Random Facts - Nutrition, Health and Wellness

1. CVD causes almost 50 per cent of deaths in Europe, and is reported to cost the EU economy an estimated €169 billion ($202 billion) per year. According to the American Heart Association, 34.2 percent of Americans (70.1 million people) suffered from some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 2002. (Source)

2. A report from the European Union showed that global fruit and vegetable production was over 1 230 million tonnes in 2001-2002, worth over $50 billion (€ 41 000 million). Asia produced 61 per cent, while Europe and North/Central America both producing nine per cent. (Source)

3. Approximately seven million people in the UK alone are reported to have long-term health problems associated with arthritis. Around 206 million working days were lost in the UK in 1999-2000, equal to £18 billion (€26 billion) of lost productivity. (Source)

4. The global tea market is worth about €790(£540, $941) million. Green tea accounts for about 20 per cent of total global production, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) accounts for about 78 per cent. (Source)

5. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), an organization with the mandate "to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, to improve agricultural productivity, and to better the conditions of rural populations of its member countries," is having increasing difficulty in convincing the people who control the purse strings that its annual budget is worth increasing to offset inflation. The FAO's budget for 2004-05 was $749m.

BLV Health Watch Update

Don't forget to check out our latest online articles:

Understanding Pathogens - An Intro -- March 9, 3:42 PM

GM Farming vs Organic Farming -- March 9, 3:20 PM

Pomegranite Peel Better Than The Fruit? -- March 9, 2:57 PM

The Benzene Cover Up -- March 9, 2:49 PM

Visit through this link to view them now.

Pathogens - Public Education Needed

Some experts believe the public is seriously underestimating the various risks posed by food borne diseases and hazards.

"Experts thought that while the public has a fairly accurate idea of the risks associated with the well-known hazards, Salmonella and E. coli, they believe that they are considerably underestimating the risk associated with the lesser-known microbiological hazards, Listeria and Campylobacter."

In our BLV Health Watch special article titled "Tainted Meat" we touched on the dangers present. Think these microbiological hazards don't exist in USA meat products? Think again. Here are just a few facts to consider:

1. A report by the USDA estimates that 89% of US beef patties contain traces of the deadly E. coli strain. Reuters News Service 8/10/00

2. US pigs who have pneumonia at time of slaughter: 70%

3. Primary source of Campylobacter bacteria: Contaminated chicken flesh

4. People in the US who become ill with Campylobacter poisoning every day: estimated at more than 5,000

5. American turkeys sufficiently contaminated with Campylobacter to cause illness: 90%

6. Americans sickened from eating Salmonella-tainted eggs every year: More than 650,000

7. Americans killed from eating Salmonella-tainted eggs every year: 600

8. Increase in Salmonella poisoning from raw or undercooked eggs between 1976 and 1986: 600%

9. 90% of US chickens are infected with leukosis -- chicken cancer -- at the time of slaughter.

Perhaps one of the toughest areas for safety are related to our water supply. One particularly difficult pathogen to detect in our waters (and believed by some experts to be related to Chrons disease) is M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis which according to one study can also be carried to our waters by air.

When you read reports about cooking your meat thoroughly, and about safe handling of meat in your home, take it seriously. The new factory farming methods for producing our meat (and related products) bring with them a host of food safety issues that we all need further education on, in my humble opinion.

Bird Flu Not Over Yet

Bird flu may not be in the headlines as much in recent months, but it's far from over and still spreading.

Two recent reports indicate it's hitting both Southern France and Sweden recently:

Bird flu spreads to France's southern region, By Ahmed ElAmin
06/03/2006 - Avian influenza continues to spread in the EU's largest poultry producer, with the country's agriculture ministry reporting over the weekend that the highly pathogenic type H5N1 had been detected in a dead wild swan in the Camargue wetlands. Source FoodProductionDaily

Sweden detects BSE for the first time, along with bird flu, By Ahmed ElAmin
07/03/2006 - Sweden has been hit with a double blow, becoming the first in the Scandinavian region to detect avian influenza in wild birds, and also finding its first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a cow. ...On 28 February Sweden reported its first cases of bird flu or avian influenza in wild ducks, the same day the country also reported the BSE incident. Since then, more cases of avian influenza have been found in the wild bird population. Source FoodProductionDaily

Britain and Germany checking soft drinks for benzene

Since I first found out about the FDA/soft drink manufacturers private agreement regarding benzene in soft drinks, I've been following the story. More new hits the headlines, this time in the UK. Food safety authorities where unaware of the potential problems that mixing ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate together in a soft drink could lead to benzene formation through the degradation of the benzoate. This news comes to us from BeverageDaily:

Food safety authorities in Britain and Germany are checking soft drinks for benzene after tests suggest a private deal with soft drinks firms in the US, 15 years ago, failed to fix the problem.

Germany's food watchdog, BfR, confirmed it was examining soft drinks containing the common ingredients ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and sodium benzoate (E211).

The UK's Food Standards Agency has followed suit, saying it was looking into the issue and would sort out any problem found. An FSA spokesperson said the body was not aware the two ingredients could react together to form benzene, a known carcinogen.

...The FDA was re-alerted to the issue by independent laboratory tests in New York.

The same lab also found a drink sold in Latin America by a well-known, international soft drinks group that contained benzene at more than six times the 10 parts per billion legal limit for water set by the World Health Organisation.

Soft drinks containing less benzene were recalled across Europe and US in the 1990s.

The New York lab, meanwhile, found two well-known drinks brands available in the UK with benzene at least three times above the country's strict one part per billion limit for drinking water. There is no specific limit for soft drinks.

Soft drinks sold outside the US are considered more at risk due to scant knowledge of the problem.

Benzene Contamination In Some USA Soft Drinks

I read a disturbing news release today regarding a problem that apparently the FDA had been fully aware of 15 years ago -- but never made their findings public.

The FDA was originally alerted in 1990 to the problem of benzene in soft drinks triggered by the preservative sodium benzoate. It never made the findings public, but came to an arrangement with the US soft drinks association that the industry would “get the word out”. - NutraIngredients

Benzene is listed as a poisonous chemical shown to increase the risk of leukaemia and other cancers -- and can be caused by two common ingredients – sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) – which can react together to cause benzene formation.

The FDA knew about the problem as far back as 1990 (from what I can tell by some isolated reports) but they never made their findings public. Instead, according to the news item referenced above, they came to an arrangement with the US soft drinks association that the industry would “get the word out”.

But in recent months, internal documents and private tests have begun to surface, supported by claims from a former chemist for Cadbury Schweppes, who is now keen to blow the whistle on the health risk involved. He and a US lawyer commissioned new tests that have now prompted the FDA to re-open the case.

These independent tests, performed by a laboratory in New York, found benzene levels in a couple of soft drinks two-and-a-half-times and five times above the World Health Organisation limit for drinking water (10 parts per billion).

The FDA now confirms it has found a similar problem in its own follow-up testing. “There were a few isolated products that have elevated levels. We certainly want to make sure there is some reformulation,” said an FDA chemist.

All food additives are regulated by federal authorities and various international organizations to ensure that foods are safe to eat and are accurately labeled. Here in the USA, the FDA has the primary legal responsibility for determining a food additive's safe use.

The FDA must determine - based on the best science available - if there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to consumers when an additive is used as proposed.

If new evidence suggests that a product already in use may be unsafe, or if consumption levels have changed enough to require another look, federal authorities may prohibit its use or conduct further studies to determine if the use can still be considered safe.

How is sodium benzoate used?

According to IPCS, a major market for sodium benzoate is as a preservative in the soft drink industry, as a result of the demand for high-fructose corn syrup in carbonated beverages. Sodium benzoate is also widely used as a preservative in pickles, sauces, and fruit juices. Benzoic acid and sodium benzoate are used as antimicrobial agents in edible coatings.

Sodium benzoate is also used in pharmaceuticals for preservation purposes (up to 1.0% in liquid medicines) and for therapeutic regimens in the treatment of patients with urea cycle enzymopathies.

Possibly the largest use of sodium benzoate, accounting for 30-35% of the total demand (about 15 000 tonnes of benzoic acid), is as an anticorrosive, particularly as an additive to automotive engine antifreeze coolants and in other waterborne systems. In recent years, it has also been used in the formulation of sodium benzoate into plastics such as polypropylene, to improve strength and clarity. Sodium benzoate is also used as a stabilizer in photographic baths/processing.

