There are over 3000 food additives, preservatives, flavorings and dyes in the US food. Many additives in foods that we don’t know about and apparently corporate America does not want us to know about. Some have names we cannot pronounce. And the food industry encourages keeping information of the labels. For example:

• Organic farmers are allowed to spray organic apple and pear trees with the antibiotics streptomycin and tetracycline,
• Genetically modified or irradiated foods do not have to be labeled.
• In 2006, the FDA approved six viruses as food additives to be sprayed on cold cut packaged meats
• The dairy industry is petitioning FDA to approve aspartame as hidden unlabeled additive in milk, yogurt, eggnog and cream. They are asking FDA to alter definition of milk to include chemical sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose.
• Meat glue is found in US meats and is not labeled.

Many additives have known adverse effects such as:

MSG a flavor enhancer, is a neuro-excito toxin associated with neurodegeneration as are aspartame, and other innocuous sounding substances such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts and protein isolates.

These show up in soups, broths, flavoring additives, ramen noodles, and even in “natural,” “organic” and “vegetarian” products.

Aspartame (nutrasweet, equal, spoonful) is not only genetically engineered, but it converts to formaldehyde which has adverse health effects, and is an excito neuro toxin which stimulates neurodegeneration. Aspartame is likely to be in “light” or “low-cal” diet soft drinks, teas, and fruit drinks, kids’ vitamins, liquid cold drugs, etc.

Splenda (sucralose) contains organisms which not only can kill chloride in swimming pools but essential bacteria in the intestines and interferes with the bioavailablity of nutrients.

olestra depletes body of fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K).

bromate vegetable oils and flour which compete with iodine for receptor sites which can lead to thyroid disease and autoimmune disease. These are in Mountain Dew, some Gatorade products, flour, breads and are banned in Europe. Potassium bromate is banned in China, Canada and Brazikl. Brominated vegetable oil was banned in Inda and Japana. and some in China, Canada, India, Japan, and Brazil.a

BHA and BHT a partial carcinogen added to fats to prevent rancidity.

Phenols/ BPAs in polycarbonate plastics, canned food linings, water mugs and plastic bottles. BPA release inflammatory factors and may contribute to the development of the metabolic syndrome. 1

They also can result in behavioral change, learning deficits and increased aggression. PCB, PBDE, BPAs all bind to thyroid receptors. and affect thyroid function. 2

Fluoride is added to our water supply and competes with iodine at receptor sites. It affects thyroid functioning reducing F T3 and F T 4. 3 Fluoride also increases oxidative stress, 4 crosses the blood brain barrier, reduces the number of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors involved in learning and memory. These changes were more profound in the third generations. 5, 6

Polyfluorinated compounds are used to line food cartons, containers, wrappers and microwave popcorn bags. These can disrupt mitochondrial function. 7

Acrylamide, found in foods fried or baked at high temperatures such as potato chips, fries and bread. 2002 Swedish national Food Admin and Stockholm Univ found highly neurotoxic and carcinogenic

Soy

Even additives we think might be healthy are not. The fiber listed in breakfast cereal is the wrong kind of fiber as it contained phytates – an indigestible substance that binds essential minerals and takes them out of the system. Phytates decrease iron absorption by a factor of 15 and bind calcium, magnesium and zinc.

Gluten means glue and is highly processed to make US bread fluffy and puffy. US wheat is so highly processed in the US that it is the most indigestible flour in the world. It can irritate, inflame and rupture the lining of the GI tract.

Sugars

Sugar consumption increased from 25 pounds to 140 pounds per year. As an example one-half a cup of Prego Traditional has the equivalent of more than two teaspoons of sugar (as much as two-plus Oreo cookies). It also contains over one- third the daily recommended amounts of salt. Increased fructose intake was associated with increased belly fat, increased blood pressure, increased crp, an inflammatory marker, and reduced HDL (the good lipid marker.) 8 High fructose corn syrup has mercury in it

Fats

Trans fatty acids are found in hydrogenated oils, processed foods and deep-fried foods. They are inflammatory and damage cell membranes

Insecticides

The current law allows 350 different pesticides to be used on food

Organophosphate (OP) pesticides were developed from nerve gas research. They are known neurotoxins and are associated with obesity. DDT was banned in the US in 1973. Yet, DDT is exported to Mexico and is returned coating their produce for sale in the US.. This writer was involved in providing DDT to India through the State Department in 1979.

Insecticides accumulate in the fat as do dioxins, polychlorobenzenes (PCBs), poly-brominated- diphenyl-ether (PBDE) flame retardants. Hence, avoiding animal fat and farmed salmon is advisable.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient developed and patented by Monsanto in their product, Roundup. It is absorbed into plant’s leaves. Roundup ready crops have been genetically modified to tolerate glyphosate. These plants readily take glyphosate into their leaves which are then eaten. Glycosate chelates Manganese, zinc, iron ,copper creating deficiencies in these nutrients. Glycosate also makes the plant nutrient deficient and kills good gut bacteria in animals. Such animals have become infertile. 9

Both exposure to glyphosate and other herbicides yield increased risk for non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. 10 and have been associated with lower fetal growth 11

An example of a contaminant is that organic rice syrup has arsenic in it. 12

Low level arsenic exposure linked to atherosclerosis, diabetes and neuropathy, hypertension, cerebral infarction with a dose-related response. 13.

