About Intestines

Sherri's comment spurred some thoughts I have about intestines, primarily the colon or large intestine. Lots of good thinking to do about intestines. Nothing subtle about them.

Irritation and inflammation of the large intestine are common. It makes sense, though, that such an indispensable organ (system) would be capable of such patent communication.

Symptoms involving the colon range from mild to severe. They can be intermittent or chronic. The causes are myriad. They include one or a mix of ... a bacterium, a virus, a parasite, yeast, a particular food or foods, supplements and drugs, a stretched stomach, hormones, an immune issue, certain mental states. (90% to 95% of the serotonin in our body is in the GI tract, not the brain. There are different kinds of receptors though, and different kinds of drugs based on those receptors.)

There are structural changes that can cause problems too: diverticula (out-pouches), narrowing of the lumen, polyps and lesions. If the cause of symptoms can be determined, a diagnosis can be made. That's sometimes difficult to do, even when you look inside, or view cells under a microscope, or check for antibodies. Because there are so many factors ... overlapping, synergistic, episodic. Gastroenterology is a fascinating field.

Less severe colon conditions include Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS can be managed (after you get rid of any infective agent) through a process of elimination of foods/beverages*, increased soluble fiber, probiotics, relaxation exercises, adequate sleep, and other lifestyle changes. There's a whole list of foods (and other things we put in our mouth) that may be causative or exacerbating, it's very individual. (Dairy, citrus, and fried foods come to mind.)

Once the GI lining is irritated and inflamed, for whatever reason, it's especially helpful to limit fat.

1. A damaged intestinal lining (especially the ileum and proximal colon - closer to the small intestine) reduces the uptake of bile. Bile acids linger in the colon causing pain and diarrhea by themselves (in addition to the primary cause of irritation), not to mention increasing the risk for cancer. Since fat intake promotes bile secretion, it's best to avoid it.
   
2. Limiting fat reduces fatty stools during malabsorption.
   
3. Limiting fat reduces the gastrocolic reflex, the urge to go.

If you're wondering about symptoms, the Rome Criteria is used to diagnose IBS.

More severe cases of inflammation are grouped under Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). They include Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease is thought to be an autoimmune disease; as such, it can be managed but cannot be cured. Ulcerative Colitis (distinct from nondescript colitis) can be cured by colon removal. (Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease of the small intestine. It may or may not cause symptoms in the large intestine. It is distinct from a wheat allergy. Like Crohn's, it can be managed but cannot be cured.)

Celiac Disease and the IBDs: UC and Crohn's, are more apt to involve weight loss and blood in the stool (thus anemia) than IBS. However, IBS can coexist with celiac and the IBDs.

* Since IBS involves the various nervous systems (central, autonomic), it's difficult to narrow down offending foods. One time a food may go down well (if you're not stressed), another time it may not (if you're under the gun). Also, a placebo effect may be working ... the belief that a food is offending can be enough to make it offending, with corresponding physical effects.
________Photo from Fun Fever blog. Many more there.
"Modern Toilet is a restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan with a modern decor and a full-on toilet theme. All 100 seats in the crowded diner are made from toilet bowls, not chairs."

"If All You Ate Were Potatoes, You'd Get All Your Amino Acids"

Doug asked:

"I still don't understand why more care isn't necessary to avoid deficiencies of the essential amino acids. Is it the case that these amino acids are present in all fruits and vegetables? (I didn't think this was so, but you mentioned on that other thread that thinking has changed in this regard.) Or is it simply that easy to avoid a deficiency of an essential amino acid by consuming any mixture of fruits and vegetables?"

I would answer "Yes" to Doug's last question. I thought it summed up the facts well.

Plants are capable of manufacturing all 20 amino acids, which include the essential amino acids (EAAs), although amounts vary. I checked a number of foods (potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, corn, rice, oatmeal, beans, and others) and found all EAAs in each of these foods. Even an apple which is listed as having 0 grams of protein has all the EAAs, albeit in small amounts.

Since I said in an earlier comment, "No mixing of foods is necessary. If all you ate were potatoes, you'd get all your amino acids," I felt obliged to back it up. Below is my back-up.

• The first column lists all 8 EAAs for adults.
• The second column lists the World Health Organization's recommended intake per body weight.
• The third column lists the specific RDI for a 120 lb adult.
• The fourth column lists the amount of each AA in a medium potato, with skin.
• The fifth column lists the amount of each AA in 5 medium potatoes.
• The last column lists the % of recommended intake (for a 120 lb adult) for each AA when 5 potatoes are consumed.

Click for larger. - The WHO's recommended intakes represent the minimum amount for an individual with the highest need, multiplied by a factor of 2 for safety.
- Methionine + Cysteine = Total Sulfur Amino Acids
- Phenylalanine + Tyrosine = Total Aromatic Amino Acids
- WHO: World Health Organization
- EAA: Essential Amino Acid

For a 120 pound adult, five potatoes (960 calories) supply over 100% of the recommended intake for all essential amino acids. They also supply 25 grams of total protein.
________
It's pretty difficult for an adult to eat a plant-based, vegetarian diet that doesn't provide all EAAs, as long as caloric needs are met.