Sources:
NutraIngredients - FDA re-opens probe into benzene contamination of soft drinks
FDA - Food Ingredients & Colors
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON CHEMICAL SAFETY - BENZOIC ACID AND SODIUM BENZOATE

New Research Initiatives - Common Disease Causes

Press Release - NIEHS News

WASHINGTON - Wed. Feb. 8, 2006 - The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the creation of two new, closely related initiatives to speed up research on the causes of common diseases such as asthma, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease.

One initiative boosts funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a multi-institute effort to identify the genetic and environmental underpinnings of common illnesses. The other initiative launches a public-private partnership between NIH, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) and major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, especially Pfizer Global Research & Development of New London, Conn.; and Affymetrix Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., to accelerate genome association studies to find the genetic roots of widespread sicknesses.

The genetic analysis component of the two initiatives is highly complementary.

To read the entire release, please see:
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/news/gei.htm

To read the Factsheet "New Technology For Detecting Biological Responses to Environmental Factors", please see:
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/factsheets/pdf/gei.pdf

UK Alert - High Aflatoxin Levels Found in Spice

In the 1960 more than 100,000 young turkeys on poultry farms in England died in the course of a few months from an apparently new disease that was termed "Turkey X disease". It was soon found that the difficulty was not limited to turkeys. Ducklings and young pheasants were also affected and heavy mortality was experienced.

The "mysterious" disease outbreaks were eventually traced to toxin contaminated animal feed. Speculations made during 1960 regarding the nature of the toxin suggested that it might be of fungal origin. Eventually, the toxin-producing fungus was identified as Aspergillus flavus (1961) and the toxin was given the name Aflatoxin by virtue of its origin (A.flavis--> Afla).

A spice powder in the UK -- Suya Pepper Spiced Khebab Powder -- has been discovered to contain excessive levels of aflatoxins.

It is distributed in the United Kingdom and is manufactured in Ghana. The UK's Food Standards Authority (FSA) has now issued a food alert.

Suya Pepper Spiced Khebab Powder is believed to be sold in large and small plastic containers with a yellow lid and a red/yellow label. The wording 'Active SUYA PEPPER Spiced Khebab Powder' is boldly written on the label but there is no date marking or batch code.

Despite enquiries by local authorities in London, distributor Marduro has not provided full distribution details, although distribution is believed to be restricted to the London area. This product appears to be distributed through direct van sales, where retailers who sell African or African-Caribbean food products are the main clients.

Local authority enforcement officers have been told that if any of these products are found during routine inspections, they should ensure that they are withdrawn from sale and destroyed.

Sources and Resources:
FoodQualityNews - Excessive aflatoxin levels found in UK spice
Cornell University - AFLATOXINS : Occurrence and Health Risks
FDA Bad Bug Book - Aflatoxins
FAO Corporate Document Repositroy - The significance of mycotoxins
Environmental Health Perspectives - Case-Control Study of an Acute Aflatoxicosis Outbreak, Kenya, 2004
Aspergillus flavus genomics (pdf): gateway to human and animal health, food safety, and crop resistance to diseases

Dirty Dozen Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables

More and more studies have been confirming the importance of increasing fruits and vegetables in your diet. However, an area that hasn't had much press is the amount of pesticides you could be exposing yourself to.

An EWG simulation of thousands of consumers eating high and low pesticide diets shows that people can lower their pesticide exposure by 90 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead, according to a FoodNews Report Card.

"Eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables will expose a person to nearly 20 pesticides per day, on average. Eating the 12 least contaminated will expose a person to a fraction over 2 pesticides per day."

12 Fruits and Vegetables on the "Most-Contaminated" List

Listed in order, from most to least contaminated:

1. peaches
2. strawberries
3. apples
4. spinach
5. nectarines
6. celery
7. pears
8. cherries
9. potatoes
10. bell peppers
11. red raspberries
12. imported grapes

FoodNews recommends you "buy organic" for items on the above list to avoid/reduce pesticide exposure.

Keywords: fruit, vegetables, pesticides, food safety, organic, health news, health, fruits and vegetables safety, healthy eating

American Heart Association on Blood Pressure

Combining an overall healthy diet with weight loss, a lower salt and higher potassium intake can prevent and treat hypertension, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement, published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The statement also encourages people to eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and if they drink alcohol, limit intake to moderate levels.

Hypertension, defined as having a systolic and diastolic BP greater than 140 and 90 mmHg, affects about 600 million people worldwide and is associated with over seven million deaths. Estimates indicate 27 per cent of the US adult population is hypertensive.

A great deal of emphasis has been placed on weight -- or more precisely, being overweight -- in recent years. And yet, I personally know of several people who were placed on BP medications that lived very healthy lifestyles, including diet, regular exercise, little or no alcohol consumption and ideal weight for their age. They've since managed to reduce and/or eliminate their need for meds through some very simple -- yet consistent -- dietary changes.

(Check out the ideal weight calculator and/or BMI Chart through this link for approximate ideal weight estimates for men and women.)

But an interesting point in the AHA statement may explain why such apparently healthy people may end up having BP problems...

Quote: "The key message is simple, as a person ages, blood pressure rises. While an individual's blood pressure may be normal now, 90 percent of Americans over 50 years of age have a lifetime risk of high blood pressure. Americans should take action before being diagnosed with hypertension."

For excellent information, useful tools and additional information, be sure to visit the AHA blood pressure website.

Omega-6 FA Link To Cancer

The latest research from San Francisco VA Medical Center builds on earlier findings, revealing that Omega-6 fatty acids trigger a "biochemical cascade" by turning on a gene signaling pathway that leads directly to tumor growth.

"Around 60 years ago, the dietary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in the US was one to two. Today, the ratio is 25 to one. Over that same 60 years, the incidence of prostate cancer in the US has increased steadily," say the authors of a new study linking Omega-6 fatty acids to prostrate cancer.

"After we added omega-6 fatty acids to the growth medium in the dish, and only omega-6, we observed that tumors grew twice as fast as those without omega-6," said Hughes-Fulford, Dr Millie Hughes-Fulford, director of the Laboratory of Cell Growth at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC).

"Investigating the reasons for this rapid growth, we discovered that the omega-6 was turning on a dozen inflammatory genes that are known to be important in cancer. We then asked what was turning on those genes, and found that omega-6 fatty acids actually turn on a signal pathway called PI3-kinase that is known to be a key player in cancer," she added.

Read the full story here.

Nitrates and Nitrites In Meat

A total of 78 alerts about contaminated foods were issued in the EU during the second week of January/2006. Of particular concern for some officials were the reports to the Commission from Norway that its regulator had found unauthorised nitrites in smoked or cured salmon and trout produced by its fish processors.

"Eight processors were caught using nitrites to make their fish look fresher. Norway's Consumer Council claims that the producers have damaged the country's reputation by using the additive and has asked the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to file criminal charges against the fish producers."

Nitrates are naturally occurring chemicals that are created by the breakdown of gaseous nitrogen (the most abundant ingredient in air) through the photosynthesis of plants. Nitrites are smaller molecules that are created as a result of the breakdown of nitrates.

Historically, nitrates served two purposes: to help prevent the growth of certain bacteria that can cause an outbreak of botulism, a deadly food-borne illness, and to give cured meat a pink color. These nitrates, once added to the meat, would break down over a period of time, forming nitrites. Eventually, nitrites themselves were added directly to the meat to speed up the curing process.

Because of the toxicity of nitrite (lethal dose of nitrite for humans is about 22 mg per kg body weight), the maximum allowed nitrite concentration in meat products is 200 ppm. Under certain conditions, especially during cooking, nitrites in meat can react with degradation products of amino acids, forming nitrosamines, which are known carcinogens.

Nitrites can contribute to the formation of potentially dangerous carcinogens in the body, which in turn can result in malignant tumor growth over time. Children are especially susceptible to nitrite poisoning.

One clinical study conducted at the University of Hawaii revealed a 67% increased risk of pancreatic cancer in people who consume large quantities of hot dogs, sausage and other processed meats, versus those who consume little or no processed meat. The study was led by Dr. Ute Nothlings and was announced at an annual gathering of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Although the study did not specifically name sodium nitrite as the cause of the heightened cancer risk, according to Mike Adams, nutritionist and author of "Grocery Warning," the huge spike in toxicity and cancer risk can only be explained by something added during meat processing.

"If sodium nitrite is so dangerous, why do food producers continue using it? The chemical is added primarily as a color fixer that turns meats a reddish, fresh-looking color that appeals to consumers. Packaged meats like hot dogs would normally appear a putrid gray, but with enough sodium nitrite added, the meats can seem visually fresh even if they've been on the shelves for months."

