(Source: Vanderbilt University Medical Center )  The reported failure of vitamin E to prevent heart attacks may be due to underdosing, according to a new study by investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The findings, published online in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, suggest that these earlier studies all had a fundamental flaw – the doses used weren’t high enough to have a significant antioxidant effect. In fact, no studies have ever conclusively demonstrated the dose at which vitamin E can be considered an antioxidant drug, the researchers report.

Oxidant injury, or oxidative stress, occurs when highly reactive molecules called free radicals attack and damage cellular proteins, lipids (fats) and DNA. Free radicals, which are byproducts of normal metabolism, are produced in excess in certain disease states, including heart disease.

Researchers have found new evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may contribute to the development of diabetes, particularly in children. In a laboratory study of commonly consumed carbonated beverages, the scientists found that drinks containing the syrup had high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by others to have the potential to trigger cell and tissue damage that could cause the disease, which is at epidemic levels.

HFCS is a sweetener found in many foods and beverages, including non-diet soda pop, baked goods, and condiments. It is has become the sweetener of choice for many food manufacturers because it is considered more economical, sweeter and more easy to blend into beverages than table sugar. Some researchers have suggested that high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to an increased risk of diabetes as well as obesity, a claim which the food industry disputes. Until now, little laboratory evidence has been available on the topic.

Great pun, right? No? Sorry. Anyway, I have a newfound obsession with stand-up paddle surfing, and apparently I’m not the only one.

Basically, paddle surfing is the perfect sport for anyone who wants to be a surfer but doesn’t particularly want to get tossed around in a curl like socks in a washing machine. Plus, it has fabulous street cred—it was invented by the Waikiki Beach Boys as a way to photograph surfers without getting their cameras wet. Riders stand on the board and paddle with an oar—like standing on a very wobbly kayak.

Everywhere we turn someone is selling a new, green, eco-friendly, whoose-a-ma-gigger!  Sometimes the greenest difference you can see is the price tag.  As consumers, we know companies are worse than a cheating partner, in telling us what we want to hear.  We want to do the right thing but please, what is it?