Causes and Prevention of Rotavirus Diarrhea

Occurring during the months of winter and spring in the United States Rotavirus is highly contagious.  Children who attend daycare or are hospitalized are at particular high risk of contracting it, but everyone is at risk.  This virus is easy spread by the hand to mouth method.   This virus can lay dormant in an infected person for several days and during this time it remains just as infectious as when there are active symptoms. The virus can be spread by anything touched by an infected person including toys, food, furnishings, doorknobs, the hand of a person who touched one of these items that was contaminated already and even through droplets that landed on a surface from a cough or sneeze.

• Frequently washing your hands and teaching your children good hand washing is a good way to help lessen the chances that your child will contract Rotavirus infection.
• Disinfect toys, especially if your child has siblings or playmates
• Use disinfectant wipes on doorknobs, telephones, stair rails, light switches, water faucet handles, toilet handles and seats, counters and furnishings in your home, especially during the spring and winter months
• Babies under the age of 32 weeks can receive an immunization for Rotavirus

Treatment of Rotavirus Diarrhea

No specific treatment is known for Rotavirus.  Since it is a virus, antibiotics do not treat the infection.  The virus will normally resolve itself within 3 to 8 days. Measures to treat the symptoms of the virus are mainly focused on preventing dehydration related to the rotavirus diarrhea.

Keep your child as comfortable as possible, offer as much oral fluids as they will accept, you may want to use fluids that contain electrolytes such as Pedialyte to help replace lost minerals and fluids. If severe diarrhea is present your child may require intravenous fluids to prevent or reverse dehydration.

Rotavirus Diarrhea can lead to Dehydration

Rotavirus diarrhea is caused by Rotavirus which is extremely contagious.  This factor of the virus can be very dangerous in that it can lead to dehydration.  Infants and small children will dehydrate faster than adults and therefore should be observed closely for symptoms of dehydration such as a dry mouth, crying without tears, a decrease in urination or no urination.  They may develop an elevated temperature and become lethargic, non responsive or just overly sleepy.  If your child is experiencing diarrhea and these symptoms are noticed you need to seek emergency care immediately.

Causes of Edema in the Lower Extremities

There are multiple causes of edema.  Identifying the cause is an important aspect of not only treatment but of prevention and getting early treatment for medical conditions which may be the cause of this symptom.

Edema in the lower extremities is common in many people who are on their feet a lot such as nurses, cashiers, hair dressers and others. This occurs when the veins in the lower extremities are not able to keep up with the demands of returning blood to the heart.  The arteries are pumping blood faster to the lower extremities than the veins can return it.  This can be caused by restrictive clothing, weak leg muscles, varicose veins, or diseased vessels in the lower legs.  If your job requires a lot of standing or walking, tries to plan frequent rest periods and elevate your legs while resting.  It is optimal that your legs are higher than your heart, but this may not be possible in the work environment.

Edema in the lower extremities can be the result of a blood clot or a tumor which obstructs the flow of blood through the vessel.  These can threaten your limbs and should be reported to your physician.  Some leg edema can be related to other conditions such as heart disease or congestive heart failure, liver or kidney disease. Any edema lasting more than a few days should be reported to your physician.

Symptoms of Edema in the Lower Extremities

You may notice your shoes are tighter on your feet, or that your ankles or calves are a little larger than normal.  You can press your finger tips into the tissue and remove them and it leaves an indentation, this is known as pitting edema.  Edema is identified by swelling in various areas of the body; sometimes removing the cause can alleviate the symptoms.

Treatment of Edema in the Lower Extremities

Treating edema means identifying the cause.  Once the cause is identified treatment can begin and be effective.  Treatment can be as simple as resting and elevating extremities or as complicated as removal or a clot.  Depending on if the edema is the result of another illness or condition you may require treatment for that condition to be able to relieve the symptom of edema.  It is very important that any edema lasting more than a day or two and not relieved with rest and elevation be evaluated by a doctor to help determine possible underlying causes.

Causes of Measles

Measles are very contagious.  The virus lives in the mucous contained in the throat or nose of the infected person.  An infected person is contagious from 4 days prior to showing symptoms until 4 days after they resolve.  If they sneeze or cough causing infected droplets to land on surfaces such as furniture, telephones or touch door knobs after they have particles on their hands the disease can be contracted if you also touch these surfaces and then touch your mouth or eyes for several hours.  Good hand washing and covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze is essential.

