Weill Cornell Medical College scientists have reportedly presented an abstract at the 2014 American Society for Microbiology (AMS) Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting, positing that “multiple sclerosis [MS] may be triggered by a toxin produced by common foodborne bacteria.” According to a January 28, 2014, AMS press release, “MS is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by blood brain (BBB) permeability and demyelination, a process in which the insulating myelin sheaths of neurons are damaged,” although the environmental factors that activate the disease in genetically susceptible individuals is not yet known. Now researchers have purportedly found evidence that the epsilon toxin produced by certain strains of Clostridium perfringens not only causes BBB permeability but kills “the brain’s myelin producing cells, oligodendrocytes; the same cells that die in MS lesions.” “We also show that epsilon toxin targets other cells types associated with MS inflammation such as the…
Category Archives Issue 511
A recent report published in the journal Appetite has allegedly concluded that “the same kinds of impulsive behavior that lead some people to abuse alcohol and other drugs may also be an important contributor to an unhealthy relationship with food.” Cara Murphy, et al., “Interrelationships among impulsive personality traits, food addiction, and Body Mass Index,” Appetite, January 2014. According to a January 24, 2014, press release, University of Georgia researchers apparently “used two different scales, the Yale Food Addiction Scale and the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, to determine levels of food addiction and impulsivity among the 223 participants,” and “then compared these results with each participant’s body mass index.” Their findings evidently showed that individuals “who reported acting more rashly when experiencing strong levels of positive (Positive Urgency) and negative (Negative Urgency) emotions, endorsed more symptoms of addictive eating,” while those “who reported more food addiction symptoms indicated that they…
A recent study has reportedly documented “for the first time in a large, US-based population of women” the prevalence of food addiction in middle-aged and older women. Alan Flint, et al., “Food addiction scale measurement in 2 cohorts of middle-aged and older women,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2014. Authored by Harvard School of Public Health research scientist Alan Flint and Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy Dean Kelly Brownell, as well as researchers from the University of Michigan, Arizona State University, Children’s Hospital Boston, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and Harvard Medical School, the study analyzed dietary data from 134,175 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHS II) in light of a modified Yale Food Addiction Scale. “Overall, 7,839 (5.8%) of the women surveyed met the criteria for food addiction measured by the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale,” stated the study’s…
Researchers with the University of California, San Francisco, have reported that 25 percent of 1,056 online coupons surveyed during a four-week period “were for processed snack foods, candies and desserts,” raising questions about the impact of retailer discounts on dietary patterns. Andrea López & Hilary Seligman, “Online Grocery Store Coupons and Unhealthy Foods, United States,” Preventing Chronic Disease, January 2014. According to the study, which reviewed all online coupons weekly from six retail grocery chains across the United States, the largest percentage of available coupons was for processed snack foods (25 percent), followed by prepared meals (14 percent), beverages (12 percent) and cereals (11 percent). While less than 1 percent of coupons were for fruits or beverages, more than 50 percent of the total beverage coupons were for sodas, juices and sports/energy drinks. “Our data are consistent with previous research showing that grocery stores infrequently promote foods that support a…
A recent article published in Wired magazine has highlighted how Monsanto Co. is using its experience with transgenic crops “to create vegetables that have all the advantages of genetically modified organisms [GMOs] without any of the Frankenfoods ick factor.” According to author Ben Paynter, the agribusiness company has started investing in its own “novel strains of familiar food crops, invented at Monsanto and endowed by their creators with powers and abilities far beyond what you usually see in the produce section.” To this end, Paynter recounts how Monsanto scientists have extended the shelf-life of lettuce, created sweeter melons and endowed broccoli with three times the usual amount of glucoraphanin using techniques such as genetic marking as well as powerful computer models to accelerate the “good old-fashioned crossbreeding” process. “Monsanto computer models can actually predict inheritance patterns, meaning they can tell which desired traits will successfully be passed on,” explains Paynter.…
A recently released Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) report suggests that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed 30 potentially harmful antibiotic additives to remain approved for use in food animals (cows, pigs and chickens), even though the agency’s own scientists found that “none of these products would likely be approvable as new additives for nontherapeutic livestock use if submitted today, under current FDA guidelines.” Titled “Playing With Chicken,” and based on a review of previously undisclosed FDA documents, the report notes that (i) 18 of the 30 antibiotic feed additives reviewed were assessed as posing a “high risk” to human health; (ii) drug manufacturers did not submit sufficient information on 12 of the additives to establish safety; (iii) despite the fact that 29 of the additives are not proven to be safe, no action has been taken to withdraw approval; and (iv) 26 of the additives have never…
Among the tens of thousands of documents reportedly made public in advance of a hearing in litigation pitting the sugar industry against companies that make high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are emails that purportedly show some HFCS company executives were concerned about rebranding and advertising the substance as “natural” and “nutritionally the same as sugar.” Some apparently suggested that it made the industry appear disingenuous and could invite litigation. According to an attorney representing the HFCS manufacturers, the emails simply reflect a healthy debate. He reportedly said, “What the emails clearly show is the corn refiners engaged in a rigorous internal discussion about the public relations aspects of what HFCS is called, while never wavering in their core belief that high fructose corn syrup is both natural and nutritionally equivalent to sugar.” Another email authored in April 2009 by the then-president of the Corn Refiners Association reportedly defended the campaign but…
According to a coalition of environmental organizations, service has been effected on the defendants to their court application challenging the legality of the Canadian government’s decision to allow AquaBounty Technologies to commercially produce genetically engineered (GE) salmon. Ecology Action Centre v. Minister of the Env’t, No. T-2114-13 (Fed. Ct., filed December 23, 2014). They contend that Minister of the Environment Leona Aglukkaq and Minister of Health Rona Ambrose failed to assess under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act whether GE salmon “could become invasive, potentially putting ecosystems and species such as wild salmon at risk.” Alleging several statutory and regulatory violations, the organizations seek a declaration that the ministers acted unlawfully and without jurisdiction, their toxicity assessment is invalid and unlawful, or they unlawfully or unreasonably failed to conduct a lawful and complete toxicity assessment. AquaBounty CEO Ron Stotish has reportedly indicated that the legal action is without merit. See Ecology Action Centre…
According to a news source, the Russian Supreme Court has denied a challenge filed by environmental groups to government Decree No. 839, which will allow the registration of genetically modified (GM) crops and products containing GM ingredients beginning July 1, 2014. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed the decree in late September 2013, and the groups filed their court challenge in December. They also wrote to President Vladimir Putin, asking for him to prohibit the cultivation of GM crops in the country. The Russian Supreme Court press service reportedly indicated that under the Code of Civil Procedure government actions “can only be contested if they are in effect and . . . give some rights and duties to citizens and legal entities at the time they are contested.” National Association of Genetic Safety Director Yelena Sharoikina reportedly said, “It turns out that the Supreme Court suggests that we should wait for…
The England and Wales Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal filed by Chobani from a lower court’s grant of permanent injunction barring the company from selling “Greek yogurt” in the United Kingdom, finding that the court did not err in ruling that “FAGE was entitled to restrain Chobani from passing off its American made yoghurt as and for yoghurt made in Greece by the use of the description Greek yoghurt.” FAGE UK Ltd. v. Chobani UK Ltd., [2014] EWCA (Civ) 5 (decided January 29, 2014). Details about the lower court ruling appear in Issue 477 of this Update. Chobani has reportedly indicated that it intends to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, saying “We remain of the view that the population of the U.K. know and understand Greek yogurt to be a product description regardless of where it is made. We remain committed to the U.K. market and…
