Courtesy of consumereports.com
You would think that after years of alarms about food safety—outbreaks of illness followed by renewed efforts at cleanup—a staple like chicken would be a lot safer to eat. But in our latest analysis of fresh, whole broilers bought at stores nationwide, two-thirds harbored salmonella and/or campylobacter, the leading bacterial causes of foodborne disease.
That's a modest improvement since January 2007, when we found that eight of 10 broilers harbored those pathogens. But the numbers are still far too high, especially for campylobacter. Though the government has been talking about regulating it for years, it has yet to do so. The message is clear: Consumers still can't let down their guard. They must cook chicken to at least 165ยบ F and prevent raw chicken or its juices from touching any other food. Each year, salmonella and campylobacter from chicken and other food sources infect 3.4 million Americans, send 25,500 to hospitals, and kill about 500, according to estimates by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the problem might be even more widespread: Many people who get sick don't seek medical care, and many of those who do aren't screened for foodborne infections.
What's more, the CDC reports that in about 20 percent of salmonella cases and 55 percent of campylobacter cases, the bugs have proved resistant to at least one antibiotic. For that reason, victims who are sick enough to need antibiotics might have to try two or more before finding one that helps.
Consumer Reports has been measuring contamination in store-bought chickens since 1998. For our latest analysis, we had an outside lab test 382 chickens bought last spring from more than 100 supermarkets, gourmet- and natural-food stores, and mass merchandisers in 22 states. We tested three top brands—Foster Farms, Perdue, and Tyson—as well as 30 nonorganic store brands, nine organic store brands, and nine organic name brands. Five of the organic brands were labeled "air-chilled" (a slaughterhouse process in which carcasses are refrigerated and may be misted, rather than dunked in cold chlorinated water). Among our findings:
- Campylobacter was in 62 percent of the chickens, salmonella was in 14 percent, and both bacteria were in 9 percent.
- Only 34 percent of the birds were clear of both pathogens. That's double the percentage of clean birds we found in our 2007 report but far less than the 51 percent in our 2003 report.
- Among the cleanest overall were air-chilled broilers. About 40 percent harbored one or both pathogens. Eight Bell & Evans organic broilers, which are air chilled, were free of both, but our sample was too small to determine that all Bell & Evans broilers would be.
- Store-brand organic chickens had no salmonella at all, showing that it's possible for chicken to arrive in stores without that bacterium riding along. But as our tests showed, banishing one bug doesn't mean banishing both: 57 percent of those birds harbored campylobacter.
- The cleanest name-brand chickens were Perdue's: 56 percent were free of both pathogens. This is the first time since we began testing chicken that one major brand has fared significantly better than others across the board.
- Most contaminated were Tyson and Foster Farms chickens. More than 80 percent tested positive for one or both pathogens.
- Among all brands and types of broilers tested, 68 percent of the salmonella and 60 percent of the campylobacter organisms we analyzed showed resistance to one or more antibiotics.
Bonnie - most of us did not stop eating chicken when the last report came out and most will not stop from this report. However, it is another reminder to be smart and proactive about eating any foodstuff, whether it is raw vegetables or animal flesh. At the end of the day, we are the last line of defense. If we do not cook our meat properly, wash our veggies thoroughly, or check to see that our restaurant food is cooked properly, we certainly cannot count on the USDA, food manufacturers, food distributors, grocery stores, and restaurants to make sure our food is safe.
The first rigorous study of behavior treatment in autistic children as young as 18 months found two years of therapy can vastly improve symptoms, often resulting in a milder diagnosis. The study was small — just 48 children evaluated at the University of Washington — but the results were so encouraging it has been expanded to several other sites.
The National Institute of Mental Health funded the study was published in Pediatrics. Children aged 18 months to 30 months were randomly assigned to receive behavior treatment focusing on social interaction and communication — which are both difficult for many autistic children. Children in the specialized group had four hours of therapist-led treatment five days a week, plus at least five hours weekly from parents.
After two years, IQ increased an average of almost 18 points in the specialized group, versus seven points in the others. Language skills also improved more in the specialized group. Almost 30 percent in the specialized group were re-diagnosed with a less severe form of autism after two years, versus 5 percent of the others. No children were considered "cured."