Symptoms of Measles

The symptoms of measles will usually appear about 10 to 12 days after you have been exposed.

The symptoms of measles include:

• Fever
• Runny nose
• Dry cough
• Conjunctivitis, red and inflamed eyes
• Light sensitivity
• Skin rash that resembles large, flat blotches.  They often seem to flow into each other
• Koplik’s spots which appear as tiny white spots with bluish-white tinged centers inside the mouth on the cheek lining.

Treatment for Measles

If measles are already established there is not a treatment to cure them, they will run the course and care is taken to treat symptoms and prevent spreading the disease.

There are some treatments to protect those at high risk who may have been exposed to measles before they are established.

• Immune serum globulin can be given to women who are pregnant, people with weak immune systems and infants who have been exposed to the virus.  This is an injection of antibodies which can help defend against the infection developing or make the symptoms less severe if given within 6 days after being exposed.
• Post exposure vaccination is available within the first 72 hours of exposure for people who have not been immunized, this includes infants.  The post exposure vaccine is to provide protection against developing the infection and if it does still develop it can help make the symptoms less severe and shorten the duration.

If the infection is established treatment is in management of the symptoms.  Analgesics may be given for fevers and discomfort.  Some cases of measles will result in complications such as ear infections or pneumonia and if these develop they will be treated with antibiotics.  To prevent the spread of the virus due to it being highly contagious there is usually some type of isolation for the infected person.  Keeping them in one area of the home, assigning one bathroom for their use only can help prevent other household members from contracting measles.  Your physician should be able to tell you the measures you should take.

What is Sleep Bruxism?

Sleep Bruxism is a condition in which you may clench, grind or gnash your teeth while you sleep.  This condition can also occur unconsciously during the day, when you are not asleep, known as simply Bruxism.  It can be caused by a variety of reasons including both physical and psychological.  Some of the suspected causes include stress, suppressed frustration or anger, misalignment of the upper and lower teeth, it can be in response to ear pain or complications of other disease processes such as Parkinson’s or Huntington’s Disease.  Uncommonly, it is a side effect of some psychiatric medications.

Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Bruxism

Many people who have Sleep Bruxism may not even be aware of the disorder.  It is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms which can include:

• Chewed tissue inside your cheek or indentions on your tongue
• Frequent Headaches or Jaw Pain
• Grinding or clenching of the teeth, your sleep partner may be able to hear this, the sound can be loud enough to awaken them from sleep
• Damaged teeth – teeth may be chipped, fractured, worn down or flattened
• Tooth sensitivity
• Pain or tightness in your jaw muscles
• Chronic facial pain
• Earaches

Treatments for Sleep Bruxism

Sleep Bruxism may be mild and sometimes does not require any treatment. Some cases may be more frequent and severe leading to disorders of the jaw, damage to the teeth, headaches and other potential harmful conditions. Usually children who experience sleep Bruxism will outgrow it and most cases in adulthood can be managed by managing the cause and are usually not severe enough to require treatment.

If treatment is necessary it can include use of a dental splint or a mouth guard at night, these can be custom fit for your mouth by your dentist.  Correction of misaligned teeth or jaw can help if this was the cause.  If you have damaged your teeth you may require dental intervention to repair the damage and prevent further complications.

Sleep Bruxism caused by stress may be managed with stress management strategies such as relaxation, meditation, exercise or professional counseling.

Possible Causes of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Due to the low incidence of its occurrence it has made it even more difficult to determine its cause.  Animal models are generally studied to help determine causes of disease, but with PAH an acceptable animal model has not been available to study.  There are theories as to the cause and it has been shown that people with certain conditions or exposure to some substances have a higher tendency for development of the condition.

Researchers believe that persons who have blood vessels that are particularly sensitive to certain external or internal factors which cause constriction of the vessels have an increased tendency for PAH.  People with Raynaud’s disease, a condition in which the toes and fingers of the individual turn blue when they are exposed to cold because of the extreme sensitivity of the blood vessels seem more likely to develop PAH than those without the condition.

