USFDA Recommends to Cut Down Acrylamide in Food

Acrylamide (C3H3ONH2) is a chemical that is produced naturally in certain foods when they are cooked at high temperatures. It is known to cause cancer in animals and, in high doses,can cause nerve damage in humans.
Asparagine is an amino acid (a building block of proteins) that is found in many vegetables, with higher concentrations in some varieties of potatoes. When heated to high temperatures in the presence of certain sugars, asparagine can form acrylamide.

A cast iron chip pan with an aluminium basket being used to fry chips. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

High-temperature cooking methods, such as frying, baking, or broiling, have been found to produce acrylamide; boiling and microwaving appear less likely to do so. Longer cooking times can also increase acrylamide production when the cooking temperature is above 120 degrees Celsius.

Given the widespread presence of acrylamide in foods, it may not be feasible to completely eliminate acrylamide from one's diet.
But, whatever possible to prevent acrylamide formation may be practised.

• Frying, baking, roasting and broiling are the methods that create the most acrylamide; while boiling, steaming, and microwaving appear to generate less. Frying leads to highest acrylamide formation followed by roasting, then by baking.
• According to Cancer.gov, 248°F (120°C) seems to be the magic temperature, above which more acrylamide forms. On the contrary, foods heated to below 248°F or less do not seem to contain the chemical.
• Plant foods such as potatoes, grain products (breads and breakfast cereals, cookies), and coffee are mentioned in the FDA release. Various forms of these foods are typically fried, baked or roasted. They do point out that acrylamide is not typically found in raw plant-based foods, dairy, animal foods (poultry, meat) or seafood.
• The FDA discusses specific foods that are larger sources of acrylamide: French fries, potato chips, breakfast cereals, cookies, toast, and coffee.
• The darker the potato, the more acrylamide — so avoid cooking until dark brown. It has been found that slicing potatoes and soaking them for 30 minutes before frying or roasting reduces acrylamide formation.
• Don't store potatoes in the refrigerator, because this can increase acrylamide levels during cooking. Keep potatoes outside the refrigerator in a dark, cool place, such as a closet or a pantry.
• For bread, if you toast it, toast to a light brown color and avoid "very brown areas." Don’t eat burnt toast, since the darker the toast, the more acrylamide has formed. “Toast bread to a light brown color rather than a dark brown color. Avoid very brown areas,” advises the FDA.
• For coffee, the FDA scientists have not found good ways to reduce acrylamide formation since the beans are roasted before brewing. Try to have lighter roast coffee.
• One need to choose less processed cereals and that can be cooked more often. “If frying frozen fries,” says the FDA, “follow manufacturers’ recommendations on time and temperature and avoid overcooking, heavy crisping or burning.
• Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk products.
• Include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts.
• Choose foods low in saturated fats, trans fat (which both raises your bad LDL cholesterol and lowers your good HDL cholesterol and is linked to heart attacks), cholesterol, salt and added sugars.

FDA consumers update on acrylamide can be accessed here.

In the Name of MSRA

It always the business tactics to exploit some sensitive issues, and claim some unproven claims.

Hand sanitizers are no doubt helpful for the purpose of reducing microbial load, but may not be effective in killing bacteria like methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Let us not exploit the situation to make money.

Amplify’d from www.medpagetoday.com

Makers of Hand Sanitizers Slapped for MRSA Claims

The four companies and the affected products are:

Tec Laboratories, of Albany, Ore., and its Staphaseptic First Aid Antiseptic/Pain Relieving Gel JD Nelson and Associates, of Westerville, OH, for its Safe4Hours Hand Sanitizing Lotion and Safe4Hours First Aid Antiseptic Skin Protectant The Dr. G.H. Tichenor Antiseptic Co., of New Orleans, for Dr. Tichenor's Antiseptic Gel Oh So Clean, of San Francisco, for its CleanWell All-Natural Foaming Hand Sanitizer, CleanWell All-Natural Hand Sanitizer, CleanWell All-Natural Hand Sanitizing Wipes, and CleanWell All-Natural Antibacterial Foaming Handsoap

"The FDA cannot allow companies to mislead consumers by making unproven prevention claims," said Deborah Autor, director of the Office of Compliance in the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Read more at www.medpagetoday.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bzwcd

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Fake Alli Pills Warning by FDA

Image via Wikipedia

Recently, professionals have been asked to prescribe sibutramine, a lipid lowering drug after careful history taking to ascertain patients pre-existing health problems, particularly the heart problems; as the drug can induce a heart attack. Now a fake Alli diet pill containing sibutramine double the recommended dose may cause problem; a warning issued by FDA here.
"Unfortunately, many people with high blood pressure or heart disease are trying to improve their health by losing weight, and we are concerned that such individuals might be exposed to the counterfeit drug,"

clipped from www.cnn.com Fake Alli diet pills can pose health risks Washington (CNN) -- Counterfeit capsules of the diet drug Alli that are sold online can pose a serious health risk to some users, a research director from the Food and Drug Administration said Saturday. Testing shows that the counterfeit pills contain excessive amounts of sibutramine, a prescription drug and controlled substance that can place people with cardiovascular disease at risk for higher blood pressure, heart attack or stroke, said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The fake pills contain at least twice as much sibutramine as would normally be recommended, she said. Analysis also shows that the counterfeit pills lack the active ingredient orlistat found in the authentic Alli product, which prevents a portion of the fat eaten from being absorbed, Alli's Web site says. Instead, the fat passes directly through the digestive system and is eliminated.

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Contaminated Daily Food Stuffs

Salmonella,A bacteria, Common Contaminant Of Food.

Contamination of daily food is a growing concern in USA, what to speak of India. Many times It is reported in Media that adulterated milk, milk products, mango with injected chemicals and vegetable grown in contaminated water are pouring into market place. Even the drinking water is not safe. Water comes from a distance of about 90 Kms to Paradip in a canal with all contaminants. The filtration process is how much effectively removes them, only God knows. And we are compelled to drink. So, is the sell of UV filters in most of the households. We just give up us. The India Govt. sometimes back deposed before The Supreme Court that the Govt. can not supply safe drinking water to public adding much discontent to the Supreme Court. And, that is the shame.Please read the full article below in medpagetoday.

clipped from www.medpagetoday.com Greens, Eggs, Tuna Among Riskiest Foods By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: October 06, 2009 Leafy greens, eggs, and tuna fish top the list of the 10 "riskiest" foods regulated by the FDA, according to a new report by the Centers for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Taken together, these foods have accounted for nearly a thousand disease outbreaks in the U.S. since 1990, according to Sarah Klein, food safety attorney for CSPI. Leafy greens accounted for 363 outbreaks and 13,568 cases of illness since 1990, according to the study, which comes from an analysis of CSPI's Outbreak Alert database, which culls data from CDC reports. Eggs were responsible for 352 outbreaks and 11,163 illnesses since 1990, 95% of which were attributable to Salmonella. In 86% of cases, the culprit was scombrotoxin, commonly found in fresh and raw tuna, although the CDC does not distinguish between fresh, canned, and raw fish in its reporting.

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