Mile High Natural Awakenings

Shrimp cocktail is a popular holiday appetizer, but may not be the healthiest menu choice. Researchers at Texas Tech University have found evidence of antibiotics in samples of farm-raised shrimp of international origin imported onto U.S. grocery shelves. The antibiotics present included nitrofuranzone, a probable human carcinogen. Two samples of the seafood tested in major cities contained levels of nitrofuranzone that were 28 and 29 times higher than the amount allowed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Domestic shrimp harvested from the Gulf of Mexico also contained carcinogens and toxicants, according to a recent article by GreenMedInfo.com. Equally unsettling, most farmraised shrimp is far from sustainable, says Oregon researcher J. Boone Kauffmann, who estimates that 50 to 60 percent of shrimp farms worldwide are built on cleared mangrove areas. The shrim...

New research reveals that diet may make a difference in reducing the risk of developing the most common form of dementia, known as Alzheimer’s disease. A study published by the American Academy of Neurology suggests that eating foods containing omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish, chicken, salad dressing and nuts, may be related to lower blood levels of a problematic protein called beta-amyloid associated with Alzheimer’s and memory problems. For the study, 1,219 people older than 65 and free of dementia provided information about their diets for an average of 1.2 years before their blood was tested for beta-amyloid. Researchers looked specifically at 10 nutrients, including saturated fatty acids; omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids; mono-unsaturated fatty acids; vitamins E, C, B12 and D; beta-carotene; and folate. The scientists found that higher consumption of omega-3 fatty acids cor...