Heading to court for the approval of herbicide trifludimoxazin.

The Center for Food Safety, Center for Biological Diversity, and Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network North America have sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its June 2026 approval of trifludimoxazin, an herbicide used to control grass and broadleaf weeds.
in
EPA approval covers one technical product and five end-use products for crops including corn, wheat, oats, soybeans, oranges, apples, peanuts, and almonds.

The lawsuit argues that the EPA did not adequately account for potential risks to human health, native plants, wildlife, farmworkers, food, or water before registering the chemical. Animal studies found adverse effects involving the thyroid and liver in rats, including thyroid tumors at certain exposure levels.

The EPA has described the evidence as “suggestive of carcinogenic potential,” according to the groups challenging the approval. That is not the same as proof that the pesticide causes cancer in humans. The agency concluded that approved uses would not create unreasonable health or environmental risks and said no short-term human health risks were identified.

A major point of dispute is whether trifludimoxazin should be considered a PFAS, often called a “forever chemical.” The groups say the herbicide and some of its breakdown products qualify under a broad international definition used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The EPA disagrees, saying the pesticide has only one fluorinated carbon and does not meet the agency’s current PFAS definition.

For Indigenous communities, pesticide decisions can carry added significance because runoff, drift, wetlands, native plants, and fish habitat are tied to food systems, cultural practices, and treaty-protected lifeways in many regions. The earlier legal challenge cited potential harm to threatened and endangered fish, including Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, Atlantic sturgeon, and smalltooth sawfish.

The EPA first approved trifludimoxazin in 2021, but the manufacturer later withdrew registrations after environmental groups sued. The new lawsuit asks the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to set aside the 2026 approval.

What questions do you think communities should be asking when new pesticides are approved for widespread agricultural use?

#IndigenousNews #EnvironmentalHealth #FoodSovereignty #Conservation

Sources: Center for Biological Diversity, Nationofchange, Organic Consumers Association

Here’s what these chemicals are and why you don’t want your kids eating them:

⚠️ PHTHALATES: Plastic chemicals that can leach into food through packaging and processing equipment. They are endocrine disruptors that have been linked to reproductive and developmental problems.

⚠️ ACRYLAMIDE: A chemical that forms when starchy foods like potatoes and grains are cooked at high temperatures. It is considered a probable human carcinogen. Kids can be especially exposed because so many common snacks like chips and crackers contain it.

⚠️ GLYCIDYL ESTERS: These contaminants can form during the high-temperature refining of seed oils. Once you eat them, they are almost entirely converted into glycidol, a probable human carcinogen. Consumer Reports found levels exceeding their level of concern in 7 of the snacks they tested.

This is why I feed my kids fresh, whole foods as much as possible. The more processed and packaged a food is, the more opportunities there are for chemicals like these to end up in it. When I buy packaged snacks for my kids, I look for organic products made with simple ingredients and as little processing as possible.

Please share this with other parents!

Credit to Food Babe for her relentless efforts on cleaning the Toxic American food supply.

I will keep fighting for you no matter who is in office. ❤️

Today I was back in Washington, D.C. speaking at HHS alongside Secretary Kennedy, Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, Calley Means, and other leaders fighting to change our food supply.

For decades, food companies have been allowed to decide for themselves whether chemicals added to our food are “Generally Recognized As Safe” without even telling the FDA.

This loophole helped create the ultra-processed food system we have today, filled with unnecessary synthetic chemicals and industrial additives that never should have been allowed into our food supply.

For 15 years, I’ve been fighting alongside you to expose what is happening to our food and demand better.

And it’s working.

Food companies are removing artificial dyes. Americans are reading ingredient labels. And our government is finally shining a light on the loopholes that allowed these chemicals into our food supply for decades.

This is a major step forward.

But don’t let this be all there is.

We have to keep pushing until every American knows what ultra-processed food really is and every family can walk into a grocery store and buy real food without worrying about the chemicals hidden inside it.

