It's never too late to learn. Just recently I came across an article talking about bioflavonoids. You probably heard about them, but just in case you did not: bioflavonoids are a group of plant pigments that are responsible for the colors in many fruit and flowers. Recent reserach shows that many bioflavonoids can be useful in the treatment and prevention of many health conditions. In fact, many beneficial actions of foods, juices, herbs and bee pollen are now known to be directly related to their bioflavonoid content. Over four thousand bioflavonoid compounds have been documented and classified. The most commonly used bioflavonoids are citrus bioflavonoids (including rutin and hesperidin), grape seed and pine bark extract and quercetin.



Quercetin seems to be particularly interesting as it is a very effective antioxidant (a good chemical that combat toxic chemicals in your body), is the most active of the flavonoids in experimental studies, serves as the backbone for many other falvonoids, including the citrus falvonoids rutin and hesperidin. Many medicinal plants owe much of their activity to their high levels of quecetin.



Quercetin has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory, antiallergy and anti-tumor activity and show impressive results in animals. It is found at high concentrations in onions, apples, red wine, broccoli, tea, and Ginkgo biloba.

While doing research on various pet food brands, I came across the term "xenobiotics". The word xenobiotic literally means "foreign to biological world", i.e. organisms are not normally exposed to these chemicals and hence they have not evolved any pathway for processing of such compounds. These compounds normally have unusual chemical or physical properties that make them resistent to biodegradation (the process of converting organic materials back into CO2 and H2O through microbial action).



Xenobiotics are found when the body absorbs chemicals that are not nutrients, or when nutrients become denatured (modified from original molecular structure). Some authors suggest that we are burdened by as many as 100,000 man-made xenobiotics—and that doesn't take into account the natural ones.



A great majority of xenobiotics are toxic, especially when consumed long-term. They tend to bioconcentration and biomagnification in organisms that consume them and finally affect human beings.



Xenobiotics and food allergies are associated with many physical and psychological disorders.



Illnesses Directly Associated with Xenobiotics



Physical: cardiac arrhythmia, eczema, edema, epilepsy, fatigue, headache, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, tinnitus, rheumatism, pain, psoriasis, vasculitis. Psychological: autism, aggressive behavior, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, organic mental disorders. Neurodegenerative diseases : Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).



In our everyday life, the xenobiotic load is considerable: food additives (colorings, flavors, preservatives, etc.), fungicides, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotic or hormone residues, various other drugs.



However, learning the sources of xenobiotics and how to avoid them is even more important. Here are some useful suggestions:



Avoid all artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and sweeteners.

Eat low on the food chain; the closer a food is to its natural state, the less the toxin risk. Eat organically grown food whenever possible.

Carefully select body care products, avoiding petroleum-based cosmetics and body care products. Buy toxin-free, biodegradable products made with natural ingredients. Drink spring or filtered water.

Fill your home and work environments with houseplants that absorb toxic gases from the air; spider plants, Boston ferns, English ivy and Dracaena are easy to grow and provide natural air pollution control. (Source: Xenobiotics, Disease and Detoxification By Dr. Daniel J. Crisafi. More here: Xenobiotics, Disease and Detoxification By Dr. Daniel J. Crisafi



Question: Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) is a common ingredient in pet food. It is widely used in regular and compact laundry detergents (powder, liquid, gel, tablets), automatic dishwashing detergents (powder, liquid, gel, tablets), toilet cleaners, and surface cleaners. It helps to hold food together by binding water and also helps it to come out of the can. Can we take that food out of the can without this chemical?




Answer: Sure we can, but this is so covenient and elegant... Whoever was responsible for adding this chemical to pet food obviously had anything in mind but pets' health.

Carrageenan is a commonly used food additive that is extracted from red seaweed by using solvents. Carrageenans have long been used as a thickener and emulsifier in salad dressings, prepared meat and fish, flavored milk, processed cheese, ice cream, evaporated milk, cream, cottage cheese, sour cream, infant formula, alcoholic beverages, sauces and dressings and other processed food products, including soy milk. Findings from animal studies and a review of the scientific literature showed that degraded (more dangerous) forms of carrageenan can cause ulcerations, liver damage, digestive disorders and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. In Europe, carrageenans must not be in a chemically degraded (hydrolysed) form.



Carrageenan is taken up by intestinal cells rather easily, but the cells are unable to process and assimilate it. As carrageenan accumulates in cells it may cause them to breakdown, and over time this process could lead to ulceration. Andrew Weil, M.D. (http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA44833/) does not recommend regular consumption of products containing it.



Carrageenan is a common ingredient in pet food. Are you thinking of buying some pet food any time soon? Think again.

After I published my previous findings about the carrageenan, I decided to field test it. What would better suit my needs and ensure the purity and general tolerance of the experiment than a bowl of Starbucks ice cream? I guess the thickening agent was added in such great quantity that I reacted pretty badly to it (cramps) and will now look for it on food labels. OK, what's wrong? More findings, but now it's closer to human research:







In her article "Carrageenan in Foods", Dr. Joanne Tobacman, University of Iowa Health Care, says that "...in the early 1970s, investigators observed that monkeys fed 2% degraded carrageenan [also called poligeenan] did not gain weight, had an immediate change in stool consistency, and consistently had blood in their stools, which was associated with a decline in hemoglobin, until approximately 10 weeks after the withdrawal of the carrageenan. In addition, they developed mucosal erosions and ulceration and multiple crypt abscesses... Thus, these data indicate that degraded carrageenan can induce colitis in primates. [...] In the United States, the FDA has ignored the harmful potential of carrageenan for over 20 years..."







