PFAS Exposure & Cancer: The Numbers Are High

Today’s almonds have been activated by:

⏰ IN A RUSH?

Today’s 30-Second Summary

If you don’t have time to read the whole email today, here are some key takeaways:

• When exposure to PFAS (such as those found in non-stick cookware, and microwavable plastic containers) doubles, thyroid cancer diagnosis rates go up by 56%

  • This means that reducing the use of such, reduces that risk. Cast iron cookware is great; most ceramic cookware is PFAS-free, and Pyrex-style microwavable glass dishes are all good replacement options.

• Masks? Milk? “Medical Marijuana”? There are a lot of polarizing issues in the world, and it's easy to get stuck in a "bias bubble" of like-minded thinkers.

  • The Perspective is a (free!) publication that specializes in presenting polarizing issues, with each camp's arguments placed side-by-side, guaranteed to challenge your views and stimulate your brain.

Read on to learn about these things and more…

👀 WATCH AND LEARN

Twelve "Cook them this way, not that way" tips about vegetables—how many did you know? (9:56)

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Vegetable menu:

• 0:52 | Oiling the vegetables

• 1:30 | Not cooking them at all

• 2:17 | Prepping veggies too early

• 3:02 | Boiling them too much

• 3:53 | Overcrowding the pan

• 4:33 | Smoking out the vegetables

• 5:27 | You’re tossing out the good parts

• 6:10 | You’re roasting at too low temperature

• 6:57 | Cooking vegetables when they are wet

• 7:34 | Cooking them the same way every time

• 7:57 | Underseasoning the vegetables

• 8:32 | Not washing them properly before cooking

(Don’t have time to watch now? Bookmark it for later!)

🍳 MAIN FEATURE

PFAS & Cancer Risk: The Numbers Are High

This is Dr. Maaike van Gerwen. Is that an MD or a PhD, you wonder? It’s both.

She’s also Director of Research in the Department of Otolaryngology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, Scientific Director of the Program of Personalized Management of Thyroid Disease, and Member of the Institute for Translational Epidemiology and the Transdisciplinary Center on Early Environmental Exposures.

What does she want us to know?

She’d love for us to know about her latest research published literally today, about the risks associated with PFAS, such as the kind widely found in non-stick cookware:

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure and thyroid cancer risk

Dr. van Gerwen and her team tested this several ways, and the very short and simple version of the findings is that per doubling of exposure, there was a 56% increased rate of thyroid cancer diagnosis.

(The rate of exposure was not just guessed based on self-reports; it was measured directly from PFAS levels in the blood of participants)

• PFAS exposure can come from many sources, not just non-stick cookware, but that’s a “biggie” since it transfers directly into food that we consume.

• Same goes for widely-available microwaveable plastic food containers.

• Relatively less dangerous exposures include waterproofed clothing.

To keep it simple and look at the non-stick pans and microwavable plastic containers, doubling exposure might mean using such things every day vs every second day.

Isn’t it too late, by this point in life? Aren’t they “forever chemicals”?

They’re not truly “forever”, but they do have long half-lives, yes.

See: Can we take the "forever" out of forever chemicals?

The half-lives of PFOS and PFOA in water are 41 years and 92 years, respectively.

In the body, however, because our body is constantly trying to repair itself and eliminate toxins, it's more like 3–7 years.

That might seem like a long time, and perhaps it is, but the time will pass anyway, so might as well get started now, rather than in 3–7 years time!

Read more: National Academies Report Calls for Testing People With High Exposure to “Forever Chemicals”

What should we use instead?

In place of non-stick cookware, cast iron is fantastic. It’s not everyone’s preference, though, so you might also like to know that ceramic cookware is a fine option that’s functionally non-stick but without needing a non-stick coating. Check for PFAS-free status; they should advertise this.

In place of plastic microwaveable containers, Pyrex (or equivalent) glass dishes (you can get them with lids) are a top-tier option. Ceramic containers (without metallic bits!) are also safely microwaveable.

See also:

Here’s a List of Products with PFAS (& How to Avoid Them)

Take care!

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🌍 AROUND THE WEB

What’s happening in the health world…

• Combining voice technology with AI can be a major step forward in diabetes detection

• Association between lung cancer risk and dietary patterns

• New institute to integrate food-based nutrition interventions into health care

• How does technology impact nutrition management in older adults?

• Study reveals impact of hybrid immunity and booster vaccination on antibody count

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More to come tomorrow!

📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW

Understanding and Responding to Self-Harm: The One-Stop Guide: Practical Advice for Anybody Affected by Self-Harm – by Dr. Allan House

Whether it's yourself, or (statistically much more likely) a loved one, it's common to be faced with the deeply unpleasant reality of self-harm. This is a case where most definitely, "forewarned is forearmed".

Dr. House covers not just the "what" and "why" of self-harm, but also the differences between suicidal and non-suicidal self-harm, as well as the impulsive and the planned.

Stylistically, the book is well-written, well-edited, and well-formatted. All this makes for easy reading and efficient learning.

Much of the book is, of course, given over to how to help in cases of self-harm. More specifically: how to approach things with both seriousness and compassion, and how to help in a way that doesn't create undue pressure.

Because, as Dr. House explains and illustrates, a lot of well-meaning people end up causing more harm, by their botched attempts to help.

This book looks to avoid such tragedies.

Bottom line: if you'd rather know these things now, instead of wishing you'd known later, then this book is the one-stop guide it claims to be.

Click here to check out Understanding and Responding to Self-Harm, and be prepared!

Wishing you good health in every way,

The 10almonds Team