Consume with caution: 10 products and substances to avoid for a longer, healthier life.

NOTHING is all-natural anymore. Human innovations and inventions, generally, are a good thing. But then again, anything done or consumed in excess can turn a good thing bad.

Have we humans gone too far in upsetting the natural order of things? Have we tinkered too much with the food we eat and the cosmetics we use in an effort to come up with things that are cheaper, more convenient, longer-lasting, better-tasting and aesthetically pleasing? Are we poisoning ourselves in the process? How, and can we still, save ourselves?

Read the label, for a start, although not all labels accurately reflect what?s in the food we?re ingesting and the cosmetics we?re applying on our bodies. But here are a few substances to look out for, and products you must consume with caution:

1) Trans fats, coming from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Trans fats signal bad news for your heart, and have also been suspected of causing some cancers.
According to Dr. Romulo de Villa, a nutritional and molecular oncologist, trans fats can be found in margarine, cakes, cookies, chips, and crackers.

Toxicologist Samuel S. Epstein and David Steinman, in the book ?Safe Shopper?s Bible: A Consumers? Guide to Non Toxic Products,? urge consumers to avoid foods with ingredients that say ?partially hydrogenated oils.? Such ?hydrogenated oils serve no useful nutritional function and make a poor substitute for more nutritious organic oils,? they write.

2) Nitrites. Cured meats such as tapa, longganisa, bacon, ham, beef jerky, salami, and luncheon meat contain this chemical, sometimes in undetermined amounts (as in the case of your neighborhood unlabelled tapa and longganisa). Nitrite inhibits the growth of the botulism bacteria and maintains the meat?s red color. Although nitrite itself is not carcinogenic, it combines with naturally occurring chemicals called secondary or tertiary amines to form carcinogenic nitrosamines. This reaction will occur in the food itself while it is sitting on the shelf or in the refrigerator or as it is being fried, but it also occurs within the stomach once the food is ingested, according to Epstein and Steinman.

3) Growth hormones, vaccines and other antibiotics. You may not know it, but the meat, beef or poultry you consume comes with a veritable pharmacy of hormones, steroids and antibiotics.

Rosemarie Antegro, who heads the country?s viral vaccine production laboratory of the Bureau of Animal Industry, reveals: ?What?s [disturbing] in food production is the abundance of vaccines, drugs and growth promoters in meat. The residues are dangerous.?

Epstein stresses that a diet high in calories and animal fat represents two major risk factors for breast cancer: obesity and exposure to carcinogenic and estrogenic industrial chemicals in animal fat.

Epstein and Steinman add, ?Sex hormones, natural and synthetic, are given to up to 90 percent or more of the cattle raised for slaughter in the United States, [which] also leave residues in edible portions of meats.? There is no reason to think that things are much different in the Philippines.

4) Dairy and dairy substitutes. Many carcinogenic pesticides ?including BHC, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, heptachlor, HCB and lindanei ? accumulate in the most fatty dairy products such as butter, ice cream, whole milk, and high-fat cheeses. Avoid any dairy product that lists ?artificial color? in its ingredients list, advised Epstein and Steinman. Non-fat milk, yogurt, desserts and other dairy products have the lowest amounts of chemical contamination. And if it?s possible, transfer these dairy products into glass containers where they are safer and prevent the migration of even trace amounts of dioxine from paper cartons, or other plasticizers from plastic containers. Soy milk or rice milk, made with organic tofu, is a fine milk substitute for older children and adults and can be substituted for many milk uses.

5) Peanut butter can be contaminated with carcinogenic pesticides including DDT, Dieldrin and toxaphene. It can also be contaminated with the fungus aflatoxin, another carcinogenic. Organic peanut butter would be better, and must be certified free from aflatoxins. Good substitutes for peanut butter are almond or safflower butter or organic tahini.

6) Coffee, soft drinks and other products containing caffeine. Heavy coffee consumption has been cited as a possible cause of urinary bladder cancer. Methylene chloride, used to decaffeinate coffee, has been found to be carcinogenic. Use decaf coffee with caution, unless the label specifically states it was decaffeinated using the Swiss water process or other similar non-solvent processes. Soda or softdrinks, on the other hand, can be contaminated with chloroform because of the use of chlorinated tap water in its production, carcinogenic artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, and aluminum, which is neurotoxic and leaches or drains into drinks in aluminum containers. Avoid diet softdrinks sweetened with cyclamates or saccharin, all of which have shown evidence of being carcinogenic.

