The FDA actually approved the following health claim for Mazola Corn Oil, a product very high in the omega-6 fatty acids that most Americans get way too much of:
Very limited and preliminary scientific evidence suggests that eating about a tablespoon of corn oil daily may reduce the risk of heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in corn oil.
Of course, if you continue reading, you see the "qualification" of this health claim:
[The] FDA concludes that there is little scientific evidence supporting this claim.
And then, to make it more head-smacking confusing:
To achieve this possible benefit, corn oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.
I don't know if the aforementioned example proves the FDA is corrupt or just stupid. It appears to be clear, though, that the American Heart Association is corrupt.
Consider that they've bestowed (for a fee) their heart-healthy seal on Lucky Charms, Trix, and Cocoa Puff cereals, in addition to Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink, and Healthy Choice's Caramel Swirl Ice Cream.
Similar degrees of chutzpah are evident in the countless food manufacturers who claim their product to be chock full of antioxidants. Keep this in mind: all plants contain antioxidants of some kind, so don't think for a minute that the people who make Snickers Bars (which contain cacao from plants) haven't considered slapping a "Rich With Antioxidants!" label on their product.
Meanwhile, the products that truly contain rich amounts of antioxidants — the fresh fruits and vegetables in the produce aisle — have no label to trumpet their nutritional value.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Michael Pollan Omnivore's Dilemma
Our modern-day Upton Sinclair is a journalism professor named Michael Pollan whose book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, explored the American food manufacturing system. The book's most significant contribution was the assertion that a combination of political and biological factors had done almost indescribable damage to the overall health of Americans.
Specifically, he traced how a single political decision made in the 70's having to do with farm subsidies led to a single grain — corn — being mass grown without the limitations normally imposed by supply and demand.
Corn became so abundant and consequently so cheap that manufacturers began looking for novel ways to use it. This led to the inclusion of high-fructose corn syrup in hundreds of products and the invention of a dazzling array of corn-based cereals and snack foods.
With all those cheap, salted, and sugared calories to be had, Americans grew increasingly fat and increasingly diabetic. Perhaps worse, though, was the wide-spread use of corn as cattle feed.
Cattle don't do well on grains. It makes them sick and they then require antibiotics. Furthermore, it changed the fatty acid content of their meat. Whereas normally the grass-fed creatures had omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratios more consistent with wild game or wild salmon, the corn-feeding turned them into hoofed heart attacks in waiting, the ingestion of which slowly clogged the nation's arteries.
Despite the billion-lumen light Pollan shined on the food industry, he didn't really pontificate too much on what humans should eat. He attempts to rectify that with his latest book, In Defense of Food.
Specifically, he traced how a single political decision made in the 70's having to do with farm subsidies led to a single grain — corn — being mass grown without the limitations normally imposed by supply and demand.
Corn became so abundant and consequently so cheap that manufacturers began looking for novel ways to use it. This led to the inclusion of high-fructose corn syrup in hundreds of products and the invention of a dazzling array of corn-based cereals and snack foods.
With all those cheap, salted, and sugared calories to be had, Americans grew increasingly fat and increasingly diabetic. Perhaps worse, though, was the wide-spread use of corn as cattle feed.
Cattle don't do well on grains. It makes them sick and they then require antibiotics. Furthermore, it changed the fatty acid content of their meat. Whereas normally the grass-fed creatures had omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratios more consistent with wild game or wild salmon, the corn-feeding turned them into hoofed heart attacks in waiting, the ingestion of which slowly clogged the nation's arteries.
Despite the billion-lumen light Pollan shined on the food industry, he didn't really pontificate too much on what humans should eat. He attempts to rectify that with his latest book, In Defense of Food.
Upton Sinclair - Book "The Jungle" --> FDA creation
He wrote about how dead rats were shoveled into sausage grinding machines. He explained, in nauseating detail, how diseased cows were slaughtered for beef; how guts and garbage were swept off the floor and sold as "potted ham."
Upton Sinclair even described how the occasional worker would fall into a meat-processing tank and be ground, along with animal parts, into "Durham's Pure Leaf Lard."
The Chicago meat-packing industry was in deep trouble after Sinclair's landmark book, The Jungle, was published in 1906. It caused outrage in America and abroad and meat sales fell by half. The book forced the government to pass the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act, which established the Food and Drug Administration.
