Category Archives: Food Safety

Artificial Sweeteners: What Helps and What Hurts

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Past-Present-Future on AS & CancerWhen it comes to artificial sweeteners, do you have mixed feelings? Are you confused about its link to cancer risk or not? Well, you’re not alone.

All over scientific literature, this topic remains intensely controversial. I summarized where we are on an association between consumption of artificial sweeteners and risk of cancer in a flowchart illustration here.

Briefly, little or no evidence from past decades shows common artificial sweeteners have a cancer-causing (i.e., carcinogenic) potential, except a link to bladder cancer in animals but inconsistent results in humans. The US FDA also approved the safety of several artificial sweeteners as food additives.

However, this view has shifted in recent publications. Especially, a large epidemiological study (102,865 adults, follow-up nearly 8 years) found that participants who heavily consumed artificial sweeteners—aspartame and acesulfame-K—showed a 13-15% higher risk of cancer (e.g., breast, obesity-related cancer), compared with non-consumers (Debras et al. PLoS Med. 2022). Keep in mind that obesity is linked to more than ten types of cancer. Meanwhile, the International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC) would place a high priority in the near future to evaluate the possible carcinogenic effect of aspartame on humans, as recommended by its advisory group.

So, what do you do? How the renewed awareness influences your choice on a healthy and palatable diet?

Artificial sweeteners exist in a wide variety of food (especially those packaged or processed), drinks, drugs, and hygiene products. Therefore, virtually everybody uses or ingests artificial sweeteners, knowingly or not.

An immediate concern is about unanticipated or undesirable consequences from its regular consumption, along with confusion, or worse, disinformation.

But this is more complex than what one may think.

To help clarify it, let’s examine what helps and what hurts in critical areas, so that you can strike a balance between benefits and risks, and make wise choices.

What helps –

Artificial Sweeteners packs_SmWe all have a sweet tooth, and often add a little amount of sugar to enhance our food’s flavors and pleasure.

Artificial sweeteners—as sugar substitutes—are calorie-free and nutrient-free. With their sweet taste or perception, these food additives may affect certain health outcomes. For instance, they are used as a strategy to reduce calorie intake in weight loss programs, though controversies exist. Furthermore, as for whether these sweet alternatives are advantageous, there is little evidence based on long-term studies to demonstrate that.

What hurts – 

Aspartame Structure_SmAfter all, artificial sweeteners are synthetic chemicals hidden in packaged foods and soft drinks, which are different from natural sugar contained in fruits and vegetables.

Excessive sugar intake can negatively impact human metabolism and health. Likewise, excessive consumption of artificial sweeteners is undoubtedly risky.

Of potentially grave concern is those pregnant women and young children who consume aspartame-containing foods and beverages in a large quantity, because research reveals that offspring of rodents exhibit increased incidence of leukemia and lymphoma after fetal or prenatal exposure to aspartame. And there is a clear dose-response correlation between aspartame exposure and occurrence of blood or lymphatic malignancies. Obviously, aspartame is a carcinogen in rodents.

Paradoxically in dietary intervention to counter weight gain, artificial sweeteners might not be as efficient as expected, or at least need to be considered cautiously.

First, we know that sugar is a driver of inflammation and weight gain, and artificial sweeteners are also inflammatory foods. After reviewing more than 100 studies that investigated aspartame in both higher (>40 mg/kg/d) and safe (<40 mg/kg/d) dosages, and ascertaining its harmful effects on various cells, tissues and organs, the authors concluded “aspartame use could not only exacerbate existing systemic inflammation but also cause inflammation if healthy individuals ingest it on a regular basis” (Choudhary & Pretorius. Nutr Rev. 2017).

Chronic, low-grade inflammation is a significant risk factor for the development of many diseases including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, neurological disorders (e.g., Alzheimer’s), and arthritis, right? So is malnutrition (or micronutrient deficiency). Malnutrition is associated with not only lower body weight but also obesity.

