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#1 Children’s Vitamin in US Contains: Aspartame, GMOs and Hazardous Chemicals

The #1 Children’s Vitamin Brand in the US contains ingredients that most parents would never intentionally expose their children to, so why aren’t more opting for healthier alternatives?

Kids vitamins are supposed to be healthy, right? Well then, what’s going on with Flintstones Vitamins, which proudly claims to be “Pediatricians’ #1 Choice”? Produced by the global pharmaceutical corporation Bayer, this wildly successful brand features a shocking list of unhealthy ingredients, including:

Aspartame;
Cupric Oxide;
Coal tar artificial coloring agents (FD&C Blue #2, Red #40, Yellow #6);
Zinc Oxide;
Sorbitol;
Ferrous Fumarate;
Hydrogenated Oil (Soybean);
GMO Corn starch;

On Bayer Health Science’s Flintstones product page designed for healthcare professionals they lead into the product description with the following tidbit of information:

“82% of kids aren’t eating all of their veggies*1. Without enough vegetables, kids may not be getting all of the nutrients they need.”

References: *1. Lorson BA, Melgar-Quinonez HR, Taylor CA. Correlates of fruit and vegetable intakes in US children. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109(3):474-478.

The implication? That Flintstones vitamins somehow fill this nutritional void. But let’s look a little closer at some of these presumably healthy ingredients…
ASPARTAME

Aspartame is a synthetic combination of the amino acids aspartic acid and l-phenylalanine, and is known to convert into highly toxic methanol and formaldehyde in the body. Aspartame has been linked to over 40 adverse health effects in the biomedical literature, and has been shown to exhibit both neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity. [1]

What business does a chemical like this have doing in a children’s vitamin, especially when non-toxic, non-synthetic non-nutritive sweeteners like stevia already exist?

CUPRIC OXIDE

Next, let’s look closer at Cupric Oxide, 2mg of which is included in each serving of Flinstone’s Complete chewable vitamins as a presumably ‘nutritional’ source of ‘copper,’ supplying “100% of the Daily Value (Ages 4+), according to Flintstones Vitamins Web site’s Nutritional Info. [2]
But what is Cupric Oxide? A nutrient or a chemical?

According to the European Union’s Dangerous Substance Directive, one of the main EU laws concerning chemical safety, Cupric Oxide is listed as a Hazardous substance, classified as both “Harmful (XN)” and “Dangerous for the environment” (N).

Consider that it has industrial applications as a pigment in ceramics, and as a chemical in the production of rayon fabric and dry cell batteries. In may be technically correct to call it a mineral, but should it be listed as a nutrient in a children’s vitamin? We think not.

COAL TAR ARTIFICIAL COLORING AGENTS
A well-known side effect of using synthetic dyes is attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. For direct access to study abstracts on this topic view our Food Coloring research page.
There is also indication that the neurotoxicity of artificial food coloring agents increase when combined with aspartame, [3] making the combination of ingredients in Flintstones even more concerning.
ZINC OXIDE
Each serving of Flinstones Complete Chewable vitamins contain 12 mg of zinc oxide, which the manufacturer claims delivers 75% of the Daily Value to children 2 & 3 years of age. Widely used as a sun protection factor (SPF) in sunscreens, The EU’s Dangerous Substance Directive classifies it as an environmental Hazard, “Dangerous for the environment (N).”
How it can be dangerous to the environment, but not for humans ingesting it, escapes me. One thing is for sure, if one is to ingest supplemental zinc, or market it for use by children, it makes much more sense using a form that is organically bound (i.e. ‘chelated’) to an amino acid like glycine, as it will be more bioavailable and less toxic.
SORBITOL
Sorbitol is a synthetic sugar substitute which is classified as a sugar alcohol. It can be argued that it has no place in the human diet, much less in a child’s. The ingestion of higher amounts have been linked to gastrointestinal disturbances from abdominal pain to more serious conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. [4]
FERROUS FUMARATE
The one clear warning on the Flinstone’s Web site concerns this chemical. While it is impossible to die from consuming iron from food, e.g. spinach, ferrous fumarate is an industrial mineral and not found in nature as food.
In fact, ferrous fumarate is so toxic that accidental overdose of products containing this form is “a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6.”
The manufacturer further warns:

“Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.”

HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL

Finding hydrogenated oil in anything marketed to children is absolutely unacceptable. These semi-synthetic fatty acids incorporate into our tissues and have been linked to over a dozen adverse health effects, from coronary artery disease to cancer, violent behavior to fatty liver disease. [5]

GMO CORN STARCH

While it can be argued that the amount of GMO corn starch in this product is negligible, even irrelevant, we disagree. It is important to hold accountable brands that refuse to label their products honestly, especially when they contain ingredients that have been produced through genetic modification.

The ‘vitamin C’ listed as ascorbic acid in Flintstones is likely also produced from GMO corn. Let’s remember that Bayer’s Ag-biotech division, Bayer CropScience, poured $381,600 of cash into defeating the proposition 37 GMO labeling bill in California.

Parents have a right to protect their children against the well-known dangers of genetically modified foods and the agrichemicals that contaminate them, don’t they? GMO corn starch is GMO, plain and simple. We’d appreciate it if Bayer would label their “vitamins” accordingly.

In summary, Bayer’s Flintstone’s vitamin brand is far from a natural product, and the consumer should be aware of the unintended, adverse health effects that may occur as a result of using it.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. If you found this information helpful, please share it with your friends and family. Your support in our endeavor of sharing free information would be much appreciated.

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By Sayer Ji via Green Med Info

Resources:

[1] GreenMedInfo.com, Adverse Health Effects of Aspartame;
[2] FlinstonesVitamins.com, FLINSTONES Complete Chewable, Nutritional Info Overview;
[3] Karen Lau, W Graham McLean, Dominic P Williams, C Vyvyan Howard. Synergistic interactions between commonly used food additives in a developmental neurotoxicity test. Toxicol Sci. 2006 Mar;90(1):178-87. Epub 2005 Dec 13. PMID: 16352620
[4] GreenMedInfo.com, Sorbitol’s Adverse Health Effects;
[5] GreenMedInfo.com, Health Effects of Hydrogenated Oil;

The Potatoes You Should Never, Ever Eat

I love potatoes. They are perhaps the most versatile vegetable around. You can boil it, bake it, mash it, fry it…. Potatoes aren’t nearly as bad as some people make them out to be. Potatoes contain all 22 amino acids that form complete proteins after being easily digested. Potatoes are rich in minerals and loaded with Vitamin C and B6. As a fact, potatoes have more potassium than bananas. You might ask why would we want to avoid potatoes if they are so good for you? There is a huge difference between conventional and organically grown potatoes.

Why You Must Avoid Conventional Potatoes

Root vegetables easily absorb pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. Pesticides that may be applied to conventionally grown potatoes, which have been identified as acutely toxic, include: Aldicarb, Clothianidin, Methamidophos, Methyl parathion, and Propargite.

According to the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program, 37 different pesticides have been found on conventional potatoes: 7 carcinogens, 12 hormone disruptors, 9 neurotoxins, 6 reproductive toxins.

Ironically, many potato growers only eat potatoes grown on plots separate from the potatoes they grow for profit. Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board said, “I’ve talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals.”

Modern Conventional potatoes do not sprout. This is due to the fact that potatoes are being spread with a chemical called Clorpropham that prevent them from sprouting. These sprout inhibitors possess mutagenic properties that change the genetic material of an organism. A 1993 Cornell University study says this;

Chlorpropham is moderately toxic by ingestion. It may cause irritation of the eyes or skin. Symptoms of poisoning in laboratory animals have included listlessness, incoordination, nose bleeds, protruding eyes, bloody tears, difficulty in breathing, prostration, inability to urinate, high fevers, and death.