Finally - The pool of AAs that our body uses to manufacture its own proteins isn't limited by what we eat. Normal daily turnover of our cells provides a substantial pool from which to draw amino acids. Bacteria that line our colon also manufacture AAs, including EAAs, that we can utilize.

It is a misconception that plants provide "incomplete protein", regardless of what Ms. Lappe advanced in her 1971 book, "Diet For A Small Planet."
________ Photo: Homegrown. Me and my potatoes.

Living High Off The Hog?

The rising price of food is changing practices on Pennsylvania livestock farms.

From "Fields Of Gold", The Guardian, April 16, 2008:

"Call it the revenge of Marie Antoinette. The French queen, who on being told that her subjects had no bread suggested they eat cake instead, has gone down in history as callous, unworldly and fully deserving of the guillotine. Last year, however, farmers in Pennsylvania began following her advice. Since standard animal feed had become too dear, they started giving their pigs and cows chocolate - and banana chips and cashews and yogurt-covered raisins, any of which were cheaper than run-of the-mill corn and beans. One farmer even supplied his cattle a special "party mix" of popcorn, pretzels, cheese curls and crisps. This, he told reporters, saved 10% on feed costs."
________

Protein Consumption Around The World

I was digging through the FAO's data files and saw some numbers I thought would look better on a chart than in a few columns on Excel.


Click for larger.
There are 172 countries included in this graph. I couldn't fit all their names on the x-axis but you can go to the Excel file to see the intake for a particular country. Protein intake ranges from 25 grams/person/day in the Democratic Republic of Congo to 136 g/p/d in Israel. (Israel?) The US consumed an average of 133 g/p/d. Intakes are for the years 2002-2004.

You can find the raw data at:
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Food Security Statistics (Under Food Consumption / Nutrients).
________Chart and image of chart: Homegrown.

Protein on a Vegan Diet

Just for fun and because I was curious, I threw together a quick vegan menu to see how much protein it contained. A vegan diet excludes all forms of meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs.

The menu below provides 60 grams of protein for 1700 calories. It does not include processed items like wheat gluten and soy-protein-based foods (veggie burgers, fake deli meats and cheeses). It even lacks wheat products, breads, tofu, and soy milk. Not saying those can't be part of a vegan diet, but I didn't want to boost the protein with anything processed.

The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for protein for a 120-pound adult is 43.5 grams/day (0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight). That person would be getting about 140% of the protein they need if they ate this diet. Some recommend lower protein intakes, e.g. the study in this post advises against consuming more than 30 grams protein/day.

Specs:

• Calories: 1700
  
• Macronutrient breakdown: 60% carbohydrate / 28% fat / 12% protein
  
• Fiber: 42 grams

Here's a rundown of the day's food, below that are amounts:

Breakfast:
black coffee
1 cup oatmeal
1 tsp flaxseed
3 dates
2 dried figs
11 almonds
25 pistachios

Lunch:
1 small potato roasted in olive oil and spices
1/2 cup sautéed zucchini
1/2 cup spaghetti squash
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tsp olive oil (for cooking)

Snack:
1 small apple
1/4 cup roasted soy nuts

Dinner:
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup black beans
2 cups raw kale, cooked down to about 1/4 cup
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tsp olive oil (for sautéing)
1 tsp flaxseed
1 tablespoon soy sauce (tamari)

Snack:
1 box raisins (1.5 oz.)
walnuts, 7 halves
________
Raw Data:
Apples, raw, with skin [Includes USDA commodity food A343]
1.0 x 1 small (2-3/4" dia) (149g)
Beans, black, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt
0.5 x 1 cup (172g)
Cereals, oats, regular and quick and instant, unenriched, cooked with water (includes boiling and microwaving), without salt [oatmeal, cooked]
1.0 x 1 cup (234g)
Coffee, brewed, espresso, restaurant-prepared
2.0 x 1 fl oz (30g)
Dates, deglet noor
3.0 x 1 date, pitted (7g)
Figs, dried, uncooked
2.0 x 1 fig (8g)
Kale, raw
2.0 x 1 cup, chopped (67g)
Nuts, almonds, dry roasted, with salt added
0.5 x 1 oz (22 whole kernels) (28g)
Nuts, pistachio nuts, dry roasted, with salt added
0.5 x 1 oz (49 kernels) (28g)
Nuts, walnuts, english [Includes USDA commodity food A259, A257]
0.5 x 1 oz (14 halves) (28g)
Oil, olive, salad or cooking
3.0 x 1 tsp (4g)
Onions, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt
2.0 x 1 tbsp chopped (15g)
Potatoes, red, flesh and skin, baked
1.0 x 1 potato small (1-3/4" to 2-1/2" dia.) (138g)
Raisins, seedless
1.0 x 1 small box (1.5 oz) (43g)
Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked
1.0 x 1 cup (195g)
Seeds, flaxseed
2.0 x 1 tsp, ground (2g)
Soy sauce made from soy (tamari)
1.0 x 1 tbsp (18g)
Soybeans, mature seeds, dry roasted [Soy nuts]
0.25 x 1 cup (172g)
Squash, summer, zucchini, includes skin, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt
1.0 x 1/2 cup slices (90g)
Squash, winter, spaghetti, cooked, boiled, drained, or baked, without salt
0.5 x 1 cup (155g)
Tomato sauce, no salt added
0.5 x 1 cup (244g)
________Photo: Homegrown.
I used NutritionData.com for analysis. You can too. It's free.