7) Fruits and vegetables. Sadly, these are also vulnerable to a wide range of carcinogenic pesticides. Know where your fruits and veggies come from, and make sure these sources use approved farming methods. Your best bet, say Epstein and Steinman, would be to buy organically grown produce.

8) Cosmetics and personal care products. According to Epstein and Steinman, these products require preservatives, or they become contaminated with bacteria. They name the following ingredients, which may contain formaldehyde, release formaldehyde, or may break down into formaldehyde: 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol; Diazolidinyl urea; DMDM hydantoin; Imidazolidinyl urea, and Quarternium 15.

Epstein also lists the ingredients which have caused the least irritation and allergic reactions: grapefruit seed extract, phenoxyethanol, potassium sorbate, sorbic acid, tocopherol (vitamin E), vitamin A (retinyl), and vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

9) Aerosols, gels and pumps. Avoid using products containing BHA, DEA, TEA, D&C Red 33, FD&C Blue 1, FD&C Green 3, FD&C Red 40, FD&C Yellow 5, FD&C Yellow 6, and padimate-O. Also try to steer clear of products that contain ethoxylated alcohols, PEG compounds, or polysorbate 60 or 80, meaning that they might be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane. If you use aerosol or pump hair spray, Epstein adds, be sure to follow all label directions and precautions and apply the product in a well-ventilated area.

10) Wrinkle creams, concealers and other skin products. In the book ?You Being Beautiful,? Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz caution that these products may contain MEA, TEA, or DMAE. MEA and TEA in skin products are common pH stabilizers but when they?re exposed to air, they form potentially irritating substances called nitrosamines. They also have shown a tendency to clog pores and create blackheads.

DMAE, add Roizen and Oz, is a common instant face lift ingredient in wrinkle creams, and actually does its work by causing cell damage and swelling. ?Sure, the wrinkles will go away temporarily, but it doesn?t mean it?s good for you.?

Brush-on and stick concealers may contain DEA and TEA. And since concealers remain on the skin all day, nitrosamines have enough time to be absorbed by the body. Carcinogenic BHA is also absorbed through the skin.

Power and stick eye shadows may contain BHA and TEA, which can interact with nitrites in products to form carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Cream and liquid foundations that contain butyl stearate, cocoa butter, corn oil, isopropyl myristate, lauryl alcohol, or linseed oil can result in various degrees of cosmetic acne.

Lipsticks, glosses and lip pencils that contain carcinogenic BHA, sodium saccharin, and artificial colors such as D&C Orange 5, D&C Orange 17, D&C Red 9, D&C Red 19, FD&C Blue 1, FD&C Yellow 5, and FD&C Yellow 6 can be absorbed into your body as you moisten your lips throughout the day. Epstein advises: ?The bottom line is that there is probably no such thing as a safe coal tar color.?

?If you have dry or cracking lips, use lipsticks without artificial colors or lanolin. Natural lipsticks are softer and moister. Care must be taken to twist up only a small amount; because they melt more easily than most commercial lipsticks. They should not be left in a hot car or in direct sunlight. Certain colors ? the hot reds or bright oranges ? cannot be produced from natural pigments,? Epstein and Steinman add.

Antiperspirants and deodorants may also contain BHT, DEA, TEA, D&C Red33, D&C Green 5, FD&C Green 3, FD&C Blue 1, FD&C Red 4, FD&C yellow 5 and FD&C Yellow 6. ?These ingredients are wholly unnecessary for the product?s effectiveness and will be absorbed through the skin,? Epstein observes.

This line up may have shortened your shopping and grocery lists radically, but being rewarded with a longer, more productive life isn?t such a bad trade-off, after all.

In a recent phone interview, Epstein reveals that an updated guide to various cosmetic and beauty products can be read in the ?2009 Toxic Beauty? book (www.benbellabooks.com). A table listing of all the major categories of toxic ingredients can be downloaded from the Cancer Prevention Coalition Web site www.preventcancer.com. ?

Sources: ?The Safe Shopper?s Bible: A Consumers? Guide to Non Toxic Products? (copyrighted 1995) by Dr. Samuel S. Epstein and David Steinman; ?The Breast Cancer Prevention Program? (copyrighted 1997) by Epstein; ?You Being Beautiful? by Dr. Michael F. Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz (latest edition).