Vitamin and heart disease
ABLEnews Review, July 1993: Food for Thought
(26) Thu 1 Jul 93 4:39p
By: Arlette Lefebvre
To: All
Re: Vitamin e and heart disease
VITAMIN E PROTECTS HEART FROM "RUSTING":
The Medical Post, June 1st, by Jeff Brooke.
WASHINGTON, DC_ A new study by University of Minnesota researchers confirms that Vitamin E protects people from heart disease.
The study found that high doses of Vitamin E (between 400 and 800 international units a day) prevented low-density lipoproteins from oxidizing and turning toxic. Oxidized LDL attacks and destroys coronary vessel wall and leads to a build-up of plaque, which in turn can lead to heart attack and stroke.
Dr. Joseph Balla, a haematologist and the study's principal investigator, said vitamin E tripled the amount of time it took for LDL to oxidize.
Researchers at Harvard University, in a study of 40,000 people a couple of years ago, also found that people taking vitamin E has less heart disease (The Medical Post, April 6 1993).
[posted on ADAnet: Ability OnLine - Toronto Canada - 416/650-5411]
(27) Thu 1 Jul 93 9:44p
By: Arlette Lefebvre
To: All
Re: Cutting boards: surprise!
BACK TO THE WOODS....!
From: The University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter, Volume 9, Issue 8, May 1993.
Since scientific news can be perplexing, inconclusive, contradictory, or otherwise unsettling, it's pleasant to come across something simple.
In a yet unpublished study, two microbiologists at the University of Wisconsin at Madison have discovered that wooden cutting boards, contrary to expectations, are MORE SANITARY that plastic ones for cutting up raw meat and poultry....!!!!
The researchers contaminated nine kinds of wooden boards and several plastic ones with Salmonella and other bacteria that cause food poisoning. Instead of nurturing the bacteria, the wood actually put them out of commission. On some boards, nearly 100% of the bacteria were dead, or at least gone, within three minutes. (One theory: wood cells absorb the bacteria and trap them permanently.)
When contaminated boards were stored overnight under conditions conducive to bacterial growth, the wooden ones were bacteria-free the next morning, while the bacteria population soared on the plastic ones. And it wasn't easy to wash the critters off the plastic, especially if the surface was scratched.
Sooooooo... if you've been blunting your knives on a plastic board in the name of hygiene, you may want to resurrect your butcher-block. Old woods, by the way, performed even better than newer boards in this experiment.
Whatever surface you use for cutting raw poultry and meats, however, take the precaution of washing it afterward with soap and water. And don't forget to clean your hands and the knife. Be especially thorough if the board has become covered with grease- which can promote bacterial growth. If you prefer plastic to wood, always give it a good scrubbing after cutting raw meats. the researchers suggest putting plastic in the dishwasher and using bleach on it as well!
[posted on ADAnet: Ability OnLine - Toronto Canada - 416/650-5411]
(56) Sun 4 Jul 93 8:14p
By: Arlette Lefebvre
To: All
Re: Danger on the half shelf
DANGER ON THE HALF SHELL
From: Harvard Health Letter, Volume 18, Number 8, June 1993.
Eating raw or undercooked clams, oysters, mussels, or whole scallops can be hazardous for people whose underlying health problems make them vulnerable to bacteria in the genus VIBRIO.
Healthy people who ingest a morsel of bacteria along with a mouthfull of mollusk are usually none the worse for wear: stomach acid destroys most of these organisms immediately, and the survivors are soon neutralized by the body's immune system.
Unfortunately, diabetes, some types of liver disease, certain gastrointestinal problems, and HIV infection can significantly increase the risk for VIBRIO- related illness. Some medications (including anti-ulcer drugs that suppress acid secretion, corticosteroids taken for an extended period, and chemotherapy for cancer) and radiation therapy can also increase susceptibility.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that 5-10% of raw mollusks coming to market are contaminated with VIBRIO. When these bacteria proliferate in susceptible people, they typically produce fever, chills, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Sometimes the outcome is lethal: nine people who ate Vibrio-tainted oysters in Florida died between April and December of 1992.
The FDA recommends that mollusks be consumed only if they are thoroughly cooked. If they're not eaten right away, cooked shellfish should be stored at a temperature below 39 or above 140 degrees F. and kept separate from uncooked seafood. Despite the fondness that some gourmets feel for raw tidbits, the dangers of Vibrio lend new weight to the humorous injunction "never eat anything that swallows faster than you do."
(FDA Medical Bulletin, march 1993, p. 6)
[posted on ADAnet: Ability OnLine - Toronto Canada - 416/650-5411]
(88) Sat 17 Jul 93 2:17a
By: Earl Appleby
To: All
Re: Tainted Produce
ABLEnews News to Use
Avoiding Tainted Produce
Selecting fruits and vegetables that do not have tears in the skin is one way consumers may avoid possible pesticide contamination.
"A tear is different than a blemish," notes Tricia Obester of Public Voice for Food and Policy. "A blemish may mean that pesticides were not used and the products were organically produced." USA Today provides these other consumer tips:
- Wash all fruits and vegetables. Peeling is also an option to remove surface residue.
- Choose a variety. Some fruits and vegetables require more pesticides than others.
- Buy locally produced fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
- Buy in season and shop often, since some chemicals are used to prolong shelf life.
With a tip of our ABLEnews hat to Nikki Maute.
[posted on ABLEnews...you can use. (1:262/4)]
(192) Fri 23 Jul 93 7:32p
By: Mike Adams
To: All
Re: Tofu Burgers
Picked this little snippet up out of today's paper:
BERKELEY, Calif. - Controversy may be meat and drink to leaders of this non-conformist city, but they beefed at the proposal to substitute tofu for burgers at summer camp. In fact, council members found the idea, put forward by Councilwoman Dona Spring at a meeting earlier this week, impossible to swallow.
(Now, who says the pun is endangered?)
[posted on Majik Shoppe Point 1 (1:19/10.1)]
...For further information, contact CURE, 812 Stephen Street, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia 25411 (304-258-LIFE/258-5433).