In a previous article here at BLV Health Watch -- Carbon Monoxide in USA Packaged Meats -- we revealed a similar process used by some USA meat packaging plants that keeps meat appearing "fresh" on grocery shelves which, in 2003, the EU prohibited the use of carbon monoxide for meat and tuna products.

You might think we were vegetarians, but for the record ...we are not.

Sources:
- Wikipedia - Nitrite
- Nitrates/Nitrites Facts from duBreton Farms
- News Target ...processed meats hike cancer risk...
- Milk and salmon contamination feature in food safety alerts

What Is Ambergris?

AMBERGRIS [ambergris]: a waxlike substance originating as a morbid concretion in the intestine of the sperm whale. Lighter than water, it is found floating on tropical seas or cast up on the shore in yellow, gray, black, or variegated masses, usually a few ounces in weight, though pieces weighing several hundred pounds have been found. Ambergris has been greatly valued from earliest times. It is now used as a fixative in perfumes. Its active principle is ambrein, a crystalline alcohol with the empirical formula C 30 H 51 OH.

The January 24, 2006 report in the BBC of a 14.75 kg lump of it discovered by an Australian couple while walking on the beach got me curious to find out more about this highly valued (and considered very rare) substance.

Some reports indicate that top perfume makers pay as much as 65 US dollars per gram of ambergris ...other reports say it's also used as an additive for flavoring cigarrettes (unconfirmed) ...still other reports indicate its use in some medicines ...and yet other reports indicate its use as a flavoring in foods and beverages.

In ancient times, animal substances like musk, castor and ambergris were particularly expensive, as they had to be imported from China, Russia, the Persian Gulf and India. Not only were these fragrances supposed to attract the female sex; they were also believed to have therapeutic properties. For example, 17th-century physician Hasan ibn Riza Shirvani believed a dab of ambergris could strengthen the brain and heart.

"Ambergris, when taken from the intestinal canal of the sperm whale, is of a deep grey color, soft consistence and a disagreeable smell. On exposure to the air it gradually hardens, becomes pale and develops its peculiar sweet, earthy odour. In that condition its specific gravity ranges from 0-780 to 0-926. It melts at about 62 C. to a fatty, yellow resinous-like liquid; and at 100 C. it is volatilized into a white vapour. It is soluble in ether, and in volatile and fixed oils; it is only feebly acted on by acids. By digesting in hot alcohol, a substance termed ambrein, closely resembling cholesterin, is obtained, which separates in brilliant white crystals as the solution cools."

"The use of ambergris in Europe is now entirely confined to perfumery, though it formerly occupied no inconsiderable place in medicine." In minute quantities its alcoholic solution is much used for giving a " floral " fragrance to bouquets, washes and other preparations of the perfumer. It occupies a very important place in the perfumery of the East, and there it is also used in pharmacy and as a flavouring material in cookery, as reported by this source.

In Chinese medicine, it has been reported that it is still in use for urinary tract infections, urinary stones, heart disease and infant convulsions, however this information has not been confirmed by us.

Omega-3 and Aggressive Behavior

By now, you've probably heard the expression "we are what we eat" but I'm thinking most of us have never applied it to how we act or react, behaviorally speaking.

A new Omega-3 study conducted in Brooklyn on test subjects with a history of substance abuse targeted behavior -- specifically aggressive behavior -- with some surprising results.

According to NutraIngredientsUSA:

A small, double-blind study found that those who took 3g of fish oil per day had lower levels of anger, potentially reducing tendency towards aggressive behavior. The trial, conducted at the Veterans Administration New York Harbor Healthcare System in Brooklyn, involved 24 people with a history of substance abuse who were participants in an outpatient treatment program.

To sum it up... "The 13 patients who received the fish oil showed a clinically significant and progressive decrease in their POMS anger subscale scores. No change was observed in the 11 patients in the placebo group."

To view the entire news article visit this link.

Hmmmm... it kind of gives new meaning to the "old wives tale" about the benefits of giving children cod liver oil, doesn't it?

Caffeine Lovers Get More Bad News

Apparently, drinking caffeine drinks stifles the body's ability to boost blood flow to the heart during exercise -- according to new research released from a study conducted by scientists at the University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland.

Previous research suggested that caffeine-based drinks may help people involved in sports-related activities, but this new study suggests that although caffeine drinks are known to stimulate the brain, caffeine is unlikely to boost athletic performance.

Here's why... blood flow to the heart has to increase during exercise in order to match the increased need of oxygen. But when 18 healthy people were given the equivalent of two cups of coffee, the Swiss scientists found that blood flow increase during exercise was much lower than when they exercised without having consumed coffee.

This effect was even stronger when the participants were in a chamber simulating high altitude, said the scientists.

The Swiss researchers stated that their research could also "raise safety questions in patients with reduced coronary flow reserve, as seen in coronary artery disease, particularly before physical exercise and at high-altitude exposure".

Source: BeverageDaily.com

New Lawsuits to Target Soft Drink Firms

Professor Richard Daynard, a lawyer who has already taken on the tobacco firms, spent much of 2005 gathering evidence and witnesses to launch a new court battle to get the soft drinks giants out of schools, according to BeverageDaily.

“We've done everything we need to do to prepare for the lawsuit, but we haven't decided exactly when or where to file it. It could be any time after this month,” he said in an interview with www.BeverageDaily.com

“We have a product that has been shown to make a material contribution to childhood and adolescent obesity and we have it in schools where the kids are required to be for six or seven hours per day,” said Daynard.

You can read the full news article through this link.

Like it or not, this is just the beginning of new lawsuits to come out over the course of the next few years that will target obesity -- a seriously growing problem in the USA and many other countries abroad. We'll keep you posted as details become available.

New Food Allergen Labeling Laws

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) (Pub. L. 108-282) required that new food labels for food products affected by the Act be applied to foods entering the market as of Jan. 1 2006.

Keep in mind, these labeling regulations apply only to foods regulated by the FDA. Also note, not all known allergens are covered by the new labeling laws.

Under FALCPA, a "major food allergen" is an ingredient that is one of the following five foods or from one of the following three food groups or is an ingredient that contains protein derived from one of the following:

- milk
- egg
- fish
- Crustacean shellfish
- tree nuts
- wheat
- peanuts
- soybeans

Also, in the case of tree nuts, the specific type of nut must be declared (e.g., almonds, pecans, or walnuts). Plus, the species must be declared for fish (e.g., bass, flounder, or cod) and Crustacean shellfish (crab, lobster, or shrimp).

Congress designated the above eight foods/food groups as "major food allergens" stating they account for 90 percent of all food allergies. Although there are other foods to which sensitive individuals may react, the labels of packaged foods containing these other allergens are not required to be in compliance with FALCPA.

FALCPA's requirements apply to all packaged foods sold in the U.S. that are regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act, including both domestically manufactured and imported foods. FDA regulates all foods except meat products, poultry products, and egg products.

For more information on the act, visit http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/alrgact.html.

For general information regarding industry labeling guidelines, visit http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/alrguid.html.

New Trans Fat Labeling Laws Go Into Effect

In May 2003, California attorney Stephen Joseph filed a lawsuit against Kraft, targeting the trans-fat content of Oreo's. The issue became front-page news. Jay Leno, Rush Limbaugh and a host of other media personalities weighed in, many seeing the lawsuit as ridiculous at the time.

Joseph was on Good Morning America when he heard that Kraft had agreed to remove trans fats from their cookies amid the sudden blaze of publicity. And two months later, the FDA announced new labeling rules.

These new FDA trans-fat labeling rules go into effect January 1, 2006 and some lobby interest groups are stating it's long overdue... while others are saying it's not enough.

For example, check out BanTransFats.com for their comprehensive review of the new trans-fats labeling rule.

To understand the importance of this issue, one needs to know what trans fats are and why it's important for us to be aware of them.

Trans fat is formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats like shortening and hard margarine. They have effectively been linked to higher blood levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol that increases the risk of heart disease.

When you consider that according to the American Heart Association, 70.1 million Americans suffered from heart disease in 2002 (34.2 percent of the population), and the mortality figure was 0.93 million (930,000 deaths)... ...the new laws may not be everything they need to be for the uninformed consumer ...but they are at least one small step in the right direction.

Sources:
FoodNavigator.com
BanTransFats.com

Carbon Monoxide in USA Packaged Meats

Found this interesting article on the FoodUSA website:

In 2003, the EU prohibited the use of carbon monoxide for meat and tuna products. In its decision, the European Commission's food safety regulator stated that "the stable cherry-colour can last beyond the microbial shelf life of the meat and thus mask spoilage."