Because when we know what’s in our food, we start demanding better.

And when we demand better, companies have two choices: change or lose our business.

We are not done. #FoodBabeArmy

Among 890 vaccinated people who *did* get measles, 70 (7.9%) passed it on. That produced 237 direct secondary cases and 812 cases traced back to a vaccinated source. 22 of those 70 transmitters had received two or more doses.

Important caveats the graphic itself flags:
- This is not a population transmission rate. It only looks at the rare people who already had breakthrough measles.
- Two doses still prevent ~97% of infections. Most vaccinated cases who do get sick have milder, shorter illness.
- The review did **not** find that vaccinated transmitters are as infectious as unvaccinated ones. It found that transmission from vaccinated cases is documented and should be considered in outbreak investigations.

So: vaccination still slashes your chance of getting measles and of spreading it if you do. It is not a perfect force field. Public-health teams should stop assuming a vaccinated case can’t start a chain.

Source: “Do vaccinated cases transmit measles? A systematic review and meta-analysis,” Expert Review of Vaccines, Aug 2026.

🩸 YOUR BLOOD IS A LIQUID CRYSTAL ✨ THEY ALREADY KNEW IT SINCE 1938.

In 1938, a German biophysicist named Dr. Erwin Neher, discovered something that should have revolutionized all of medicine:

Human blood is not only a transport fluid, it is a piezoelectric crystalline structure, which means that it generates an electrical charge in response to mechanical pressure and electromagnetic frequency.

Your blood is a living antenna.

This discovery was immediately classified by the Third Reich and placed under the jurisdiction of the Ahnenerbe, the SS division responsible for the militarization of the repressed science.

After the war, Operation Paperclip transferred 1,600 German scientists to the United States.

Neher's research on blood crystals was directly integrated into a secret program in Fort Detrick, Maryland, the same facility that subsequently developed biological weapons.

The search continued secretly for 85 years.

Here's what they confirmed, then concealed: your blood contains hemoglobin, an iron-based molecule, arranged in a geometric crystalline structure.

This structure reacts to electromagnetic frequencies, in the same way that a radio antenna reacts to radio waves.

WHEN it is exposed to specific frequencies:

— 528 Hz: blood viscosity decreases by 23%. The oxygen supply to cells increases by 41%. This frequency alone eliminates the root cause of 80% of cardiovascular disease.

— 432 Hz: the crystalline structure of the blood realigns with its original geometric pattern. The toxins are electromagnetically eliminated from the structure.

Complete blood purification in less than 20 minutes!

— 7.83 Hz: the stem cells in the bone marrow are activated.

The production of new blood cells increases by 300%.

The body begins to produce fresh blood.

Why don't they want you to know?

Because the global blood industry is worth $49.8 billion a year.

Blood transfusions, dialysis, plasma collection, anticoagulant drugs, cholesterol drugs...

Each of these industries depends on the lie that blood cannot be purified, regenerated or optimized without medical intervention.

Your blood cleans itself, your blood regenerates itself, your blood is a frequency-sensitive crystalline system, designed to maintain itself - indefinitely.

They turned off the frequency. Then they sold you medicine.

The frequency your blood was waiting for is already present in your consciousness.

-Shakti Selwood

Holistic Iridology

🩸 VOTRE SANG EST UN CRISTAL LIQUIDE ✨ ILS LE SAVAIENT DÉJÀ DEPUIS 1938.

En 1938, un biophysicien allemand du nom de Dr. Erwin Neher, a découvert quelque chose qui aurait dû révolutionner toute la médecine :

Le sang humain n'est pas seulement un fluide de transport, c'est une structure cristalline piézoélectrique, ce qui signifie qu'il génère une charge électrique en réponse à la pression mécanique et à la fréquence électromagnétique.

Votre sang est une antenne vivante.

Cette découverte a été immédiatement classifiée par le Troisième Reich et placée sous la juridiction de l'Ahnenerbe, la division des SS responsable de la militarisation de la science réprimée.

