Dry Cleaning & Liver Disease, Food Emulsifiers Increase Cancer Risk, Fermented Foods Ease Anxiety, and Simplicity Equals Peace
Lightbulbs & Pearls | 025
Dry Cleaning Links to Liver Disease
Back in the day, we regularly dry-cleaned many clothes, and although we used a “green” cleaner, I never felt entirely comfortable with the outcome or the cost. I loathed the lingering, unnatural odor wafting when I discarded the plastic bag (not to mention all the plastic waste), and after a while, my husband felt like a coating was building up on his shirts.
I decided to switch gears and started washing his shirts myself. I devised a de-gunking plan of long overnight soaks and got to work in batches. The accumulated muck that was released was eye-popping.
I haven’t returned to the dry-cleaning habit, and now I feel somewhat vindicated. New information reveals regular exposure to a chemical commonly used in dry cleaning (and some household products, such as adhesives and stainless-steel polish, as well) has been linked to a three times greater risk of liver disease. Tetrachloroethylene, also often called perchloroethylene (PCE), was associated with significant liver fibrosis in U.S. adults, according to research from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
Liver fibrosis is a buildup of scar tissue resulting from chronic inflammation or a chronic injury. It can block blood flow, impair liver function, and potentially progress to liver cancer and liver failure.
While past PCE-exposure studies focused on workers in dry-cleaning facilities, this USC study included a representative sample of the U.S. population. Blood samples were collected from 1,614 adults aged 20 and older between 2017 and 2020, and about 7% of the population had detectable PCE levels. Those with the chemical in their bodies were three times more likely to have notable liver fibrosis than those without exposure.
Although there are strictly dry-clean-only fabrics that must not be compromised, others, such as washable silks and some wools, can be gently washed. These days, I avoid clothes labeled “dry clean only” for daily wear.
Takeaway: Dry cleaning chemicals can damage the liver.
Take Action: Handwash clothes if possible and avoid daily “dry-clean only” garments.
Sneaky Emulsifiers Increase Cancer Risk
Continuing the topic of toxins, as if you needed another reason to avoid processed and ultra-processed food, Dr. Dawn Mussalelm—Mayo Clinic physician, double board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine and Oncology—recently posted about a large French study following 92,000 adults for 7 years to determine how emulsifiers found in many popular packaged foods affected their health.
Emulsifiers are ingredients that help combine ingredients that normally don’t mix, such as oil and water, to create a stable, consistent mixture. They improve the texture, consistency, and shelf life of many processed foods, including salad dressings, mayonnaise, ice cream, snack products, and baked goods…even infant formula!
While some ingredients are purely natural, like eggs, vinegar, and mustard (I use Dijon mustard in salad dressings to hold the oil and vinegar together), some commercial emulsifiers are chemically produced, such as mono- and diglycerides (E47). These plant- or animal-based oils undergo a high-heat process with a catalyst to become the end-product emulsifier.
These altered state ingredients have been shown to disrupt the delicate balance of the gut microbiome, ignite inflammation, and stealthily raise cancer risk over time. In fact, higher intake of these sneaky oils is linked to 15% higher overall cancer risks, specifically 24% higher for breast cancer and 46% higher for prostate cancer.
I, like Dr. Mussalelm, believe with every fiber of my being that the ultra-processed diet is the root cause of much of what ails Americans’ health, and this is just one more example.
You can choose a healthier path by replacing store-bought products with homemade ones. Start small. For instance, I couldn’t find minimal-ingredient flour tortillas for my husband and son, so I make our own every couple of weeks. In under 45 minutes with a super simple recipe of flour, salt, baking powder, avocado oil, and water, I’m confident I’ve eliminated at least one potentially detrimental food from my family’s diet.
Takeaway: Emulsifiers disrupt the gut microbiome, cause inflammation, and increase the risk of some cancers.
Take Action: Eat little processed food and make your own instead.
Fermented Foods May Ease Anxiety
And speaking of the gut, could fermented foods quell anxiety? Perhaps. A recent headline piqued my curiosity and led me to the emerging field of lifestyle psychiatry. With an estimated 1-in-6 people on some antidepressant or anxiety medications—each with varying degrees of risks and side effects—mental health practitioners are looking to alternative treatments for their patients.
The gut-brain connection has been well established, with the gut often referred to as the “second brain” due to an extensive network of neurons known as the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) embedded in the gut wall. This acts like a mini-brain, constantly communicating with the central brain, influencing mood, behavior, and even neurological conditions via the gut-brain axis and its trillions of microbes (microbiota).
This deep connection means that gut health significantly impacts mental well-being, with gut microbes producing neurotransmitters such as serotonin that affect mood and stress. Enter fermented foods. A cursory search uncovered seven studies showing that rebalancing the gut microbiome through the prebiotic, probiotic, and symbiotic properties of these ancestral wonderfoods holds tremendous promise in treating mild to debilitating social anxiety.
Sauerkraut is at the top of the list of foods rich in live probiotics, as are kimchi, olives, yogurt, kefir, miso, and tempeh. Choose minimally processed, refrigerated options or those labeled with “live and active cultures,” as heat kills these good microbes.
Not on the list? Kombucha, which is a fermented tea and can actually exacerbate anxiety symptoms because of the caffeine content.
Takeaway: The gut microbiome significantly impacts mental well-being.
Take Action: Avoid processed foods and increase consumption of fermented foods.
Simplicity Equals Peace: My Small Purse Experiment
I used to carry the ubiquitous Kate Spade \ large tote/purse, a style classic that I received for Christmas many years ago. One day, a friend of mine, a top-notch Pilates instructor, casually remarked on how bad the weight of that oversized fashion statement was for my back.
Although I didn’t immediately hang up my bag, I ruminated on her comment. My back didn’t bother me…although I could see how a problem could develop over time. The bigger issue that kept nagging at me was, “What did I really need to be carrying around?” It wasn’t a travel tote for survival on long trips. It mostly accompanied me to the office and errands. On closer examination, there were fewer than a handful of items I regularly used, but each time I’d have to rummage through the clutter to find them.
Once I really evaluated the use of this big bag, it was—at face value—a little silly. What was essential to take with me for the hour or so I’m away from home? The items boiled down to 5, so I decided to run an experiment with a small, humble cross-body purse.
That was two years ago. In that time, I can say with all honesty that there wasn’t one instance in which I thought, “shoot, I don’t have…” Truth be told, I had everything I needed in my petite pouch. Gone was the time wasted sorting through unnecessary things. Order prevailed. My few necessities are reassuringly always in their place. (And as a bonus, it is much better for my back!)
For a while, I’ve had this nagging thought that I need to simplify my environment for overall well-being, and this test fortified the significance of that notion. Every choice our brain makes consumes mental energy and creates friction. Simplicity equals peace. It frees mental space, reduces the overwhelm, and creates a sense of calm and control—the core drivers of stress reduction.
My mantra for 2026: simplify, simplify, simplify, to live well, age great.