PETA Offers $1 Million For Cultured Chicken

Cultured meat isn't going away anytime soon. The People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals (PETA) are making sure of it.

Yesterday PETA disclosed they'll be offering one million dollars to the first group able to grow palatable chicken meat within the next 4 years:

From PETA: PETA Offers $1 Million Reward to First to Make In Vitro Meat:

"PETA is offering a $1 million prize to the contest participant able to make the first in vitro chicken meat and sell it to the public by June 30, 2012. The contestant must do both of the following:

• Produce an in vitro chicken-meat product that has a taste and texture indistinguishable from real chicken flesh to non-meat-eaters and meat-eaters alike.
  
• Manufacture the approved product in large enough quantities to be sold commercially, and successfully sell it at a competitive price in at least 10 states.

Judging of taste and texture will be performed by a panel of 10 PETA judges, who will sample the in vitro chicken prepared using a fried "chicken" recipe."

According to the New York Times yesterday, this decision has caused a "near civil war" within PETA ranks. A founder of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk said, "We will have members leave us over this."________

Potted Meat Food Product

Ronald's comment reminded me of this.

Libby's Ingredients: Mechanically Separated Chicken, Partially Defatted Cooked Pork Fatty Tissue, Beef Tripe, Partially Defatted Cook Beef Fatty Tissue, Vinegar, Salt, Spices, Sugar, Flavorings, Sodium Erythorbate And Sodium Nitrate.

Paul Krzyzanowski posted this photo of his collection:


I didn't know you could buy canned pork brains. Wikipedia: Potted Meat Food Product lists some ingredients:

Armour Star: Mechanically Separated Chicken, Beef Tripe, Partially Defatted Cooked Beef Fatty Tissue, Beef Hearts, Water, Partially Defatted Cooked Pork Fatty Tissue, Salt. Less than 2 percent: Mustard, Natural flavorings, Dried Garlic, Dextrose, Sodium erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite.

Hormel: Beef Tripe, Mechanically Separated Chicken, Beef Hearts, Partially Defatted Cooked Beef Fatty tissue, Meat Broth, Vinegar, Salt, Flavoring, Sugar, Sodium Nitrite.

I think cultured meat has found a market.
________

"Livestock's Long Shadow"

In 2006, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations published a 400-page report detailing the impact of livestock on the environment:

Livestock's Long Shadow (pdf), FAO, 2006

It's been a real eye-opener for me:

Climate Change:

"The livestock sector is a major player [in climate change], responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO₂ equivalent. This is a higher share than transport."

The major portion of those emissions comes from gases other than CO₂, gases with a greater potential to warm the atmosphere, such as:

• Methane - from enteric fermentation by ruminants
  
• Nitrous oxide - from manure

Land Use:

"The livestock sector is by far the single largest anthropogenic user of land. The total area occupied by grazing is equivalent to 26% of the ice-free terrestrial surface of the planet. In addition, the total area dedicated to feedcrop production amounts to 33% of total arable land. In all, livestock production accounts for 70% of all agricultural land and 30% of the land surface of the planet."

"An estimated 80% of total livestock sector growth comes from industrial production systems."

Greenhouse gases, land and water use - none of this bodes well for the free-range industry:

"Cattle grazing in the West has polluted more water, eroded more topsoil, killed more fish, displaced more wildlife, and destroyed more vegetation than any other land use."
- Ted Williams, "He's Going To have An Accident", Audubon, 1991

Protein Source:

"Livestock now consume more human edible protein than they produce. In fact livestock consume 77 million tonnes of protein contained in feedstuff that could potentially be used for human nutrition, whereas only 58 million tonnes of protein are contained in food products that livestock supply."

I was going to say I understood better why products such as cultured meat are being developed. But given the above, I wonder why we don't also apply our technological brainpower to harness the edible protein that already exists.

The report also discusses air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

A nice summary of the report is available on the FAO's highlight page:
Spotlight: Livestock Impacts On The Environment, FAO, 2006

________
Here's a question ...

Al Gore's book, An Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis of Global Warming also came out in 2006. I read it. I don't recall him discussing the major contribution of livestock production to global warming and environmental degradation. Why not?
________

Semi-Living Meat

I'm still wondering ... is cultured meat living?

A group of artists from the Tissue Culture and Art Project (TCA) in Australia grew this steak for their exhibition "Disembodied Cuisine".


Click to read captions, and to see some cultured meat up close.
The exhibition explored human response to cultured meat:

"This piece deals with one of the most common zones of interaction between humans and other living systems and will probe the apparent uneasiness people feel when someone ‘messes’ with their food. Here the relationships with the Semi-Living are that of consumption and exploitation. However, it is important to note that it is about “victimless” meat consumption. As the cells from the biopsy proliferate the ‘steak’ in vitro continues to grow and expand, while the source, the animal from which the cells were taken, is healing."

"Potentially this work presents a future in which there will be meat (or protein rich food) for vegetarians and the killing and suffering of animals destined for food consumption will be reduced. Furthermore, ecological and economical problems associated with the food industry (hence, growing grains to feed the animals and keeping them in basic conditions) can be reduced dramatically."