The Jungle
Upton Sinclair even described how the occasional worker would fall into a meat-processing tank and be ground, along with animal parts, into "Durham's Pure Leaf Lard."
The Chicago meat-packing industry was in deep trouble after Sinclair's landmark book, The Jungle, was published in 1906. It caused outrage in America and abroad and meat sales fell by half. The book forced the government to pass the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act, which established the Food and Drug Administration.
The Jungle
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Aspartame soon to be banned. Hawaii is trying!
Walking down the isles of your local supermarket, it is difficult to pick up any one item that does not contain aspartame. Without actually reading the ingredient list, consumers are led to believe that labels touting, "No Sugar Added", "Low Sugar", or "Sugar-Free" are actually healthy no sugar alternatives, when in truth; most items that carry such labels contain chemical sweeteners such as aspartame or sucralose that are far from "healthy".
Consumption of aspartame can be linked to arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, insomnia, headaches/migraines, dizziness, and loss of vision just to name a few.
Now, one state has joined in the fight to have one of these chemicals removed from the food supply. Hawaii is making strides toward legislation that would ban aspartame from the food on Hawaiian store shelves. They are the second state to craft legislation geared toward aspartame removal.
In 2006, New Mexico attempted legislation that would have effectively put a halt to what some have labeled, "Rumsfeld's Disease", named appropriately after aspartame's chief champion in the 1970's, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The lobbyists and corporations went to testify and according to Stephen Fox, who petitioned to push the bill into legislation, Richard Minzner, former Majority Leader in the House, told the Committee that it was, "irresponsible and illegal to even think about challenging an FDA approved chemical." Stephen reported that not one committee member objected to this statement. They simply sat listening as they ate their ham sandwiches and downed cans of diet soda.
Hawaii took up the gauntlet in late January to try their hand at a ban on the toxic substance. Today, that bill was killed in Committee for the entire 2008 session.
It was decided that instead of bringing this Hawaii House bill to a vote, which is what Representative Josh Green, M.D., told his constituents that he would do last week, he has "deferred at the discretion of the Chair". According to Stephen Fox, there is still a bill to be considered by the Senate, but with over 3000 other bills in consideration, the Senate bill to ban aspartame has, "yet to be scheduled for its hearing."
Awareness regarding the dangers of aspartame seems to be increasing even though the FDA, corporations, and some doctors insist on its safety.
Dr. Kalani Brady, a physician at John A. Burns School of Medicine says, "Aspartame has been studied hundreds of times. Nothing has ever been shown to be a detriment with aspartame. It's perfectly safe."
Dr. Brady insists that a ban on aspartame would have an adverse affect on life as we know it. "Oh, we would shut things down, you know. It's very difficult to look into all the products that aspartame is contained in. More than just an inconvenience, it would shut down the economy."
On February 12, 2008, ABC aired a piece with Diane Sawyer regarding new research from Purdue University in the field of aspartame dangers.
Dr. Marie Savard tells us that as little as one diet soda a day can change your metabolism and actually cause you to gain weight. She also reported that consumption of artificial sweeteners can change brain chemistry.
The artificial sweetener industry issued a response in regard to the new research information. The Calorie Control Council rebutted the study saying, "Previous studies in humans have shown that low calorie sweeteners are indeed beneficial for weight control."
Dr. Savard tells us in this interview that there have been "small studies" showing benefits, but two recent large studies involving 18,000 participants that were followed for five to nine years found "healthy adult people consuming as little as one diet drink a day could increase the risk of Metabolic Syndrome, pre-heart disease, and weight gain by 30-40%."
Researchers are not certain if the brain will "reset" once the artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are stopped or at least lessened to less than one a day. They admit that more research is needed.
You can see this interview here: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5tpCpqABhM) .
Aspartame is the one substance that receives the most complaints to the FDA and yet it remains on the market. The FDA stopped tabulating complaints on aspartame in 1992 after the tally had reached over 10,000 complaints. According to Dr. Janet Hull, one of the top researchers on the dangers of aspartame, the FDA began to categorize the complaints regarding aspartame into generic categories not related to aspartame, "such as death", for example. "If the death by seizure was reported as a reaction to aspartame, the death was recorded as seizure only and not as an 'aspartame' seizure." says Dr. Hull. Before 1992, when complaints were accepted as directly related to aspartame consumption, between 78% and 85% of all FDA complaints were about aspartame.
What Contains Aspartame?
