Common Cleaning Chemical Linked to Parkinson’s Disease
A chemical known as trichloroethylene (TCE), commonly used in cleaning products like metal degreasers and stain removers, is now implicated in the development of Parkinson’s disease, according to recent research. It’s also a known carcinogen and has already been linked to an increased risk of kidney cancer, liver cancer, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Previous research involving twins showed that long-term exposure to TCE could increase the risk for Parkinson’s by as much as 500%, a finding the new study supports.
TCE is widely used in the dry cleaning industry and can easily leach into the water, air, and soil, making contamination a serious issue.
Though TCE is difficult to avoid entirely, Dr. Ariana Spentzos— Science and Policy Fellow at the Green Science Policy Institute— advises that people filter their drinking water and indoor air and avoid using products that contain TCE, including certain degreasers, paint strippers, stain removers, adhesives, and sealants.
Walnuts Improve Your Gut Microbiome, Heart Health
A new study shows that the heart-helping benefits of walnuts, including an ability to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, may stem from improvements to gut health. More specifically, walnuts appear to stimulate the production of a beneficial amino acid, L-homoarginine, via gut microbes.
This is significant because a deficiency of homoarginine has been linked to a greater risk of heart disease.
In the study, participants were divided into three groups, one of which consumed a specific amount of walnuts each day, while the other two consumed fatty acids found in walnuts but no nuts. The walnut diet group had higher levels of a gut microbe known as Gordonibacter bacteria and higher levels of gene expression associated with L-homoarginine.
For reference, the group that experienced better gut health and heart-health indicators consumed about 1 cup of walnuts per day.
