Is Enriched Flour Better for You?

If you’ve read many of our articles, you may be picking up on the fact that unless you know what an ingredient is and what it does, it can seem innocuous or even healthy and truly be neither. Label Reading isn’t anyone’s favorite pastime but it is the only way to really understand what you are putting in your body, especially when it’s a pre-processed product. Even if you do make a lot of things from scratch, basic ingredients like flour are not free from deceptive labeling. One such example is the use of “enriched” when referring to wheat flour. Enriched sounds like it would be a healthy alternative to white flour or even more full of beneficial ingredients than plain wheat flour but let's take a closer look. 

We’ve discussed before the benefit of fiber as opposed to highly processed foods lacking fiber. Fiber slows down the digestion and really allows the body to gain energy and nutrients as needed and over a longer time. It regulates the use of sugar and helps prevent spikes in blood sugar. It also plays a big role in what makes you feel full so you tend to eat less food when it’s fiber rich. In wheat or wheat flour, the fiber is packed into the bran and germ along with most of the nutrients naturally occurring in wheat. With the endosperm, these three parts make up a whole grain. Based just on the name, you might think enriched flour would just be this whole grain with some vitamins and minerals added in but that is not the case. Enriched flour is flour that has been stripped of the bran and germ, leaving only the endosperm behind. This is often done to make the flour more fine in texture and more palatable to the average American. Manufacturers then try to add back some nutrients specifically, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic acid and Iron. This is now required of food manufacturers because the rise of the practice of removing the germ and bran correlated with a rise in certain illnesses linked to malnutrition. We also know that even with the added vitamins, the endosperm based flour lacks the fiber to moderate the use of sugar and will instead quickly be broken down and cause a major sugar spike in the blood. The addition of these vitamins is then more of an empty gesture than a true fix.

The bottom line here is that while it sounds healthy, enriched flour is actually pretty bad for you.The empty calories don’t fill you up and you will continue to eat but gain very little in the way of nourishment. You might not be surprised to learn that unfortunately it is in EVERYTHING. Donuts, snack foods, cereal, pizza dough, cake mix, pancakes and, of course, bread are all commonly full of enriched flour. There are, of course, healthier alternatives! When you shop, check the label for enriched flour or even just “wheat flour” without the indication that it is 100%. This might be enriched flour too. When you bake, pick up all purpose whole wheat flour instead of the enriched variety to make sure the things you bake include the germ and the bran. Avoid a diet that relies heavily on processed goods as the more processed a baked good or wheat-based snack is, the more likely it is that it was made with highly processed, enriched flour. If you really want to get back to the basics, you may even be able to find locally ground flour from a farmers’ market or a local CSA! So shop locally if you can and be aware of what’s in your favorite foods so that you can make the best choices about what to put into your body. 

Resources: 

Flour Enrichment | Baking Processes | BAKERpedia

Find a CSA Community Supported Agriculture - LocalHarvest 

Vitamin D and Immunity

As we ride another wave of COVID-19 and are joined by the flu during these winter months, you may be looking for something to give you a little extra natural protection when it comes to your health. You’ve probably heard more than once that getting sunshine and that daily portion of vitamin D is important for your mental health and supporting your body in general but let’s take a closer look. 

Sometimes, you might hear your grandparents or parents talking about what their parents gave them to combat a cold when they were kids and smile at the wild concoctions used. There are some things, however, that they definitely had right, even if they didn’t know exactly why. Cod liver oil is one of those things. Now, we aren’t telling you to bring this historically foul-tasting home remedy back. There are plenty of alternatives that might be more palatable but cod liver oil is, in fact, very high in vitamin D! This oil was a household staple and dragged out whenever someone started to stiffly. It’s tried and true effectiveness is almost certainly grounded in it’s high vitamin D content. Way to go, grands!

Vitamin D has been shown to support the immune system and significantly reduce the risk of influenza. It reduces proinflammatory cytokines and increases anti-inflammatory cytokines, buoying up the body's resistance to respiratory infections in general. Researchers note that those who supplement with vitamin D during the winter months have reported a statistically significant reduction in infection. In one study the reduction was as high as 42%! 

Besides a reduction in respiratory infections, vitamin D has also been very effective in slowing and even halting the progression of some autoimmune diseases. It’s also key in the maintenance of healthy bones and the support of adequate calcium levels. Vitamin D is even thought to play a role in the maxillofacial region of the body, providing an antimicrobial effect and impacting the development of recurrent aphthous stomatitis and other periodontal diseases. It also supports healing after dental surgery and the development of healthy connective tissue.

