Fwd: Deception

[Guest guest]

" Robert Cohen " <notmilk@e...>

Tue Jul 15, 2003 6:50 am

Deception

 

Note how cleverly written was the following column, which

appeared in the November, 1990 issue of Hoard's Dairyman,

Volume 136, Number 19, page 840.

 

The headline suggests that we need to consume dietary

cholesterol for good health.

 

The mini column appears as written:

 

" We Need Fat and Cholesterol Despite Bad Reputation

 

'Fat and cholesterol have been getting a bad rap. But fat

is an essential nutrient for health and well-being,' says

Gretchen Hill, University of Missouri-Columbia nutritionist.

 

'People think in terms of fat and cholesterol as the bad guys,'

she notes. 'But that's only because they don't understand how

the body works.'

 

Neil Stone, a Northwestern University School of Medicine

physician, says the ideal diet for most people keeps fat intake

to less than 30 percent of total calories and cholesterol intake

to under 300 milligrams on average per day. Stone says

people who inherit a predisposition to cholesterol buildup

in the body are at risk.

 

Fat is necessary so fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K get

absorbed by the body. Cholesterol is necessary for growth,

stress control and sex hormone production. "

 

Do boys and girls require animal cholesterol in their

diets? Is that what makes them grow up to become healthy

adults?

 

In March of 2002, I called the United States Department

of Agriculture ans asked that question of Bill Wagner,

Child Nutrition Section Chief for Food Labeling.

Bill's phone number is 703-305-2590.

 

We were having a grand old time until I got to the

point of my call. " Bill, " I said.

 

" Why does a carton of milk contain RDA information

for cholesterol. Is USDA telling consumers to eat

cholesterol to insure good health? "

 

Here's what Bill said to me. I took careful notes.

 

" Based on a 2000 calorie diet provided on all

retail products, the best way to look at the

labeling information is that it's a guide for

what you should consume in a day. "

 

I interrupted.

 

" In other words, one needs to eat cholesterol? "

 

His response surprised me.

 

" Of course. Everybody needs to eat some

dietary cholesterol. "

 

" How much? " I asked.

 

" I don't claim to be an expert, " was his response.

 

" Well, you've got the title. You're in charge,

aren't you? "

 

Bill gave me some other names and numbers to call.

 

One was Dr. Peter Murano, the Deputy Admninistrator

for the Special Needs Program at USDA.

 

Murano would not get on the phone with me, but his

secretary, Vicki Majors, was kind enough to call me

back with Dr. Murano's written statement. For the

record, Dr. Murano believes:

 

" The body does require cholesterol, and it's

important to supplement it, especially

growing children. That's why it's listed on

a carton of milk. "

 

I would have asked Dr. Murano why it is that

vegetarians who eat no animal cholesterol live

ten years longer than those who enjoy eating

saturated animal fat and cholesterol, but he

did not call me back.

 

The buck (not Bambi) stops on somebody's

USDA desk, and I identified that person as

George Braley, USDA Acting Undersecretary for

Food and Nutrition. I left many messages for

him, but was not called back.

 

Before giving up on USDA entirely, I reached

their dietician, a pleasant guy by the name of

Tim Vasquez. Tim is 30-years-old, and has no

kids, but we did have a nice conversation

about cholesterol. He could not remember

whether dietary cholesterol was required,

but he promised to get back to me, and did.

Here is what Tim said:

 

" The body makes the cholesterol it

requires. In addition, cholesterol is

obtained from food. "

 

Despite the fact that just about every

health practitioner cautions his or her

patients on limiting their consumption of

dietary cholesterol, USDA promotes the

consumption of cholesterol by requiring

RDA labeling on cartons of milk.

 

USDA makes cholesterol a good and necessary

factor in the American diet. What is the

current RDA for logic and intelligence?

 

Robert Cohen

http://www.notmilk.com