They ask:

"However, by making our food a new class of object/being – a Semi-Living – we are risking of making the Semi-Living the new class for exploitation?"
- Semi-Living Food: “Disembodied Cuisine”

Below, the steaks cooking (that's one tiny sauté pan), and dinner.



I found the artists' project from this Wired article, April 11, 2008:
Scientists Flesh Out Plans to Grow (and Sell) Test Tube Meat

In it, Jason Matheny, a researcher at Johns Hopkins and co-founder of New Harvest said:

"The general consensus is that minced meat or ground meat products - sausage, chicken nuggets, hamburgers - those are within technical reach. We have the technology to make those things at scale with existing technology."

Bob Dennis, a biomedical engineer at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina added:

"At scale, in this case, would be thousands of tons per year."

________All photos from the Tissue Culture and Art Project (TCA).

Pork Processing Causes Neurological Condition

Who's to say what health issues may be associated with the production or consumption of cultured meat. At least it would avoid situations like this:

Sickened Pork Workers Have New Nerve Disorder

"Eighteen pork plant workers in Minnesota, at least five in Indiana and one in Nebraska have come down with a mysterious neurological condition they appear to have contracted while removing brains from slaughtered pigs, U.S. researchers and health officials said on Wednesday."

"The first cases of the condition were reported in November of last year at Quality Pork Processors Inc in Austin, Minnesota, where workers had been using compressed air to blow pork brains out of the skull cavity."

________

Landless Food Production: The Dawn Of Cultured Meat

There are 6.8 billion people on the planet today. In 1978, there were 4.4 billion people - an increase of 2.4 billion in just the last 30 years. That's twice the leap that we made in the full century between 1850 and 1950. It's expected that by 2050, there will be 9.7 billion inhabitants, almost 3 billion more people than there are today.

Not only will there be billions more people to feed, but an increasing percentage of those people are eating meat, owing to their move up the social ladder.

Below is a graph of meat consumption over the last half-century, made possible by increased meat production.¹



But unless the world can trend the meat supply to match this kind of human growth... ²



... We're looking at imposed veganism for billions of human omnivores over the next 40 years and beyond. It's already happening:

"The increased supply is restricted to certain countries and regions, and is not occurring in the poorer African countries. Consumption of ASF* is declining in these countries, from an already low level, as population increases." ¹

*Animal Source Foods

________
Enter cultured meat. The organization New Harvest is funding research into meat substitutes. Here's what they say about cultured meat:

What is cultured meat?

"The production of cultured meat begins by taking a number of cells from a farm animal and proliferating them in a nutrient-rich medium. Cells are capable of multiplying so many times in culture that, in theory, a single cell could be used to produce enough meat to feed the global population for a year."

"The resulting cells can then be harvested, seasoned, cooked, and consumed as a boneless, processed meat, such as sausage, hamburger, or chicken nuggets."

Why would anyone want to make cultured meat?

Cultured meat has the potential to be:

• Healthier ("Fat content can be more easily controlled.")
  
• Safer (Reduction in foodborne disease "thanks to strict quality control rules.")
  
• Less polluting ("Inedible animal structures (bones, respiratory system, digestive system, skin, and the nervous system) need not be grown. As a result, cultured meat production should be more efficient than conventional meat production in its use of energy, land, and water; and it should produce less waste.")
  
• More Humane (Peter Singer, an ethicist and animal rights activist at Princeton, defends it, "I'm all for the substitute.")

How does cultured meat taste?

"Nobody has yet tasted cultured meat to say for certain. ... There are a number of technical obstacles, especially regarding texture, that have to be overcome before cultured meat can be a compelling substitute for conventional meat."

Isn't this food unnatural?

"Cultured meat is unnatural, in the same way that bread, cheese, yogurt, and wine are unnatural. All involve processing ingredients derived from natural sources. Arguably, the production of cultured meat is less unnatural than raising farm animals in intensive confinement systems, injecting them with synthetic hormones, and feeding them artificial diets made up of antibiotics and animal wastes."

Is cultured meat genetically-modified?

Not at this time: "There is nothing in the production of cultured meat that necessarily involves genetic modification. The cells that can be used to produce cultured meat are muscle and stem cells from farm animals."

Are any animals killed in the production of cultured meat?

"Not necessarily. It is possible to take a muscle biopsy from a live farm animal and culture the isolated muscle cells."

________
New Harvest says cultured meat should be available in a few years. I wonder if it will fall under the charge of the USDA, and if they will allow "100% Natural" on the label.

This is creepy. By the looks of the comments under the New York Times' article last week, "Can People Have Meat And A Planet Too?", I'm not alone in thinking that.

P.S. - I'm also wondering how Christians and members of other faiths view this. Is it a form of abuse? Or a viable solution?
________¹ Global Production and Consumption of Animal Source Foods, The Journal of Nutrition, 2003
² Wikipedia: World Population

Food Crisis: Have Your Say

The BBC has been inviting comments regarding the food situation:
BBC Have Your Say: Is The World Heading For A Food Crisis?

