Guest guest Posted May 1, 2005 Report Share Posted May 1, 2005 FRIED STAPLE FOODS DANGER JoAnn Guest Apr 30, 2005 19:55 PDT European and American food science experts and officials are taking concerted action to try to reduce potentially dangerous levels of acrylamide, a toxin known to cause cancer, in staple foods. The move follows an announcement in March by Swedish scientists that acrylamides were present in a wide range of foods, particularly fried, starch-based foods, such as chips and French fries. " ...t is the first time we are dealing with substances that are potentially carcinogenic in human staple foods, " said Dieter Arnold of the Federal Institute for Consumer Health Protection in Berlin. The experts said that traces of carcinogens can be found in grilled and baked meats, but acrylamide represents an even greater danger. Acrylamide is a known poisonous substance produced in plastics manufacture. Its presence in food was a chance discovery by researchers at Stockholm University testing tunnel workers exposed to large quantities of acrylamide from a water sealant in 1997. When they found similarly high levels in the blood of workers not exposed to the sealant, they concluded that diet was responsible. Studies to date show that a minimum temperature of 120 degrees C is needed to start formation of acrylamide in foods, although 140 to 180 degrees C is optimal. " The hotter and longer you bake or fry, the more carcinogen forms, " said Dr. Arnold. The carcinogen tends to attack the thyroid gland, female mammary gland, male testes, and mouth. (Organic NZ, September/October 2002, Soil & Health Association of NZ Inc., P.O. Box 36-170, Northcote, Auckland 9 or 29 Pearn Crescent, Northcote. In-, www.organicnz.pl.net.) v PLASTIC FOOD " Back in 1967 or so...a food technologist...speculated...that when looked at through a microscope, a hydrogenated fat molecule looks very much like a plastic molecule.... `Lipid chemists,' he explained, `actually talk about plasticizing oils.' ...I decided to discontinue selling margarine—as well as products containing vegetable shortening, margarine's cousin—and to perform a little experiment: It was quite nontechnical.... I put a cube of margarine... on a saucer and placed the saucer on the window sill.... I reasoned that if I made it readily available and if it was real food, insects and microorganisms would invite themselves to the feast. Flies and ants and mold would be all over it just as if it were butter.... That cube of margarine became infamous. I left it sitting on the window sill for about two years. Not [one insect or] speck of mold ever appeared on it.... I had reached the conclusion long ago that margarine basically is not food, whether or not it's like plastic. " —Fred Rohe, Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation Health Journal, in Nourishing Traditions, p. 141, PMB 106-380, 4200 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20016) ADVERTISED FOODS " When Adelle Davis, the famous nutrition writer, appeared on the Johnny Carson show, she was asked to give a `rule of thumb' for healthy eating. She said, `If it is advertised in the media, don't buy it.' An excellent rule indeed. Unfortunately the TV station blipped her out. Viewers never heard the comment. When money goes into advertising, cuts must be made elsewhere, so the cheapest ingredients are used—hydrogenated vegetable oils, high fructose corn syrup, white flour and additives that mimic the taste of properly prepared whole food. " —Sally Fallon in Nourishing Traditions =============================================== Studies Show These Effects Of Hydrogenated Trans-Fats On The Body ----- 1 Lowers the " good " HDL cholesterol in a dose response manner (the higher the 'trans' level in the diet, the lower the HDL cholesterol in the serum); 2 Raises the " bad " LDL cholesterol in a dose response manner; 3 Raises the atherogenic lipoprotein (a) in humans; 4 Raises total serum cholesterol levels 20-30mg%; 5 Lowers the amount of cream (volume) in milk from lactating females in all species studied, including humans, thus lowering the overall quality available to the infant; 6 Correlates to low birth weight in human infants; 7 Increases blood insulin levels in humans in response to glucose load, increasing risk for diabetes; 8 Affects immune response by lowering efficiency of B cell response and increasing proliferation of T cells; 9 Decreases levels of testosterone in male animals, increases level of abnormal sperm, and interferes with gestation in females; 10:) Decreases the response of the red blood cell to insulin, thus having a potentially undesirable effect in diabetics; 11:) Inhibits the function of membrane-related enzymes such as the delta-6 desaturase, resulting in decreased conversion of, e.g., linoleic acid to arachidonic acid; 12:) Causes adverse alterations in the activities of the important enzyme system that metabolizes chemical carcinogens and drugs (medications), i.e., the mixed function oxidase cytochromes 13:) Causes alterations in physiological properties of biological membranes including measurements of membrane transport and membrane fluidity; 14:) Causes alterations in adipose cell size, cell number, lipid class, and fatty acid composition; 15:) Adversely interacts with conversion of plant omega-3 fatty acids to elongated omega-3 tissue fatty acids; Escalates adverse effects of essential fatty acid deficiency; 16:) Increases peroxisomal activity (potentiates free-radical formation) 17:) Increased breast cancer in women 18:) Increased heart disease in men and women 19:) Increases non-insulin dependent type diabetes disease =============================================== Danish Nutrition Council - Influence of Trans fatty acids -- Vol. 48, No. 2, 2004 Free Abstract Article (References) Article (PDF 71 KB) -- Review Influence of Trans Fatty Acids on Health Steen Stendera, Jørn Dyerbergb Danish Nutrition Council, aDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, and bInstitute of Human Nutrition, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg, Denmark Address of Corresponding Author Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism 2004;48:61-66 (DOI: 10.1159/000075591) - Key Words -Trans fatty acids Ischemic heart disease -Food safety Heart rhythm - Abstract The contribution of dietary trans fatty acids (TFAs) on the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) has recently gained further support due to the results from large, prospective, population-based studies. Compared to saturated fat, TFAs are, gram to gram, associated with a considerably (2.5- to >10-fold) higher risk increment for IHD. A negative effect on the human fetus and on newborns and an increase in colon cancer risk in adults are possible but, however, still equivocal. Recent findings justify further studies concerning the effect of TFAs on allergic diseases in children and on the risk of type-2 diabetes in adults. The intake of industrially produced TFAs in European countries is decreasing. However, determination of the TFA content in various popular food items collected in Danish shops showed that it is likely that persons with a frequent intake of, e.g., French fries, microwave oven popcorn, chocolate bars, fast food, etc., consume industrially produced TFAs in amounts far exceeding the average intake, and are thereby exposed to an unnecessary health risk. The Danish government has decided that oils and fats containing more than 2% industrially produced TFAs will not be sold in Denmark after the January 1, 2004. 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel -- Author Contacts Steen Stender Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Gentofte Hospital University of Copenhagen, Niels Andersens Vej 65 DK-2900 Hellerup (Denmark) Tel. +45 3977 3120, Fax +45 3977 7616, E-Mail st- -- Article Information Published online: December 16, 2003 Number of Print Pages : 6 Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 0, Number of References : 52 -- Free Abstract Article (References) Article (PDF 71 KB) _________________ JoAnn Guest mrsjo- DietaryTi- www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes AIM Barleygreen " Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future " http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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