The benefits don’t stop there. In a scientific literature review, 61 peer reviewed articles were included and the conclusion was that vitamin d inversely correlated with clinical depression. While more evidence is needed to evaluate vitamin D as a method of treatment for depression, the evidence does suggest that deficiencies in vitamin D ultimately have a negative impact on one's mental health. 

While this article is not meant for the prescription of any supplement or vitamin, it may be worth investigating whether or not you have a deficiency and talking to your doctor about starting a supplement. At the very least, most of us could use a little more time in the sun during these winter months and supporting so many areas of our health is an excellent reason to prioritize getting them! 

Resources: 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dmrr.3375

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7361214/pdf/DMRR-9999-e3375.pdf

https://tilda.tcd.ie/publications/reports/pdf/Report_Covid19VitaminD.pdf

Diachkova, E., Trifonova, D., Morozova, E., Runova, G., Ashurko, I., Ibadulaeva, M., Fadeev, V., & Tarasenko, S. (2021). Vitamin D and Its Role in Oral Diseases Development. Scoping Review. Dentistry journal, 9(11), 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/dj9110129

What’s the deal with Chromium 6?

Chromium 6 was highlighted as a carcinogenic compound found in most of America’s tap water in the 90’s by Erin Brockovich, an activist and consumer advocate who inspired a film by the same name in 2000. The film and her work highlighted a major gap in the drinking water contaminant standards for Hinkley, a southern California town. She went on to win one of the largest settlements ever claimed in a direct-action lawsuit at that time, a whopping $333 million, and leveraged that platform to shine the light on this national blindspot. With all of this press and later an Oscar winning film you’d think that this issue would have been resolved more than two decades later. Unfortunately, despite the wealth of research that has established Chromium 6 as a carcinogen, the EPA has dragged its feet on setting a Chromium 6 specific standard. They have a “total chromium” standard which includes chromium 3 but the safety levels for these two versions of chromium are wildly different. 

Chromium 3, for reference, is an element necessary for healthy functioning and most individuals get a suitable amount in their diet without needing to supplement. It is thought to be effective in the metabolism of protein, carbohydrates and lipids and promoting insulin action. It is considered an essential nutrient and is found in fruits, veggies and whole grains. A lack may even be linked to glucose intolerance and diabetes. Bottom line, Chromium 3 is good for you in the amounts you receive within a balanced diet. 

In contrast, Chromium 6 is an industrial by-product that is known to cause a variety of cancers, ulcers, convulsions, and sometimes death. Why then would the EPA insist on lumping both types of chromium together when setting national standards for our drinking water? Why, indeed. By doing this, the EPA is essentially raising the standard for our drinking water from a research based standard held by some forward thinking communities of 0.02ppb to 100ppb. They are allowing companies and counties to serve up water polluted with a known carcinogen at 500 times the research grounded standard for safety. It’s easy to understand that having to regulate the thousands of companies and counties that are currently out of compliance with the safer standard is a big job but it’s also important to understand that doing so is precisely the EPA’s responsibility and the point of having such an organization at the federal level in the first place. Last year, federal legislation was passed(INVEST), including an amendment requiring the EPA to set a Chromium 6 specific standard. Only time will tell whether or not the EPA will follow through on an actionable and responsible standard closer to the research based safe levels we need.

As always, we want to address what we, the consumers, should do about this gap in our march towards clean water. Like with PFAS, it isn’t enough to simply find the best filter for your home and move on. Clean water is a resource that should be available to all. Additionally, we are all (hopefully) eating vegetation that is being grown with water that is likely at an even higher level of contamination. No matter what you do for your own home, this is something that we should all be pushing for and supporting accountability for in our own communities, towns and ultimately national government. The EPA may establish a standard in the next two years but it is incredibly important that we are all paying attention to whether or not it is a legitimately safe one.

Resources: 

EPA Fact Sheet

EWG’s Tap Water Database

Chromium 3 Fact Sheet

CoqQ10: Sidestep the Scam

CoQ10 is a pretty popular supplement added to everything from energy drinks to “brain boosting” pills but is there really any proven benefit to orally taking this supplement? 

Short answer: Maybe, at best. So far the evidence seems to suggest that usually the average person produces enough CoQ10 to gain all the benefits it yields. Taking it orally is not shown to guarantee any sort of advantage but let’s back up. What is CoQ10? 

