Can Environmental Causes Play a Role in Senior Disease and Illness?
Many of us sat in local Chicago movie theaters watching as Julia Roberts, playing environmentalist Erin Brockovich went after environmental pollutants with a vengeance for the diseases and illnesses that they inflicted upon unsuspecting residents in nearby homes. We know that environmental causes can result in serious and even fatal illnesses, so it’s not a stretch to question whether similar issues might be responsible for common diseases and illnesses that many of our seniors are living and even dying with day after day.
According to a recent study, this isn’t a far-fetched question since a link has been made between exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines found in processed foods and even pesticides can play a role in the development of age related diseases like Alzheimer’s and diabetes. According to the research, these substances can break down insulin resistance and damage DNA, resulting in an increased risk for these illnesses.
This research is a step in the right direction, and the knowledge can lead to removing potentially damaging substances from our food and chemicals; but let’s face it, these changes might only apply to future generations, the rest of us might already be feeling the affects.
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