The diet drug Fen-Phen has shown to have a significant association with the development of PAH.  Scientific studies have shown that the effect of the medication and development of the disease may not be apparent for several years after stopping the medication.

Other factors thought to influence the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension include the use of cocaine, pregnancy and HIV.  These factors can trigger constriction of the pulmonary artery which can result in PAH.  There has been some indications that the condition is inherited or that if you have a family history of PAH you may be at an increased risk for its development.  These causes are theories and observations, the exact cause or causes of PAH continue to be unknown.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Symptoms of PAH are generally related to breathing. They may happen suddenly or slow progress over time.

• Progressive shortness of breath, this is especially noticeable with activity
• Breathing rapidly and hard, hyperventilation
• Fatigue
• Fainting
• Increased and progressive weakness of the muscles
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Cough up blood
• Cyanosis, this may begin gradually but progresses.

Diagnosis of PAH is not an easy task.  It is rare that it is noticed on routine medical examinations because the symptoms can be easily attributed to other conditions of the heart and lungs.  To make a diagnosis involves ruling out all other reasons for the symptoms.  The diagnosis can only be confirmed when other reasons for the high blood pressure in the lungs arteries such as blood clots in the lungs, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease and other possible causes have been tested and eliminated as the source.

A physical examination by the physician may reveal a distention of the veins in the neck, water retention and swelling of the hands and feet or legs and an enlargement of the liver.  These findings are due to the difficulty of the right ventricle of the heart has trying to pump blood into the lungs blood vessels.

Other tests for the diagnosis and to determine the progress of the disease include:

• Electrocardiogram – This should show an enlargement of the right side of the heart.
• Chest X-Ray – This will also show enlargement of the heart and is a good way to monitor the condition as it progresses.
• Echocardiogram – This is an ultrasound of the heart.  This can measure the size of the heart and is also a good way to follow the diseases progression.  Sometimes the echocardiogram can estimate the pressure of the right ventricle of the heart and of the pulmonary arteries.
• Cardiac catheterization – This is an invasive procedure, but it is the best way to diagnose PAH.  With this procedure the physician is able to measure the pressures on the right ventricle and calculate the resistance of the lungs arteries.

Treatments for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

There are only two different options for treating pulmonary arterial hypertension.  These two options are medications and a lung transplant.

Multiple medications are used in the treatment of PAH.

• Prostacyclin analogues – medications which enable the blood vessels in the lungs to expand allowing the blood to move through them without as much resistance.
• Endothelin receptor antagonists – medications to help reverse the effects of a substance in the blood known as endothelin. Endothelin causes the blood vessels to constrict.
• Anticoagulants – medications used to prevent blood clotting.
• High dose calcium channel blockers – medication which promotes vasodilation by helping the muscles in the blood vessels to relax.
• Diuretics – medications which help to remove excess fluids from the body.  Excess fluid may accumulate due to the high pressures in the vessels.

Lung transplantation is also done to treat PAH.  The most common method is a single lung transplant where only one lung is transplanted.  Double lung transplants are done, but are less common. There are fewer complications with a single lung transplant but some complications include rejection of the organ by the body and infection.  When you have an organ transplanted you will take anti rejection medications for the rest of your lift to reduce the chance that your body’s immune system will reject the organ.

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a disorder of the brain that interferes with the way in which the affected person thinks, how they feel and act or react. This interference causes them difficulty in distinguishing what is imagined and what is real.  Because of their inability to make this distinction they can become delusional about themselves and those around them.

This condition can interfere with the person’s ability to experience emotions others might come by naturally in social relationships.  This can lead to withdrawal from socialization. This condition impacts ordered thinking.  This causes inability to concentrate and decreased attention span.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Symptoms of Schizophrenia are separated into four categories which include:

• Hallucinations – This includes seeing, smelling, hearing or tasting what is not there. The most common example of schizophrenic hallucination is hearing voices and the voice telling them to do or not to do specific things.
• Delusions – This category includes false beliefs about either themselves or those around them.  Thinking that someone is out to get them or harm them, watching them even when there is evidence to prove this is not the case. False beliefs about themselves such as believing they are from another planet or that they are someone other than themselves is a sign of delusion.
• Disorganized thinking and nonsensical speech – This disorder can cause communication problems.  The conversation can change from one topic to the next very rapidly.  Sentences may seem out of place or irrelevant, even contain made up words.
• Social Withdrawal and Apathy – Loss of interest in their surrounding or in life in general.  This is usually due to their emotional unresponsiveness and lack of motivation in social situations.