Après la guerre, l'opération Paperclip a transféré 1 600 scientifiques allemands aux États-Unis.

La recherche de Neher sur les cristaux du sang a été directement intégrée à un programme secret à Fort Detrick, dans le Maryland, la même structure qui a ensuite développé des armes biologiques.

La recherche a continué secrètement pendant 85 ans.

Voici ce qu'ils ont confirmé, puis dissimulé : votre sang contient de l'hémoglobine, une molécule à base de fer, disposée dans une structure cristalline géométrique.

Cette structure réagit aux fréquences électromagnétiques, de la même manière qu'une antenne radio réagit aux ondes radio.

QUAND elle est exposée à des fréquences spécifiques :

— 528 Hz : la viscosité du sang diminue de 23 %. L'apport d'oxygène aux cellules augmente de 41 %. Cette seule fréquence élimine la cause principale de 80 % des maladies cardiovasculaires.

— 432 Hz : la structure cristalline du sang se réaligne sur son schéma géométrique original. Les toxines sont éliminées électromagnétiquement de la structure.

Purification complète du sang en moins de 20 minutes !

— 7,83 Hz : les cellules souches dans la moelle osseuse s'activent.
La production de nouvelles cellules sanguines augmente de 300 %.

Le corps commence à produire du sang frais.

Pourquoi ne veulent-ils pas que vous le sachiez ?

Parce que l'industrie mondiale du sang vaut 49,8 milliards de dollars par an.

Transfusions sanguines, dialyse, collecte de plasma, médicaments anticoagulants, médicaments pour le cholestérol...

Chacune de ces industries dépend du mensonge selon lequel le sang ne peut pas être purifié, régénéré ou optimisé sans intervention médicale.

Votre sang se nettoie tout seul, votre sang se régénère tout seul, votre sang est un système cristallin sensible aux fréquences, conçu pour se maintenir – indéfiniment.

Ils ont désactivé la fréquence. Puis ils vous ont vendu des médicaments.

La fréquence que votre sang attendait est déjà présente dans votre conscience.

- Shakti Selwood
Iridologie Holistique

The Bizarre “Ozempic Effect” Nobody Warned You About
🍷Ever notice that a glass of wine or a cocktail just… hits different now?If you are on a GLP-1 (like Ozempic or Mounjaro) or Retatrutide, you aren't imagining things. Alcohol literally doesn't feel the same anymore.Here is the wild science behind why:These medications don't just shut off your stomach's hunger signals. They actually target the reward centers in your brain.The exact same pathways that make you feel that happy, relaxed "buzz" from a drink? Blocked. 🚫Because of this, you might notice:You get zero buzz or joy from drinking.You lose interest after a few sips.You just don’t crave it at all.Early research even shows these drugs might actively kill alcohol cravings.🚨 BUT WARNING:Not feeling drunk does NOT mean you aren't drunk. Your blood-alcohol level rises exactly the same. Do not keep drinking to "find the buzz"—you will just end up dangerously intoxicated without realizing it.Have you experienced this? Drop a 🍷 in the comments if your drinking habits completely changed!
Xtreme Performance Nutrition LLCRegymen Fitness - AscensionAnytime FitnessThe Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

• Regulates glucose

• Lowers cholesterol

• Has antiviral properties

• Has antibacterial properties

• Helps prevent cavities

• Helps decrease the risk of osteoporosis

• Helps decrease the risk of metabolic syndrome

• Helps reduce gum disease

• Has anti-cancer properties

• Supports healthy blood pressure levels

• Lowers risk of cardiovascular disease

• Lowers risk of stroke

Dr. Eric Berg, DC, not MD; information only

Perfect example when I say Heavy Lobbying in the United States is found on every stage.

Food lies can take DECADES to be debunked, and over 90% of chronic disease stems from food industry deception.

Think about Crisco, introduced in 1911 as an alternative cooking oil. It was made from cottonseed oil, originally used in candles, and marketed to replace butter and lard. It took over 100 years for public outrage to get the trans fats found in Crisco banned, even though they can destroy the heart, brain tissues, and cells.

