unfortunately, in about 5% percent of critical cases, the virus triggers an overreaction of the immune system in what is known as a “cytokine storm.” This leads to inflammation that can damage the walls and lining of the air sacs in your lungs. The result is acute respiratory distress syndrome – or ARDS. But there’s a novel way you can protect your lungs. A new study published in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine found that CBD can reduce – and even reverse – this lung damage by normalizing levels of an inflammation-causing peptide called apelin. Apelin is made by cells in the blood, brain, heart, fat and lung tissue. It plays a major role in regulating your blood pressure, while also keeping inflammation down. When you’re infected with coronavirus, your levels of this peptide plummet. But researchers say that even when levels were close to zero in patients with ARDS, treatment with CBD increased apelin blood levels by 20 times – and restored lung function back to normal levels. The study authors found that using CBD also:1 Relaxed cells lining blood vessels Reduced excessive lung inflammation Increased oxygen levels Repaired damage to the lungs, including scarring and swelling This study backs up an earlier study that found CBD helps open bronchial passes allowing patients with COPD to breathe more easily and avoid low blood oxygen levels.2 Heal Your Lungs With the Right Kind of CBD When it comes to CBD, you want to get the greatest – and fastest – benefit. And that means increasing its bioavailability. Like most medications and supplements, it’s best to take CBD with a meal because it increases the absorption. And the more CBD you absorb in your bloodstream, the more potent the effect. You know CBD can be taken a lot of different ways: in tinctures, capsules, vaping, balms, edibles and more. Each method has benefits, but some allow for more CBD to be directly absorbed than others. For example, eating or swallowing CBD requires digestion, which means some of the CBD gets broken down by your liver before circulating into your bloodstream. Tinctures, on the other hand, get absorbed more quickly into your bloodstream under your tongue. I’ve found that an oral spray that uses nanotechnology is the most bioavailable. That’s because it’s a quicker, more direct route to the bloodstream, and it avoids the liver’s “first pass” effect, which lowers CBD bioavailability. In fact, nanotechnology gets 1,500% more CBD past your cell membranes.3 When you’re having trouble with your lungs, that’s pretty important. To get maximum benefit, spray the liquid under your tongue, hold it without talking for 60 seconds and then swallow. 3 More Ways to Increase Bioavailability Look for an emulsified product. Some products emulsify their CBD using nanotechnology. This breaks CBD down into even smaller molecules. The smaller and more dispersed the molecules are, the more bioavailable they are, because they pass more easily through cell membranes and into the bloodstream than larger CBD particles.4 Take it with healthy fats. CBD is a fat-soluble compound, meaning it dissolves in fats. This breaks CBD down into smaller molecules that are more easily absorbed by the body. One way to increase CBD’s bioavailability is to mix it with a healthy high-fat snack or meal. A recent study found that people who took CBD with high-fat foods increased their absorption up to 14 times more than those who took it on an empty stomach.5 Look for full-spectrum CBD. Terpenes are fatty oils found in the essential oils of almost all plants. They occur naturally in hemp and are extracted along with CBD and other compounds to create full-spectrum CBD products. These compounds work together and amplify each other’s benefits, a synergy known as the “entourage effect.” Terpenes increase CBD bioavailability and enhance the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids. Note: There is one method of taking CBD I don’t recommend and that’s vaping. That’s especially true if you already have lung damage. It’s true that there aren’t a lot of studies. But with so many other safe, effective and fast ways to get your CBD, why take the risk? To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS 1. Khodadadi H, et al. “Cannabidiol modulates cytokine storm in acute respiratory distress syndrome induced by simulated viral infection using synthetic RNA.” Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 2020; 5(3): 197–201. 2. Makwana R, et al. “The effect of phytocannabinoids on airway hyper-responsiveness, airway inflammation, and cough.” J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2015 Apr;353(1):169-80. 3. Cherniakov I, et al. “Piperine-pro-nanolipospheres as a novel oral delivery system of cannabinoids: Pharmacokinetic evaluation in healthy volunteers in comparison to buccal spray administration.” J Control Release.2017;266:1-7. 4. Bruni N, et al. “Cannabinoid delivery systems for pain and inflammation treatment.” Molecules. 2018;23(10). 5. Birnbaum AK, et al. “Food effect on pharmacokinetics of cannabidiol oral capsules in adult patients with refractory epilepsy.” Epilepsia. 2019;60(8):1586-1592. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Al Sears, MD click here.