Several countries including Japan, Canada and Singapore also ban the use of carbon monoxide in tuna.

Carbon monoxide when used in the modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technique makes meat appear fresher than it actually is by reacting with the meat pigment myoglobin to create carboxymyoglobin, a bright red pigment that masks any of the natural aging and spoilage of meats, according to a petition filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by Michigan-based Kalsec.

"At the very least, the public has a right to know about the use of carbon monoxide in their food," states Don Berdahl, Kalsec's vice president and technical director. "If the FDA won't prohibit it, the government should require a label that informs consumers about the presence of carbon monoxide and the health dangers it presents."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Personally, I think new meat labelling laws are urgently required so all consumers can make informed choices about the food they buy. For example, maybe a label indicating whether the meat came from a factory-farm (and may contain antibiotic residue and/or other other basteria/pathogens) ...and even WHICH FARM the meat is coming from, for point of origin traceback in the event that any serious outbreak occurs. Just my humble thoughts on the subject.

Food Safety, Chrons Disease, and More

The views expressed in this article are the author's and do not imply they are the views of this website, nor any other related website referenced through this article.

With that said, let's dive in...

While the FDA keep pulling the reins on food and supplement producers, in effect preventing most consumers from finding out anything truly useful regarding "natural" sources of highly health beneficial foods, they appear to be rather "friendly" in their support of the pharmaceutical giants and the large factory-style farming operations spreading like an uncontrolled virus across the USA.

Additionally, the USDA for their part are very supportive of large factory-style farming operations ...in fact, part of their mandate is to open up new markets and increase trade for the "agricultural" industries here at home.

But when it comes to food safety, I'm sorry to say that I have to give BOTH the FDA and the USDA a giant F.

The recent "final ruling" that requires all manufacturers to register with the FDA was designed to ensure that the country's food supply remains safe from possible attack. Bio-terrorism is their big motto, protecting their citizens using the tired and worn "war on terror" motto while safety from terror still remains high in the populations' eyes.

While this new law goes into effect, they seem to be ignoring threats already circulating in our Food Supply. For example, take a look at all the mounting E. coli and salmonella contamination occurring in the USA meat supply. I'm thinking both the FDA and the USDA might be turning a "blind eye" to the many clinical studies that are revealing problems here at home in regards to Food Safety ... and the problems are getting worse, not better.

Even the FDA's very own study shows there is a problem:

"From March 2001 to June 2002, a total of 981 samples of retail raw meats (chicken, turkey, pork, and beef) were randomly obtained from 263 grocery stores in Iowa and cultured for the presence of Enterococcus spp. A total of 1,357 enterococcal isolates were recovered from the samples, with contamination rates ranging from 97% of pork samples to 100% of ground beef samples."

Meanwhile a new study conducted at the University of Minnesota found that corn, cabbage, and green onions absorbed antibiotics from manure fertilizer obtained from pigs, and one has to wonder how many antibiotics exist in retail meat products -- something not ordinarily tested for during USDA inspections BEFORE meat reaches our tables.

There have been plenty of studies completed in the last 7 years or more proving E. coli and salmonella can in fact be absorbed by vegetables (such as lettuce, spinach, even radishes) ...and yet, nothing seems to get done about it until an outbreak happens -- or someone dies.

Why is that?

Take for instance, the Johne's Disease/Chrons Disease link to a certain little bacteria called M. paratuberculosis often found (when tests actually look for it) in lakes and streams near large livestock operations -- and showing up in tap water, and even pasteurized milk!

The dramatic rise in Chrons Disease in Europe (a non-reportable disease here in the USA) has spurred a flurry of new studies on the issue in countries such as Ireland, the UK, Czech Republic and even Australia.

But here in the good ol' USA, both the FDA and USDA refuse to do such a study claiming their first study completed a few years back proves it's not a problem. There are many experts and scientists in other parts of the world who strongly disagree, and some experts who actually claim that particular USA study was highly flawed.

A properly conducted study would prove things one way or the other, right? So why aren't either the FDA or the USDA doing what's necessary to confirm or deny the possibility?

Yes, it might hurt the dairy industry in the short term.

But in respect to human health, and the often agonizing effects of Chron's disease, I think the benefits of knowing and possibly stopping a problem far outweigh the economic considerations. Also, in my humble opinion, thorough screening/testing for the disease in cattle and culling from the herds now, could potentially save our dairy industry 15 years from now. Doing nothing hurts both the industry and the public.

Here's a thought...

Now, wouldn't it be something if citizens took matters into their own hands and hire scientists to study how much bacteria is really leaching into our soils, our waters and our food supply from current farming practices being encouraged (and often subsidized) by our Federal Government.

Is this what it will take?

A wise man once said, "When science and business conflict, ethics must prevail."

Let's hope so -- for all our sakes.

Packaging Chemical Dangerous to Developing Young Brains

Bisphenol A (BPA), a packaging chemical, works by disrupting the important effects of estrogen in the developing brain, according to a new clinical study completed at the University of Cincinnati.

The research adds to a growing body of scientific evidence indicating that BPA should not be used for food contact materials. BPA shows negative effects in brain tissue "at surprisingly low doses" researchers say in two articles in the December 2005 edition of the journal Endocrinology.

"In the face of more than 100 studies published in peer-reviewed journals showing the detrimental effects of BPA, the chemical industry and federal regulatory agencies have resisted banning BPA from plastics used as food and beverage containers, despite the fact that plastics free of BPA and other toxic chemicals are available," states Scott Belcher, head of the University of Cincinnati research team.

"While plastics are typically thought of as being stable, scientists have known for many years that the chemical linkage between BPA molecules was unstable, and that BPA leaches into food or beverages in contact with the plastics," adds Belcher.

FoodProductionDaily/Europe reports:

Scientific research has often implicated BPA in disease or developmental problems. The chemical has long been known to act as an artificial estrogen, the primary hormone involved in female sexual development.

BPA has already been shown to increase breast cancer cell growth. In the January 2005 edition of the journal Cancer Research, another University of Cincinnati research team reported that it increased the growth of some prostate cancer cells as well.

Warnings about other possible long-term health risks associated with fetal exposures to BPA have also been discussed in recent scientific literature.

They also report, "BPA is used in the production of epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics. The plastics are used in many food and drink packaging applications. Resins are commonly used as lacquers to coat metal products such as food cans, milk container linings, bottle tops, water supply pipes and dental sealants."

Like I've mentioned many times before, this is just one more IMPORTANT reason supplement manufacturers NEED to step up on the side of health and wellness and start using pharmaceutical grade bottles/containers.

WAHM Diary: Hog Sewage From Factory Farms - Would You Eat It?

WAHM Diary: Hog Sewage From Factory Farms - Would You Eat It?

Urgent Letter From Scientists Calls for Immediate GM Food Ban

An urgent letter went out today from the Institute of Science in Society to several high ranking officials in governments around the world calling for an immediate ban on Gentically Modified (GM) food and feed.

How serious is it?

VERY serious!

If the studies they've referenced come anywhere close to actual consequences on a wider scale, it's very possible a massive amount of damage to public health has already been done, particularly in developed countries such as Canada, USA and the UK to mention a few.

When I discovered on one statistic site that the USA ranks 1st in the entire world for mortality (deaths) from combined immunodeficiencies, and next learned how much GM food is grown and distributed here in the USA, it lends a considerable amount of credence to what ISIS is stating.

The "Emerging Diseases" reports coming out would also appear to support ISIS's theories.

An even bigger threat is currently underway that has been kept quiet -- hushed up by multi-billion-dollar corporations and the politicians who support them -- dropped like a ticking time bomb into rural communities by mega corporations across several countries with the full support of top government officials.

I'll be bringing a Special Report on this subject to you soon.

Stay safe, be well ...and stay tuned!


Keywords:
GM seeds,
biotechnology,
immunodeficiencies,
GM food,
genetic engineering

Salmonella on the Rise in USA Fresh Produce Owing to Livestock Manure

A new report is out regarding salmonella in fresh produce in the USA:

Last week a University of Minnesota study showed that antibiotics given to livestock can end up in vegetables and pose a health threat to consumers.

The Minnesota study examined the use of animal manure as a fertilizer for vegetable crops.

The new CSPI study indicates produce-related outbreaks tend to be larger than poultry-related outbreaks, and sicken more people, sometimes hundreds at a time, CSPI stated.

Fresh produce triggered 554 outbreaks, sickening 28,315 people. Of those 554 outbreaks, 111 were due to Salmonella. Although poultry has historically been responsible for far more Salmonella infections, produce seems to be catching up, CSPI stated.