The treatment is expensive; participants didn't pay, but it can cost $50,000 a year. Some states require insurers to cover such costs, and Autism Speaks is working to expand those laws.
Bonnie - behavioral therapy is very important for treating autism. ADD/ADHD drug makers would kill for these kind of results.
In patients receiving glucocorticoids for inflammatory diseases, adverse events are very common, even at low to medium doses, according to a report in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The overall adverse event rate averaged 150 per 100 patient-years. In studies that focused only on patients with inflammatory bowel disease, the adverse event rate was 555 per 100 patient-years.
Adverse events in RA patients consisted primarily of psychological and behavioral disturbances, followed by dermatological and cardiovascular effects. PMR was primarily associated with gastrointestinal, endocrine and metabolic, cardiovascular and infectious events. IBD patients most often reported gastrointestinal and neurological events. "The risk-benefit ratio of glucocorticoids is an important issue for future studies and could help to create new targets for drug development" such as selective glucocorticoid receptor agonists, the authors conclude.
Inadequate levels of vitamin D are associated with an increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease and death, as reported at the American Heart Association 2009 Scientific Sessions. Results from 27 000 people 50 years or older with no history of cardiovascular disease for just over a year, found that those with very low levels of vitamin D (<15>30 ng/mL). Those deficient in vitamin D were also twice as likely to develop heart failure as those with normal levels.
"We concluded that even a moderate deficiency of vitamin D was associated with developing coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, and death," said coauthor Dr Heidi May (Intermountain Medical Center).
Deficiency in vitamin D is generally agreed to be a blood level of <20>150 ng/mL indicating excessive vitamin D. Data suggest that many people are likely getting inadequate vitamin D, he said, with studies showing that black Americans have blood levels ranging from 6-18 ng/mL and that white Americans have levels ranging from 16-25 ng/mL. In general, a supplement of 100 IU of vitamin D per day will increase blood levels of vitamin D by 1 ng/mL, Rimm said. Those taking 1000 IU per day should have blood levels in the range of 25-32 ng/mL and those taking 4000 IU should have levels of 40-50 ng/mL.
During the right times of year, five to 10 minutes a day of sunlight is sufficient is to make enough vitamin D. I do hear the concerns about skin cancer and I think people should wear suntan lotion, but it's probably better to put it on 10 minutes after you've been in the sun." Researchers cautioned that "in northern climes, even if you go out in the sun in January, you're not going to make much vitamin D, so there you would need supplementation to get adequate levels." One of the best dietary sources of vitamin D is fish. People should remember that diet is an important source of vitamin D, too, he noted. "One of the best dietary sources of vitamin D is fish. We already suggest people eat a couple of servings a week, but having three or four servings a week of fish can get you a fair bit of vitamin D, and would represent an additional 300 to 500 IU of vitamin D. This still might not be sufficient so you might need a little bit of sunlight or to take a vitamin D supplement. It's really a combination of things, that's probably the best approach."
Both Rimm and Dobnig said it is nearly impossible for anyone to suffer adverse effects from too much vitamin D. Those who spend whole days in the sun, such as lifeguards, have vitamin D levels ranging from 45 to 65 ng/mL, said Rimm. "Vitamin D is safe. Hypercalcemia is not a problem, with the rare exception of granulomatous disease," said Dobnig. He added that because vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it can be given weekly, or even monthly.
Everyone's getting on the immune-boosting bandwagon. Shockingly, Kellogg's labeled their Cocoa Krispies as a great way to build immunity, despite the second ingredient being sugar and containing partially hyrdrogenated oil (trans fat). Under FDA pressure, Kellogg's has since removed this erroneous claim.