CoQ10 is a fat-soluble compound that is made in the body as well as obtained from a balanced diet. It is credited with facilitating the production of adenosine triphosphate or ATP. It’s also helpful in the creation of other necessary compounds from ATP or mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Additionally it’s an antioxidant so, overall, great stuff. Taking CoQ10 orally seems to show the most benefit when the issue it is addressing is directly connected to a genetic mutation limiting the production of CoQ10. This makes sense as the body would be producing an abnormally low amount of CoQ10 so the supplemental CoQ10 would help bridge that gap, if imperfectly. 

CoQ10 is popping in a ton of products but perhaps most commonly in exercise-related products however, the research doesn’t suggest that there is a measurable increase in energy or mental clarity from consuming CoQ10. In fact, the research doesn’t tie CoQ10 to a measurable benefit in the treatment of most chronic health issues such as diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, etc. 

There is some evidence that it might be helpful in mitigating the harm that treatment for some forms of cancers causes, specifically chemo. Additionally, it may increase the success of traditional congestive heart failure treatment for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.  In fact, in one study, supplemental CoQ10 seemed to reduce the mortality rate of bypass patients when compared with a control group. Even so, more research is needed to really say conclusively that CoQ10 alone caused this reduction. 

At best, if a person has low levels of CoQ10, it might suggest that there is a deeper health issue at play. Low levels of naturally occurring CoQ10 may be an early warning sign for a number of other issues but according to the current research there are only a few select situations in which taking CoQ10 supplementally might actually be beneficial. The bottom line is that the increasingly popular inclusion of this compound in energy drinks has not been conclusively proven valuable. As always, this article is for informational purposes only, not prescription or diagnostic use and you should always talk to a health professional about your specific medical background before taking any supplemental ingredients like CoQ10. For the average person, we hope this might help you sidestep some of the more pervasive scams surrounding CoQ10 and be better equipped to make a decision for yourself about its usefulness!

Resources: 

• In Depth Article Summary of CoQ10 Studies

• https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/coenzyme-q10

• https://www.webmd.com/diet/supplement-guide-coenzymeq10-coq10#1 

Food Recall: What Actually Happens?

We’ve touched on the FDA’s role in our food safety system but what actually happens when there is a food threat and a food recall? What do we need to do as the consumer and what basics should we know? 

A food recall is usually caused by one of three things. First, food is recalled when there is a physical contaminate like say Jeff accidentally fell into one of the canned soup machines and though we fished him out, his jacket and left shoes have been cooked down into several thousand cans of spaghettiOs.  Second, food might be recalled due to a pathogen like E. Coli. or Salmonella. The third common reason for recalls is mislabeling. For example, if a product goes out without noting that it contains Yellow 5 or some other allergen that requires listing. This last one can be particularly dangerous if, say, something with trace amounts of peanuts goes out unlabeled and someone with a serious allergy eats it believing it to be safe. 

How is something like this caught? Usually, the manufacturing company is checking inhouse and will be the first to notice that something is off. For example, say Jeff was working alone when he fell in and didn’t tell anyone about his mishap. However, Susan was inspecting the cans of soup from that run later and found teeny, tiny pieces of rubber in several cans. Susan or her superiors would call a halt and they’d be the ones to contact the FDA or FSIS and together they’d work to reclaim as many cans of the contaminated soup as they could. They’d also trace the soup back to its source (probably fire Jeff, sorry Jeff) and tag that whole batch of soup. 

Sometimes, the FDA or FSIS is the first to know about a contaminant through their own investigations. In that case, they would encourage the manufacturing company to do a recall voluntarily and put legal pressure on them to force a recall if they refused. Additionally, we as consumers can report an illness or contamination issue to our local health department or the FDA directly and start the process that way. 

Once food recall is deemed necessary, it is categorized into one of three classes. Class 1 includes the most dangerous types of food hazards that are pretty likely to cause health issues or even death. Class 2 has the potential for harm but it’s probability of that harm occurring is pretty remote. Class 3 is unlikely to cause harm even if the food is consumed. 

Over the last decade we’ve seen the number of food recalls go up dramatically. This increase is due in part to the improvements we’ve made in technology over that time period. In other words, we are better equipped to catch and deal with a food recall so the increase in frequency isn’t all bad. Better to know, right? 

As a consumer, when you find out about a food recall here’s what you do:

• Do not eat the food! Even if you feel like you’ll be fine and the food looks ok, why risk it?

• Don’t open the food! Especially if it is a pathogen contamination. You risk contaminating your kitchen and home with the same pathogen. Remember, this is a microorganism and can and will spread given the opportunity. 