There are approximately 6000 products on the market that contain aspartame. Some of them include:
* diet sodas
* hot chocolate mix
* lemonade mix
* children's vitamins
* puddings
* yogurt
* chewing gum
* flavored water
* frozen desserts
* gelatins
* "sugar free" items
* "no sugar added" items
* "___% less sugar" items
The FDA seems unwilling, despite ever mounting evidence that this toxic substance is affecting people daily, to reconsider their position regarding its approval. Our own state law makers seem unable or unwilling to protect us further by shelving bills, legislation, and petitions that could potentially save lives by outlawing aspartame. Even some doctors seem more concerned that a ban on aspartame might actually affect the economy adversely, although it seems to be perfectly capable of crashing without the help of a ban on aspartame, than sound science and saving human lives. We can only protect ourselves. For the sake of your and your family's health, check the labels on every item that you put into your grocery cart from vitamins to water to chewing gum.
The last thing you want, is to end up as another ignored complaint on the FDA's website, another ignored name on a petition to law makers, a misdiagnosed complaint in your doctor's office, or another name added to the "unfortunate reaction" list of deaths to this toxic substance.
If you have a complaint regarding aspartame, please visit the FDA’s website at:
((http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders...)
References:
((http://www.government-propaganda.com/as...)
((http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne...)
(http://www.khon2.com/news/local/14447192.html)
(http://www.dorway.com/cdctext.txt)
((http://www.janethull.com/askdrhull/arti...)
Consumption of aspartame can be linked to arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, insomnia, headaches/migraines, dizziness, and loss of vision just to name a few.
Now, one state has joined in the fight to have one of these chemicals removed from the food supply. Hawaii is making strides toward legislation that would ban aspartame from the food on Hawaiian store shelves. They are the second state to craft legislation geared toward aspartame removal.
In 2006, New Mexico attempted legislation that would have effectively put a halt to what some have labeled, "Rumsfeld's Disease", named appropriately after aspartame's chief champion in the 1970's, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The lobbyists and corporations went to testify and according to Stephen Fox, who petitioned to push the bill into legislation, Richard Minzner, former Majority Leader in the House, told the Committee that it was, "irresponsible and illegal to even think about challenging an FDA approved chemical." Stephen reported that not one committee member objected to this statement. They simply sat listening as they ate their ham sandwiches and downed cans of diet soda.
Hawaii took up the gauntlet in late January to try their hand at a ban on the toxic substance. Today, that bill was killed in Committee for the entire 2008 session.
It was decided that instead of bringing this Hawaii House bill to a vote, which is what Representative Josh Green, M.D., told his constituents that he would do last week, he has "deferred at the discretion of the Chair". According to Stephen Fox, there is still a bill to be considered by the Senate, but with over 3000 other bills in consideration, the Senate bill to ban aspartame has, "yet to be scheduled for its hearing."
Awareness regarding the dangers of aspartame seems to be increasing even though the FDA, corporations, and some doctors insist on its safety.
Dr. Kalani Brady, a physician at John A. Burns School of Medicine says, "Aspartame has been studied hundreds of times. Nothing has ever been shown to be a detriment with aspartame. It's perfectly safe."
Dr. Brady insists that a ban on aspartame would have an adverse affect on life as we know it. "Oh, we would shut things down, you know. It's very difficult to look into all the products that aspartame is contained in. More than just an inconvenience, it would shut down the economy."
On February 12, 2008, ABC aired a piece with Diane Sawyer regarding new research from Purdue University in the field of aspartame dangers.
Dr. Marie Savard tells us that as little as one diet soda a day can change your metabolism and actually cause you to gain weight. She also reported that consumption of artificial sweeteners can change brain chemistry.
The artificial sweetener industry issued a response in regard to the new research information. The Calorie Control Council rebutted the study saying, "Previous studies in humans have shown that low calorie sweeteners are indeed beneficial for weight control."
Dr. Savard tells us in this interview that there have been "small studies" showing benefits, but two recent large studies involving 18,000 participants that were followed for five to nine years found "healthy adult people consuming as little as one diet drink a day could increase the risk of Metabolic Syndrome, pre-heart disease, and weight gain by 30-40%."
Researchers are not certain if the brain will "reset" once the artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are stopped or at least lessened to less than one a day. They admit that more research is needed.
You can see this interview here: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5tpCpqABhM) .