Like we did with our Immune-Boosting Broth in November, Salmon Stimpanata is another immune-boosting recipe sure to excite. It has been a staple of a local restaurant in Highwood, IL called Washington Gardens. Here's why it is a great immune-boosting dish:
- Salmon - loaded with vitamin D, omega-3 fats, protein, an zinc
- Orange Juice/Lemon - vitamin C
- Red Onion - quercetin and other flavanoids
Not only does the presentation look beautiful, but it is incredibly delicious. Even fish haters will love it because there is no fishy taste. For those of you wanting to make it at home:
Salmon Stimpanata
-2 lb. salmon filets, cut into 4 pieces
-1 c. fresh orange juice
-juice of one lemon
-1 medium to large red onion, thinly sliced
Marinate salmon filets in the next three ingredients for ½ hour or more. In a pan (so that the salmon is completely covered with liquid- add a little water if needed), bring the liquid to a boil. The, cover immediately and turn off the heat (leaving the pan on top of the burner). When the salmon is no longer translucent, it is ready to serve! Serve with lemon wedges and orange and kiwi slices. SERVES: 4
SIDE DISHES: serve with steamed broccoli and wild rice pilaf.
Studies including nearly 80,000 people aged 60 and older confirms that certain types of widely prescribed drugs. Falls often have serious consequences for older people, such as injuries leading to disability and admission to a nursing home, or even death.
The Archives of Internal Medicine study analyzed the risk of falling associated with nine classes of drugs. Three classes turned out to significantly boost fall risk: sedatives and hypnotics, typically prescribed as sleeping aids; antidepressants; and benzodiazepines, which include tranquilizers like Xanax and Valium. The researchers also saw an increased risk in patients taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs -- like aspirin-- and drugs for treating psychosis, but they note that people may be taking these drugs to treat conditions that would in and of themselves increase their risk of falling. Prescription drug use among the elderly is on the rise. One recent Canadian study found 1 in 7 people over 80 had filled a prescription for an antidepressant. Older people who are taking any of the drugs associated with falls should talk about the medication with their physician and their pharmacist.
Women in whom preeclampsia develops during pregnancy are more likely than other women to have hypothyroidism in late pregnancy or subsequently, according to British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Bonnie - what can help prevent this: adequate lean protein consumption, magnesium, and iodine
Bonnie - Jane Brody, long-time health columnist for the New York Times, goes out on a limb with this piece (can you hear the tongue-in-cheek?).
While it is nice to see Jane get with the times by suggesting that dairy/milk is not all that it is cracked up to be for bone health, she still talks up whole wheat, which is one of the most acidic foods on earth.
Protein should be the only acid food consumed regularly and has shown to be bone healthy when consumed properly.
It is common knowledge that type 1 diabetics are at increased risk for celiac disease. New research from the journal Diabetes also suggests that they also have an abnormal, exaggerated immune response to wheat proteins, separate from any genetic, gluten-related abnormality.
Bonnie - gluten intolerance combined with a wheat protein intolerance is the ultimate double whammy disaster!
"We mustn't protect ourselves against consuming too much beta-carotene, but rather against consuming too little." This was the conclusion drawn by leading experts in the fields of medical and nutritional science at the 2nd Hohenheim Nutrition Conference in Stuttgart, Germany. Georg Lietz, Ph.D., of Newcastle University reported the general population in the United Kingdom and other European countries is not obtaining sufficient beta-carotene through diet alone, and thus cannot benefit from the essential health promoting functions offered by the vitamin A precursor. Vitamin supplements and foodstuffs enriched with beta-carotene can be a good and safe way to insure adequate vitamin A intake. Concerning the repeated discussion of the safety of beta-carotene, professor Hans K. Biesalski of the University of Hohenheim, Germany, explained the only potential for danger existed in the case of extremely high doses of supplements consumed by heavy smokers, although even for this segment of the population a daily consumption of up to 10 mg would still be harmless.
Phthalates are important components of many consumer products, including toys, cleaning materials, plastics, and personal care items. A new report by Korean scientists in Biological Psychiatry, adds to the potentially alarming findings about phthalates. They measured urine phthalate concentrations and evaluated symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using teacher-reported symptoms and computerized tests that measured attention and impulsivity. They found a significant positive association between phthalate exposure and ADHD, meaning that the higher the concentration of phthalate metabolites in the urine, the worse the ADHD symptoms and/or test scores.
Steve - feminizing boys and now exacerbating ADHD symptoms? Our government regulators better take a long, hard look. I bet they will not like what they find.
