Page 11 - Special Issue: Healthy Baby

Caustic Commentary

until his blood levels normalized but his eyesight did not re- that bisphenol A is not a risk to human health at the extremely
cover— the damage to the optic nerve from lack of nutrients low levels to which people might be exposed.” However, a
was irreversible. The moral: beware of claims that veganism study published February 2005 in the journal Endocrinology
has no downside. (New England Journal of Medicine, March showed that exposure of lab animals to bisphenol A altered
23, 2000 342:897-898) the ability of thyroid hormone to regulate brain development
correctly. Other studies indicate that at very low doses the
TOXIC OILS chemical inhibits the positive role of estrogen in enhancing
Scientists at the University of Basque Country have made a neural connections in the hippocampus, the part of the brain
discovery that is bad news to the vegetable oil industry. They involved in the formation and retention of memory (San
found that oxidation or thermal degradation causes deteriora- Francisco Chronicle, March 31, 2005).
tion of vegetable oils in foodstuffs and the generation of toxic
substances. Heating to 70 degrees C created first hydroper- SOY TO THE RESCUE
oxides and then aldehydes, which are geno- and cytotoxic Food manufacturers that use eggs extensively in products like
(poisonous to cells). In foods that were microwaved, the baked goods, mayonnaise and salad dressings have seen profits
aldehydes were produced immediately. Among the oils tested, threatened by fluctuations in egg prices. The decimation of
virgin olive oil took the longest to produce toxic compounds, millions of birds through avian flu led to an increase in yolk
and produced them at lower concentrations. More unsaturated prices from £1700 per ton in 2002 to £2250 per ton in 2003.
vegetable oils produced more toxic compounds (foodnaviga- Alleggra Foods is seizing the opportunity to promote its new
tor.com May 26, 2005). Just what we’ve been telling folks for soy-based egg replacer, Alleggra, developed by food scientists
years—vegetable oils are bad news. at Unilever. The product is composed of soy protein, whey pro-
teins, vegetable oil (sunflower oil but can be varied) and egg
PLASTICS BAN? white and will be marketed as a “fully functional replacer of
Assemblywoman Wilma Chan introduced a bill in the Califor- egg” with “seventy-five percent less saturated fat than an egg
nia state legislature that would ban bisphenol A, a chemical and 10 percent more protein.” “Alleggra has clear advantages
used in liners inside canned food and water supply pipes, some in terms of cost and health,” says Gavin Hays, chief executive
water containers and, most importantly, numerous products for Alleggra Foods. “Alleggra is not only cholesterol-free, but
that are intended for use by infants including baby bottles, is actively cholesterol-lowering.” In 2005, the product was in
pacifiers and teethers. The chemical is also an ingredient in two development trials with food makers for muffin and quiche
dental sealants coated on children’s teeth for the “prevention products and aimed at replacing eggs in other products later
of cavities.” The bill, AB319, would also ban certain forms in the year. In 2004, the firm signed a £350,000 contract with
of plastic softeners called phthalates in toys and child care Britain’s Ministry of Defence for Alleggra to replace powdered
articles. Chan became aware of the possible hazards of these egg rations for the military (Ingredients.com, 20/04/2005).
chemicals to hormone balance and the nervous system through
her work on the Select Committee on Children’s Health FROM THE FRYING PAN TO THE FIRE
and School Readiness. It was Chan’s legislation that led to Clothed in good intentions, a nutrition program spearheaded
the banning of two forms of flame retardant. Naturally, the by the St. Louis-based Parents as Teachers and St. Louis
industry, which produces about two billion pounds of bisphe- University’s School of Public Health, “seeks to improve the
nol A yearly in the U.S., opposes the bill. “You can’t make lives of preschoolers” by promoting a High-5 Low-Fat nutr-
polycarbonate without it,” says spokesman Steve Hentges, tion program among families in the St. Louis area. Funded in
adding, “… the weight of evidence supports the conclusion part by the National Cancer Institute and designed to address

Wise Traditions 9