From 1990 to 2001 poultry accounted for 121 Salmonella outbreaks and produce accounted for 80. But in 2002 to 2003, produce accounted for 31 Salmonella outbreaks and poultry accounted for 29.

The figures were gathered from CSPI's alert database, which contains information on 4,500 infection outbreaks related to food between 1990 and 2003.

CSPI's database includes only outbreaks where both the food and the pathogen are identified, so its data represents only a fraction of the total burden of foodborne illnesses.

It's just one more nail in the coffin of large livestock factory-style farming, in my personal opinion. Later this month, I'll have a Very Special Report available regarding hog farm factories in general, and one very specific factory currently under construction in Jasper County, Indiana. This is one shocking report you definitely will want to read. Stay tuned!

Source: Fresh produce an increasing source of Salmonella, group says - FoodUSA ProductionDaily 24/11/2005

Keywords:
salmonella outbreaks, salmonella in USA produce, factory farming, foodborne illnesses, food poisoning, livestock manure salmonella food poisoning, livestock manure dangers

Need for Further Study in Genetically Modified Seeds

After the failure of a stringent risk assessment this month on regarding research to create genetically modified peas that resist insect attack and reduce the use of chemical sprays, it proves once again that extreme care and thorough research should be conducted BEFORE GM seeds flow into the agricultural process.

In regards to the GM pea study, research led by immunologists Dr. Simon Hogan and Professor Paul Foster at the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) showed that the GM peas caused an immune response in mice.

What is important to note about this study is that, for years, humans have already been eating beans which also have the same alpha-amylase inhibitor that was to be used in the GM peas, without evidence of an immune response.

Sidenote: Forgive me for being a weee bit skeptical here, but what "evidence" are they referring to in regards to the beans?

On a different note, countries such as Canada, USA and Australia have been very enthusiastic and supportive of embracing GM seeds/crops in agriculture -- maybe too eager?

Perhaps the GM pea risk assessment should be ringing a few cautionary warning bells.

“This work strongly supports the need for case-by-case examination of plants developed using genetic modification and the importance of decision-making based on good science,” said deputy chief of CSIRO Plant Industry, Dr TJ Higgins.

Source: GM pea study discontinued after assessment failure - FoodNavigator/Europe

Nestlé baby milk recall in 4 European countries

Two million litres of baby milk in four European countries were recalled by Nestlé due to a packaging problem.

"The company had originally been informed in September that traces of the chemical IsopropilThioXantone (ITX) had been found in some cartons of its Nidina and Latte Mio brands. Tetra Pak, the container's maker, removed ITX from the cartons in October.

When Italian regulators this week began seizing about 30 million litres of the milk from stores and trucks this week, Nestlé decided to extend its original recall to a wider range of the product in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal."

Apparently, the problem occurred during a "routine" test for other substances by an Italian laboratory. The laboratory found the traces of ITX in the milk products and regulators told Nestlé about the problem. ITX was subsequently discovered to leak from the carton to any fatty products like milk when it is exposed to sunlight's ultraviolet rays. In a press statement, Tetra Pak said it switched its carton printing processes in October once it discovered the problem.

Once again, it brings up my point on the importance of packaging.

Now you see why we use pharmaceutical grade bottles for Goji Juice... This way there is no leaching of plasticizers nor any other potentially harmful toxins into the juice and no loss of nutrients out of the juice (ie such as sun can degrade phytochemicals in some products through glass bottles).

When I say Dr. Mindell is a perfectionist when it comes to the formulation, processing and packaging of all his products, I certainly mean it.

Important New USA Health Legislation

On May 24, 2005, Mr. BROWN of Ohio introduced the following bill -- HR 2562 IH -- to the 109th Congress, first session, which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce:

Short Title- This Act may be cited as the `Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2005'

The bill's intent is, "To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to preserve the effectiveness of medically important antibiotics used in the treatment of human and animal diseases."

There was a very long list of "findings" presented in the act, only a few of which I include here:

- the task force determined that antibiotic resistance is a growing menace to all people and poses a serious threat to public health

- the task force cautioned that if current trends continue, treatments for common infections will become increasingly limited and expensive, and, in some cases, nonexistent

- antibiotic resistance, resulting in a reduced number of effective antibiotics, may significantly impair the ability of the United States to respond to terrorist attacks involving bacterial infections or a large influx of hospitalized patients

- any overuse or misuse of antibiotics contributes to the spread of antibiotic resistance, whether in human medicine or in agriculture

The bill contains far more than just the 4 points above. To read more about the bill, and the New legislation, visit through this link.

Meanwhile, stay safe and be well.

Tainted Meat - Factory Farming

Although I live in "farm country" even I was blissfully unaware of how the process of rearing farm animals in the US has changed dramatically from the family farms of yesteryear. You see, I live in an area where some cattle is actually still grazed, like "the old days" ... where beef is actually beef ...and where I thought pork was actually pork.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered the sickening rise in factory farming in this part of Northern Indiana -- indeed, throughout the USA.

A special town meeting on Monday (Nov 14/2005) truly opened my eyes, and I was shocked, disgusted, even horrified by new discoveries I've made since the meeting while researching the facts not presented by the owners of a proposed new hog factory farm planned for erection on land adjoining one of the most precious wildlife reserves in the USA ...a resting ground for tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes each year on their annual migratory path.

For starters, here's a few statistics on factory farming I uncovered:

Amount of waste produced annually by US livestock in confinement operations which is not recycled: 1 billion tons

Where feedlot waste often ends up: In our water

Gallons of oil spilled by the Exxon-Valdez: 12 million

Gallons of putrefying hog urine and feces spilled into the New River in North Carolina on June 21, 1995, when a "lagoon" holding 8 acres of hog excrement burst: 25 million

Fish killed as an immediate result: 10-14 million

That's enough to get any environmentalist steaming mad... and yet, it doesn't stop there. The hidden dangers that we all face at the supermarkets each day are far more serious. For example:

Antibiotics administered to people in the US annually to treat diseases: 3 million pounds

Antibiotics administered to livestock in the US annually for purposes other than treating disease: 24.6 million pounds

Antibiotics allowed in cow's milk: 80

Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13%

Percentage of staphylococci infections resistant to penicillin in 1988: 91%

Reason: Breeding of antibiotic resistant bacteria in factory farms due to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock

Response by entire European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Ban

Response by American meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Full and complete support

Are you getting just a little bit concerned about the meat we're buying yet? Well... it gets worse.

A report by the USDA estimates that 89% of US beef patties contain traces of the deadly E. coli strain. Reuters News Service 8/10/00

US pigs raised in total confinement factories where they never see the light of day until being trucked to slaughter: 65 million (total confinement factories are banned in Britain)

US pigs who have pneumonia at time of slaughter: 70%

Primary source of Campylobacter bacteria: Contaminated chicken flesh

People in the US who become ill with Campylobacter poisoning every day: More than 5,000

American turkeys sufficiently contaminated with Campylobacter to cause illness: 90%

Americans sickened from eating Salmonella-tainted eggs every year: More than 650,000

Americans killed from eating Salmonella-tainted eggs every year: 600

Increase in Salmonella poisoning from raw or undercooked eggs between 1976 and 1986: 600%

90% of US chickens are infected with leukosis -- chicken cancer -- at the time of slaughter.

Average lifespan of a dairy cow - 25 years; average lifespan when on a factory dairy farm - 4 years.

The situation of factory farming is far worse than you might have possibly imagined. EarthSave came out with some alarming news in their article titled -- "Factory Farm Alarm" -- published on their website. Here's a short quote:

Known to scientists as Pfiesteria (feast-eer-ee-ah) piscicida (Latin for "fish killer"), the microscopic organism was demonstrating its propensity for turning rivers and estuaries into death traps for immense schools of fish. Pfiesteria's powerful nerve poison was also being blamed as the likely cause for sickening scores of fishermen, coastal residents and tourists. Pfiesteria leaves fish and people with ugly lesions. Human contact can also result in memory loss, dizziness, fatigue and asthmatic problems.

Seven years after being first identified by North Carolina State University (NCSU) aquatic botanist JoAnn Burkholder, Pfiesteria remains today largely an enigma. What is known, says Burkholder, is that we are dealing with a vicious and mysterious microorganism that can masquerade as a plant, lie dormant for years and undergo at least 24 changes in its life cycle. Pfiesteria is also decidedly predacious, a first among dinoflagellates, the family of typically placid single-cell phytoplankton to which it belongs. Because of its bizarre knack for hunting down fish, some call Pfiesteria the "T-Rex of the dinoflagellates." Others liken its inexplicably aggressive behavior "to grass feeding on sheep."