Treatment of Schizophrenia

This disorder is not curable, it is treatable however.  Symptoms can be managed with the use of antipsychotic medications.  Most patients respond rather quickly to the use of these medications.  If the patient is extremely depressed and withdrawn an antidepressant medication may be included in drug therapy to help reduce this symptom. Some patients are hospitalized initially until symptoms are manageable on an outpatient basis. It is important that the patient stay on the medication regimen as stopping the medications used to manage the symptoms will cause the return of the symptoms.

Individual talk and cognitive therapy is used in some cases to help teach coping strategies for stressful situations and thought processes. Family and social support is imperative and doctors can provide referrals to community support groups and services.

Although triglycerides are fats (a.k.a. lipids) are present in bloodstreams much like cholesterol, they differ from one another in that triglycerides provide energy while cholesterol is a crucial component in building cells and producing some hormones. Kept at appropriate levels, both, triglycerides and cholesterol are critical for good health. However, their access promotes heart disease and other health challenges.

Triglycerides and Health Issues

When individuals consume more calories than their bodies can use, triglycerides accumulate to unhealthful levels and high levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream has been directly associated with atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis, which is a medical condition that is characterized by thickening of arterial walls due to the buildup of fatty matter, is then associated with heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Also attributed to high levels of triglycerides is an inflammation of the pancreas (an organ of the digestive and endocrine systems) that is known as pancreatitis.

Triglycerides are, in a way, important measures of heart health and at high levels they are often manifested as obesity and the metabolic syndrome (a wide-scoping group of conditions such as surplus fat around the waist, high blood pressure (hypertension), high triglycerides, high blood sugar (diabetes) and high cholesterol levels.)

Often, high levels of triglycerides are directly caused by overeating of fatty foods but that is not always the case. In some patients, high triglycerides are caused by poorly controlled type 2 diabetes; an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism); certain liver and/or kidney diseases; a genetic dysfunction which affects how the body converts fat to energy; or a side effect of some medications which may include beta blockers, birth control pills, diuretics, steroids or tamoxifen (a drug administered to breast cancer patients).

According to the American Heart Association and its guidelines for triglyceride levels; the normal levels of triglycerides are in ranges of less than 150 mg/dL and less than 1.69 mmol/L. Ranges of between 150 – 199 mg/dL and 1.70 – 2.25 mmol/L are borderline high levels of triglycerides. Anything beyond those borderline levels requires urgent attention.

Lowering Triglyceride Levels

The most effective ways for lowering triglyceride levels are:

1. Dieting. Weight loss and reduction of caloric intake by: (a) reducing or eliminating the intake of refined sugars and simple carbohydrates (processed sugars and white flour) which raise the production of insulin which, in turn, increases triglycerides; (b) reducing or eliminating the intake of foods which are high in cholesterol (red meats, saturated fats, egg yolks and dairy products); (c) replacing the consumption of saturated fats with monounsaturated which are found in olive, peanut and canola oils and fish; (d) staying away from trans fats that are found in fried foods and pre-packaged snacks; and (e) avoiding alcoholic beverage whose smallest amounts raise triglyceride levels significantly.

2. Participating in regular and routine daily exercise.

3. Controlling existing medical conditions, particularly diabetes and high blood pressure.

4. If all of the above are insufficient to lower high triglyceride levels, cholesterol lowering drugs such as niacin or fibrates may be prescribed.

Among organs which can be transplanted today are the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, and intestine as well as penis and eyes. But organs are not the only body parts which are transplantable; tissues of various types such as bones, bone marrow tendons, cornea, heart valves, veins, arms, hands and skin are also being transplanted successfully.

Types of Transplants Available Today

The types of transplants which are available in modern day medicine include the following:

Autograft. A patient’s own tissues are transplanted from one area to another and it involves excessive tissues or those tissues which are capable of regenerating. The most common among autografts are skin and vein as well as the patient’s own blood which had been stored prior to surgical procedures and is then used as needed during and/or after the surgery.