Taken together, it’s important to understand adverse effects of artificial sweeteners and their metabolites. For individuals with or susceptible to inflammatory bowel disease, it’s critical to avoid or at least limit artificial sweeteners, processed foods, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Again, lifestyle with a healthy diet is an integrative, effective solution. If you eat more veggies, fruits and less processed foods, you easily curb added sugar or artificial sweeteners without loss of nutrients. For example, you may sprinkle fresh fruits (such as pineapples, oranges, or watermelon, etc.) or dried fruits (such as raisins or dates) onto your salad (or other dish) as a sweet addition—not only making it palatable but also supplying antioxidants (i.e., a bonus). Alternatively, use a tiny amount of honey or maple syrup, when necessary, which is relatively healthier than artificial sweeteners.

So, take-home points:

Enjoy nutrients-dense foods and reduce sugar intake overall. Specifically, eat plenty of fruits and veggies for natural sweetness, and engage in more physical activity to prevent inflammation.

 

Image Credits: CancerPreventionDaily, Pixabay

Key References: click here

Shining Clarity on Coffee and Cancer

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Coffee with Love_pixabaySteve and Karen, friends of mine, each has drunk more than five cups a day of black coffee—no sugar, no cream—for decades. I’m amazed always because I cannot drink coffee black.

Ari came in work every day with his morning coffee, whether it was Starbucks or a regular one to “stimulate his mind and brain”.

Sound familiar? Obviously, coffee drinking is a popular pleasure around the world.

On top of this, scientists have discovered numerous health effects of coffee. However, lingering confusions about coffee drinking seem to hardly disappear. Even market trends flow with controversies.

Here I’m going to provide renewed clarity on some controversies, misunderstandings or uncertainty and explain why, based on accumulated research, recent literature and knowledge.

One persistent myth or confusion surrounds the link between coffee consumption and cancer risk. You can be comfortably assured that coffee itself doesn’t increase cancer risk. To be even more clear, no evidence up to date concludes that coffee consumption causes cancer.

So, how does this certainty come?

What might be confusing and problematic involves two factors. One is acrylamide—a byproduct derived when coffee beans are roasted; it is a “probable human carcinogen” (Group 2A) classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). However, its amount in coffee is insignificant, no cause for concern. Plus, acrylamide exposure via coffee is less than that from dietary source (French fries or fried foods) and tobacco (smoke or smokeless, a known carcinogen in Group 1).

The other factor is temperature (not the coffee itself), because IARC does classify drinking very hot beverages at or above 65oC (149oF) as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2A). Not just hot coffee. Drinking any hot liquids (tea, water or soup) have been linked to an increased esophageal cancer risk, which is conceivable as a result of the cell injury and recurring repair—leading to mutation and tumor growth over time. Put the two factors together, acrylamide becomes toxic only at high dose and at high temperature.

An additional fact came from the respected agency’s thorough evaluation. IARC actually took “coffee” out of their previous classification as a “probable human carcinogen” in 2016, owing to limited or inadequate evidence and inconsistent results in humans.

By contrast, strong evidence has revealed that coffee consumption may lower a risk of developing some types of cancer, but has no association with various cancers at all. Noticeably, coffee drinking reduced the liver and endometrial cancer cases, with support of a dose-dependent relationship. It also showed a decrease in the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. As for cancer of many other organs such as lung, colon, pancreas, ovarian, prostate, mouth and pharyngeal, findings pointed to either a slight protective effect of coffee, or no association, or inconclusive results.

One need generic levitra vardenafil not submit a prescription in the first place. However, there are several people, who still do not know, Poppers are viagra without prescription an inhalant that is fairly easy to find in most adult book stores or leather shops. Male sexual potency is greatly linked with the quality, strength, size and length of erection. viagra online generic One should take Kamagra viagra online for women an hour prior to indulging in sexual activity can help one get erection in a natural way you should first try this tablets. Keep in mind when talking about carcinogens (i.e., cancer-causing substances), not all carcinogens cause cancer for all individuals or at all time. So, pay attention to other circumstances such as the amount, routes, and time of carcinogenic exposure, genetics, environmental and lifestyle factors.

Interestingly, most benefits of coffee are attributed to several key compounds, including caffeine, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, diterpenes (cafestol, kahweol), and polyphenols. Proposed mechanisms of their anti-cancer effects include a) help control cell growth and proliferation by blocking pro-carcinogenic proteins; b) defend against oxidative stress and DNA damage through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; and c) stimulate enzymes or pathways leading to carcinogenic inactivation and cancer cell death.

