A recent study has proposed a model linking the butter flavoring known as diacetyl to bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome, a lung disease diagnosed in microwave popcorn plant workers. James Mathews, et al., “Reaction of the Butter Flavorant Diacetyl (2,3-Butanedione) with N-α Acetylarginine: A Model for Epitope Formation with Pulmonary Proteins in the Etiology of Obliterative Bronchiolitis,” Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, November 2010. Researchers with RTI International and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences evidently analyzed the effects of diacetyl on N-R-acetylarginine ,in an effort to understand how the chemical reacts with cell membranes containing the amino acid arginine. According to the study abstract, “Because diacetyl modifies arginine residues, an immunological basis for its toxicity is under investigation.” “Currently, the mechanism(s) of diacetyl toxicity (are) unknown; however, the results of this study suggest that injury to the airway epithelium may involve alteration of cellular proteins containing arginine, including those on…
Category Archives Scientific/Technical Items
A literature review and meta-analysis of global studies published since 1980 has reportedly found a “weak association” between parents’ dietary intake and that of their children, suggesting to lead author Youfa Wang that “family environment plays only a partial role” in people’s eating patterns. Youfa Wang, et al., “Do children and their parents eat a similar diet? Resemblance in child and parental dietary intake: systematic review and meta-analysis,” Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, November 2010. According to a December 8, 2010, press release, researchers with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, National Institute of Aging and University of Zaragoza compared “parent-child pairs’ dietary intakes, by type of parent-child pairs (for example, mother-daughter vs. father-son), world regions and dietary assessment methods, and over time.” Their findings apparently indicated “differences in parent-child dietary intake resemblance, across nutrients and dietary assessment approaches,” with parent-child correlations for energy and total fat intakes…
A recent study has reportedly identified “positive associations between redmeat intake and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.” Amanda Cross, et al., “Meat Consumption and Risk of Esophageal and Gastric Cancer in a Large Prospective Study,” American Journal of Gastroenterology, October 2010. Using a large cohort study of approximately 500,000 adults, researchers evidently concluded during a 10-year follow-up period that those in the top quintile for red meat consumption were 79 percent more likely to develop esophageal squamous cell carcinoma than those who consumed the least red meat. The study authors also found a “a positive association” between gastric cardia cancer and DiMeIQx, a form of heterocyclic acid created by high-temperature cooking. They cautioned, however, that neither finding supports a causal link between red meat and the two cancers. In addition, as the study abstract notes, “benzo[a]pyrene, nitrate, and nitrite were not associated with esophageal or gastric cancer.” In a related development,…
University of Toronto scientists have published a study suggesting that a significant source of perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) in human sera are the polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters (PAPs) used in food-contact paper packaging, particularly popcorn bags and fast food wrappers. Jessica D’eon & Scott Mabury,“Exploring Indirect Sources of Human Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylates (PFCAs): Evaluating Uptake, Elimination and Biotransformation of Polyfluoroalkyl Phosphate Esters (PAPs) in the Rat,” Environmental Health Perspectives, November 8, 2010. PAPs are used to prevent water and fat from escaping the packaging. According to lead researcher Scott Mabury, “Those chemicals called PAPs move into food, make it into humans upon ingestion and metabolically are transformed into the PFCAs.” While it is apparently unknown whether these chemicals have an adverse effect on human health, Mabury said PFCAs are “highly reactive” and, hence, of concern. The authors note that PFCAs have been found in human sera worldwide, but major sources are…
A new study has suggested that sugar-sweetened beverages may raise the risk of gout in women. Hyon Choi, et al., “Fructose-Rich Beverages and Risk of Gout in Women,” The Journal of the American Medical Association, November 10, 2010. Boston University and Harvard researchers examined data on nearly 79,000 U.S. women with no history of gout who participated in the 22-year Nurses’ Health Study. Compared to women who drank less than one serving of sugary beverages or orange juice per month, the study found that women who drank (i) one serving of sweetened soft drink per day had a 74 percent increased risk of gout, (ii) at least two servings of sweetened soft drinks per day had more than double the risk of gout; (iii) one serving of orange juice per day were 41 percent more likely to develop gout; and (iv) two or more glasses of orange juice per day had…