Allograft. This encompasses most standard human organ and tissue transplants as it involves transplants of organs and/or between the same species as in human to human.

Isograft. This involves organ and/or tissue transplants between identical twins. This is the safest transplant with the highest success rate as it does not trigger immune responses.

Xenograft. This is the transplant of organs and/or tissues from one species to another.

Split Transplants. This involves the splitting of a single donated organ or tissue (such a liver or skin) and transplanting it into two patients.

Domino Transplant. This involves juggling of organs as one patient received both lungs and heart but since the heart of the patient is healthy, it is then transplanted into another patient.

Numeric Facts about Organ Transplants

Organ transplants in humans became a reality and an enormous medical breakthrough which saves countless lives began with several kidney transplants in the early years of the 1950s. This incredible medical advancement opened up many doors for other organ transplants and the procedures have become more and more fine tuned and progressively gained higher success rates while adding more years to patients’ lives. Today, organ transplants are common routines in just about every hospital around the world and, for the most part, they are very safe.

In the year 2000 and in the United States alone; 5,984 cadavers (deceased donors) were donated, plus 5,700 live donors made their transplantable organs available. Also in the United States during the year 2000, the following transplants of major organs were performed successful but there were many more patients waiting for their turn:

Lungs — transplanted 956, on the waiting list 3,812
Heart — transplanted 2,198, on the waiting list 4,139
Heart and lung — 48 transplanted, on the waiting list 213
Liver — transplanted 4,954, on the waiting list 18,752
Pancreas — 435 transplanted, on the waiting list 1,217
Kidney — 13,327 transplanted, on the waiting list 50,898
Kidney and pancreas — 911 transplanted, on the waiting list 2,451
Intestine — 79 transplanted, on the waiting list 183

As can easily be discerned, we are faced with a huge dilemma nowadays; supply does not meet demand as the need and request has become far greater than the availability of organs. There simply are not enough life-saving organs to go around because the rate of donation is much too low. With an average of 114 patients being added to the waiting list for donor transplants, many patients wait for months and even years for the chance at recovery and a new lease on life and many of them suffer and die (5,794 in the year 2000) before they ever reach the top of the long waiting list.

Transplantation Medicine

Having to deal with a number of sensitive issues, transplantation medicine is probably the most challenging fields of modern medicine as it faces multifaceted issues such as: (a) keeping the donated organ healthy and in a fully functioning state while preparing to transplant it from the donor to the recipient (the patient); (b) ensuring that the patient’s immune system does not reject the transplanted organ; and (c) the complex mechanics of the transplant procedure itself.

Transplantation medicine also faces an entire set of bioethical issues which question the definition of life vs. death; the means by which consent for organ transplants is given or gotten; the systems which determines who benefits from organ transplants, when and how; the fact that payment (large payment) is involved in organ transplants; and so on.

After the Transplant

Other than having to deal with the standard issues of recovery after surgery, transplant patients have to also deal with the fact that their immune systems may reject the newly transplanted organs and/or tissues. To help prevent rejection, donor recipients must take immunosuppressants which make them vulnerable to a wide variety of pathogens (disease causing agents such as germs, virus, etc.).

According to statistics, roughly eight million adults are affected by the condition in the US. These adults are more likely to fall prey to drugs and alcohol, and tend to lead less than stable lives. They are also more likely to suffer from conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety disorder. There are however, some experts who still disagree that the condition can continue into the adult years.

Symptoms of ADHD

The symptoms of ADHD are many and are typically broken down into the three main categories. These are:

Attention related symptoms

• Problems focusing on one thing or task
• Tendency to be easily distracted, or to move from task to task randomly
• Becoming bored very quickly with a particular task
• Trouble learning new things
• Lack of organizational skills
• Trouble following even seemingly simple instructions
• Constantly failing to do homework assignments or similar school related tasks

Hyperactivity symptoms

• Talking excessively
• Constantly moving around and reaching for everything nearby
• Tendency to fidget a lot
• Reluctance to do activities quietly
• Problems sitting still when the situation demands it

Impulsive behaviors

• Sometimes acting without thinking of the consequences
• Unwillingness to wait in various situations, such as play time
• Tendency to suddenly say what is on their mind without thought
• Displaying a high level of impatience

The Causes of ADHD

Modern medicine has yet to come up with a definitive cause for this problem. There are however certain issues which are thought to be related to the incidence of ADHD. These are the environment, diet and hereditary factors. Environmental causes include such things as smoking in the household and drinking by the pregnant mother. Dietary influences are often linked to the numerous food additives common in most processed foods. Many people feel that there is a link between the rise in ADHD cases and the increased production of such foods over the years. Currently there is also a belief that a number of genes which when found together can influence certain behavioral problems. Additionally, it is believed that hyperactivity in itself can be passed on through genes.