Aspartame is the one substance that receives the most complaints to the FDA and yet it remains on the market. The FDA stopped tabulating complaints on aspartame in 1992 after the tally had reached over 10,000 complaints. According to Dr. Janet Hull, one of the top researchers on the dangers of aspartame, the FDA began to categorize the complaints regarding aspartame into generic categories not related to aspartame, "such as death", for example. "If the death by seizure was reported as a reaction to aspartame, the death was recorded as seizure only and not as an 'aspartame' seizure." says Dr. Hull. Before 1992, when complaints were accepted as directly related to aspartame consumption, between 78% and 85% of all FDA complaints were about aspartame.
What Contains Aspartame?
There are approximately 6000 products on the market that contain aspartame. Some of them include:
* diet sodas
* hot chocolate mix
* lemonade mix
* children's vitamins
* puddings
* yogurt
* chewing gum
* flavored water
* frozen desserts
* gelatins
* "sugar free" items
* "no sugar added" items
* "___% less sugar" items
The FDA seems unwilling, despite ever mounting evidence that this toxic substance is affecting people daily, to reconsider their position regarding its approval. Our own state law makers seem unable or unwilling to protect us further by shelving bills, legislation, and petitions that could potentially save lives by outlawing aspartame. Even some doctors seem more concerned that a ban on aspartame might actually affect the economy adversely, although it seems to be perfectly capable of crashing without the help of a ban on aspartame, than sound science and saving human lives. We can only protect ourselves. For the sake of your and your family's health, check the labels on every item that you put into your grocery cart from vitamins to water to chewing gum.
The last thing you want, is to end up as another ignored complaint on the FDA's website, another ignored name on a petition to law makers, a misdiagnosed complaint in your doctor's office, or another name added to the "unfortunate reaction" list of deaths to this toxic substance.
If you have a complaint regarding aspartame, please visit the FDA’s website at:
((http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders...)
References:
((http://www.government-propaganda.com/as...)
((http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne...)
(http://www.khon2.com/news/local/14447192.html)
(http://www.dorway.com/cdctext.txt)
((http://www.janethull.com/askdrhull/arti...)
About the author
Jennifer McKinley is a wife, mother of five, homeschooler, and business owner. She has spent years researching issues dealing with holistic and natural medicine and how different chemicals in our homes, foods, medications, and environments effect our health and quality of life. Her goal is to promote public awareness and knowledge regarding these issues.Friday, March 7, 2008
Weston A. Price Foundation to FDA: Soy is No Health Food
The Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit nutrition education foundation, has submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking them to change a rule that currently allows soy protein to carry a heart disease health claim.
Manufacturers of soy products have been able to label them “heart healthy” since 1999. The Weston A. Price Foundation’s 65-page petition was filed in response to the FDA’s request for public comment on the issue.
"We have filed this petition because there was never a sound basis for a soy health claim and the heavy marketing of soy as a 'miracle food' has put American men, women and children at risk," said Kaayla Daniel, lead author of the petition that was officially filed by Sally Fallon, president of the foundation.
The petition documents longstanding concern in the scientific community -- including the FDA’s own Laboratory for Toxicological Research -- regarding soy’s possible role in:
Manufacturers of soy products have been able to label them “heart healthy” since 1999. The Weston A. Price Foundation’s 65-page petition was filed in response to the FDA’s request for public comment on the issue.
"We have filed this petition because there was never a sound basis for a soy health claim and the heavy marketing of soy as a 'miracle food' has put American men, women and children at risk," said Kaayla Daniel, lead author of the petition that was officially filed by Sally Fallon, president of the foundation.
The petition documents longstanding concern in the scientific community -- including the FDA’s own Laboratory for Toxicological Research -- regarding soy’s possible role in:
- Carcinogenesis
- Thyroid disease
- Reproductive health problems including infertility
- Other illnesses
Toxic toothpaste leads to new charges
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Criminal charges have been filed against a company that prosecutors say imported and distributed nearly 90,000 tubes of Chinese toothpaste containing a poisonous substance and a wholesaler supplier of the tubes, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo announced.
Selective Imports Corp. sold the toothpaste containing diethylene glycol to distributors nationwide between December 2005 and May 2007, prosecutors said Thursday. Vernon Sales Inc. is accused of buying some of the tubes and reselling them to Los Angeles stores.