There's at least one other thing that's well-understood about Pfiesteria: it is most at home and multiplies tremendously in polluted, over-enriched waters.

Burkholder believes that Pfiesteria has always dwelled in coastal North Carolina but that something in the past decade has altered the natural ecology there to foster its growth. In early 1995, Burkholder uncovered what she believed that "something" was. That's when she read 'Boss Hog,' a Pulitzer prize-winning exposé in Raleigh's News and Observer. In just a few short years, the newspaper revealed, a virtual revolution has transpired in eastern North Carolina—where once there were only hog hamlets, now there are pork metropolises disposing of millions of tons of putrid waste. The implications for water quality are mind-boggling.

The first paragraph of 'Boss Hog' made such an impression on Burkholder that she can recite it from memory: 'Imagine a city as big as New York suddenly grafted onto North Carolina's Coastal Plain. Double it. Now imagine that this city has no sewage treatment plants. All the wastes from 15 million people are simply flushed into open pits and sprayed onto fields. Turn those humans into hogs, and you don't have to imagine at all. It's already here.'

And the sad part is, here's a lady steeped in credentials who does her research thoroughly, digs deep into the problem and traces the growing dangers ...and her findings went largely ignored. In fact, her research, her credentials and even her outspokenness were openly challenged by government officials whose job was to safeguard environmental and public health.

For years, these officials, perhaps acting to protect North Carolina's powerful agricultural industry, refused to accept even the existence of Pfiesteria. Yet, about 140 North Carolina physicians petitioned then Vice President Al Gore for federal help in dealing with Pfiesteria.

Even sadder -- those very officials are not protecting an agricultural industry at all... farm factories don't even earn the right to be called farms. Few have even enough experience to be capable of running a real farm -- and animal husbandry, phooey. They only understand mass production, genetic manipulation, drugging animals to keep them barely alive, long enough to reach the slaughterhouses and packing plants in order for the neatly wrapped meat to appear in our own homes. Calling them farms is an insult to true farmers everywhere. By rights, such factories should be bound by industrial laws, not farming regulations, with a responsibility to protect their workers and regulations in place that force them to be accountable for the environmental damages they incur everywhere they spring up.

(And when you find out about the animals that don't make it to the end of the line -- ugh!! -- it's enough to make you swear off meat altogether.)

Meanwhile, back here in a sleepy residential area of Jasper County tucked away in a small section of Indiana, just a few hours drive from Perdu University (one of the largest animal research universities in North America) ...a hog factory farm with 2,496 heads has been approved by the Board of Zoning --- and it's being parked right next to one of the largest game reserves/sandhill crane resting areas in the State.

Why 2,496 head of hogs? Because 2,500 heads would mean they'd have to meet Federal regulations instead of State or County regulations.

How did they slip their foot in the door? By setting up a land deal where they would purchase 20 acres contained inside another 20 acres held by the seller of the land ...but they made a mistake. The land deal didn't go through in time -- and area residents found out... albeit too late to stop the special exception permit, but maybe --- just maybe --- in time to present an appeal case.

Now if they can only afford and hire a competent lawyer.

The deck is stacked against area residents, because many of the lawyers in the region cite "conflict of interest" and are scared to touch the case.

What happens next? Stay safe, be well, don't buy factory farm meat --- and stay tuned as we bring you more on this story...

Keywords:
factory farm, tainted meat, hog factory farming, health dangers
Pfiesteria, Campylobacter poisoning, E. coli, antibiotic resistant bacteria

Younger Doctors Better Than Older Doctors?

The New England Journal of Medicine posted a GREAT article today, titled "How'm I Doing?"

One paragraph lept off the page:

"Time-limited certification is now a reality for all boards recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, and since all boards will be requiring some measurement of performance in practice, more of us are going to get the kind of population-based picture of our practices that I got with my diabetes exercise. Many have greeted the requirement of recertification with skepticism and hostility, offering a variety of arguments against it:
- it's not relevant to my practice;
- it takes too much time and costs too much money;
- I'm a mature professional and don't need anybody looking over my shoulder;
- doctors who are older and perhaps less capable than I are grandfathered in and don't have to do it, so why should I have to?"

Hmmmmmm.... it kind of makes you wonder if those "older doctors" referenced in this article are really as qualified as they need to be in today's world, doesn't it?

Deaths By Food Poisoning

Foodborne disease concerns are on the rise in the EU, ever since one company got shut down after an E. coli outbreak spread to 161 people (affecting mostly school children) ...killing one young boy.

John Tudor & Sons, which supplied schools, retirement homes and retail outlets, has been closed down since the firm's cooked meat products were linked to the E coli 0157 outbreak, which occurred throughout south Wales, most of them at 42 schools.

"The firm, based in Bridgend, South Wales, closed down voluntarily when the food poisoning outbreak occurred. Local officials later issued an emergency notice stopping the company from trading. The company contested the decision and is waiting for a court decision on the matter. Police sealed off the plant on 7 October and launched a criminal investigation into the firm's disinfection procedures and its vacuum packing process at its plant in South Wales." source - FoodProductionDailyEU

The new EU regulations covers controls at all stages of production, processing and distribution. It covers controls on feed and food produced within the EU and that are exported to or imported from outside the bloc.

New rules on imports will require systematic checks of documentation with additional random identity and physical checks for foods and feeds of animal origin, plus imported "high-risk" foods are slated to get the same intense scrutiny.

However, with about 700 unfilled food safety posts in the UK -- even with tougher legislation and random spot-checks, will there be enough Food Safety inspectors to go around?

The tighter control legislation comes at a time when food safety concerns are on the rise throughout the world ...but few general consumers are even aware of these concerns.

For example, in the USA many people might perceive the quality of our food to be quite high -- right? Guess again. According to one source, the death rate extrapolations for USA for food poisoning is estimated at 5,000 per year.

That's 416 deaths per month, 96 per week, 13 per day.

Too much Arsenic in bottled water?

Bottled water has always seemed to me to be just that -- water in a bottle.

Apparently, I was wrong. Sometimes, even I feel naive about some of the products circulating out there in our world. Check out this News article from BeverageDaily posted last Saturday:

Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA) warned that Zam Zam water, which is sacred to Muslims, is being fraudulently sold with almost three times the permitted level of arsenic – thought to be a cancer-causing substance.

The batches were seized in London's Borough of Westminster, but the FSA said that “other brands of Zam Zam water are thought to be on sale in the UK and could be contaminated”.

It is illegal to export Zam Zam water from its native Saudi Arabia for commercial sale, although it can be brought into the UK by returning pilgrims for personal use.

The local authorities in Westminster have now ordered the importer, Amazon Communicate, to stop importing its Natural Zam Zam water.

Yes, I'll be doing more digging into this story, as well as the bottled water industry, to find out what is really going on.

All About Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

A few fun facts on Vitamin C of which you may not be aware.

• Is your vitamin C made in China?


• How is vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) made?


• What is vitamin C and what are the Health Benefits of vitamin C?


• What are some natural food sources of vitamin C?


• What food products normally contain vitamin C additives? (Enriched/Fortified)


• How can you preserve vitamin C content in your fruits and vegetables?

All of the above questions and more are answered in our NEW article: All About Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

Fish Oils - Hidden Dangers

Most of our regular readers already know the background on Goji Juice and why it took Dr. Earl Mindell so long to bring it to the world. The key holdup was a small (read HUGE) thing called: STANDARIZING

In other words, until Dr. Mindell could be 100% certain every single bottle of his Himalayan Goji Juice contained all 4 master molecules in the right balance from the original bloodline of goji berry quoted in Ancient text, he refused to produce the final product.

It took years of research, some very special tools and highly unique manufacturing practices before success resulted in a fully STANDARDIZED juice.

Well, scientists are now reporting how extremely important the little thing called STANDARDIZING can be in manufacturing health supplements -- particularly in the area of fish oil supplements.

Fish oil is easily oxidised -- and when this takes place, potentially toxic oxidation byproducts can be the result.

In other words, some fish oil supplements could be doing more harm than good.

Dr. Carlene McLean, New Zealand's Crop & Food Research institute's oils expert, says that she has tested many fish oil samples from the UK and Asian markets and found them to contain oxidation byproducts, despite being within the sell-by date.

"Oxidised oils and fats of other types have been shown to increase the risk of atherosclerosis and thrombosis in a small number of human trials. These effects have been seen with relatively low levels of oxidised product – similar to a regular dose of fish oil capsules," said scientist Rufus Turner.