Over 3000 comments so far. Here's a sample:

"Maybe if some of the poorer nations of the world had tried a bit of population control, they wouldn't be experiencing a food shortage now."
- Aussie Pride, Cronulla, Australia

"Well, this should solve the obesity problem that the West have been moaning about on other HYS's. It can only lead to healthier skinnier peoble with good BMI's.
Problem solved."
- tinytiegan, Hull, United Kingdom

"African nations have been independent 40 to 50yrs, so, the problem is THEIRS, is it not?"
- herbert likander, Finland

"Governments throughout the world love crises, it's the only way they keep us all in check, and most of you swallow these bogus set ups, so they just keep on doing it."
- Peter, Preston

I don't know what to say.________

The Price Of Food

Below are trends in global food prices from a report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. ¹ The graph on the left is for all food commodities over the last three years. The graph on the right is for selected commodities over the last year (Click for larger):


Prices for all foods have risen since the beginning of the year, except for, by the look of this, dairy. Prices of cereals (and the oils associated with them) have been particularly hard hit, with the price of rice leading the pack:


The FAO says this is the result of "a persistent, tight supply and demand situation."

What Is Fueling Demand?

BBC did a nice FAQ on Rising World Food Prices. Their take:

• Growth in the world's population - more mouths to feed.
  
• Emerging economies such China and India are generating a new tier of middle-class consumers who buy more meat and processed food. "The FAO estimates that processed food now accounts for 80% of food and beverage sales." (Holy cow.)

What Is Tightening Supply?

• Growth in the world's population - puts pressure on resources, including land, water and oil supplies.
  
• Climate change - causing changing patterns of rainfall, floods, droughts, and desertification - all lowering production.
  
• Global warming - the shift towards biofuels (which emit fewer greenhouse gases) is reducing the amount of land available for food crops. (Ethanol production will account for 30% of US corn crop by 2010).

Have you noticed the price of a particular food increase recently?
________¹ Crop Prospects And Food Situation, FAO, April 2008.

Trusting Dietary Supplements, Part 2

The government does not regulate supplements to the extent that it regulates prescription drugs. Supplements in the US are regulated as foods, not as drugs. That means a supplement manufacturer:

• Does not have to prove a supplement is safe (drug manufacturers do).
  
• Does not have to prove a supplement works (drug manufacturers must prove efficacy).
  
• Does not have to prove the quality of a supplement (does not have to prove that the content matches that declared on the label).

The FDA does not analyze dietary supplements before they are sold to customers. Who, then, is responsible for the safety, efficacy, and quality of a supplement? The manufacturer. And manufacturers make mistakes:

Echinacea and Truth in Labeling, Archives of Internal Medicine, 2003

In this study, 59 single-herb preparations of Echinacea were analyzed:

• 6 (10%) contained no measurable Echinacea.
  
• Only 31 (52%) contained what was listed on the label.
  
• 12 (20%) had no expiration date.
  
• Only 4 (7%) met all 4 of the FDA's labeling requirements. ¹
  
• And when it came to the word "standardized":

  "Claims of standardization by the manufacturer did not indicate that the preparation reliably contained the labeled amount or even the labeled species."

Not only are consumers left to trust that what the label says is in the bottle really is in the bottle, so are researchers. Investigators in clinical trials typically do not conduct independent analysis of the supplements used. Is it any wonder then why supplement trials report conflicting results - even with the best research protocol?

The US Pharmacopeia invites supplement manufacturers to voluntarily comply with testing of samples and to participate in postmarketing product surveillance in return for certification. (See here for some companies that participate.) In the above study, USP weight standards for Echinacea were used by 5 (8%) of the samples. However, "none of those products had content consistent with their labeling."
________¹ Those would be: 1. Dietary Supplement Statement (suggested dose). 2. Supplement Facts Box. 3. Nutrition Facts. 4. FDA Disclaimer, e.g. "This [claim] has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease."

Trusting Dietary Supplements

The following are just 2 among a number of recent incidents involving dietary supplements.

The Incident

"Total Body Formula - A Complete Full-Spectrum Dietary Supplement For The Entire Family", was making people sick. Two weeks ago the FDA advised consumers to stop taking it. (The FDA has no recall authority). The manufacturer, Total Body Essential Nutrition, has since voluntarily recalled it.

The Problem

Total Body Formula is advertised to contain 200 micrograms of selenium.

The tolerable upper intake level (UL) for selenium is 400 micrograms/day, or 5 micrograms per kilogram body weight, whichever comes first. (That's 272 mcg/day for a 120 pound person.) Above this level one may experience significant hair loss, muscle cramps, diarrhea, joint pain, fatigue, deformed fingernails (or they just fall out), and blistering skin.

How much selenium was in Total Body Formula?

"Analyses of samples of the products by FDA laboratories have now found most of the samples contain extremely high levels of selenium--up to 40,800 micrograms per recommended serving, or more than 200 times the amount of selenium per serving (i.e., 200 micrograms) indicated on the labels of the products."
- FDA Press Release, April 9, 2008, FDA Finds Hazardous Levels of Selenium in Samples of "Total Body Formula" and "Total Body Mega Formula"

________
The Incident

Last week, US Marshals seized more than $1,301,712 of dietary supplements from LG Sciences.

The Problem

"The seized products previously were tested and found to contain one or more unapproved food additives and/or new dietary ingredients for which there is inadequate information to provide reasonable assurance that the ingredients do not present a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury."
- FDA Press Release, April 4, 2008, Products Alleged To Be Adulterated Under The Federal Food, Drug, And Cosmetic Act

The products seized were marketed under the names "Methyl 1-D," "Methyl 1-D XL," and "Formadrol Extreme XL." They're labeled as "anabolics." (It looks like Methyl 1-D is a prohormone or precursor to testosterone.)