Autopsies of animals have shown inflammation of the stomach and intestinal lining, congestion of the brain, lungs and other organs, and degenerative changes in the kidneys and liver. Chronic exposure of laboratory animals has caused retarded growth, increased liver, kidney and spleen weights, congestion of the spleen and death. Long-term exposure to chlorpropham may cause adverse reproductive effects. Chlorpropham may cross the placenta.

Buy organic potatoes. You can not just simply wash off the chemicals because they have been absorbed into the flesh. Plus, organic potatoes contain more nutrients than conventional potatoes.

Attention! Do Not Mix These Household Products They Can Kill You

Probably the majority of you are unaware that the combination of different household cleaners can be extremely harmful. This comes as a consequence of the harmful gases which are created thus, and they have adverse effects upon your health. This article can be of great help of you for it reveals how you can protect your family from such dangerous mixtures.

You should know that it is absolutely forbidden to mix a window cleaner with some universal cleaner, for you can get no better results, and in contrast, you can increase their harmful effect. You should avoid the following combinations by all costs as every cleaner is made for a specific purpose.

Baking soda and vinegar

You should always stay away from this combination, even though it may seem perfectly natural, and quite efficient as a house-cleaning device. Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate reacts with acetic acid (found in vinegar), producing sodium acetate, water, and carbon dioxide. On the other hand, vinegar also causes baking soda to bubble, so if you put them in a closed container, you can cause an explosion.

Bleach with ammonia

The combination of these two ingredients creates toxic smokes, mainly chloramines, which are dangerous for your eyes and are extremely unsafe to breathe in.

Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide

You must remember not to blend these two items, especially not in the same container, as it will lead to the creation of peracetic acid. This acid is highly toxic and can damage your skin, eyes and respiratory system.

Chlorine bleach with vinegar

Any kind of acid, including vinegar, when mixed with chlorine, creates a dangerous formula because this combination produces a toxic chlorine gas.

Rubbing alcohol and bleach

This combination if extremely dangerous! It’s in fact a combination of chloroform and hydrochloric acid. So it is the best to use bleach only.

You are Most Likely Consuming bleached and chemical laden Garlic from China. Here is how to spot it.

Garlic from China is doused in chemicals to stop sprouting, to whiten garlic, and to kill insects and plant matter. Garlic is grown in untreated sewage

Garlic is well known for its numerous health benefits, particularly as it relates to heart health. It is also effective at fighting fever, coughs, headaches, stomach aches, sinus congestion, gout, rheumatism, hemorrhoids, asthma, bronchitis, shortness of breath, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, high blood sugar. It also helps to prevent cancer,amongst other things.

But do you know where your garlic is coming from?

China, more than likely.

Around 20 million tonnes (40 billion pounds) is grown annually in China, which accounts for over 81% of total world output.

Henry Bell, executive officer at the Australian Garlic Industry Association, is deeply concerned about this because China sprays their garlic with toxic chemicals to kill insects and plant matter and also bleach it to make it look fresh.

Bell also, in an interview with reported David Sutherland, explained that "... some garlic growers over there use raw human sewage to fertilise their crops.", "I also challenge the effectiveness of the Chinese methyl bromide fumigation processes," which is the toxic chemicals used to kill insects.

Bell states the way to avoid poor quality garlic is all about the freshness;

"Whether you're looking for taste and flavour or whether you're looking for blood-science benefits... the key is freshness. And if you're buying imported garlic then sometimes you're even getting last year's crop." The best course of action according to Bell is "to support local growers."

Next time you buy garlic, check the label or ask where it comes from. If it's from overseas, it's probably not fresh or healthy.

Causes of Early Puberty: Why Is This the New "Normal?”

So many children now have this condition that it's been termed the new "normal"... but is it? Today at least 1 in 5,000 children are impacted! Here's what the latest research has to say about why this is happening.

Reaching puberty is a rite of passage that we've all been through, but children nowadays are reaching it earlier than ever before -- a trend that has both health experts and parents alarmed.