It’s also worth mentioning, added calories from plentiful sugar, cream or whole milk with coffee consumption, just like drinking sugar-sweetened beverages excessively and frequently or ingesting unhealthy dietary fats, are potential health hazards—presenting a risk for chronic disorders such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity.

Collectively, drinking coffee on a regular basis has a protective effect against some types of cancer, but no influence on other types, and no evidence of causing cancer. Because of its complex mixture of bioactive components, particularly containing a myriad of antioxidants, coffee acts not just as a mental stimulant but as a defensive agent for your health, which should come as no surprise.

Nevertheless, vegetables, fruits and whole grains are among the richest sources of antioxidants. And a healthy lifestyle goes well beyond coffee drinking.

Bonus ─ Wisdom for coffee delight:

  1. Stay moderate: It’s beneficial and healthy to have coffee no more than 5 cups/day (or 400 mg/day).
  2. Beware additions: Don’t drink coffee when it’s too hot, or with too much sugar and too much cream.
  3. Take precautions: If you have health issues such as GERD, bladder control, osteoporosis, etc., do limit the amount. If coffee triggers your anxiety, don’t drink it on an empty stomach. Some medications interact with coffee too, so follow your doctor’s directions.

Having cleared up certain confusion or “dispersed the confusion on coffee” in this post, I hope you find an inspiration or refreshed perspective that can add to your wellness tool kit.

Happy coffee drinking!

 

Image credit: Pixabay

Color-Coded Foods Guide Your Immune System and Vitality

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Rainbow Color Foods_pixabay.comDoes the food color panel tell something about your diet and your body?

Are you fully aware how your daily diet contributes to chronic inflammation? — which has been proven to be a link to countless chronic diseases, especially heart disease and cancer.

Plant-based, colorful foods, i.e., red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple vegetables and fruits, are filled with nutrients. The “food rainbow” contains not only vitamins and minerals, but most importantly, phytonutrients and antioxidants. Accumulated scientific evidence has shown their anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, anti-pollutant, and anti-cancer properties.
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Therefore, rethink your diet, think about colors and rainbow, and eat a plenty of them for your physical and psychological benefits.

 

Image credit: Pixabay

3 Aspects of Hormonal Imbalance You Need to Know

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Hormonal imbalance is defined when chemical messengers regulating our body’s systems are no longer functioning properly. The imbalance can be an overproduction or an underproduction of specific hormones. Estrogen is the primary hormone in these changes.

Today, I’d like to help you understand the danger when hormone imbalance is left unaddressed or untreated.

What can cause hormonal imbalance? 

Hormone balance is closely connected to the food we eat, the exercise we get, the weight we carry, the stress we bear, and the toxins we absorb. Therefore, many factors can impact the overall hormonal balance, including:

1. Aging
Advanced age itself is a common cause of hormonal imbalance in both men and women.

2. Poor diet 
Excess carbohydrates (especially from refined foods and sugars) that are not needed for energy are stored as fat in the body. Increased body fat elevates estrogen levels and increased estrogen levels bring about estrogen dominance, which leads to increased risks for breast cancer. Hormonal balance can also be interrupted by the consumption of beef and dairy products that are pumped up with synthetic growth hormones.

3. Lack of exercise
Physical inactivity, living a sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity and hormonal imbalance.

4. Obesity
Fatty tissue converts testosterone into estrogens using an enzyme called aromatase; thereby raising estrogen levels. As research shows, obese postmenopausal women tend to have higher estrogen levels than those lean women.

5. Stress
The misconception is that mid-life women and teens have hormonal imbalance along with their emotional or life crisis. The truth is that both men and women experience stress, at least to various degrees, due to the demand of modern society and challenging economy. Although most hormone production is taken over by the adrenal glands during one’s mid-life, constant or chronic stress can reduce progesterone levels or result in adrenal exhaustion, subsequently hormonal imbalance.

6. Environmental toxins
Xenoestrogens are a group of chemicals present in the environment and our everyday products. They mimic the effects of estrogen in your body. Excessive estrogen accumulated as a result of the combination of these foreign, man-made toxins with those naturally produced by the body, leading to compromised hormone functions.
Xenoestrogens are found in
-          household cleaners. Chlorine and its by-products are a major source, which points to why it’s critically important to drink filtered water and use chemical-free cleaning products!
-          household plastics products (e.g. plastic containers and bottles)
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-          pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides
-          industrial pollutants.