Diethylene glycol is a chemical used in antifreeze and as a solvent. Chinese manufacturers have used the chemical, known as DEG, as a cheaper alternative to glycerin, which thickens toothpaste. Exposure to DEG, however, can cause kidney and liver damage over time.
Vernon Sales President Kamyab Toofer, Vice President Pejman Mossay and the company itself each were charged with 14 criminal counts of receiving, selling and delivering an adulterated drug.
Selective Imports, its president, Frahad Nazarian and Vice President Yones Ghermezi each were charged with two criminal counts each of receiving, selling and delivering products containing DEG.
The companies are liable for distributing the tainted product even if they had no direct knowledge of the risk because they were negligent in not ensuring the toothpaste was safe, Supervising Deputy City Attorney Jerry Baik said.
The misdemeanor charges were filed Monday, he said. Each count carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 (650 euros) fine.
Don't Miss
Ghermezi said he had not seen the charges but was shocked by the filing. All the adulterated toothpaste was voluntarily pulled from shelves and from his Vernon, California, company's inventory eight months ago and destroyed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month, he said.
"Everything we had was destroyed by the FDA," Ghermezi said. "I thought the file had been closed."
Ghermezi said he supplied the toothpaste to Vernon Sales, also based in Vernon. He said his company never knowingly sold adulterated toothpaste and believed the product had approval of the FDA regulatory agency.
"We didn't know of the ingredients of the toothpaste," he said. "We don't (have) any intention of hurting people."
A fax to Vernon Sales seeking comment was not immediately returned.
China's reputation as an exporter has taken a beating in the past year following recalls of products including the toothpaste, toys tainted with lead, and pet food fortified with the toxic chemical melamine.
Last month, a federal grand jury indicted Las Vegas-based ChemNutra Inc. and two Chinese businesses in the tainted pet food incidents that killed potentially thousands of animals.
ChemNutra and its owners were charged with multiple misdemeanor counts of introducing adulterated and misbranded food into interstate commerce, along with one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The Los Angeles charges stem from an investigation after the FDA confiscated some 70,000 tubes of adulterated toothpaste delivered to the Port of Long Beach in May, Baik said.
The FDA confiscated that shipment when it came from the same Chinese manufacturer as DEG-tainted cough syrup blamed for the deaths of at least 94 people in Panama since July 2006, he said.
The company executives charged Monday were accused of involvement in the sale of toothpaste delivered in a previous shipment, Baik said.
At least 480 tubes were resold by Vernon Sales to stores within Los Angeles, which gave the city attorney's office jurisdiction to investigate, he said.
Baik did not know how many of those tubes had been recovered and how many had been sold.
The shipments that came before the seizure in May included 78,336 tubes of spearmint-flavored "Cooldent" toothpaste sold by Selective Imports to distributors around the country, according to the city attorney's office.
Nearly 10,000 additional tubes of fluoride "Cooldent" were also distributed around the country in early May, prosecutors said.
Baik said he know of no illnesses associated with the toothpaste in Los Angeles.
FDA spokeswoman Rita Chappelle said she was not aware of anyone outside the city who had fallen ill after using the toothpasteMonday, March 3, 2008
FDA - the real Terminators
Reflux Disease Treatment Nexium Now Approved for Children Ages 1 to 11
FDA has approved Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) for short-term use in children ages 1 to 11 years for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The agency approved the drug in two forms, a delayed-release capsule and liquid form. Nexium is approved in 10 milligrams (mg) or 20 mg daily for children ages 1 to 11, compared to 20 mg or 40 mg recommended for pediatric patients ages 12 to 17.
Simply amazing. I recall the movies Matrix and Terminator, when I think of the mindless things that people and organizations and governments do, I assume it is payoffs with money, and it is justified by ignorance of the human body and nutrition. Perhaps it is a plot to create apathy, complacency or ultimately catatonic ....
Very sad that children have to suffer from this "disorder." When the real disorder are the nutritionally ignorant parents, who would allow Doctors to give to "OK" for their children to be given Nexium being big pharmaceutical paid once again the FDA to get this drug approved.
If the human body was truly a machine leave a car, where you could simply replace parts and make the body run on an alternative fuel source then that is ok I suppose.... but WE ARE NOT MACHINES, we are NOT designed to eat garbage and cover up the symptoms with synthetic toxic chemicals because of the greed of the pharmaceutical companies and the brainwashing they have done to our Doctors.
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