The FDA has not advised consumers to stop taking these products, and has admitted they do not know whether or not they represent a hazard. There has not been a voluntary recall by the company, as far as I can tell. (Which makes me wonder how US Marshals justified the seizure.) And it looks like you can still purchase them online.

I suppose it's up to the consumer to decide whether to trust the safety of this product.
________
How tightly should dietary supplements be regulated? Unlike prescription drugs, manufacturers of dietary supplements are not currently required to submit safety or efficacy information before marketing their products.

Is it regulation that prevents a consumer from finding 200 times the active ingredient in, say, Viagra? Is it regulation that prevents a consumer from having to decide whether or not to continue taking their prescription meds while watching US Marshals seizing them from warehouses because they may not be safe? (Actually, the answer to this last question is "Yes." Although the answer to the question of whether or not it's safe to continue taking prescription meds when the manufacturer and the regulating agency both say they're safe is still, in my mind, murky.)
________

Truthful Labeling Coalition

I received a letter from a gentleman associated with a group called the "Truthful Labeling Coalition" (TLC).

Here's their site: truthfullabeling.org

The subject is poultry labeling, specifically, the truth behind the current labels, "100% Natural", and "Raised Without Antibiotics."

Who they are:
The TLC claims to be "a group of poultry producers and thousands of activists concerned about the health and safety issues associated with improper labeling on chicken sold in supermarkets across the country."

What they say about "natural":
"Unfortunately, a number of poultry producers that have been labeling their products "100% All Natural" are in fact pumping up their products with additives - sea salt, broth or seaweed extract, to name a few - none of which is naturally occurring in chicken."

What they say about antibiotics:
"We believe that the "Raised Without Antibiotics" label should be reserved for those brands of chickens that don’t use any compounds the USDA classifies as antibiotics."

What they are doing about it:
"On April 2, a coalition of poultry producers [went] to federal court to stop the chicken companies that use this misleading and possibly illegal claim on their products. And we’re working in DC to make sure Congress is aware of this issue.

Hm, one group of chicken companies vs. another. Still, nothing on the surface here seems anti-consumer. What consumer doesn't want a label on a chicken stating it's "100% Natural" and "Raised Without Antibiotics" to be telling the truth?
________
From what I can tell, the TLC works out of Washington, DC, and lobbies Congress on behalf of their members. In December of last year, Perdue Farms (the nation's third largest poultry producer), joined their group, a group that already claimed Foster Farms, Gold'n Plump Poultry, and Sanderson Farms (the nation's third largest poultry processor) as members.

The CEO of TLC-related Foster Farms said:

"Both Foster Farms and Perdue share an unwavering tradition of producing high quality, natural fresh chicken and we welcome their support in the campaign for truthful labeling."
- Truthful Labeling Coalition Welcomes Perdue Farms, PR Newswire, December 2007

Perdue? "High quality, natural fresh chicken?" Well, if you say so.

The president of TLC-related Sanderson Farms said:

"We're delighted to have Perdue join the Truthful Labeling Coalition. Their help in our effort to encourage USDA to put consumers first when making labeling decisions will be vital and we welcome it."
- Truthful Labeling Coalition Welcomes Perdue Farms, PR Newswire, December 2007

If large industrial chicken farms want the USDA to make a change that "puts consumers first", I can think of a few more pressing problems that could be addressed other than labeling. Something doesn't fit here.

The author of the PR Newswire piece also said:

"Like with the "100% all natural" claim, the coalition is firmly against adding any type of qualifying or conditional language around the "raised with no antibiotics" claim as busy consumers don't have time to read complicated fine print."

The CEO of Gold'n Plump Poultry said:

"Our research has repeatedly shown that qualifying and conditional language only adds clutter and complexity to fresh chicken labels rather than clarity."

Why would a group who lobbies for truthful labeling prefer to subtract information from a label, rather than add to it? I appreciate these poultry farmers' preference for simplicity. However, if the TLC adheres to the motto "An Educated Consumer Is Our Best Customer" (and you would think they do, given their high-profile campaign to educate the consumer), they may want to consider that an educated consumer is capable of reading a label.

I contacted the Center for Science in the Public Interest and they defended the legitimacy of the group. Still, with such heavy business backing, I doubt they're operating with the purely humanitarian goal of making sure Americans "feed their families only natural chicken". The TLC sounds more to me like a group of poultry producers who is using the USDA, via their definitions of "natural" and "raised without antibiotics" to help them sell more birds: "Mine is more natural than yours!"

Parke, at his US Food Policy blog, discussed the TLC a few weeks ago and concluded:

"... it is difficult to tar one's opponents without having some of the feathers stick to one's own skin, so to speak."

________Photo of grilled beer can chicken from About.com, Derrick's Barbecues & Grilling Blog.

2008: International Year Of The Potato

The United Nations has declared 2008 the International Year Of The Potato:

The celebration of the International Year of the Potato (IYP) will raise awareness of the importance of the potato - and of agriculture in general - in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment.

