War's Deeper Scars

As it turns out, war is hell on mitochondria, too. Researchers studying veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War who have been suffering from the mysterious "Gulf War illness" have found that their mitochondria are impaired. Mitochondria are the organelles responsible for creating energy for the cells. They are in almost every cell of our body. "Gulf veterans are known to have been widely exposed to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, a chemical class found in organophosphate and carbamate pesticides, nerve gas and nerve gas pre-treatment pills given to troops," says principal investigator Beatrice A. Golomb, M.D., Ph.D.: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140327222210.htm
   To learn more about mitochondria, go to http://www.lhsc.on.ca/Patients_Families_Visitors/Genetics/Inherited_Metabolic/Mitochondria/AllAboutMitochondria.htm