7. Birth control pills
Synthetic hormones are used in birth control pills. Research showed that the earlier a girl begins to use contraceptives, the greater her risk of breast cancer is.

8. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Women (under 60 years old and within ten years of menopause) can benefit from HRT with much less risk. However, clinical studies also reveal that HRT poses higher risks for breast cancer, cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke. Moreover, women who have used estrogen for seven years or longer are 14 times more likely to develop cancer.

What can hormonal imbalance lead to?

Hormonal imbalance causes a woman’s infertility. However, other serious medical consequences include:
-          approximately 6,000 endocrine disorders
-          osteoporosis
-          heart Disease
-          Because excess estrogens may act as initiators or promoters of cancer cell growth, hormonal imbalance can lead to cancer.

What can you do to prevent or control hormonal imbalance?

1.      Consult with your doctor on issues such as testing your hormone levels, hormone replacement therapy and using birth control pills, to ensure a proper treatment.
2.      Choose hormone-free meat and dairy products over farmed or estrogen-pumped varieties.
3.      Drink filtered water, which is more important than ever.
4.      Go for chemical-free cleaning. Avoid using household products containing chlorine or chlorine by-product such as dioxin.
5.      Wash  produce thoroughly; be aware of those possibly sprayed with pesticides.
6.      Limit the use of solvents like nail polish, nail polish-remover, and petrochemical-containing cosmetics (i.e. petro-based stuff is what you put in your car).
7.      Recycle hazardous wastes from electronic, plastic and paper products to protect environment.
8.      Reduce stress by positive outlook, relaxing techniques, and enough sleep with a consistent sleeping pattern.

The bottom line: your body has been attacked by harmful chemicals and stressors in everyday life. It is vital to maintain a delicate hormonal balance and strengthen the immune system, for both saving your life and long-term health.

A Message in Salt: Packed with 20 Tips …

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Salt_spoon_1414416Do you have any idea how much salt you consume every day? Do you know about 1 in 3 adults in U.S., as well as one-third of the world’s population, have high blood pressure (or hypertension)?

Hypertension is a risk factor of cardiovascular disease, and responsible for about 50% of deaths from stroke or heart disease. Despite slight debates over the issue, overwhelming evidence supports that increased dietary salt intake raises blood pressure and a reduction in salt intake lowers blood pressure, thereby lowering blood pressure-related diseases. In addition, there is a link between excessive salty food intake and stomach cancer.

Sure, food without salt is boring. At a physiological level, we, humans need a small amount of sodium for fluid balance, muscle contraction and nerve function. However, dietary sodium intake in Americans has reached an alarming, potentially pathological level, largely from excessive salt/sodium hidden in foods in our everyday lives.

Too much salt is damaging. Edema develops when fluid retention occurs with high levels of sodium in the body. I spoke to someone who suffers from atria fibrillation and had edema on the legs. When he simply stopped one thing – eating salty potato chips every day, his edema ceased.

The message:
Added sodium provides more harm than benefit. Sodium doesn’t cause illness alone; however, with multifaceted factors, it plays a role in the development of cardiovascular diseases and some types of cancer. So, moderation is the key.

The good news:
You can control your dietary salt intake and take preventative measures against cardiovascular disease, cancer and other illnesses.

And here I’m providing you with Top 20 Tips for Limiting Salt Intake.