Over the next two decades, the world's population is expected to grow on average by more than 100 million people a year. More than 95 percent of that increase will occur in the developing countries, where pressure on land and water is already intense. A key challenge facing the international community is, therefore, to ensure food security for present and future generations, while protecting the natural resource base on which we all depend. The potato will be an important part of efforts to meet those challenges.

Some things I learned (answers below):

1. Where in the world was the potato first cultivated? (~8000 years ago)
   
2. Which country is the world's largest potato producer today? (I should have known.)
   
3. How many varieties of potato are there worldwide?

I'd love to try all of them. (Why are there only 4 at my local grocer?) Below are a few from the FAO's Potato Page. I've had Numbers 1, 3, and 5. Maybe I've had Number 13, I'm not sure. I'm still mulling the one with the "smooth good looks".

________1. Along the Andes mountain range, on the Peru/Bolivia border.
2. China.
3. About 7500 varieties.

Eating Foods Grown Locally And In Season

Does it count if the season was 6 months ago?
________Photo from Winter In America by Rich Koivisto.

High Prevalence of Osteoporosis Among Alaskan Eskimos

This study¹ ...

Bone Mineral Content Of North Alaskan Eskimos (pdf)

... supports the substance of my last post, The More Protein You Eat, The More Calcium You Excrete.

The bone mineral content of arm bones in Eskimo natives of Alaska was measured.

"During the decade from 40 to 49, the Eskimos had 10% lower values than U.S. whites and the deficit increased to 14% in the succeeding two decades. During the seventies, the Eskimo males were 15% below comparable whites, but Eskimo females were almost 30% below."

The authors excluded the following causes:

• Lack of physical activity.
  
• Vitamin D deficiency.
  
• Calcium deficiency.

They hypothesized that:

"The acidic effect of a meat diet appears a more likely factor (ref. given). It has long been known that acidosis increases calcium excretion and causes bone dissolution (refs. given). ... In humans, a high protein diet, even with controlled intakes of calcium and phosphorous, greatly increases urinary calcium and causes negative balance (refs given)." "In addition, occasional periods of starvation or ketoacidosis from a total meat diet might also produce high calcium losses, as much as several hundred milligrams daily (ref. given)." "The high protein intake from the meat diet has sufficient potential effect to account for the observed bone loss even should there be long-term adjustment to the hypercalciuric effect of high protein."

If a high-protein, high-meat diet leads to bone loss, what is the best amount of protein to consume? This study ... The Body's Negative Response To Excess Dietary Protein Consumption (pdf) ... says 30 grams:

"A clinical study of 100 patients reveals that persons who eat large quantities of dietary protein (more than 30g/day) generate high levels of acid which must be neutralized before being eliminated from the body."

Actually, that 30 grams was a maximum:

"This clinic promotes that patients should ideally consume no more than 20g/protein/day with 30g/protein/day being the maximum acceptable level of dietary protein consumption."

The article was published in 1998. It added:

"The idea that protein may be responsible for increasing urinary ammonia and acidosis is gaining in its base of support."

________¹ I was actually looking for the prevalence of diabetes in Alaskan Natives ... 13%! ... and that's only diagnosed. Total US prevalence is around 7%. Photo of an Alaskan Native woman from United Nations Women of the World Global Portraits. The caption read, "Eskimo Medicine Woman dispenses herbal cures to her village population in Unalakleet, Alaska."

The More Protein You Eat, The More Calcium You Excrete

Below is the relationship between dietary protein intake and urinary calcium excretion from 26 studies.¹


Doubling protein intake increases urinary calcium by about 50%.²

Why is that?

When we eat protein, our body breaks it down, or catabolizes it, in the process generating acids, e.g. sulfates (from sulfur-containing amino acids). Our bodies attempt to neutralize these acids by using buffering agents. One place it finds buffering agents is in bone:

"Buffers in the bone matrix neutralize the excess diet-derived acid, and in the process, bone becomes demineralized. Excess diet-derived acid titrates bone and leads to increased urinary calcium and reduced urinary citrate excretion. The resultant adverse clinical consequences are possibly increased bone demineralization and increased risk of calcium-containing kidney stones."³

One recent study that found that a diet high in protein (90g/d) "is compensated for by increased bone resorption".⁴ (Resorption means the loss of a substance, in this case bone.)

How does that 90g/d compare to recommended amounts?

The Dietary Reference Intake for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight for adults, such that:

• The recommended protein intake for a 120 pound adult is 44 grams/day.
  
• The recommended protein intake for a 150 pound adult is 54 grams/day.
  
• The recommended protein intake for a 180 pound adult is 65 grams/day.

Protein amounts in some foods:

• McDonald's Double Cheeseburger - 26 grams
  
• 3 oz. canned tuna - 22 grams
  
• 2 oz. cheddar cheese - 14 grams
  
• 1/2 cup cooked lentils - 9 grams
  
• 1 cup broccoli - 6 grams
  
• 1/2 cup green peas - 4 grams

Note above that some proteins are more acid-generating than others, for example, those containing amino acids with sulfur (methionine and cysteine - found primarily in foods of animal origin). These proteins can be especially detrimental to bone health.⁵

Below is the average acid-generating capacity, or the Potential Renal Acid Load (PRAL) of some food groups.⁶ Positive numbers indicate the food is acid-generating, negative numbers indicate the food is alkaline-generating (beneficial in this regard).