Precocious puberty, which is the appearance of secondary sex characteristics like pubic hair or breast growth before age 8, or the onset of menarche before age 9, impacts at least 1 in 5,000 U.S. children, and the rate is on the rise.¹

Even in the last three decades, children (particularly girls) are maturing at younger and younger ages (precocious puberty is 10 times more common in girls than in boys).

Puberty, Once the Norm at Age 15, Now Occurring in 7-, 8- and 9-Year-Olds

In the 19th century the onset of menstruation occurred around the age of 15. Now the average age of the first period, or menarche, is around 12. The time during and before puberty is one of rapid development and change, which is why even months matter when it comes to first menstruation. Before menstruation, girls will show beginning signs of development, such as breast "budding" and growth of pubic hair.

These signs are now becoming unsettlingly common among 7-, 8- and 9-year-old girls, to the extent that many health care providers, rather than labeling these children with a diagnosis that something is wrong, have simply changed the definition of what's normal... but is it really "normal" for girls to mature at such a young age?

There are more questions than answers in the case of precocious puberty, but what is certain is that girls are developing earlier than they have even 10, 20 or 30 years ago.
One study in the journal Pediatrics revealed that by age 7, 10 percent of white girls, 23 percent of black girls, 15 percent of Hispanic girls and 2 percent of Asian girls had started developing breasts, with researchers noting:²

"The proportion of girls who had breast development at ages 7 and 8 years, particularly among white girls, is greater than that reported from studies of girls who were born 10 to 30 years earlier."
Early puberty can set the stage for emotional and behavioral problems, and is linked to lower self-esteem, depression, eating disorders, alcohol use, earlier loss of virginity, more sexual partners and increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases. There is also evidence that suggests these girls are at increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer, later in life.

Environmental Chemicals a Likely Factor

Scientists have brought forth a number of potential explanations for the rising rates of early puberty, but one that deserves special attention is environmental chemicals, and particularly estrogen-mimicking, "gender-bending" chemicals that easily leach out of the products that contain them, contaminating everything they touch, including food and beverages.

As the featured New York Times article reported:

" ...animal studies show that the exposure to some environmental chemicals can cause bodies to mature early. Of particular concern are endocrine-disrupters, like "xeno-estrogens" or estrogen mimics. These compounds behave like steroid hormones and can alter puberty timing.

For obvious ethical reasons, scientists cannot perform controlled studies proving the direct impact of these chemicals on children, so researchers instead look for so-called "natural experiments," one of which occurred in 1973 in Michigan, when cattle were accidentally fed grain contaminated with an estrogen-mimicking chemical, the flame retardant PBB.
The daughters born to the pregnant women who ate the PBB-laced meat and drank the PBB-laced milk started menstruating significantly earlier than their peers."
This is an extreme case, but the truth is we are all part of a "secret experiment" of sorts, because hormone-disrupting chemicals are all around us. Bisphenol A (BPA), an industrial petrochemical that acts as a synthetic estrogen, is found in our plastics and our tin can linings, in dental sealants and on cash-register receipts. Laboratory tests commissioned by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) detected BPA in the umbilical cord blood of 90 percent of newborn infants tested -- along with more than 230 other chemicals. As written in the New York Times:

"One concern, among parents and researchers, is the effect of simultaneous exposures to many estrogen-mimics, including the compound BPA, which is ubiquitous."
No one knows what happens when a developing fetus or young child is exposed to hundreds of chemicals, many of which mimic your body's natural hormones and can trigger major changes in your body even as an adult, let along during the most rapid and vulnerable periods of development (in utero and as a young child).