1.      Know the limit of your daily intake.
Current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends less than 2,300 mg a day of sodium intake (~1 teaspoon of table salt), but 1,500 mg a day for those who are
- at age of 50+
- African-American
- having hypertension
- having diabetes and chronic kidney disease
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2.      Track salt in your foods. How? One is to use SuperTracker, a great tool to track what’s in your foods. If you prefer note-taking, you can download a printable Sodium Tracker from our website (on “Education” page).
3.      Have the number of your own intake, and go from there to plan your modification. Cut down sodium seriously in various ways, whether it’s sodium-free, super-low sodium, or low sodium.
4.      Know your body, because salt sensitivity varies among individuals, and even hypertension has a salt-sensitive or salt-resistant form.
5.      Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, fresh or frozen, which you know for certain no added sodium.
6.      Avoid processed or packaged foods.
7.      Cook your own food so that you know what’s in it. For example, steamed veggies (essentially salt-free), and a spiced dish (either salt-free or salt-reduced).
8.      Keep your favorite food but choose sodium-free or sodium-reduced version.
9.      Mix half of your favorite item with an half of a sodium-free choice.
10.  Choose a low-sodium version of convenient frozen dinner food when necessary.
11.  Shop smart, read the labels, and compare with other foods.
12.  Remove salt from the table – “out of sight, out of mind”.
13.  Replace salt with spices and herbs in your cooking or at the table.
14.  Limit added salt whenever possible, even dinning at the restaurant.
15.  Make a wiser choice by substituting sodium-loaded order or item with sodium-reduced one without sacrificing the taste.
16.  Replace salty snacks with nutritious dried fruits.
17.  Replace salty nuts with un-salted ones.
18.  Purchase canned vegetables labeled “no sodium added” or “reduced sodium”, or rinse the veggies thoroughly to wash out some salt before serving.
19.  Drink “low-sodium” version of vegetable juice, and even better, make your own fresh veggie juice.
20.  Create, share salt-free or salt-reduced recipes, and bring salt-free or salt-reduced dishes to your next potluck to help promote public health.

What is your approach to limit salt intake? Please share.

Image credit: By jarsem

Salmonella Infection — How to Avoid the Risk

Do you eat eggs? They are nutrient-rich, esp. vitamin D-rich food. Now you know eggs can also be a source of food poisoning, based on the fact that Salmonella outbreaks drove a nationwide egg recall recently. The New York Times reported that a half billion eggs have been recalled because of possible contamination with salmonella.

Today we focus on top 3 takeaways from this incident.

First, who is most vulnerable to salmonella infection?

Salmonella infections cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps, as well as fever. Usually symptoms of infection begin 12 to 72 hours after consuming contaminated foods/ beverages, and last 4 to 7 days. However, some cases can be serious and even fatal. In particular, the following populations are at high risk:

  • young children
  • elderly or frail individuals
  • people with compromised immune systems, such as cancer patients and those undergoing chemotherapy

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Second, what precautions can you take to eliminate the risk of infection?

Again, the food safety system has failed to eliminate salmonella threat. Therefore, you need to take some precautions to protect yourself and your family from food poisoning or bacteria infection. Based on recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and my own practice, I’ve compiled the following eggs/poultry safety Dos and Don’ts.

 

The Don’t list:

  1. Don’t eat raw or undercooked eggs.
  2. Don’t use raw eggs for salad dressing or homemade ice cream.
  3. Don’t handle food, esp. cooked food or ready-to-eat food before washing your hands.
  4. Don’t consume unpasteurized milk or any raw dairy products.
  5. Don’t eat restaurant dishes made with raw or undercooked eggs.
  6. Don’t prepare food or serve food/drink for others when you’re infected by salmonella.

The Do list:

  1. Do wash your hands thoroughly after handling poultry and anytime before preparing foods, especially cooked or ready-to-eat items.
  2. Do thoroughly wash the cutting board, involved counter surface, knives, utensils and containers/plates after handling uncooked poultry or foods.
  3. Do separate the cutting board or plates for raw food from those for cooked or uncooked ready-to-eat food to avoid cross-contamination; — a practice that many folks overlook.
  4. Do throw away any cracked or dirty eggs.
  5. Do keep eggs or egg-containing foods refrigerated at 45oF or lower.
  6. Do cook eggs until they are well-done (i.e., both yolks and whites are firm).
  7. Do judge or determine whether meat or poultry is cooked or safe to eat by a food thermometer when in doubt, not by food color or poking depth.
  8. Do make sure to cook any egg mixture (casseroles or cakes/pies) until the center of the mixture reaches a safe temperature level.

Third, is Salmonella infection linked to cancer risks?

The relationship between bacterial infection and cancer is rather complicated in the way that bacteria can either cause one type of cancer or protect from the other type of cancer or both. Here we only look at the link between salmonella bacteria and cancer – it’s like two sides of a coin.