PRALs of food groups:

Milk and dairy products ... 1.0 to 23.6
Meat ... 9.5
Fish ... 7.9
Grain products ... 3.5 to 7.0
Fats ... 0
Vegetables ... -2.8
Fruits ... -3.1

PRALs of a few common foods:

2 ounces cheddar cheese ... 15
3 ounces salmon ... 8.0
3 ounces chicken, meat only ... 7.3
3 ounces beef, lean only ... 7.0
1 egg ... 4.0
1/2 cup white rice ... 3.6
2/3 cup corn flakes ... 1.0
1 slice white bread ... 0.8
1/2 cup peas ... 0.8
1 medium carrot ... -3.0
1 medium apple ... -4.0
1 medium banana ... -6.5

Since PRAL is defined as the mEq of (Cl + PO4 + SO4 – Na – K – Ca – Mg), foods high in, say, potassium (K: fruits and vegetables) tend to have a low PRAL or are alkaline-generating (beneficial). Foods that result in high levels of sulfates and phosphates (meat and cheese) tend to have a high PRAL or are acid-generating.

Interesting that cheese which is high in calcium has a very high PRAL. Perhaps its protein and other compounds outweigh calcium's effect. Speaking of which, guess who said this (I gave you a hint):

"Excess dietary protein, particularly purified proteins, increases urinary calcium excretion. This calcium loss could potentially cause negative calcium balance, leading to bone loss and osteoporosis. These effects have been attributed to an increased endogenous acid load created by the metabolism of protein, which requires neutralization by alkaline salts of calcium from bone."⁷

So they recognize that the acid-generating protein in their product detracts from its calcium content - and that the food which is advertised to "Build Strong Bones", could in fact lead to "bone loss and osteoporosis".

Why do I say all this? Because I think there are better ways to preserve calcium in bone than to take supplements ... or to eat dairy foods.

Also, given my recent posts on protein intake and cancer (e.g. Now You See It, Now You Don't: Liver Cancer) it would seem prudent to monitor protein intake.
________¹ Low Protein Intake: The Impact on Calcium and Bone Homeostasis in Humans, The Journal of Nutrition, 2003.
² Dietary Animal and Plant Protein and Human Bone Health: A Whole Foods Approach, The Journal of Nutrition, 2003.
³ Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate, Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board, 2004.
⁴ The Effect of a High-Protein, High-Sodium Diet on Calcium and Bone Metabolism in Postmenopausal Women and its Interaction with Vitamin D Receptor Genotype, British Journal of Nutrition, 2004.
⁵ A Positive Association of Lumbar Spine Bone Mineral Density with Dietary Protein Is Suppressed by a Negative Association with Protein Sulfur, The Journal of Nutrition, 2008.
⁶ Potential Renal Acid Load of Foods and its Influence on Urine pH, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 1995.
⁷ The National Dairy Council.

Update on Salmonella in Cantaloupe

Believe it or not, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has an update on his blog about the salmonella outbreak from cantaloupe. He held a meeting last Thursday in Washington with Honduran ministers and sent some FDA folk to Honduras over the weekend to investigate.

FDA Commissioner Andy Von Eschenbach (who works under Leavitt) also took part in the Washington meeting. I wonder if he'll blog about it.

Here's the interesting part of this update. The FDA investigators who traveled to the Agropecuaria Montelibano plant in Honduras said on Monday that yes, they did find salmonella in their melons. But it was a strain called salmonella freetown. The 50 people who are part of this outbreak in the US were infected with a different strain, salmonella litchfield. Where did the salmonella litchfield come from, if not Honduran melons in the field?
________
Yesterday while shopping I noticed the display of Dole cantaloupe had been removed. I wondered if Dole was part of the alert (not a recall, the FDA doesn't have authority to recall, they merely "advised" grocers to remove product from shelves, a voluntary action on the part of sellers).

It looks like Dole is part of the alert:¹

IMPORTERS
The FDA identified 10 US importers who received cantaloupe from Agropecuaria Montelibano during the outbreak:

Bounty Fresh LLC, Miami
C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc., Eden Prairie, Minn.
Central American Produce Inc., Pompano Beach, Fla.
Chiquita Brands International Inc., Cincinnati
Dole Fresh Fruit International, Westlake Village, Calif.
Legend Produce LLC, Firebaugh, Calif.
Pero Vegetable Co. LLC, Delray Beach, Fla.
T.M. Kovacevich International Inc., Philadelphia
Tropifresh Inc., Los Angeles
Wuhl Shafman Lieberman Corp., Newark, N.J.

BRANDS
In addition to Chiquita and Dole, brands affected are:

Chestnut Hill Farms
Perfect Melon
Mike’s Melons
Mayan Pride

PROCESSORS
Product also was recalled by processors:

Charlie’s Produce Spokane, Spokane, Wash.
Sun Rich Fresh Foods Inc., Richmond, British Columbia
Simply Fresh Fruit, Los Angeles
Spokane Produce Inc., Spokane, Wash.
JARD Marketing Corp., Lawrence, Mass.
________¹ FDA Confirms Presence Of Salmonella In Melons
Photo of Cliff and Adeline Herbst and their 14-pound cantaloupe from the 2008 Bandera County Courier, TX.