Dealing with ADHD

Most people immediately think of drugs like Ritalin and Focalin when they hear of ADHD. However some parents have had success with behavioral therapy. The techniques involved include:

- Devising a system such as a color chart to help the child keep track of improvements in behavior
- Before going out in public go over some of the things that are considered acceptable and unacceptable
- Ignoring the less disruptive aspects of the disorder
- Setting up routines and helping the child to follow them

Natural remedies which are said to help with symptoms of the disorder include:
- Siberian Ginseng: This helps to decrease anxiety and is known to improve concentration.
- Kava kava: This is well known for relieving ADHD symptoms and for helping to prevent anxiety attacks.
- Orange essential oil: Its calming effect is derived from its lovely scent. It is especially helpful for dealing with agitated individuals so as to calm them down.

No parent wants to be confronted with a diagnosis of ADHD, but it is a reality for some. Given the possibility of side effects, it is understandable that some parents are reluctant to resort to drugs for help. There is information available about herbs and other natural methods of helping a child with ADHD find some relief.

Trans fats are also found naturally in small amounts (approximately 2% to 5% of total fat contents) in various animal-based products such as meats of ruminating animals which include cattle, sheep and others, as well as in dairy products including butter and cream.

The food industry — restaurants, fast-food establishments, manufacturers of packaged and processed foods as well as bakeries all use trans fats because they are inexpensive, because they add extra flavor and pleasing texture, because they extend shelf-life and thus postpone spoilage of foods, because they can be reused many times over and because they adhere to the food restriction of those who abide by the dietary laws of the Judaism (kosher) and Islam (halal) as well as vegetarianism and veganism as ascribed by secular or religious groups such as belonging to Buddhism, Ahimsa, Jainism and Hinduism.

Today, trans fats are found to a larger or smaller degree in a wide variety of foods but most of all in those which are fried and / or baked. Examples of common foods containing trans fats are: doughnuts; French fried potatoes and onion rings; potato, corn and tortilla chips; pizza dough; pie crusts; biscuits, cookies and crackers; icing and whip cream, microwave popcorn; and, of course, margarines and shortenings.

The Harm Caused by Trans Fats

Whereas many dietary fats are essential and promote good health, trans fats are not. As a matter of fact, trans fats are not only unessential but they have also been proven to be harmful in a number of ways. Thus trans fats, which are either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated but never saturated, are believe to be the worst kind of fats even worse than saturated fats which in reality also raise total cholesterol levels.

The solid aspects of trans fats are responsible for clogging up arteries and significantly increasing the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) which is characterized by the failure of coronary circulation to sufficiently supply blood to the muscles of the heart and to the surrounding tissues. Trans fats are also associated with higher risks of developing type 2 diabetes and suffering a stroke.

All that is due to the fact that trans fats are known to: (a) increase the levels of the “bad” cholesterol that is often also referred to as the LDL cholesterol; (b) decrease the levels of the “good” cholesterol which is also known as the HDL cholesterol; and (c) contribute to weight gain and obesity more than any other types of dietary fats.

Nutritional Advisory

In their 2002 “Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids,” the NAS (the National Academy of Sciences which is an official advisory board on nutrition, public health policies and labeling of food products) expressed grave concern over trans fats which was based on two main points. The first point being the fact that trans fats provide no known health benefits to humans, whether derived from animals or produced artificially. The second point was focused on the fact that trans fats raise the bad cholesterol while at the same time lowering the good cholesterol and in doing that multiply the risk of coronary heart disease.

Thus, the NAS, which was also backed up by the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that no level of trans fats is acceptable and should, therefore, be avoided whenever and wherever possible.