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but the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists FISH OILS NOT SO WISE
reviewed the evidence used in the new analysis and found it Recommended in many diet plans, including the Paleo Diet
“insufficient to confirm or refute the potential for benefits Solution, fish oil is today’s most popular supplement. Made
from delayed umbilical cord clamping in term infants . . . ” by boiling fish oil at 230 degrees for hours, the omega-3 fatty
Fortunately, more mothers are insisting on delayed clamping, acids in fish oil can hardly be beneficial, and are most likely
and more obstetricians and midwives are coming around. “The completely rancid and likely to cause oxidative damage in
implications [of the report] are huge,” says Dr. Eileen Hutton, the body. (WAPF has never recommended fish oil, only fish
a midwife who teaches obstetrics at McMaster University in liver oils, preferably processed at low temperatures.) A new
Ontario. “We are talking about depriving babies of 30 to 40 study from the National Cancer Institute showed that those
percent of their blood at birth—and just because we’ve learned with high concentrations of elongated omega-3s (the kind
a practice that’s bad” (New York Times, July 10, 2013). found in fish oil) in their blood had a 43 percent higher risk
of developing cancer than those with the lowest levels (J Natl
ANEMIA AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS Cancer Inst 2013 Aug 7;105(15):1132-1141). While most of the
The subject of delayed cord clamping takes on additional participants did not take fish oil supplements, the study serves
relevance in light of research showing a possible link between as a warning to avoid them. The recommended dose of fish oil
iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and psychiatric disorders in contains 30-60 percent of the marine fatty acids in a serving
children, including the conditions of depression, bipolar, of fish, and many people take more, and take it every day. In
anxiety disorder and autism. Dr. Ya-Mei Bai and her team of addition, few make a point of eating butter or other saturated
researchers looked at data from the Taiwan National Health fat, which can protect against oxidative damage.
Insurance Database. They identified nearly three thousand
children who had been diagnosed with IDA and compared LISTERIA IN PASTEURIZED CHEESE
them to nearly twelve thousand healthy controls matched for Whole Foods Market has recalled Crave Brothers Les Frères
age and sex. Kids with iron deficiency had higher prevalence cheese in response to an outbreak of listeria that has sickened
of multiple psychiatric disorders, as well as delayed develop- people in several states and resulted in at least one death. The
ment and mental retardation. Iron plays a key role in brain cheese is made from pasteurized milk. The recalled Crave
development as well as regulation of neurotransmitter systems Brothers Les Frères cheese was cut and packaged in clear
(BMC Psychiatry 2013 Jun 4;13:161). An imbalance of brain plastic wrap and sold with Whole Foods Market scale labels.
chemicals is thought to be the cause of many psychiatric FDA has issued a recall notice dated July 5, 2013 (www.fda.
problems. gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm359697.htm) but where is the outcry
to avoid that dangerous food item—pasteurized cheese?
FLUORIDE REDUCES IQ
For years health experts have been unable to agree on whether
fluoride in the drinking water is toxic to the developing human
brain. Extremely high levels of fluoride are known to cause
neurotoxicity in adults, and negative impacts on memory and
learning have been reported in rodent studies, but little is
known about the substance’s impact on children’s neurodevel-
opment. In a meta-analysis, researchers from Harvard School
of Public Health (HSPH) and China Medical University in
Shenyang for the first time combined twenty-seven studies FOR SCIENTISTS AND LAY READERS
and found strong indications that fluoride may adversely affect Please note that the mission of the Weston A. Price
cognitive development in children (Environ Health Perspect Foundation is to provide important information about
2012 October; 120(10): 1362–1368). The average loss was diet and health to both scientists and the lay public. For
equivalent to seven IQ points. Based on the findings, the au- this reason, some of the articles in Wise Traditions are
thors say that this risk should not be ignored, and that more necessarily technical. It is very important for us to describe
the science that supports the legitimacy of our dietary
research on fluoride’s impact on the developing brain is war- principles. In articles aimed at scientists and practitioners,
ranted. In a related development, the Supreme Court of Israel we provide a summary of the main points and also put
ruled an end to fluoridation in Israel, citing health concerns. the most technical information in sidebars. These articles
are balanced by others that provide practical advice to
our lay readers.
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