According to the Opinion of the European Scientific Committee on Food on carrageenan (expressed on 5 March 2003) "it remains inadvisable to use carrageenan in infant formulae that are fed from birth, including those in the category of foods for special medical purposes".







In his article "Food-junk and some mystery ailments: Fatigue, Alzheimer's, Colitis, Immunodeficiency" Dr. Raymond Peat, Ph.D says that "...carrageenan has been found to cause colitis and anaphylaxis in humans, but it is often present in baby "formulas" and a wide range of milk products, with the result that many people have come to believe that it was the milk-product that was responsible for their allergic symptoms. Because the regulators claim that it is a safe natural substance, it is very likely that it sometimes appears in foods that don't list it on the label, for example when it is part of another ingredient. In the 1940s, carrageenan, a polysaccharide made from a type of seaweed, was recognized as a dangerous allergen. Since then it has become a standard laboratory material to use to produce inflammatory tumors (granulomas), immunodeficiency, arthritis, and other inflammations. It has also become an increasingly common material in the food industry. Articles are often written to praise its usefulness and to claim that it doesn't produce cancer in healthy animals. Its presence in food, like that of the polyester imitation fat, microcrystalline cellulose, and many other polymers used to stabilize emulsions or to increase smoothness, is often justified by the doctrine that these molecules are too large to be absorbed. There are two points that are deliberately ignored by the food-safety regulators, 1) these materials can interact dangerously with intestinal bacteria, and 2) they can be absorbed, in the process called "persorption."



I guess I just should rename my blog into "Carrageenan Scare", since the more I read about this polymer the more scary it looks and the perspective to see any changes in its use seems more distant.







Just came across another source that mentions the fact that the net result is an in yield which more than offsets the cost of the carrageenan. Many meat producers report that their profit margins are now coming from the use of carrageenan to increase yield.







The meat and poultry industry is the fastest growing, and one of the most profitable, markets for carrageenan worldwide. In the USA, its use has grown exponentially since the standard used to identify meat and poultry products was changed to include carrageenan.







You might ask: what was used before this weed came into picture? Oat flakes! But they barely covered the cost involved.

Do you know that sugar is often disguised as Cane juice, Custard powder, Falernum, Fructose, Glucose, Honey, Jaggery, Jus de canne, Lactose, Levulose, Malt, Maltodextrin, Maltose, Marshmallow, Misri, Molasses, Orgeat, Panocha, Sorghum, Sucrose, Treacle, Turbinado, Zuckerhutetc, etc. but it's all sugar and I'd be willing to bet that most of it isn't necessary. Watch for the foods where these appear higher in the ingredients list, as they most of them have a very high glycemic index (break down and concentrate very fast in your blood). So you will end up creating undesirable spikes in your blood sugar.



Many manufacturers use a "complex carbohydrate" called maltodextrin to sweeten shakes. They can state "no sugar" or "low sugar" on the nutrition label because maltodextrin is a complex carbohydrate, but it will impact blood sugar more than table sugar. (FYI: most scientists, doctors, and nutritionists agree with the glycemic index and have replaced their old idea of "simple" and "complex" carbohydrates with the new terms: low, moderate, or high glycemic index - GI).



"The highest Glycemic Index (GI) carbohydrates are the glucose oligomers, which are starch chains between three and ten glucose molecules long, 9 such as commercially available maltodextrins derived from cornstarch." (Constantly Craving: How the Glycemic Index of carbs affects your energy, appetite, and mood by Dan Duchaine).

The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) is committed to delivering the information to protect people's health and your right to know about dangerous chemicals in the products you buy.



Last Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the names of five beverages that it found had high levels of cancer-causing benzene. Two brands -- Safeway Diet Orange soda and Crystal Light Sunrise Classic Orange -- had 17 times the level of benzene that is allowed in tap water. Several major manufacturers, including Kraft and Schweppes, agreed to reformulate their beverages.



To see a list of the most-contaminated beverages, and EWG's media statement, go to http://www.ewg.org/issues/toxics/20060519/index.php



Sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid are two chemicals that combine to form benzene, a potent carcinogen (a chemical that causes cancer.)



Benzene's toxicity is not in dispute. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Benzene is carcinogenic to humans and no safe level of exposure can be recommended." It is directly linked to leukemia and crosses the placenta to the fetus at levels greater than or equal to the amount in the mother's blood. The chemical is frequently detected in the food supply as a result of industrial pollution, making additional and avoidable exposures of even greater concern.







According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), recent test results show that "there's a serious problem with benzene in soda and juices... There should be a zero tolerance policy for benzene in any consumer product. There's simply no excuse for this potent carcinogen to be in any drink."



What should you do to avoid drinking benzene?



Scan your drink's label for the ingredients that can combine to form benzene: sodium benzoate (or potassium benzoate) and ascorbic acid (or vitamin C). Be aware that prolonged storage and warm conditions can easily facilitate benzene formation.



Sources: 1. FDA Finds High Benzene Levels in Limited Test of Drinks (http://www.ewg.org/issues/toxics/20060519/index.php)



2. FDA Data Undercut Public Safety Assurances by Top Agency Official

(http://www.ewg.org/issues/toxics/20060404/index.php)