There is a close association between mixed bacterial and salmonella infections with the carcinogenesis of cancer, particularly gallbladder cancer – a cancer with a poor prognosis. Even though one infection won’t get you cancer, repeated bacterial infections or chronic infections may lead to cancer development. Therefore, don’t overlook infection. As WHO advocated, preventing infection is one strategy to prevent cancer.

Reversely, the same bacterium, salmonella, has been found as a potential strategy to fight melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer. Specifically, research showed that injecting salmonella (of course, in a safe form) into cancerous mice and cancer cells from human melanoma increased an immune-killing response to tumor cells through elevating immune surveillance.

In short, food hygiene and food safety measures are always worthwhile for your overall health.

Photo credits:  by andar; by g-point

Toxic Chemical in Cereal Boxes – Surprising and Frightening on Lack of Regulation

A front page article titled “U.S. regulators lack information on health risks of many chemicals” on Aug. 2 in the Washington Post regarding recent recall of Kellogg’s cereals, is alarming and thought-provoking. The reality told us that toxic chemicals are not only in the household products (cleaners, pesticides, etc), but also sneaking into our food!

Recently, Kellogg recalled 28 million boxes of cereal because customers complained of an odd smell and taste that made some folks sick. What is it? It turns out — a natural component of crude oil, 2-methylnaphthalene, which leaked from the packaging.

“Federal regulators, who are charged with ensuring the safety of food and consumer products, are in the dark about the suspected chemical, 2-methylnaphthalene. The Food and Drug Administration has no scientific data on its impact on human health. The Environmental Protection Agency also lacks basic health and safety data for 2-methylnaphthalene — even though the EPA has been seeking that information from the chemical industry for 16 years.”— cited from the article.

I’m frankly surprised and puzzled… To my knowledge, naphthalene is a possible human carcinogen (concluded by The International Agency for Research on Cancer and EPA), as I informed the public on our website. I’m not an expert on 2-methylnaphthalene, but simple chemistry suggests that it is a compound structurally related to naphthalene. What is naphthalene? As you might know, it’s a primary ingredient of mothballs.

Next, I did a quick search on PubMed — a resource from the U.S. National Library of Medicine for biomedical literature with approximately 20 million references. Results? There are 124 references on “2-methylnaphthalene” dated from 1960s. Here is a brief summary about 2-methylnaphthalene associated health risks:

1. Lung toxicit: Dietary exposure of mice to 2-methylnaphthalene for 81 weeks (i.e. most of their lives) caused pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, a disorder that rapidly leads to respiratory failure, because the alveolar spaces are filled with an abnormal lipid-rich material that hinders gas exchange. Data from exposure of lab animals (rats and mice) to 2-methylnaphthalene through various routes (including acute inhalation, skin, and abdominal injection) confirmed the lung toxicity. Other respiratory hazards include depressed breathing rate, lung and bronchi cell damage.

2. Tumor development: Exposure to 2-methylnaphthalene significantly increased lung tumors in male mice, although dose-dependent effects are not clear enough to address its carcinogenic potential.

3. Liver toxicity: 2-methylnaphthalene inhibited cell-to-cell communication in cultured rat liver cells. Bear in mind that the chaos of intracellular communication is evident in cancer.

In addition, there are studies on the microorganisms involved and their potentials concerning how 2-methylnaphthalene is metabolized and degraded….
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Further studies will, without doubt, help establish health implications in humans. I guess the question is not whether there is related information. The real question is whether the food company wanted to know about it or not.

Chemicals found in food supplies have become an ongoing problem tracing back to BPA, now 2-methylnaphthalene, what will be next? What’s even more frightening is that you probably never find out. As a scientist emphasized at the end of the article, “In this case, it had an odor and it had a taste, so it was detected. But there are hundreds of other potential impurities that we can’t smell and taste, chemicals that we know very little about and the government knows little about.”

We anticipate that the government sets vigorous food safety laws, takes effective and authoritative measures to test products and/or chemicals before they hit the market, in order to protect consumers from any harmful health consequence resulting from industrial self-interest and self-regulation.

For our citizens, this is just one more reason why you need to get informed and become educated. Depending on the manufacturers or government might be too late.

What’s your thought on food safety?

To find out which cereal package is involved in the recall, read:
U.S. regulators lack information on health risks of many chemicals

To learn more about Naphthalene, click here.

Photo credit: by muresan113