Fish oil at a late stage of oxidization will smell rancid but the initial breakdown products, which are still harmful, have little aroma, according to the researcher.

"It is very worrying because nobody has really put this together yet they are doing large trials using high dose supplements," added Dr Carlene McLean, the institute's oils expert. "But they don't consider the level of oxidation in the supplements."

Fish oil is a highly unstable product and as soon as it is extracted from fish, and exposed to oxygen, metals, light and heat, it begins to oxidise. Most fish oil producers remove many of the oxidation products during the purifying process but this is not enough, says McLean.

"Many fish oil supplements have a best-before date of three to four years. But fish oil starts to go off within days," according to McLean.

Additionally, the products are often encapsulated in a gelatine shell making it difficult for the consumer to notice.

Some manufacturers of fish oil supplements may also add vitamin E, an antioxidant, to prevent further oxidation but many producers use the more readily available form, alpha-tocopherol, which is not such a potent antioxidant as another more expensive form, gamma-tocopherol.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Sure -- you can go out there and purchase your supplements based on the lowest cost -- but this example reveals clearly that you could be doing more harm to your health than good.

My advice, make sure you know the quality of all supplements you are taking -- and equally important -- let your health care provider know what you are taking. Not all supplements are created equal, but I'm betting you already know that, right?

Polio Rises Up Again

Just when you think it's gone for good -- new outbreaks of polio show up.

Reported in the London Free Press:

"Minnesota health officials announced last week that four children, members of an Amish community, had the polio virus. Two weeks earlier, a seven-month-old infant from the community was diagnosed with polio, the first such case in the U.S. in five years."

Canada was declared polio-free in 1994, however Canadian authorities were alerted because Ontario is home to several Amish communities. Travel back and forth from Amish communities in the U.S. is common.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit (in Canada) found some Amish members in Middlesex had travelled to central Minnesota, the area with the polio cases, and are now on heightened aleart.

Bariatric Surgery Studies Highlight Dangers

Several new studies in the Oct. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association point out some of the real risks associated with bariatric surgery.

We wrote about some of the dangers in our first article on the subject a couple years back, in our article: "The Dangers of W-eight L-oss Surgery"

In fact, shortly after writing and posting the above article, a friend of mine had stopped by for coffee and related a story about how one of her own co-workers had died following bariatric surgery.

At the time of writing the article, death rates on the operating table were high -- estimated at 1% ...but I didn't have estimates for death rates FOLLOWING the operation. Now, in the recent studies that have come out, as reported by Forbes.com it appears the estimate is almost 5% for medicare recipient patients ...meaning approx. 5 in every 100 patients will die??

Whew! That's a very high number when talking about fatalaty rates relating to any medical procedure.

Here is a sampling of the list of dangers, as reported in Forbes.com's article -- "Studies Highlight Risks of Bariatric Surgery":

1. One study found rehospitalization rates within a year following the surgery were as high as 19 percent.

2. And another study looked at death rates for Medicare recipients following gastric-bypass surgery, and discovered the mortality rate was almost 5 percent after a year. (see below)

3. A third study examined trends in bariatric surgery, and found the number of bariatric surgeries have increased dramatically, from 13,365 in 1998 to an estimated 102,794 in 2003.

Regarding item 2 above, among those with public insurance and the mortality rates for those on Medicare who undergo bariatric surgery:

"They found the death rate after 30 days was 2 percent for Medicare recipients. After 90 days, that rate was 2.8 percent and after a year, the death rate for bariatric surgery patients receiving Medicare benefits was 4.6 percent. This study also found the death rate was 1.6 times higher when done by a surgeon who performed a low volume of bariatric surgeries."

Considering it's "predicted that more than 100,000 people will soon have the procedure annually" --- it begs the question: Isn't there a better way??

New FDA Ruling Has Food Makers Scrambling

Beginning 1 January 2006, the FDA will require all food companies to label the amount of trans-fat in their products allowing consumers to have additional information to make healthier food choices that could lower their intake of trans fat as part of a heart-healthy diet.

And according to ACNeilson, US citizens have already woken up to the health dangers trans fats present. US sales of products already labeled "no trans fat" increased 12 percent to $6.4 billion for the 52 weeks ended October 2, 2004, compared with the previous 52-week period.

Trans-fats have been negatively linked to raising blood cholesterol levels and promoting heart disease, and food companies have been looking for ways of reducing trans-fat content without affecting taste.

Cargill has already indicated that they intend to ramp up production of Vistive, a low-linolenic soybean-based oil, following the growing interest in trans-fat reduced products. According to the company, low-linolenic soybeans will reduce the need for partial hydrogenation of soybean oil, helping food companies reduce the presence of trans fatty acids (trans fats) in their products.

Another small manufacturer in North Carolina has taken it one GIANT step further in a very positive direction...

Carolina Soy Products have patented a new process which they claim is also environmentally friendly (in that it does not use Hexane gas to produce soy-based oil), a process that also retains the nutritional benefits of soy in a pure, culinary grade cooking oil. Their "Whole Harvest" products contain all naturally occurring Omega-3 fatty acids, are cholesterol free and contain no Trans Fatty acids!

I give Carolina Soy Products the big KUDOS this month.

Isn't it nice to see the little guy win for a change?

Stay tuned, as I'm sure the trans-fats oil scene will be heating up in the months ahead.

P.S. Click to learn more about the benefits of soy.

PAH - Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of over 100 different chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of coal, oil and gas, garbage, or other organic substances like tobacco or charbroiled meat. PAHs are usually found as a mixture containing two or more of these compounds, such as soot.

Some PAHs are manufactured. These pure PAHs usually exist as colorless, white, or pale yellow-green solids. PAHs are found in coal tar, crude oil, creosote, and roofing tar, but a few are used in medicines or to make dyes, plastics, and pesticides.

However, you also might be exposed to PAHs by eating grilled or charred meats, contaminated cereals, flour, bread, vegetables, fruits, meats as well as processed or pickled foods, and drinking contaminated water or cow's milk... to name just a few.

Longterm or delayed health effects include:
1) This chemical is likely to cause cancer. It is considered a Probable Carcinogen.
2) Reproductive Toxicant = Can harm reproductive system
3) Development Toxicant = Can interfere with normal development of a fetus or child
4) Suspected Endocrine Disruptor = May interfere with, mimic or block hormones

And this is why Europe's food agency is calling on scientists across the food industry to contribute data on the potentially carcinogenic compounds, because they have been increasingly pinpointed by consumer organisations as a food safety issue in the food chain.

Commission Regulation (EC) No 466/2001 as amended by Regulation 208/2005 sets maximum levels for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), specifically benzo[a]pyrene, in certain foods. But in view of remaining uncertainties on levels of carcinogenic PAH in foods, especially on those PAHs identified by the former EC Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) to possess both genotoxic and carcinogenic properties, the rules have provided for a review by April 1, 2007.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has developed a database, on the Commission's recommendation 2005/108/EC, to investigate the levels of PAHs in certain foods.

"Data from all kind of laboratories are needed; official food control, research, and the food industry," says EFSA.

I'm certain we will be hearing more on this subject in future.

Sources:

1. Agency For Toxic Substances And Disease Registry
2. Europe's food agency investigates harmful PAHs in food
3. CHEC's Health House - Chemical Summary PAH
4. Department of Health and Family Services - Wisconsin

Nobel Prize Winners May Help Stamp Out Stomach Ulcers

Over 25 million Americans will suffer from an ulcer at some point during their lifetime, according to the Center for Disease Control.

If you think, like many medical experts once thought, that bacterium cannot live in the acidic juices of the stomach, think again.

Drs. Barry Marshall and Robin Warren of Australia discovered that helicobacter pylori could actually survive, and thrive, in the lining of the stomach as well as the upper duodenum... and more important, this tiny bacteria could be the "trigger" for an ulcer -- not stress, anxiety, low immune system or diet as once believed by the medical community.

After much ridicule from the scientific and medical community, both doctors perservered in proving their findings and have finally received the top award -- the Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Their work has stimulated research into microbes as possible reasons for other chronic inflammatory conditions, such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis, the Nobel assembly said in its citation.

What Is Helicobacter Pylori?

Here is some general information from the Helicobacter Foundation Website

Helicobacter pylori is a spiral shaped bacterium that lives in the stomach and duodenum (section of intestine just below stomach). It has a unique way of adapting in the harsh environment of the stomach.

The inside of the stomach is bathed in about half a gallon of gastric juice every day. Gastric juice is composed of digestive enzymes and concentrated hydrochloric acid, which can readily tear apart the toughest food or microorganism. Bacteria, viruses, and yesterdays steak dinner are all consumed in this deadly bath of chemicals. It used to be thought that the stomach contained no bacteria and was actually sterile, but Helicobacter pylori changed that.

