Study finds two common crop chemicals linked to Alzheimer’s
It’s supposed to be one of the healthiest things you can do each day – but it may be giving you Alzheimer’s instead.
We all do our best to eat smart, whether that means tossing a salad for lunch or steaming an extra helping of broccoli at dinner time.
But a shocking new study has found that two common chemicals – ones that are being sprayed all over the fruits and vegetables we eat every day – may be slowly destroying our brains.
In fact, they could even put you on the fast track to Alzheimer’s.
Fortunately, there are two simple steps you can take – starting today – to keep yourself and your family safe.
Leave it to these giant chemical companies to turn something like eating fruits and vegetables into a life-or-death proposition.
But according to newly published research, that’s exactly what they’ve done.
Scientists from the University of North Carolina Neuroscience Center just wrapped up a study of close to 300 agricultural chemicals.
And they found two in particular – Headline (made by BASF) and Compass (made by Bayer) – were causing serious damage in animals’ brains.
What the researchers found in this laboratory study is damage to brain tissue that is similar to what is seen in cases of autism, advanced age, and even Alzheimer’s.
Have you ever heard anything so cruel in your life? The very foods we eat to make us healthy could actually be wrecking our brains.
Now, Headline and Compass are both fungicides and they’re pretty new to the market. But, unfortunately, they’ve caught on with farmers fast and you can find them on just about any fruit or vegetable you can imagine.
For example, the USDA discovered residues of Headline in spinach, kale, and grapes. And Compass has turned up in everything from cherry tomatoes to sweet bell peppers.
In other words, these chemicals could be hiding just about anywhere.
Mark Zylka, who led the latest research, said it’s just another example of how dangerous agricultural products are being unleashed on the market (and on our dinner plates) before we understand all the risks.
Yeah, well, that’s only partly true.
You see, some time ago German and Swiss researchers exposed frogs to the recommended concentration of Headline (the amount that would normally be sprayed in a field) and found that it killed all of them within an hour.
Call me crazy – but when this stuff started killing Kermit left and right, I think we knew exactly how dangerous it was.
As I said, staying away from Headline and Compass is no small task. But, fortunately, there are a couple things you can do.
First, it’s always a good idea to buy organic fruits and vegetables when you can, so you limit your exposure to pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides as much as possible.
Second, the Environmental Working Group has released its 2016 list of the top fruits and vegetables that contain chemical residues. The data came from both the USDA and the FDA – and, while it wasn’t specific to Headline and Compass, it’ll give you a good idea of which foods can be riskiest.
For EWG’s complete list, click here.
