Quantum entanglement holding together DNA?

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I’ve been reading up on the ways in which quantum physics may help expand out understanding of chemistry and biology.  This was one of the more interesting ideas I came across: that quantum entanglement may be what holds DNA together.

So: this part is tough. The nucleotides in DNA—the molecules that make it up—join together to form the helix. There’s a bit of a problem in that the electrons in each molecule shake in certain ways that would seem to make the whole helix shake apart. Elisabeth Rieper at the National University of Singapore and “some buddies” came up with a model that keeps the structure from doing this and it involves quantum entanglement.

 

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7 foods to avoid

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BPA is prevalent in product

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If you’re looking to avoid BPA you really needs to not buy canned food. The vast majority of cans use BPA. The website Organic Grace has been collecting statements from various companies on their use of BPA. Definitely worth reading and following:

Linked from the above web page is also information about Tetra-Paks, which should also be avoided by those concerned about BPA or similar estrogen mimicking chemicals leaching into packaged food products.

More direct link between nutrition and genetics

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It’s no secret that having lunch messes with your biochemistry. Once that sandwich hits your stomach, genes related to digestion have been activated and are causing the production of the many molecules that help break food down. But a new study suggests that the connection between your food’s biochemistry and your own may be more intimate than we thought. Tiny RNAs usually found plants have been discovered circulating in blood, and animal studies indicate that the are directly manipulating the expression of genes.

Buyer beware of “BPA Free”

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From NPR: Study: Most Plastics Leach Hormone-Like Chemicals

The testing showed that more than 70 percent of the products released chemicals that acted like estrogen. And that was before they exposed the stuff to real-world conditions: simulated sunlight, dishwashing and microwaving, Bittner says.

The team concentrated on BPA-free baby bottles and water bottles, Bittner says, “and all of them released chemicals having estrogenic activity.” Sometimes the BPA-free products had even more activity than products known to contain BPA.

Primary Source: Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals: A Potential Health Problem That Can Be Solved

Fruit Spread Recommendation

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I spent 2 years not eating fruit in an effort to kill off any microorganisms which fed on surplus sugar in my body.  I have always looked to avoid sugar so before this I had wanted to find a fruit spread without sugar.  Not that I am eating fruit again I have returned to the same fruit spread, which I purchase infrequently and use sparingly but which I would recommend.  These are the Fruit Spreads from bionaturae, an Italian company, which are available in many stores in Portland, OR where I reside.  From their literature:

bionaturæ® organic Fruit Spreads are produced using hand-harvested heirloom varieties of fruit from select regions of Italy. The term “heirloom” describes a variety of fruit, flower or vegetable that has been grown in a certain region for centuries without any hybridization…

bionaturæ® organic Fruit Spreads do not contain added sugar and have the lowest sugar content among leading brands. They are processed at low temperatures and cooked slowly preserve fruit’s rich flavor and bright color.

The primary ingredient in bionaturae fruit spread is fruit, followed by apple juice concentrate which they note “has fewer simple sugars” and “a lower caloric content” than white grape juice concentrate.  When I first found bionaturae I liked the ingredients it had (fruit as the primary ingredient, apple juice concentrate) as much as the ingredients it didn’t have (refined sugar, white grape juice concentrate).  It also turned out that they were delicious.

This article combines 2 fun things – Roller Derby and Positive Diet Changes

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A roller derby mom with a son diagnosed with Autism changed her son’s diet to be “gluten-free, soy-free and casein-free” with extremely positive results.

By now, his mom said, he is high-functioning, and she credits a lot of that to his gluten-free, soy-free and casein-free diet, which his doctor recommended after his diagnosis. (Casein is a protein found in milk.)

The change in diet — no gluten, casein or soy — was near-miraculous.

“He began speaking and making more eye contact within two weeks of beginning the diet,” said Stephens.

Skating mom helps son with autism soar

I plan to find more articles on people treating Autism with dietary changes.  I don’t believe that a bad diet causes Autism so much as an incorrect diet for a particular person may cause them to manifest symptoms that may receive a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

More research of microorganisms affecting their hosts behavior

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“I’m convinced people’s parasites walk them to Baskin-Robbins.”  That’s what my nutritionist said in a discussion of how mircoorganisms – including bacteria, fungus, viruses, and parasites – affect behavior.  One of the themes I wish to document on this site is the research in this area, and perhaps my own theories.  I think we will see a lot of research in this area in the near future.  To me this has always seemed obvious: organisms living in one’s body area clearly going to have a physical effect, and in the body there are physical mechanisms related to mood, hunger/cravings, desire, etc.  So it’s likely that the physical effects of microorganisms will manifest in changes in these aspects leading to changes in behavior.

Today Science reported:

Mice whose diets were supplemented with L. rhamnosusfor 6 weeks exhibited fewer signs of stress and anxiety in standard lab tests, Cryan and colleagues report online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For example, the rodents spent more time exploring narrow elevated walkways and wide-open spaces, which are scary to rodents, and they exhibited a smaller spike in stress hormone levels when the researchers put them in water.

Source: Mind-Altering Bugs

Primary Source: Ingestion of Lactobacillus strain regulates emotional behavior and central GABA receptor expression in a mouse via the vagus nerve

Now I do want to be clear that I do not support animal experimentation such as this.  I believe studying humans is the best way to gain knowledge about humans, perhaps supplemented by observational research of other species.  Perhaps that is something else I will write about in detail at some point.  Some would argue that using knowledge gained in an unethical way is itself unethical.  I will sidestep that argument with the argument that much animal experimentation is repetitive and redundant so one of the best things to do from any animal experiment is to publicize the results so that the same experiment is not run dozens, if not hundreds, more times (for example primate nicotine research).

One positive aspect of this study is that they mention that microorganisms may provide a therapeutic role in the body.  Since people are often unnerved by the idea of organisms living inside of them I think this is a good finding to highlight.  This does not mean, contrary to the write-up in Science, that these organisms are “beneficial”.  Reducing stress is not beneficial if the stress is the correct/adaptive response as it may have been in the case of this experiment.  Stress does serve a useful role in preparing the body to face danger.  The problems related to stress in human civilization is the pervasive perception of danger that leads to constant stress and the damaging effects caused by prolonged stress.  So, yes, the right microorganisms might help humans to have a healthier relationship with stress and the wrong microorganisms may contribute to various stress-related disorders.