Bromine

 Bromine is a toxic substance often added to colas and fruit juices to prevent a ring from forming at the top of the liquid. Bromine has been known to be toxic since the 1970's. Severe bromine toxicity in sodas was noted as early as 1997. Bromine in sodas has been banned in most of the world and it looks like the United States may soon follow suit.

Bromine belongs to a category of elements which includes chlorine, iodine and fluoride. I have long warned that ingestion of fluoride, chlorine compounds, and bromine can interfere with iodine utilization in the body leading to problems with thyroid function. Scientific studies have shown that brominated vegetable oils can result in neurological problems, heart and liver problems, behavioral, developmental and reproductive issues as well as thyroid problems.

A California ban on brominated oils in foods is scheduled to go into effect in 2027, but there is no reason to wait that long to avoid these toxic substances. It is also a good idea to avoid exposure to fluoride in water and toothpastes and substances with added chlorine compounds including drinking water. Chlorine can be removed from drinking water by allowing it to sit for a while or by boiling it. Many years ago a man came to me with severe atherosclerosis. He wanted a pill to stop it. In questioning him I found that his diet was not that bad. Suspicion turned to the chlorination of the water in his mobile home park. His mobile home was situated next to the chlorination facility and his water turned green when I added some pool testing chemical to his water (OTO). After purifying his drinking water he had no further heart problems in spite of the fact that he had previously been treated twice for blocked arteries. Years later he came to me to inform me that he had never had to have his arteries "roto-rootered" again.

I was aware of the potential of chlorine to cause heart disease due to the fact that I had read a work by Joseph Price on the connection between chlorine and heart disease. Price induced heart disease in animals by adding chlorine to their water and treating their food with chlorine. Chlorine was long used to "bleach" flour so it would have a nice white color. His laboratory animals rapidly developed atherosclerotic plaques.

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener with chlorine molecules. Some studies suggest that this sweetener can alter the beneficial organisms of the gut in animal feeding studies and may also contribute to obesity.

References:

Bromine toxic in sodas

Bromine toxicity in epileptic dogs.

Bromine is being banned.

Price, Joseph, Chlorine/Cholesterol/Coronaries

Sucralose

Effects of excess fluoride on pigs.

Link to my newsletter on fluoride.

 Vitamin A and Thyroid

     Thyroid problems are epidemic today contributing to weight gain and blood sugar problems. One of the culprits may be low fat diets deficient in fat soluble nutrients including vitamin A. Low levels of vitamin A can suppress thyroid function, lead to increase in the size of the thyroid, and reduce uptake of iodine. The vitamin can also reduce the risk of goiter if iodine intake is low. While low vitamin A can reduce thyroid functioning so can excessive levels of the vitamin. The fat soluble vitamins all work well together and reduce risk of toxicity from any one of them. Balanced intake of nutrients is important. Low fat diets can easily lead to deficiencies of fat soluble nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, K, and carotenoids not to mention the essential fatty acids. These deficiencies can lead to a wide variety of serious health problems. Removal of the gallbladder is one factor that can contribute to deficiencies of fat soluble nutrients.

Reference: 

Farhangi, M.A., et al., The effect of vitamin A supplementation on thyroid function in premenopausal women, J Am Coll Nutr, Aug. 2012; 31(4):268-274.