If you want further proof that the government cares more about the profits of Big Business than your health, you just need to check out the growing list of toxic chemicals banned in Europe but still widely used in the U.S.
If you follow the advice of the FDA, which classifies these chemicals as “generally recognized as safe,” you’re likely to become old before your time.
The latest ingredient to be banned by the European Union is titanium dioxide (TiO2). I wrote to you last week about this toxin and how you can try and lessen its damaging effects on your body.
This toxic whitening agent is so common in the U.S. that it’s estimated that every American absorbs around a trillion nanoparticles of it a day.
Classified by the FDA as a food colorant E171, it’s added to thousands of products you use every day.
I’m talking about everyday items like paint, glue, plastics, water treatment agents, paper, candles, dental fillings, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, sunscreen, and toothpaste – to name just a few.
It’s also found in most processed foods – from candy, ice cream, baking mixtures, packaged sliced bread, and cake icing to processed cheese, sausage casings, and chewing gum.
In America, the TiO2 industry rakes in more than $13 billion a year.1
The FDA insists it’s safe. But they’re wrong.
I call TiO2 the “aging” chemical.
Recent research by Danish scientists reveals that TiO2 shortens your telomeres.2
As a regular reader, you know that telomeres are the tiny tails of genetic code at the end of each strand of DNA. They are the biological clock that determines how fast you age.
The longer your telomeres are, the younger your cells act.
The shorter your telomeres, the more prone you are to chronic diseases and “old age,” – such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s.
The European Union’s decision to ban TiO2 follows a review of nearly 12,000 publications that detailed the chemical’s genotoxicity – in other words, its ability to damage DNA and lead to cell mutations and cancer.3
But it’s not just Europe banning TiO2. Multiple countries around the world, including China and Brazil, are also outlawing this toxic chemical.
I recommend avoiding it as much as you can. But because it’s so widely used, it’s almost impossible to cut out all exposure.
Bulletproof your anti-aging telomeres
At the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine, I use a different approach. I focus on helping my patients bulletproof their telomeres. Here are three ways you can do this:
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- Get more glutathione: This is your body’s natural toxin remover and its most powerful antioxidant. Glutathione protects your telomeres from oxidative damage and prevents them from wearing down.4 While glutathione declines as you age, studies show that TiO2 accelerates the decline in glutathione levels.5 But there’s an effective and safe way to boost glutathione in your body… by taking an amino acid supplement called N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC). NAC is a precursor to glutathione. I recommend taking 600 mg a day of NAC to boost glutathione. You can also increase glutathione levels through diet. Choose foods high in glycine and cysteine, like meat, eggs, and fish. These amino acids are also found in yogurt, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, red peppers, and Brussels sprouts.
- Boost your folate levels: Studies show that TiO2 increases the pro-inflammatory amino acid homocysteine. This is one of the greatest threats to your telomeres. Studies reveal that high homocysteine can triple the speed of telomere shortening.6 Folate, also known as vitamin B6, counters the effects of homocysteine.7 I recommend getting 800 mcg of folic acid every day for your telomeres. Grass-fed calf’s liver is your best choice. Dairy, poultry, meat, eggs, seafood, spinach, and broccoli are other good choices. You can also take a folic acid supplement.
- Supplement with L-arginine and L-citrulline: Adopting a diet rich in these biochemical cousins activates telomerase, the enzyme that boosts telomere length. These two amino acids team up to create nitric oxide, which also stimulates telomerase production.8 Great food sources include peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds and walnuts, tuna, chicken, salmon, lobster, shrimp, eggs, spinach, and watermelon. Supplement capsules are also available online and from health food stores. I recommend daily doses of 1,000 mg of L-citrulline and 6,000 mg of L-arginine. And make sure to get the L forms of these compounds and not synthetic DL forms.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References:
1. Neslen A. “EU to opt against health warning for the suspected carcinogen.” The Guardian. 5 Apr 2019. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/06/eu-to-decide-against-health-warning-for-suspected-carcinogen
2. Jensen DM, et al. “Telomere length and genotoxicity in the lung of rats following intragastric exposure to food-grade titanium dioxide and vegetable carbon particles.” Mutagenesis. 2019 May 29;34(2):203-214.
3. Chen T, et al. “Genotoxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles.” J Food Drug Anal. 2014 Mar;22(1):95-104.
4. Montserrat M, et al. “Mitochondrial Glutathione, a Key Survival Antioxidant.” Antioxid Redox Signal. 2009; 11(11): 2685–2700.
5. P Tucci, et al. “Metabolic effects of TiO2 nanoparticles, a common component of sunscreens and cosmetics, on human keratinocytes.” Cell Death Dis. 2013 Mar; 4(3): e549.
6. Richards J, et al. “Homocysteine levels and leukocyte telomere length.” Atherosclerosis. 2008;200(2):271-7.
7. Paul L, et al, “Telomere length in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is associated with folate status in men.” J Nutr. 2009;139(7):1273-8.
8. Vasa, M., et al. “Nitric oxide activates telomerase and delays endothelial cell senescence.” Circ Res. 2000;87:540-542.