The risks of taking anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx could have been detected nearly four years before the drug was pulled from the market, according to analysis of nearly 30 clinical trials.The findings, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine on Monday, analyzed 30 Vioxx trials involving around 20,000 individuals and fund evidence of the drug's risks from as early as 2000.The Merck-made drug was pulled in 2004 after it was linked with serious cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks.Much of trial data used in the meta-study has only become available because of litigation against the firm.The study's authors, including Joseph Ross of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said the results showed the need for the open publication of clinical trials."Physicians and the public deserve to be in a position to make informed choices about risk and benefits (of pharmaceutical products)," the authors said.Merck voluntarily withdrew Vioxx from sale in September 2004 after a company internal study in 2001 showed the drug doubled the risks of heart attack in patients who took it for 18 months or longer.The company has since faced a slew of lawsuits and was forced to pay billions of dollars in damages.
Eating fruits and vegetables, and drinking tea and red wine may offer overweight men and normal weight women some protection from colon and rectal cancers. Plant-based foods contain flavonoids, compounds thought to interfere with cancer-causing processes, the study team notes in the International Journal of Cancer.
120,852 men and women, 55 to 69 years old, filled out dietary surveys as part of a large designed to assess ties between diet and cancer. Over about 13 years, 1,444 men and 1,041 women developed colon or rectal cancer. Compared with the least intake, the greatest intake of catechins -- common in berries, grapes, black chocolate, tea, red wine, and some beans -- seemed to be associated with lower colorectal cancer risk among both overweight men and normal weight women. The researchers observed a similar trend for flavonols -- found in onions, kale, apples, pears, tea, wine, and fruit juices -- in normal weight women.
U.S. regulators are reviewing preliminary data suggesting patients taking Abbott Laboratories Inc.'s weight loss drug Meridia may have a higher risk of cardiovascular problems, the Food and Drug Administration said on Friday. The FDA said early findings from a recent study suggested patients taking Meridia, also known as sibutramine, may have a higher number of cardiovascular-related problems, including heart attacks, strokes, cardiac arrests and deaths, when compared to patients who took a placebo. Meridia is an appetite suppressant approved to treat obese adults. It can cause side effects ranging from headaches and constipation to higher blood pressure and a faster heart rate.
Long durations of exposure to formaldehyde used for embalming in the funeral industry were associated with an increased risk of death from myeloid leukemia, according to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Previous studies have shown excess mortality from lymphohematopoietic malignancies and brain cancer in anatomists, pathologists, and funeral industry workers, all of whom may have worked with formaldehyde.
In a case-control study among funeral industry workers who had died between 1960 and 1986, researchers compared those who died from lymphohematopoietic malignancies and brain tumors with those who died from other causes. Lifetime work practices and exposures to formaldehyde were obtained by interviews with next of kin and coworkers. This study was the first epidemiological investigation, to the authors' knowledge, to relate cancer risk to duration of employment, work practices, and estimated formaldehyde exposure levels in the funeral industry. The number of years of embalming practice and related formaldehyde exposures were associated with statistically significantly increased mortality from myeloid leukaemia, with the greatest risk among those who practiced embalming for more than 20 years.
"Further studies of leukemia risk in relation to specific embalming practices and exposures, as well as similar specific exposure studies in other professional groups that are exposed to formaldehyde and that have an increased risk of leukaemia, should help to clarify our understanding of cancer risks related to formaldehyde."
Bonnie - now that they have shown negative effects in funeral workers and Katrina victims, can anyone tell us how constant exposure to formaldehyde through injected vaccinations can affect our health? Unfortunately not. There is no data.
Courtesy of NY Times
More than half a million babies — one out of eight — are born prematurely each year in the United States, prompting the March of Dimes to give the nation a D on its premature births report card. The report card did not give an A to a single state. Vermont, which has a preterm birth rate of 9 percent, got a B, while 17 states got F’s, including Mississippi, with a preterm birth rate of 18.3 percent. The prematurity rate in Puerto Rico, at 19.4 percent, was the highest in the country.
Several states did receive stars for taking steps to reduce smoking among women of childbearing age or providing health insurance coverage for pregnant women, which may help reduce preterm birth rates, the report card noted. Multiple births and elective Caesarean sections also push up preterm birth rates. The March of Dimes has been encouraging pregnant women to refuse to be induced for delivery before 39 weeks unless there is a medical reason.
Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine or the activated form of B-6, Pyridoxyl-5-Phosphate) is considered a first-line treatment for nausea and vomiting (morning sickness) in pregnancy by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Vitamin B6, 12.5 - 25 mg three or four times daily is safe and often effective for mild nausea.
Bonnie and Steve - A new study published in the November 18, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) raised concerns that high folic acid supplementation may increase the risk of developing cancer.
The latest JAMA study was based on two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials during which almost 7,000 patients with ischemic heart disease were given vitamin B12, vitamin B6, or placebo between 1998 and 2005. The trials took place in Norway, a country that does not fortify its products with folic acid. Basing the trials in Norway was significant because it allowed researchers to better gauge the impacts of folic acid supplementation. In the study, folic acid and B12 supplementation was associated with a 21% increased risk for cancer, a 38% increased risk for dying from the disease, and an 18% increase in deaths from all causes.
The majority of the participants were former smokers, and many of the cancer deaths in the study were related to lung cancer. The real headline of this study should be that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer—the study found that a total of 94 percent of the subjects who developed lung cancer were either current or former smokers.
Epidemiological studies have demonstrated no associations between intakes of folate or folic acid and lung cancer risk. It is also important to note that the general rate for cancer has gone down in the United States, where folic acid fortification has been mandatory since 1998. If high doses of folic acid have a paradoxical effect on lung cancer, then we likely would not have seen these drastic reductions in lung cancer incidence over the past two decades.
Reference our October post Understanding the Essential Folate for anyone who doubts the effectiveness of folic acid. As we have said so many times over the years, you cannot judge a nutrient by testing it on smokers and patients with heart disease.
Schools that serve more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to pupils should see higher federal support rates than those serving less-healthier meals loaded with high fats and sugar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Tuesday.
Child nutrition programs, which include school lunch and breakfast, are due for an overhaul but Congress is not expected to act before 2010. The government has targeted improving the nutritional quality and access to school meals amid rising child obesity rates. Vilscak did not suggest how large the bonus should be.
Schools get $2.88 in cash and Agriculture Department-provided food for each lunch meal served for free to poor children this school year. School meal programs provide an estimated 40 million meals daily and more than half the student's food intake during the school day. Students can receive free or subsidized meals if their family's income is low enough. Some $16.9 billion was allotted for child nutrition in the fiscal year that opened on October 1, up $1.9 million from fiscal 2008.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln told Vilsack she was willing to pay more to serve healthier foods. "I'm certainly sympathetic to the concept of higher reimbursement rates. Common sense does tell us that as we improve that quality it also increases the cost," she said.
Steve - as sad is it is to say, this may be the one incentive that will work. However, nothing positive will happen unless the USDA greatly improves the quality of its own food that it provides as part of the school lunch program. However, if enough requests come from schools to spur demand, the USDA must react, and thus, will allocate more money to provide more fruits and vegetables as staple foodstuffs.
According to one study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, most weight-control strategies emphasize energy-restricted diets and increased physical activity. Most are not effective over the long-term. Researchers found that a shift from a "weight-centered" approach to a more "health-centered" approach, or Health at Every Size (HAES), does not focus on weight-loss exclusively. Instead, it focuses on a healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on size acceptance and balanced eating. The subjects who followed the HAES model had lower feelings and perceptions of hunger with food intake when compared to the control (dieting) group.
Another study from Nutrition and Metabolism stated that exercise alone appeared to have minimal impact on measured outcomes in obese women. However, when combined with a diet rich in lean protein, greater improvements in waist circumference and body composition were seen. The protocol also stimulated improvements in markers of cardiovascular disease risk, energy expenditure, and psychosocial parameters.
Bonnie - let me get this straight. Instead of focusing on weight-loss fad diets, one should look to healthful, balanced lifestyle and dietary choices while embracing your body size, thus allowing the weight, however much you lose, to come off naturally? On top of that, combine exercise and a diet rich in lean protein encourages greater improvements in body composition as opposed to exercise alone?
Gosh, where have I heard this before?