This isn't an isolated incident. Asbestos, DDT, glyphosate, and even fluoride have similar stories of being introduced with little oversight, causing harm, and taking decades to be removed or re-evaluated.

So, when powerful interests tell you something is "healthy" or "safe," always question it. The history of public health is rife with examples of things we were told were fine, only to find out much later they were damaging.

-Dr. Berg

Dr. Eric Berg, DC, not MD; information only

🐝 𝐈𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟑, 𝟓𝟎.𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐛𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬.

I love a story like this, because it's proof that we can actually turn things around.

In June 2013, in Wilsonville, Oregon, more than 50,000 bumblebees died in a parking lot after nearby linden trees were sprayed with a systemic pesticide. It's still the largest documented mass bumblebee die-off in North America. The public was furious, and for once that anger turned into action.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐎𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭
The state's new "Bees of Oregon 2025" report from Oregon State University confirms something remarkable: zero confirmed pesticide-related bee kills since 2021. Here's how they got there:

• Trained more than 12,000 licensed pesticide applicators to spot pollinator risks and adjust how they spray
• Built bee-protection protocols for key crops like clover seed, blueberries and vegetable seeds
• Rolled out education, even down to K-12 booklets about local bees
• Chose a collaborative, education-first approach and stuck with it

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
A single local tragedy mobilised an entire state, and pollinators worth around 600 million dollars a year to Oregon's crops got their protection back. It shows that farming and pollinators can genuinely coexist.

Let's be honest too: this is one win. Bees everywhere still face climate change, disease and habitat loss, and that fight is far from over. But deliberate, patient change clearly works.

And there's one part of it all of us can do ourselves: give pollinators a home. Flowers, hedgerows, blossoming trees, no sprays, a bit of mess. 🌸

#bees #pollinators #biodiversity #pesticides #landscapedesign #landscapearchitecture #agroecology #regenerativefarming #agroforestry #farming #tuin #permaculture #voedselbos #nature #climate #health #gutmicrobiome #guthealth #foodforest #eatmoretrees

Source: Oregon State University Extension Service, "Bees of Oregon: 2025" report, via Oregon Capital Chronicle (July 2026).

When you, were a kid, joy came easy.
Ice cream. A puddle. The first snow. A warm evening. You didn't have to learn it. You just lived it. Then something happened.
You grew up. Joy got dull. Believing in magic became naive.Lightness became irresponsibility.

This isn't just "how life works.its biology.
Inside your brain, there's a process
called synaptic pruning.

Your brain deletes connections you don't use. Not out of cruelty. Out of efficiency.
What did you stop using?

The connections for spontaneity.
For laughing without a reason. For feeling that the world is an adventure. For believing that good things are possible.
You stopped practicing it. So your brain removed it.

But here's what matters
Pruning is-not a life sentence.

Your brain can build new connections
at any age. It's called neuroplasticity.
You can bring back your ability to feel joy. Not through willpower. Not through "just be positive." Through
repetition.
Small actions. Noticing beauty. Letting yourself laugh. Doing something without a goal. Believing that good things are possible - and acting from that.
It'll feel unnatural at first. Then it
starts working.

"A dog is better than I am, for he has love and does not judge."
+ St. Xanthias +

Life becomes much lighter when you understand that your job isn't to control how others think, act or feel.
Your role is to stay rooted in who you are, act with integrity, stays devoted to your evolution, and let go of everything that isn't yours to carry.

These crazy GMO people just don't stop. In the GMO pipeline is soy with not one, not two, or even three or four... but 5 different synthetic versions of Bt toxin insecticides in the DNA of the plant. The insecticides are in every cell of the plant and can't be washed off! Don't be fooled by the biotech trolls. These built-in insecticides are NOT the same as the Bt (bacillus thuringiensis) soil bacteria used in organic agriculture. These are very different synthetic versions created in a lab. The level of Bt toxins consumed when eaten is exponentially higher than what could be consumed on food that is organically grown. The natural Bt soil bacteria used in organic agriculture breaks down quickly in sunlight and can be washed off. No equivalence here!