While each of the above additives is legal to use in the US, it is not clear whether they are safe for long term consumption either separately or in combination. Many of these additives have been deemed to be too harmful for use in other countries. The food industry has already formulated different products for the countries where these ingredients are banned, yet they do not do it for food sold in the

Politics of GMOs

While many countries including Europe, Peru, Kenya, Japan, Brazil, the entire EU and Russia have either banned them or required labeling, corporations have fought hard to prevent labeling in the US and in other countries. Corporations donated approximately $44 million for advertising to defeat California’s Proposition 37 which would have required labeling of food containing GMOs. In 1999, It only took a call from Monsanto to President Bill Clinton who called the UK prime minister to shut down and discredit, Arpad Pusztai , a researcher whose studies showed adverse effects from GMO consumption during his research to establish the testing protocol for all GMO foods. Monsanto, a major producer of GMO seeds has prosecuted Canadian farmers for violation of patent laws when the farmer’s produce was tainted by GMO cross pollination 14

The US tried to make it illegal to label GMO foods in the US and tried to force other countries to stop labeling GMOs in order to accept US exports. When this failed, the US lost corn and soy exports and had to subsidize 3 – 5 billion dollars annually to prop up the prices of the GMO crops that the rest of the world does not want. The Obama Administration as well as previous administrations has appointed persons with strong biotechnology connections to the FDA administration and other important positions that affect our food supply.

Monsanto is producing seeds that have been genetically modified to be able to withstand being doused with their herbicides/pesticides and not die. Research from Quebec shows that toxic pesticides which are implanted into genetically modified food crops have lodged in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn babies. 15. Monsanto has also sued farmers for saving seeds and replanting on their own land seeds that the farmers have bred to be productive in their particular soil. Minimizing seed options. 14

In India, an estimated 200,000 cotton farmers were driven to suicide after being forced to buy GMO seeds at 4 times the usual cost for cotton seeds and then getting only half the yield they normally got. Farmers in Haiti burned the GMO seeds that were sent there after the earthquake in 2010 rather than contaminate their crops. 16

Also of interest is president Obama signed a is currently voting on amendments to continuing resolution spending bill with a dangerous Monsanto rider that forever prohibit the court system from interfering with the planting of or sale of genetically modified crops

So , I ask, What are they doing to our food? Dr Burton will talk about how our health is being robbed and what we can do about it. His talk will not be confined to the topics in this article.

References

1. Ben-Jonathan N et al. Effects of bisphenol A on adipokine release from human adipose tissue: Implications for the metabolic syndrome. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2009 may 25; 304 (1-2):49-54.

2. Zoeller RT. Environmental chemicals as thyroid hormone analogues: new studies indicate that thyroid hormone receptors are targets of industrial chemicals. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2005 Oct 20;242(1-2) : 10-5.

3. Basha PM et al. Fluoride toxicity and status of serum thyroid hormones, brain histopathology and learning memory in rats: a multigenerational assessment. Boil Trace Elem Res. 2011 Dec; 144(1-3): 1083-94.

4. Hassan HA, Abdel-Aziz AF. Evaluation of free radical-scavenging and anti-oxidant properties of black berry against fluoride toxicity in rats. Food Chem Toxicol. 2010 Aug-Sep;48(8-9): 1999-2004.

5. Basha PM et al. Fluoride toxicity and status of serum thyroid hormones, brain histopathology and learning memory in rats: a multigenerational assessment. Boil Trace Elem Res. 2011 Dec; 144(1-3): 1083-94.

6 Connett E Fluoride’s effects on the brain. Fluoride Action Network Pesticides Project submission o National Research council Committee , April 19, 2004

7. Obrien TM, Wallace KB. Mitochondrial permeability transition as the critical target of N-acetyl perfluorooctane sulfonamide toxicity in vitro. Toxicol Sci 2004 Nov; 82(1):333-40.

8 Dufault R et al. Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food produced sugar Environ Health. 2009;8:2/

9 (Mercola interview with Dr. Huber December 2, 2011)

10 Acquavella J . et al. A case-control study of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and exposure to pesticides. Cancer. 1999;85:1353-1360.

11. Walsh N et a. Pesticides linked to lower fetal growth Medpage

12. Jackson BP et al. arsenic, organic foods and brown rice syrup. Environ Health Perspect. 2012 May; 120(5):623-626

13. Wang CH et al. Biological gradient between long-term arsenic exposure and carotid atherosclerosis. Circulation 2002; 105:1804-1809

14 Andrew Kimbrel Kimbrell Center for Food Safety Your Right to know Genetic engineering and the secret changes in your food , Earth Aware 2007

15. Aris A and Leblanc S. Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada. Reprod Toxicol. 2011 May;31(4):528-33.

16. interview of Jeffrey Smith uploaded 7/6/2011