The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka
164. Top 2025 Health News Updates: FDA Bans Toxic Petroleum-Based Food Dyes, Sleep Crisis Fueling Dementia Risk, & More!
08 May 2025
Chapter 1: What are the 2025 health updates discussed in this episode?
For decades, industries pushed toxic chemicals into our food, our water, our homes, and our bodies without any consequence. Now we are standing at the edge of a massive shift in human health. The walls are starting to crack, science is catching up, and the public is forcing and demanding change.
We're bringing you the health news you need to know, the real wins, the real threats, and what you can do to take control of your health in 2025 and beyond. Today's updates are packed with
major wins for clean food and health freedom, groundbreaking science on sleep, brain health, and disease prevention, shocking revelations about ultra-processed foods and hidden toxins, plus actionable steps you can start today to upgrade your biology. So let's dive in. Number one. Welcome back to the Ultimate Human Podcast.
I'm your host, human biologist, Gary Brekka, and today we're doing something different, something absolutely essential. We're bringing you the health news you need to know, the real wins, the real threats, and what you can do to take control of your health in 2025 and beyond. Because here's the reality. We are standing at the edge of a massive shift in human health.
For decades, industries pushed toxic chemicals into our food, our water, our homes, and our bodies without any consequence. Now, finally, the walls are starting to crack, science is catching up, and the public is forcing and demanding change. But you have to be vigilant. You have to be proactive. You have to be educated. Because the system still is not protecting you. You have to protect yourself.
So today's updates are packed with major wins for clean food and health freedom, groundbreaking science on sleep, brain health and disease prevention, shocking revelations about ultra processed foods and hidden toxins, plus actionable steps you can start today to upgrade your biology. So let's dive in. Number one, the FDA will phase out petroleum-based synthetic food dyes. Wow.
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Chapter 2: Why is the FDA banning petroleum-based synthetic food dyes?
Finally, after decades of studies, petitions, and outcry, the FDA has announced plans to phase out eight petroleum-based dyes from the American food supply.
These dyes, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, and Citrus Red 2 have been linked to hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder symptoms in children, gut dysbiosis and microbiome disruption, DNA damage and oxidative stress, and potential carcinogenicity in animal models. European regulators have restricted many of these dyes all the way back to 2008.
Chapter 3: How do synthetic food dyes affect health?
They require warning labels on products containing them. Meanwhile, American children ate colorful cereals, candies, and snacks loaded with these chemicals for decades. Synthetic dyes were introduced in the early 1900s and they were derived from coal tar and later from petroleum, an oil-based product. They were even marketed as safe without any comprehensive long-term safety data.
It took generations and mountains of scientific evidence to finally push action. So what are some action steps you can take today? First, read every label. Avoid any artificial colorings. Choose brands that are using natural colorants like turmeric, spirulina, and beet juice. Because even as regulations phase them out, companies will still push inventory until the last minute.
Chapter 4: What action steps can you take to avoid harmful food dyes?
So protect yourself, protect your family. Stunning fact number two, lack of deep sleep in middle age could increase dementia risk by over 30%. And we are so chronically sleep deprived. Let's talk about the brain.
Chapter 5: How is lack of deep sleep linked to increased dementia risk?
New studies out of UCSF, the NIH, and multiple international sleep research groups have confirmed that lack of quality REM and deep sleep during midlife dramatically raises your risk of developing Alzheimer's and other dementias later in life. Each 1% decrease in time spent in REM sleep was associated with a 9% increased risk of developing dementia.
Lack of slow-wave sleep, what we call deep sleep, accelerated brain aging and amyloid plaque buildup, Why? Because during deep sleep, your brain's glymphatic system, think of it as a neurological sewage system, flushes out metabolic waste, beta amyloid, and other neurotoxins. Without enough deep sleep, waste accumulates, inflammation skyrockets, and neurons die.
Ancient medical systems like Ayurveda emphasized hours of rest long before brain imaging even existed. Modern science is only now validating that deep rest is fundamental to longevity. That's why I always say sleep is our ultimate human superpower. So here's some action steps you can take to start implementing right now. Prioritize deep sleep like your life depends on it, because it does.
Sleep in a completely dark, cold room. I like to sleep between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Get morning sunlight exposure to anchor your circadian rhythms and actually help you get into a good biorhythm of sleep that night. Avoid screens and blue light after 8 p.m. Consider magnesium glycinate, glycine, and meditation to enhance your REM cycle of sleep. Sleep is not wasted time, guys.
It's peak maintenance mode for your brain. Number three shocking fact, ultra processed food additives create toxic clusters that raise diabetes risk. This new study should be a wake up call. Scientists from Harvard and multiple international institutions analyzed thousands of ultra processed food products and found that it's the clusters of additives
not just a single ingredient that fuel metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes. Some of the key findings were that combinations of emulsifiers like polysorbate 80 and carrageen disrupted the gut lining integrity. Preservatives plus artificial sweeteners distort glucose metabolism and frequent consumption raised type 2 diabetes risk by 29%. Why? These are chemical cocktails.
They alter your gut microbiome, they increase insulin resistance, and they drive systemic inflammation. In the 1960s and 70s, the food industry actually began using synthetic emulsifiers and stabilizers to extend the shelf life without doing any safety studies on chronic exposure. We're now seeing the consequences play out in skyrocketing diabetes, obesity, and autoimmune disease rates.
So here's some actionable steps. Stick to a single-ingredient, whole-food diet. Eat meals your great-grandparents would actually recognize. Avoid ingredient lists longer than five words, and if it looks like it came from a lab, not a farm, it's probably not even a food. Bonus wins that you might want to know about?
PFAs, polyfluoroalkyls, bands are accelerating nationwide, cutting out forever chemicals from packaging, cookware, and even our textiles. Glyphosate-free certifications are rising dramatically, and companies are waking up to public demand. Water quality grants are funding filtration upgrades in low-income areas, and EMF awareness is finally gaining mainstream traction.
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