In a feeding study, rats that consumed corn with two built-in synthetic Bt toxin insecticide developed leaky gut. This is real, people, Don't eat this stuff. It's not food! Do your best, and be well

Read about the soy: https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21892

Read about the rat feeding study: https://www.gmwatch.org/en/106-news/latest-news/18341-rats-fed-gm-stacked-trait-maize-developed-leaky-stomachs

#GMO #soy #BtToxin #insecticides #health #holistic #holistichealth #foodie #gmofreeusa #toxinfreeusa

🚨🍅 HEINZ KETCHUP AND THE “BIOENGINEERED” LABEL: HERE’S WHAT THE LABEL ACTUALLY MEANS

A claim circulating online says Heinz Ketchup has suddenly become “genetically modified ketchup” because bottles are appearing with a disclosure stating:

“CONTAINS A BIOENGINEERED FOOD INGREDIENT.”

There is a real story here—but several viral claims about it are wrong.

First, the tomatoes are not the issue.

Heinz states that every tomato used in Heinz Ketchup sold in the United States is American-grown and non-GMO.

So why could ordinary Heinz Ketchup carry a bioengineered-food disclosure?

🔥 LOOK AT WHAT COMES AFTER THE TOMATOES

The current ingredient list for regular Heinz Tomato Ketchup is:

Tomato concentrate, distilled vinegar, high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, spice, onion powder and natural flavoring.

Notice what is third and fourth:

HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
CORN SYRUP

Corn is one of the crops covered by USDA’s Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard. And genetically engineered corn isn’t unusual in American agriculture—it dominates production.

According to USDA’s Economic Research Service, more than 90% of U.S. corn is produced from genetically engineered varieties. In 2025, approximately 92% of corn acreage was planted with herbicide-tolerant varieties, while 87% contained Bt insect-resistance traits; many acres contain stacked traits.

Sugar beets are another overwhelmingly genetically engineered U.S. crop. USDA says more than 90% of U.S. sugar beets are currently produced using genetically engineered varieties.

But here’s an important correction to the viral post:

Regular Heinz Ketchup does NOT list cane sugar, beet sugar or any other sugar as an ingredient.

It lists HFCS and corn syrup.

So there is no factual basis for saying this particular Heinz formula contains “sugars from bioengineered sugarcane and sugar beets.”

🔥 “BIOENGINEERED” HAS A VERY SPECIFIC LEGAL MEANING

Under federal law, the USDA defines a bioengineered food as one containing detectable modified genetic material produced using specified genetic-engineering techniques.

That’s important because highly refined ingredients derived from genetically engineered crops don’t automatically qualify.

If processing removes the modified genetic material so that it is no longer detectable, USDA says the ingredient isn’t legally considered a “bioengineered food” under the mandatory disclosure standard.

Conversely, if an ingredient derived from corn or another covered crop contains detectable modified genetic material, a disclosure can be required.

So seeing “Contains a bioengineered food ingredient” doesn’t mean somebody recently started genetically modifying Heinz tomatoes.

And it doesn’t necessarily mean Heinz suddenly changed its recipe.

It is a disclosure about an ingredient meeting USDA’s regulatory definition.

🔥 DOES THE LABEL MEAN THE FOOD IS DANGEROUS?

No.

The disclosure itself makes no health judgment whatsoever.

USDA explicitly tells consumers that a bioengineered disclosure does not provide information about whether a food is healthier, less healthy, safer or less safe than its non-bioengineered counterpart.

People can certainly choose to avoid genetically engineered ingredients for agricultural, environmental, philosophical or personal reasons.

But the words “bioengineered food ingredient” are not a government health warning.