The stomach is protected from its own gastric juice by a thick layer of mucus that covers the stomach lining. Helicobacter pylori takes advantage of this protection by living in the mucus lining.

Urea hydrolysis: urea is broken down to ammonia and carbon dioxide

Once H. pylori is safely ensconced in the mucus, it is able to fight the stomach acid that does reach it with an enzyme it possesses called urease. Urease converts urea, of which there is an abundant supply in the stomach (from saliva and gastric juices), into bicarbonate and ammonia, which are strong bases. This creates a cloud of acid neutralizing chemicals around the H. pylori, protecting it from the acid in the stomach. The reaction of urea hydrolysis is important for diagnosis of H.pylori by the breath test.

Gram stain of H. Pylori

Another defense H. pylori has is that the body's natural defenses cannot reach the bacterium in the mucus lining of the stomach. The immune system will respond to an H. pylori infection by sending white cells, killer T cells, and other infection fighting agents. However, these potential H. pylori eradicators cannot reach the infection, because they cannot easily get through stomach lining. They do not go away either, though, and the immune response grows and grows. Polymorphs die, and spill their destructive compounds (superoxide radicals) on stomach lining cells. Extra nutrients are sent to reinforce the white cells, and the H. pylori can feed on this. within a few days, gastritis and perhaps eventually a peptic ulcer results. It may not be H. pylori itself which causes peptic ulcer, but the inflammation of the stomach lining; i.e. the response to H. pylori.

H. Pylori causing a neutrophil reaction (active chronic gastritis) in the lining (mucosa) of the stomach

H. pylori is believed to be transmitted orally. Many researchers think that H, pylori is transmitted orally by means of fecal matter through the ingestion of waste tainted food or water. In addition, it is possible that H. pylori could be transmitted from the stomach to the mouth through gastro-esophagal reflux (in which a small amount of the stomach's contents is involuntarily forced up the esophagus) or belching, common symptoms of gastritis. The bacterium could then be transmitted through oral contact.

Food Recall Alerts

Three food recalls top the list this month, as follows:

USA - Minnesota - Ready-Made Dole Salad Packs (3 types)

A potential outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Minnesota has resulted in three of the popular Dole Salads landing on the food recall list -- Classic Romaine, American Blend and Greener Selection, all of which contained three common ingredients: romaine lettuce, carrots and red cabbage.

And in the UK - Two Confectionary Products

Bassett's was forced to recall all of its milky babies confectionery range after small pieces of plastic were found in some packs. With the product being aimed at young children, the company saw no option other than a total recall due to the potential choking hazard. (This recall does not affect other Bassett's products.)

Meanwhile, Sainsburys is recalling its Basics plain chocolate owing to undeclared milk proteins that were found. The recall was essential because of the risk to anyone allergic or intolerant to milk who might have inadvertently bought the chocolate.

Nutrition News - brain food, learning power, tasty food wraps and more

It's time for some great news on the nutrition front. Here's a short collection of news items that have surfaced recently in areas of nutrition:

Keeping Our Brains Sharp Through Aging
Friedman Nutrition Notes - September/October 2005:

According to a recent report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, folate, a B vitamin found in foods like leafy green vegetables and citrus fruit, may protect against cognitive decline in older adults. The research team, led by Katherine L. Tucker, PhD, was conducted by scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

Tucker and her colleagues found that men who obtained more folate in their diets showed significantly less of a decline in verbal fluency skills over the course of three years than did men with lower dietary folate intake. High folate levels, both in the diet and in the blood, also appeared to be protective against declines in another category of cognitive skills known as spatial copying.

Enhance Your Learning Power With -- Breakfast!
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, September 9, 2005:

What simple practice seems to have one of the greatest effects on how well children do in school? The answer is: Eating breakfast.

Study after study has shown that children and adult students who eat breakfast do more and better work in school than those who don't. Those who don't eat breakfast tend to tire more quickly, be more irritable and react less quickly than those who do eat breakfast.

In a recent study conducted in the United Kingdom, school children were randomly given one or four breakfasts on four consecutive days, then tested for cognitive skills (attention, working memory and episodic memory) throughout the morning. The breakfasts consisted of wheat cereal and milk, oat cereal and milk, a sugar-based beverage or nothing at all. The children scored significantly better on the days following the two cereal-based breakfasts than when they had no breakfast or only a sugar-based beverage for breakfast.

USDA Adding New Zing To Sushi-Style Delicacies?
USDA Website - July 2005 News

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at Albany, Calif., and research partner Origami Foods, LLC, based in Pleasanton, Calif., are experimenting with dozens of delicious, attractively colored wraps made from familiar vegetables and fruits. For example, they've tested a bright-orange carrot-based wrap to encircle a cucumber, garlic and rice filling, and a deep-red tomato and basil wrap to hold a spicy tuna and rice filling.

Wholesome, colorful sushi wraps made from vegetables, fruits and spices enhance the flavor of traditional and novel sushi fillings, according to Origami Foods and ARS. In addition to two spinach sushi-style wraps, nine others were being tested in July of this year, including: apple-cinnamon, red bell pepper, mango-orange, carrot-ginger, tomato-basil, broccoli, soybean, strawberry and peach.

Yummy!

It's Pumpkin Season -- And Check Out How GREAT They Are!
Pumpkin Power! Calculating the Carotenoids in a Fall Favorite - ARS Oct. 2005

With the exception of pure juice made from a certain strain of goji berry (believed to be the most dense source of carotenoids on the planet) -- those cans of cooked, pureed pumpkin on your pantry shelf probably have more of a healthful phytonutrient called beta-carotene than any other food in your cupboard.

Our bodies can convert beta-carotene, a carotenoid and antioxidant, into vitamin A -- a nutrient essential for good eyesight and proper growth, according to ARS. Until now, there hasn’t been a fast, simple, and environmentally friendly way to precisely measure the beta-carotene and other carotenoids in pumpkin, but a new study may change this.

Why do we need to measure carotenoids more precisely?

These natural plant compounds, responsible for the orange hues of pumpkins and carrots and the deep reds of tomatoes, continue to capture the attention of nutrition and public health researchers worldwide. That's because these specialists are eager to discover more about carotenoids' health benefits.

"Some carotenoids are thought to help reduce incidence of cataracts, cardiovascular disease, and particular kinds of cancer," explains ARS chemist Betty J. Burri. And although beta-carotene is still the most studied type, the importance of other carotenoids, such as cryptoxanthin, lutein, and lycopene -- and the amounts in which they occur -- may become clear as more is learned about them.

Today, the exact sequence of steps that our bodies use to take up beta-carotene and convert it to vitamin A remains mostly mysterious. But it's thought that other carotenoids may play a role.

Besides being the star of that traditional pie dessert favored by many at Thanksgiving dinners, pumpkin can add a pleasing taste and texture to everything from appetizers to soups, stews, and even chili.

Enjoy it with zest, knowing how much it could be doing for YOU!

Troubles Rising For The UK's FSA Profiling

The UK's Food Standards Agency's (FSA) profiling proposal, developed at the end of July, used zero as a benchmark, with positive scores indicating unhealthy products and minus scores pointing to healthier options, according to NutraIngredients/Europe.

Using this benchmark process has lumped some foods/drinks formerly believed to be quite healthy into the unhealthy category...

For example, using the new FSA benchmark, whole, semi-skimmed and flavoured milk have the same health value as diet fizzy drinks -- they would be no better for you than drinking a Diet Coke. All got a score of zero.

In another example, olive oil is portrayed through this new profiling, to be less healthy than a range of potato crisps, chocolate biscuits and cakes. Olive oil received a score of 20, despite a number of studies showing that a so-called Mediterranean diet, with a high ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids (mostly olive oil) to polyunsaturated fatty acids, has a protective effect on the heart.

The current profiling scheme means that even breast milk would fall into the bad-health category of 'high in saturated fat, salt or sugar' and the positioning of cheese on the 'scorecard' would result in being similarly unsuitable.

Dairy UK was reported to have serious concerns about the FSA's profiling. "We question the omission of micronutrients such as protein quality, minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium, as well as vitamins A and B," said Ed Komorowski, Dairy UK's technical director, as part of an FSA consultation period that ended this week.

Don't feel too bad. When the USDA came out with it's ORAC testing/rating system to rate the antioxidant power of foods/juices... the test didn't even acknowledge carotenoids.

Methinks both groups should go back to the drawing board ...but that's just my humble opinion.