Anti-foaming agent found in Chicken McNuggets

(NaturalNews) Ever wonder what’s really found in Chicken McNuggets? Some of the ingredients, it turns out, seem to belong more to an industrial factory of some kind, not a food retailer. According to the McDonald’s Corporation, its famous Chicken McNuggets are made with ingredients including autolyzed yeast extract (which contain free glutamate, similar to MSG), sodium phosphates and sodium aluminum phosphate. But that’s not the freaky part. According to McDonald’s own website, Chicken McNuggets are also made with “hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness” and “Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.” (http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/ingredientslist.pdf) At least two of these ingredients are artificially synthesized industrial chemicals. TBHQ , a petroleum derivative, is used as a stabilizer in perfumes, resins, varnishes and oil field chemicals. Laboratory studies have linked it to stomach tumors. “At higher doses, it has some negative health effects on lab animals, such as producing precursors to stomach tumors and damage to DNA. A number of studies have shown that prolonged exposure to high doses of TBHQ may be carcinogenic, especially for stomach tumors.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TBHQ) Dimethylpolysiloxane , a type of silicone, is used in caulks and sealants, as a filler for breast implants, and as key ingredient in Silly Putty. Says Wikipedia: “PDMS is also used as a component in silicone grease and other silicone based lubricants, as well as in defoaming agents, mold release agents, damping fluids, heat transfer fluids, polishes, cosmetics, hair conditioners and other applications. PDMS has also been used as a filler fluid in breast implants, although this practice has decreased somewhat, due to safety concerns. PDMS is used variously in the cosmetic and consumer product industry as well. For example, PDMS can be used in the treatment of head lice…” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethylpolysiloxane) Not that the other ingredients are any better. Because cotton is not regulated as a food crop, cottonseed oil may contain chemical pesticides that are banned in food production. It is also almost always genetically modified. Hydrogenated oils, of course, typically contain trans fats, the artificially produced fats that are unusable by the body and that studies have linked to a number of detrimental health problems. And autolyzed yeast extract is a chemical taste-enhancing ingredient containing free glutamate that manufacturers use as a friendlier-looking replacement for MSG. And what about the chicken in Chicken McNuggets? It’s factory-farmed chicken, not free-range chicken. So it’s the kind of chicken that’s typically treated with vaccines and hormones while being fed conventional feed products that are medicated with pharmaceuticals and grown with pesticides. Yum!! Don’t forget to ask for extra dipping sauce. We haven’t even talked about what you’ll find in there… Sources: http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/ingredientslist.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TBHQ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethylpolysiloxane

GM salmon highly allergenic, capable of breeding

(NaturalNews) The debate continues over whether or not genetically-modified (GM) salmon is safe for human consumption and fit for approval by the FDA, even though virtually all the evidence indicates that the tampered fish is a threat to human health and to the environment. Tests conducted by AquaBounty Technologies Inc., the company responsible for creating the “Frankenfish”, show that the GM salmon is highly allergenic, and in some cases completely capable of breeding with wild salmon. According to a recent report in Mother Jones , AquaBounty’s own studies show that GM salmon is at least 19 percent more allergenic than natural salmon, and up to 40 percent more allergenic if the modified fish develops into a “triploid” female rather than the intended “diploid” female. And certain genes that are not normally allergenic in their natural state become allergenic when artificially inserted into other applications, which is of increased concern. AquaBounty says it is primarily interested in creating triploid females because they are sterile and only demonstrate the 19 percent increase in allergenicity, which the company considers to be “statistically insignificant”. But according to reports, up to five percent of the GM salmon may end up unintentionally becoming diploids instead, which are fertile and highly likely to breed with wild salmon if they escape into the wild. Consumers Union, an independent, non-profit information organization serving consumers, has said that Aqua Bounty’s tests are not even remotely adequate enough to prove the fish’s safety. Only six triploid fish were used as part of the study, which is hardly enough to get a proper understanding of their effects on the environment. And the study was not double blind, which means that researchers knew which fish were GM and which were not. But none of this seems to matter to AquaBounty or to the FDA, which both seem to be fine with poorly-designed, biased testing methods that actually prove the fish to be unsafe rather than safe. The public can only hope that the FDA will express some conscience in the matter and ultimately reject AquaBounty’s petition to unleash its mutant fish upon the public. Sources for this story include: http://motherjones.com/transition/inter.php?dest=http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/09/genetically-engineered-salmon-allergies http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/VeterinaryMedicineAdvisoryCommittee/UCM224762.pdf

Medical applications of hawthorn

People have always been looking for remedies for the various problems they had. In almost all ancient cultures, herbal remedies have had an important role, either in a medical or in another sense. Throughout history, knowledge of medicinal plants and their applications, expanded with time, so that nowadays there is already a relatively large collection [...]