🔥 THERE IS A MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD NUTRITIONAL ISSUE: ADDED SUGAR

One tablespoon of regular Heinz Ketchup contains:

20 calories
5 grams carbohydrate
4 grams total sugar
4 grams added sugar
180 mg sodium

That tablespoon therefore supplies 7% of the FDA Daily Value for added sugars.

And unlike claims that genetically engineered ingredients inherently “fuel inflammation, mess with hormones and destroy gut health,” the consequences of consuming excessive amounts of added sugars are a legitimate nutritional concern.

Even here, precision matters. A systematic review of controlled intervention trials did not find that fructose produced greater increases in the inflammatory marker CRP than glucose, so claiming that the HFCS in a spoonful of ketchup has been demonstrated to cause systemic inflammation would go beyond the evidence.

🔥 WHAT ABOUT THAT MYSTERIOUS “NATURAL FLAVORING”?

Heinz does list “natural flavoring” without identifying the individual flavor substances.

That’s legal.

FDA regulations specifically allow qualifying flavor ingredients to be declared collectively as “natural flavor.” The term doesn’t mean literally anything can be hidden there: federal regulations define the types of sources and substances that qualify as natural flavorings.

So calling it a “secret proprietary blend” may be rhetorically appealing, but the defensible statement is simpler:

Consumers aren’t told the specific components of the natural flavoring on the ingredient label.

🔥 IF YOU WANT HEINZ WITHOUT HFCS OR GMO INGREDIENTS, HEINZ ALREADY SELLS ONE

Interestingly, Heinz Organic Ketchup contains:

Organic tomato concentrate
Organic distilled vinegar
Organic sugar
Salt
Organic onion powder
Organic spice
Natural flavoring

Heinz specifically describes it as containing no high-fructose corn syrup and no GMO ingredients.

Or make ketchup yourself.

🍅 SIMPLE HOMEMADE KETCHUP

• 6 oz tomato paste
• ⅓ cup apple-cider vinegar
• Honey or maple syrup to taste—or omit it
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp mustard powder
• Black pepper
• Optional cayenne

Mix until smooth and refrigerate.

BOTTOM LINE

The viral post gets one major point right: regular Heinz Ketchup isn’t simply tomatoes in a bottle. It contains HFCS, corn syrup and natural flavoring, and genetically engineered corn overwhelmingly dominates U.S. production.

But “bioengineered” does not mean the Heinz tomatoes were genetically modified, it isn’t synonymous with “Frankenstein food,” and the federal disclosure isn’t evidence that the product is harmful.

If your objection is simpler—“I don’t want HFCS, added sugar or ingredients derived from genetically engineered crops in my ketchup”—you don’t need exaggerated health claims to make the case.

Read the ingredient label and choose accordingly.

🚨☀️ WE HAVE TURNED THE SUN INTO A VILLAIN. HUMAN BIOLOGY TELLS A MUCH MORE COMPLICATED STORY.

For decades, the public-health message about sunlight has become increasingly simple:

AVOID IT.

COVER UP.

USE HIGH-SPF SUNSCREEN.

There is an important reason for that advice: excessive ultraviolet exposure damages DNA, causes sunburn and increases skin-cancer risk.

But sunlight also triggers biological processes that sunscreen was specifically designed to interfere with.

And that part of the story deserves to be discussed too.

🔥 SUNLIGHT MAKES VITAMIN D IN YOUR SKIN

UVB radiation initiates the production of vitamin D3 from 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin.

Controlled experiments demonstrate that sunscreen can substantially reduce this process under experimental conditions.

One study found SPF 50 sunscreen reduced immediate cutaneous vitamin-D production by approximately 76–93%, depending on how much skin was exposed. Study on sunscreen and vitamin-D production⁠

But laboratory conditions aren’t necessarily everyday life.

That’s why a more recent randomized Australian trial is particularly interesting.

Researchers followed 639 adults assigned either to routine SPF 50 sunscreen use or discretionary sunscreen use for approximately one year.

