HSI e-Alert - Beef Baloney

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <hsiresearch

HSI e-Alert - Beef Baloney

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 06:50:00 -0400

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

The good news: You might start seeing beef labeled " grassfed " in your

local grocer's meat section.

 

The bad news: Don't believe it.

 

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The new math

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Have government regulators lost their minds? (That's rhetorical, of

course. The answer is obvious.)

 

For instance...

 

There are two reasons we're seeing so many products with the promise

" zero trans-fats " printed on the labels: 1) Trans-fats are very

unhealthy, and 2) The FDA now allows any product that contains less

than 0.5 grams of trans-fats per serving to make the " zero " claim.

That's right: 0.499999999999 = zero, according to the math geniuses at

the FDA. Eat a couple of 0.49 servings and your zero trans-fat intake

quickly stops being zero.

 

Don't you want to just throttle these guys!

 

Apparently the folks over at the U.S. Department of Agriculture got

wind of the trans-fat scam and figured they'd pull the same trick.

 

With more and more people realizing that grassfed cows produce far

more nutritious and safer meat, the USDA has proposed a new rule for

using the word " grassfed " on meat products. Here's how Dr. Patricia

Whisnant, president of the American Grassfed Association (AGA)

describes the doubletalk: " The USDA proposal would allow animals to be

kept in confinement, fed harvested forage, corn silage and other

grains that have not been separated from their stalks. If this

proposed claim passes into regulation you could see feedlot beef fed

antibiotics, hormones and legally be labeled grassfed. "

 

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Orwell at the USDA

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A recent New York Times report on the USDA proposal noted that agency

officials asked the AGA for input on the new rule. The AGA response

defined a grassfed animal as one that's fed in pastures (except in

emergencies) and is not given antibiotics or growth hormones.

 

I wonder what part of " fed in pastures " the USDA guys didn't understand.

 

What's really infuriating is WHY the animals need antibiotics. This

past June, when Eric Schlosser, the author of " Fast Food Nation, "

addressed an AGA conference, he explained that a few decades ago the

government came up with a plan for surplus corn. They convinced

ranchers and farmers to feed the corn to cows. Great idea! Just one

little problem.

 

As quoted in the Denver Post, Mr. Schlosser continued: " Cows don't

normally eat corn. They can't digest it. So we had to feed them

antibiotics because they were using up valuable energy to process

corn, resulting in weakened immune systems. "

 

Incredible! Years ago some government bureaucrats solved an excess

corn problem, and in the process transformed the beef supply. Which,

in turn, also transformed nutrition for millions of people over most

of the 20th Century, lowering overall intake of omega-3 fatty acids

and conjugated linoleic acid, while increasing antibiotic intake.

 

And NOW some government bureaucrats want to redefine " grassfed " to

dupe consumers into believing we're getting the kind of nutrition we

should have been getting all along!

 

It's enough to make you want to put them out to pasture!

 

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....and another thing

 

Don't panic.

 

That's my initial response to this question from an HSI member named

Clarissa.

 

" So, if one were say 68 years old and has begun to inexplicably lose

weight, then is there anything to do to prevent the onset of dementia

knowing that the weight loss may be an early warning sign? "

 

Clarissa is referring to a Mayo Clinic study I recently told you about

in which researchers concluded that unexplained weight loss in

middle-aged women might be linked to a higher risk of dementia later

in life.

 

Until further studies verify the Mayo findings (and, hopefully,

explain the mechanism behind this link) this should be regarded only

as a potential red flag, not a warning bell.

 

That said, there are three steps that may minimize the risk and

severity of dementia.

 

* Exercise

Two studies conducted by researchers at the University of Washington

showed that subjects who were the least physically active were about

three times more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's disease

when compared to subjects who were most active

 

* Niacin intake

According to a study from Chicago's Rush Institute for Healthy Aging,

high levels of dietary niacin may significantly reduce the risk of

cognitive decline (Niacin is most abundant in high-protein foods such

as beef liver, peanuts, chicken, tuna and salmon.)

 

*Sage works for some

Studies show that sage inhibits AChE, an enzyme that breaks down a

chemical that's typically deficient in Alzheimer's disease patients

 

For more information about early detection and prevention of dementia

and Alzheimer's disease, see the e-Alert " Early Warning " (6/5/06),

which you can find at this link:

 

http://www1.youreletters.com/t/395269/2413923/789176/0/

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

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