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Toxic Heavy Metal Found in Food and Tobacco Products Being Linked to Higher Risk of Death from Viral Respiratory Illnesses

AHA Publisher — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 08:00:48 +0000

Sara Middleton via NaturalHealth365 – If you know any cigarette smokers in your life, there is no better time than now to encourage them to quit. Why? Because even though there have yet to be specific studies looking at the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on people who smoke, plenty of prior research on other viral diseases suggests that smokers are probably at an increased risk of COVID complications and premature death. This makes intuitive sense, of course; smoking damages your lungs and increases systemic inflammation. But, what many people might not realize is that increased heavy metal exposure is one of the significant smoking risks, too – and unfortunately, even nonsmokers may be risk of it, too. COVID Warning: Toxic Heavy Metal Found in Food and Tobacco Products Being Linked to a Higher Risk of Death from Viral Respiratory Illnesses Cadmium is a naturally occurring metal. And, yes, it’s found in high concentrations within tobacco products as well as other common goods such as, batteries and fertilizer. Because of its widespread presence in the environment, cadmium can easily seep into soil and water via pollution – and therefore leech into plants and animals we eat. Unfortunately, long-term chronic exposure to cadmium increases the risk of health problems including kidney, bone and (notably) lung disease, according to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA). Recently, a team of researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health published the results of their study in Environmental Health Perspectives. They wanted to clarify if and how heavy metal exposure could contribute to severe COVID illness. The researchers had to look to earlier research to support their hypothesis, given the current lack of peer-reviewed studies on heavy metals and COVID-19. To do this, they assessed health data of 16,000 people who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1988-1994 or 1999-2006. Specifically, the researchers looked at cadmium levels in both smokers and nonsmokers from this large sample. After adjusting for factors like age, sex, race, weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure readings, the researchers determined: People with 80 percent higher levels of cadmium than all others were 15 percent more likely to die of the flu or pneumonia compared to people in the bottom 20 percent of cadmium levels Even in nonsmokers, those with the highest levels of cadmium exposure were 27 percent more likely to die of viral infections compared to people with lower levels of the metal Overall, their analysis confirms earlier research showing that exposure to cadmium – whether through food or cigarettes – increases the risk of serious illness or death from the flu and pneumonia. Their research supports the idea that this heavy metal could also be contributing to current pandemic deaths, and that by reducing heavy metal exposure for all people (whether they smokers or not) is an important public health measure. Action Step: Here Are Some of the Foods Most Likely to Absorb Heavy Metals, According to Research Other than not smoking, you might be able to reduce your risk of cadmium exposure by avoiding certain foods known to contain high levels of it. These foods include: Animal organs such as liver and kidneys Soybeans Cereals Rice Leafy veggies including spinach and lettuce Other veggies including carrots, radishes, and zucchini Of course, you don’t have to swear off veggies forever. Other plants, such as cabbage and broccoli, generally have lower levels cadmium yet very high levels of protective antioxidants – so consider working these into your weekly diet more often. The key here is to have a variety of healthy, organic plant-based foods to reduce your overall risk of exposure to heavy metals. Being well-hydrated with clean water (daily) and occasionally doing an effective detoxification program – throughout the year – is not a bad idea either. When it comes to animal-based foods, eat only the highest quality possible from grass-fed or pasture-raised sources. Naturally, there are always pros and cons to every food choice … but, making the effort to eat (and live) better is certainly worth it. Sources for this article include: Studyfinds.org, NIH.gov, NIH.gov, NIH.gov, OHSA.gov, Tandfonline.com, Sciencemag.org To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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