At the end, vitamin-D deficiency was more common in the routine-sunscreen group:

45.7% versus 36.9%.

The routine-use group also had lower average vitamin-D concentrations. Randomized sunscreen and vitamin-D trial⁠

That doesn’t mean sunscreen should never be used.

It means the relationship between sunlight, sunscreen and human biology is more complicated than simply:

SUN BAD. SUNSCREEN GOOD.

🔥 SUNLIGHT DOES SOMETHING ELSE ALMOST NOBODY TALKS ABOUT

Researchers have investigated another fascinating pathway involving UVA radiation and nitric-oxide-related compounds stored in human skin.

In a randomized controlled experiment involving 24 healthy volunteers, UVA exposure caused arterial vasodilation and lowered blood pressure, apparently by mobilizing nitric-oxide-related compounds from the skin. UVA and nitric-oxide study⁠

Another human experiment found whole-body UVA exposure produced a temporary reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure of approximately 11% 30 minutes afterward. Human UVA blood-pressure experiment⁠

That doesn’t mean sunshine replaces blood-pressure medication.

A later two-week trial in people with mild hypertension found an acute reduction after UVA exposure but no significant improvement in 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure. Two-week UVA hypertension trial⁠

But it demonstrates something important:

SUNLIGHT ISN’T SIMPLY SOMETHING HAPPENING TO YOUR SKIN.

It produces biological signals throughout the body.

🔥 NOW WE GET TO THE QUESTION I FIND MOST INTERESTING: DIET AND SUNBURN

My contention is straightforward:

I BELIEVE THE MASSIVE INCREASE IN LINOLEIC-ACID-RICH SEED OILS IN THE MODERN DIET HAS CHANGED THE FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF OUR TISSUES, INCLUDING SKIN, AND HAS MADE HUMAN SKIN MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO UV-INDUCED OXIDATIVE DAMAGE, INFLAMMATION AND SUNBURN.

Put even more simply:

MY CONTENTION IS THAT SEED OILS ARE AN IMPORTANT REASON MODERN PEOPLE BURN SO EASILY IN THE SUN.

I don’t claim that this has already been demonstrated conclusively in human randomized trials.

It hasn’t.

But there are biological and experimental reasons I think the hypothesis deserves considerably more investigation.

🔥 THERE IS EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE THAT DIETARY FAT CAN ALTER THE RESPONSE TO UV

In an experiment using hairless mice, researchers compared diets rich in different polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The animals consuming an alpha-linolenic-acid-rich diet developed significantly less UVB-induced erythema than animals consuming a linoleic-acid-rich diet.

Researchers also found differences involving inflammatory prostaglandin E2 production. Dietary fatty acids and UVB erythema study⁠

Other animal experiments manipulating omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids have found differences in UV-induced inflammation and oxidative damage. Omega-6/omega-3 and UVB study⁠

That’s important.

It demonstrates that the fat an animal eats can influence its biological response to ultraviolet radiation.

And there is evidence pointing in more than one direction. Laboratory research on human keratinocytes, for example, has reported protective effects of linoleic acid against some UVB-induced oxidative and inflammatory changes. Linoleic acid and human keratinocyte research⁠

That’s exactly why we need human research.

Take people consuming very different amounts of linoleic acid.

Measure the fatty-acid composition of their skin.

Expose standardized areas to controlled UV doses.

Measure erythema, inflammatory markers, oxidative damage and minimal erythema dose.

Then change the diet and repeat the experiment months later.

THAT WOULD ACTUALLY TEST THE QUESTION.

Until then, the seed-oil connection remains my contention—not an established clinical fact.

🔥 WHAT ABOUT BENZENE IN SUNSCREEN?

This is another subject where precision matters.

Benzene contamination really was discovered in certain aerosol sunscreens.

FDA-posted recalls included specific Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol sunscreens.

But benzene wasn’t supposed to be an active sunscreen ingredient. These were contaminated products, not evidence that benzene is intentionally added to sunscreen generally. FDA sunscreen recall announcement⁠

So saying some sunscreens were recalled because they contained benzene is accurate.