BPA is, unfortunately, but one example. Others include phthalates, a group of industrial chemicals used to make plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) more flexible and resilient. They're also one of the most pervasive of the endocrine disrupters, found in everything from processed food packaging and shower curtains to detergents, toys and beauty products like nail polish, hair spray, shampoo, deodorants, and fragrances.
Other environmental chemicals like PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of the pesticide DDT) may also be associated with early sexual development in girls. Both DDE and PCBs are known to mimic, or interfere with, sex hormones.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), found in non-stick cookware, also falls into this dangerous category, as does fluoride, which is added to the majority of public water supplies in the United States. Research showed that animals treated with fluoride had lower levels of circulating melatonin, as reflected by reduced levels of melatonin metabolites in the animals' urine. This reduced level of circulating melatonin was accompanied -- as might be expected -- by an earlier onset of puberty in the fluoride-treated female animals.

These Chemicals Also Increase Your Risk of Cancer and Heart Disease

If a chemical is capable of influencing the rate of your reproductive development, it stands to reason that it would be capable of influencing other hormone-sensitive growth processes as well, and this is indeed the case.

For instance, new research has detected the presence of paraben esters in 99 percent of breast cancer tissues sampled.³ Parabens are chemicals with estrogen-like properties, and estrogen is one of the hormones involved in not only puberty but also the development of breast cancer. They are widely used in household products such as:

Deodorants and antiperspirants

Shampoos and conditioners

Shaving gel

Toothpaste

Lotions and sunscreens

Make-up / cosmetics

Pharmaceutical drugs

Food additives

Recent research has also confirmed the existence of a previously unknown class of cancer-causing estrogen-mimicking compounds: metals. Yes, a broad range of metals have been shown to act as "metalloestrogens" with the potential to add to the estrogenic burden of the human body, thereby increasing the risk of breast cancer and also possibly early puberty. The following metals, which are added to thousands of consumer products, including vaccines, have been identified as being capable of binding to cellular estrogen receptors and then mimicking the actions of physiological estrogens:⁴

Aluminum

Antimony

Arsenite

Barium

Cadmium

Chromium

Cobalt

Copper

Lead

Mercury

Nickel

Selenite

Tin

Vanadate

Data from a long-running British health survey, meanwhile, has shown that if you have high levels of the chemical BPA in your urine, you may be at an increased risk of heart disease. Some of the greatest concern surrounds early-life, in utero exposure to BPA, which can lead to chromosomal errors in your developing fetus, causing spontaneous miscarriages and genetic damage. But evidence is also very strong showing these chemicals are influencing adults and children, too, and leading to decreased sperm quality, early puberty, stimulation of mammary gland development, disrupted reproductive cycles and ovarian dysfunction, obesity, cancer and heart disease, among numerous other health problems.

Avoiding Hormone-Disrupting Substances is Crucial for Children and Adults Alike

While young girls may show obvious signs of exposure to hormone-disrupting substances via early puberty, other signals are more insidious and may not show up until a disease is already present. Here are 11 measures you can implement right away to help protect yourself and your children from common toxic substances that could cause precocious puberty and other long-term health problems:

As much as possible, buy and eat organic produce and free-range, organic meats to reduce your exposure to added hormones, pesticides and fertilizers. Also avoid milk and other dairy products that contain the genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST)
Eat mostly raw, fresh foods. Processed, prepackaged foods (of all kinds) are a major source of soy and chemicals such as BPA and phthalates.
Store your food and beverages in glass rather than plastic, and avoid using plastic wrap and canned foods (which are often lined with BPA-containing liners).
Use glass baby bottles and BPA-free sippy cups for your little ones.
Make sure your baby's toys are BPA-free, such as pacifiers, teething rings and anything your child may be prone to suck on.
Only use natural cleaning products in your home to avoid phthalates.
Switch over to natural brands of toiletries such as shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants and cosmetics. The Environmental Working Group has a great safety guide to help you find personal care products that are free of phthalates, parabens and other potentially dangerous chemicals.
Avoid using artificial air fresheners, dryer sheets, fabric softeners or other synthetic fragrances, many of which can also disrupt your hormone balance.
Replace your non-stick pots and pans with ceramic or glass cookware.
When redoing your home, look for "green," toxin-free alternatives in lieu of regular paint and vinyl floor coverings.
Replace your vinyl shower curtain with one made of fabric.
Avoid non-fermented soy, especially if you're pregnant and in infant formula.

