John Weisburger
- Dr. Weisburger was a commissioned officer in the US Public Health Service, assigned to a research program at the National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD. He was concerned with the mode of action of chemical carcinogens in general, and arylamines in particular. Some of these chemicals were important occupational carcinogens, and in more recent years it was discovered that they occurred in the environment of every consumer of cooked meats, since the cooking process generates heterocyclic amines. Between 1961 and 1972, Dr. Weisburger was also concerned with effective means to test for environmental carcinogens, as Head of the NCI Carcinogen Bioassay Program. With the discovery at the Oak Ridge National Laboratories that carcinogens could be mutagens, he organized national programs to develop rapid in vitro bioassay systems to test for carcinogenicity. Dr. Weisburger later left NCI to become Director of Research at the American Health Foundation. Dr. Weisburger is known for his research on the mechanisms of chronic disease causation, as a sound basis for prevention. The main theme of the research deals with disease prevention, the definitive approach to disease control. In particular, the research involves studies of the association between specific lifestyles anywhere in the world, and the locally prevailing chronic diseases, the area of geographic pathology. A number of chronic diseases stem from inappropriate oxidation reactions and the formation of reactive radicals. These can be prevented by ensuring the presence of antioxidants, such as are provided by vegetables, fruits and the beverage tea. Dr. Weisburger states that regular exercise is also a part of a healthy lifestyle. Based on sound research as described above, people anywhere in the world need to be provided with guidelines as to healthy lifestyles as a means of health promotion. This is important in view of the high cost of medical care to the individuals concerned, their families, their insurance carriers and their governments.
Posts
| Good news about tea and aging | 28 Sep 2006 |
| Interview with John Weisburger M.D., Ph.D. | 09 Aug 2006 |