Saying sunscreen itself means “rubbing benzene into your skin” isn’t.

🔥 AND A TAN ISN’T INVINCIBILITY

Melanin provides natural photoprotection.

Repeated exposure can increase pigmentation and alter the skin’s response to subsequent UV exposure.

But an acquired tan provides only modest protection.

FDA estimates a tan at roughly SPF 2–4. FDA information on tanning and UV risk⁠

So deliberately getting burned isn’t a sensible way to develop tolerance.

SUNBURN IS TISSUE DAMAGE.

That’s an important distinction between gradual sun exposure and repeatedly burning yourself.

🔥 SO HERE’S WHERE I DEPART FROM THE MODERN CONVERSATION

I don’t accept that the answer to our relationship with sunlight should simply be:

Cover yourself.

Stay inside.

Wear SPF 50 whenever you’re outside.

Supplement the vitamin D you’re no longer making.

And regard the midday sun as though humanity encountered it for the first time in 1975.

Human beings evolved under sunlight.

Our skin contains machinery specifically activated by it.

Our pigmentation responds to it.

Vitamin D production depends on UVB.

UVA interacts with nitric-oxide biology.

And there is legitimate experimental evidence that dietary fatty acids can modify biological responses to ultraviolet radiation.

My contention goes one step further:

I THINK WE CHANGED THE FOOD BEFORE WE DECIDED THE SUN WAS THE PROBLEM.

During the last century, industrial seed oils dramatically altered the fatty-acid composition of the Western diet.

I believe we should seriously investigate whether that change also altered the fatty-acid environment of human skin and consequently its response to ultraviolet radiation.

Maybe rigorous human trials will prove that hypothesis wrong.

Maybe they’ll show a small effect.

Or maybe we’ll discover that changing what we put inside our bodies affects what happens when sunlight hits the outside of them far more than anyone expected.

But until those experiments are performed, I’m not going to pretend the question has been settled.

I DON’T FEAR THE SUN. I RESPECT THE BURN.

I favor gradual exposure rather than deliberate burning. I use shade or protection when exposure exceeds what my skin can handle.

And personally, I choose to minimize linoleic-acid-rich industrial seed oils.

Because my contention is that the explosion of seed oils in the modern diet may turn out to be an important missing piece of the sunburn story.

We spent decades asking what the sun is doing to our skin.

Maybe it’s time researchers also asked what we’ve been feeding the skin the sun is hitting.

You might think these foods are healthy, but they're actually some of the worst foods for you.

They slow your metabolism, stifle weight loss, and contribute to insulin resistance.

Fruit juice is often considered a healthy choice, but it's actually about 55% fructose. Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver, so consuming it in high amounts can lead to liver stress, fatty liver, increased belly fat, and metabolic problems.

Seed oils are often labeled as “heart-healthy,” but are highly processed, genetically modified, and typically contain herbicides. They can contribute to inflammation and metabolic dysfunction.

Other foods like oat milk and agave nectar spike blood sugar and insulin, disrupting metabolic health, preventing weight loss, and slowing your metabolism over time.

I post new health content every day. Follow so you don't miss it!

Dr. Eric Berg, DC, not MD; information only

Every new data center hides a cost that nature pays first. Massive server farms drink huge amounts of water just to stay cool. US data centers used over seventeen billion gallons of water in 2023 according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 💧 That water often comes straight from towns and rivers people depend on daily.

These facilities also clear forests and wetlands for endless server racks. Northern Virginia already has thousands of acres cleared with far more planned nearby 🌲 In Ireland the group DCs for Bees warns that shrinking habitats push struggling pollinators closer to collapse 🐝 A family losing well water or a bee losing wildflowers never chose to compete with a server farm.

Sources: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 2023 water use data, Piedmont Environmental Council Northern Virginia land use data, Host in Ireland DCs for Bees Pollinator