Mandatory sodium limits for processed foods could be 20 times more effective than voluntary reduction measures. Linda Cobiac, et al., “Cost-effectiveness of interventions to reduce dietary salt intake,” Heart, November 2010. Australian researchers evaluated the public health benefits and cost-effectiveness of four possible strategies for reducing dietary salt: (i) the current Australian program that provides incentives for food manufacturers to voluntarily reduce sodium in their processed foods, (ii) a government mandate to moderate salt in processed foods, (iii) dietary advice for people at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and (iv) dietary advice for anyone at high risk. Writing that “dietary advice targeting individuals is not cost-effective,” the study’s authors concluded that programs which “encourage the food industry to reduce salt in processed foods are highly recommended for improving population health and reducing health sector spending in the long term.” They suggested, however, that “regulatory action from government may be needed…
A recent study has reportedly concluded that viable skin can absorb bisphenol A (BPA), raising concerns about exposure from handling BPA-laden products such as receipts. Daniel Zalko, et al., “Viable skin efficiently absorbs and metabolizes bisphenol A,” Chemosphere, October 2010. French researchers used both pig and human cultures to determine that “BPA is readily absorbed and metabolized by the skin,” which converted the substance into two conjugates known as BPA mono-glucuronide and BPA mono-sulfate. “The trans-dermal route is expected to contribute substantially to BPA exposure in human [sic], when direct contact with BPA (free monomer) occurs,” concluded the authors. The study evidently confirms earlier findings released ahead-of-print in Environmental Health Perspectives indicating cashiers had the highest urinary BPA concentrations among a sample of 389 pregnant women. According to a November 2, 2010, Science News article, University of Missouri-Columbia Professor Frederick vom Saal has described the French research as “unequivocal in showing…
A recent study funded by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has reportedly linked workplace bisphenol A (BPA) exposure to “[1] decreased sperm concentration, [2] decreased total sperm count, [3] decreased sperm vitality, and [4] decreased sperm motility.” De-Kun Li, et al., “Urine bisphenol-A (BPA) level in relation to semen quality,” Fertility and Sterility, October 2010. Researchers apparently examined 218 Chinese factory workers—some with occupational exposure to BPA and some with only environmental exposure—concluding that, “those with detectable urine BPA had more than three times the risk of lowered sperm concentration and lower sperm vitality, more than four times the risk of lower sperm count, and more than twice the risk of lower sperm motility.” Among the 88 study participants who did not work directly with BPA, the study authors observed “similar dose-response associations . . . with environmental EPA exposures at levels comparable with those in the…
The University of Southern California Childhood Obesity Research Center (CORC) has published a study claiming that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contains 18 percent more fructose than estimated by soft drink manufacturers. Emily Ventura, Jaimie Davis and Michael I. Goran, “Sugar Content of Popular Sweetened Beverages Based on Objective Laboratory Analysis: Focus on Fructose Content,” Obesity, October 2010. According to the study, food and nutrition researchers usually assume that the ratio of fructose to glucose in HFCS is 55 to 45, based on information provided by the Corn Refiners Association. But after analyzing 23 sugar-sweetened beverages and four standard solutions with high-performance liquid chromatography, CORC allegedly determined that not only was the mean fructose content 59 percent, but that “several major brands appear to be produced with HFCS that is 65 [percent] fructose.” The study also raises questions about the other kind of sugars used in these beverages, reporting “significant deviations…
A recent study has reportedly claimed that dietary salt intake has remained constant in the U.S. population for the past five decades, raising questions about government efforts to restrict sodium consumption. Adam Bernstein and Walter Willett, “Trends in 24-h urinary sodium excretion in the United States, 1957–2003: a systematic review,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 2010. Researchers examined data on urine sodium excretions collected from 26,271 individuals by 38 MEDLINE studies published between 1957 and 2003. “In a multivariate random-effects model with study year, sex, age, and race, the study year was not associated with any significant change in sodium excretions,” states the abstract, which concludes that “[s]odium intake in the US adult population appears to be well above current guidelines and does not appear to have decreased with time.” The study was accompanied by an editorial questioning the effectiveness of a U.S. sodium reduction policy that targets, not…
