Sweetners & additives
Artificial sweetener Aspartame causes cancer in rats
Scientists are calling for an urgent reevaluation of the artificial sweetener aspartame. The ingredient, commonly found in sugar-free beverages and candies, has been shown to cause cancer in rats, according to a new study in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives. “Our study has shown that aspartame is a multi-potential carcinogenic compound whose carcinogenic effects are also evident at a daily dose of 20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg), notably less than the current acceptable daily intake for humans,” the authors write.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/aspartame112805.cfmCombining Food Additives May Be Harmful, Say Researchers
Aspartame and artificial colourings investigated · Mice nerve cells stopped growing in experiments – December 21, 2005:New research on common food additives, including the controversial sweetener aspartame and food colourings, suggests they may interact to interfere with the development of the nervous system. Researchers at the University of Liverpool examined the toxic effects on nerve cells in the laboratory of using a combination of four common food additives – aspartame, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and the artificial colourings brilliant blue and quinoline yellow. The findings of their two-year study were published last week in the journal Toxicological Sciences.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/msg010306.cfm
Feedlots vs pasture
New studies indicate grass-fed beef (cattle raised in pasture) is much healthier to eat than grain-fed beef (cattle raised in confinement). Grass-fed beef is up to three times leaner than grain-fed beef, and can have up to 15 fewer calories per ounce than meat from a grain-fed cow. Grass-fed meat also provides more balanced omega-3s, omega-6 fatty acids, beta carotene, vitamin E and folic acid. Mad cow disease has never been found in a 100% grass-fed cow .
http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/grassfed111505.cfmVegetables Without Vitamins
Imagine the surprise of going online and discovering that the vitamin and mineral content of vegetables has drastically dropped. That’s what happened to nutritionist, Alex Jack, when he went to check out the latest US Department of Agriculture food tables. The stunning revelation came after Jack compared recently published nutrient values with an old USDA handbook he had lying around. Some of the differences in vitamin and mineral content were enormous-a 50% drop in the amount of calcium in broccoli, for example. Watercress down 88% in iron content; cauliflower down 40% in vitamin C content-all since 1975.
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2001/mar2001_report_vegetables.html