Theo Colburn's book Our Stolen Future is a great source for further investigation as it identifies the numerous ways in which environmental pollutants are disrupting human reproductive patterns. I believe it is one of the best resources on this topic and highly recommend it.

Vitamin D Also Linked to Early Puberty

It has been suggested that girls who live closer to the equator start puberty at a later age than girls who live in Northern regions. Since this indicates a potential connection with sun exposure, researchers decided to investigate whether vitamin D was, in fact, related. Upon measuring vitamin D levels in 242 girls aged 5-12, researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that those who were deficient were twice as likely to start menstruation during the study period as those with higher levels.⁵
Specifically, among the vitamin-D-deficient girls, 57 percent started their period during the study, compared to 23 percent with adequate vitamin D. However, researchers defined adequate vitamin D as ≥ 30 ng/mL, which is actually still a deficiency state! For optimal health, vitamin D levels should be a minimum of 50 ng/mL, which means the number of vitamin-D-deficient girls with early puberty was probably much higher than the study reported.

The earlier you enter puberty, the longer you're exposed to elevated levels of the female hormone estrogen, which is a risk factor for certain cancers such as breast cancer. This has been the primary "link" between early puberty and cancer that has been explored, but it's important to understand that vitamin D deficiency is also a major risk factor for cancer, heart disease and many other diseases. So it could be that some of the increased risks that come from early puberty are linked to low vitamin D levels.

What You Should Know About Obesity, Stress and Exercise

Obesity (which exposes girls to more estrogen because estrogen is both stored and produced in fat tissue) is another likely factor in early puberty. The New York Times reported:

"As Robert Lustig, a professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco's Benioff Children's Hospital, explains, fatter girls have higher levels of the hormone leptin, which can lead to early puberty, which leads to higher estrogen levels, which leads to greater insulin resistance, causing girls to have yet more fat tissue, more leptin and more estrogen, the cycle feeding on itself, until their bodies physically mature."
As for stress, this, too, has been linked to early puberty, with girls whose parents divorced when they were between 3- and 8-years-old significantly more likely to experience precocious puberty. "Evolutionary psychology offers a theory," the New York Times reports. "A stressful childhood inclines a body toward early reproduction; if life is hard, best to mature young. But such theories are tough to prove." Interestingly, in addition to avoiding environmental chemicals, obesity and stress, and optimizing your vitamin D, regular exercise appears to be one of the best known ways to help prevent early puberty.

These Plants Are a Must Have At Home: They Protect Against Radiation, Chemicals, and Cigarettes Smoke

Make sure you have some plants in your house or apartment, preferably these ones. Why? Because plants can absorb radiation emitted from televisions, and also help eliminate odors from paint, solvents, and cleaning agents. It's optimal to have one plant for every 80 sq. feet of space.

The fig tree, fern, dracaena and cactus all can help clean your air at home.

Dracaena marginata:

Dracena is an ornamental plant that's easy to maintain and resistant to temperature differences. They like light, but not in direct sunlight, and not in a windy place. It needs to be sprayed regularly with water. Dracena is known for reducing the concentration of formaldehyde, sprays and deodorants, cleaning agents, solvents, paints, and more. That's why this plant is an invaluable air purifier for your home.

Ficus:

One of the smartest things a smoker can do is get a Ficus in their home. (*Besides quitting of course.) Ficus, reduces the concentration of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and trielina, chemicals contained in paints and varnishes. Like the Dracaena marginata the ficus tree doesn't like strong wind or direct sunlight.

The Fern:

The fern is actually an herb and it reduces the concentration of formaldehyde from furniture, paint, detergents, glue, fabric and curtains. It needs a lot of water. This plant also doesn't enjoy direct sun.

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