• Don’t feed it to the neighbors (even if you don’t like them) or your dog. Again, pathogens can affect more than humans and your cat or dog may have some serious reactions to the contaminant as well. At the very least, they might develop diarrhea and no one wants to deal with that kind of mess. 

• Don’t freak out but be mindful of how you feel if you’ve already eaten the recalled product. Contact your doctor if you start to feel nauseous or develop any new signs of sickness.  

• Do follow the recommendations listed with the recall as they will vary based on the specific kind of recall you are experiencing. This might include returning the unopened product to the store where you bought it. Often, you will be refunded the cost of the item. 

• Do sanitize your space particularly if the food in question was a meat or animal by-product. 

Is E. Coli on the Rise? Take Note.

Escherichia coli or E. Coli for short, the sickness causing specter that creeps on your raw cookie dough parade. The dark cloud of consequences built in to incorrectly preparing food. E. coli. is a well known bacteria group that can cause serious gastrointestinal illnesses if they end up in the wrong part of the body. E. Coli do serve a purpose within the human body, as well as the bodies of some animals. They contribute to the body of bacteria that maintains our intestinal health. However, the issue arises when something that should remain in one's bowls or be exerted from the body entirely somehow makes its way into the early stages of digestion. 

One of the ways in which E. Coli. enters the body is through contaminated food. In the case of meat, either the animal itself was contaminated or it was exposed to the bacteria during processing. The animal could also have eaten contaminated food creating a chain of contamination from its feed to our tables. In the case of, say, cookie dough, it is often the flour that is contaminated and this is a big reason why if you have a cookie dough addiction, you should always heat treat your flour before making it. You should also leave out the eggs if you know a batch of dough is going to see the inside of your stomach before the inside of an oven. 

The E. coli. Family includes some of the deadliest bacteria we can ingest. Some produce a toxin called Shiga which can cause anything from stomach cramps and diarrhea to death. You might also experience fever, general nausea, vomiting and basically all the symptoms we generally associate with food poisoning. Some people may not realize that depending on the strain, you can begin to show symptoms as long as 9 days after a contamination. If you begin to have symptoms that resemble E.Coli poisoning, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible. Not only is it the best way to protect yourself but if there is a wider spread of contamination, you might save others who are more vulnerable than yourself. Bacterial infections are most dangerous for the elderly and very young, so it’s important to take special care when preparing food for either. 

To reduce the risk of contamination at home, it is important to cook your food thoroughly and to wash your hands really well before preparing anything but especially raw food. As E. coli lives in the gut so not washing your hands well after using the bathroom can lead to your own personal outbreak of contamination. Also, make sure you clean up preparation areas after cooking raw foods, especially meat. If you suspect contamination, it is a good idea to take steps to sanitize anything that may have come into contact with the contaminated food. 

Just this week, we’ve had multistate contamination of ground beef (Check In the News for more information). It’s a good idea to follow https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls to keep abreast of food recalls and press releases concerning domestic outbreaks of E. coli and other contaminants!

Resources: 

USDA Food Recalls

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16638-e-coli-infection

FDA Page including information of sanitization

Mayo clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/e-coli/symptoms-causes/syc-20372058 

Cookie Dough E. Coli 

The 3 R's and Ultimate Why

It’s the start of a brand new year and many of us are determined to make the very best of it after the past few years we’ve had. Resolutions are often seen as the best way to make a fresh start and a new beginning. They are also notorious for failing a few months or even a few weeks in. Why is this and why is it essential to understand when those resolutions are often around making better choices for our health? How do you turn a resolution into a real, lasting habit? 

First, it’s important to realize that failure is a normal part of the learning process. You are changing your behavior and doing something new. It is ok to have some slipups. We don’t usually expect to learn a new skill without some mistakes along the way. Changing a pattern of behavior is very similar. The key is to not give up on your new change after the first setback. Whether it’s walking an extra mile each day or getting more fruits and veggies into your diet, a new year's resolution needs to be supported by other structural characteristics in your life. A helpful rule of thumb is the Rule of Three R’s.  Your resolution needs to be reasonable, repeatable and reinforced by your other life choices. 

For example, if you want to eat more veggies but you don’t know any recipes you enjoy with vegetables, you might have a hard time incorporating this habit into your life without any other changes. Just trying to munch on raw veggies everyday, may be the fastest track to swinging into Taco Bell as soon as possible. Instead, if you find a few dishes you really enjoy and make them at the beginning of the week, it becomes a lot easier to eat veggies everyday that week. It’s repeatable and reasonable to continue to eat these meals you enjoy and are already prepared. Learning the veggies that make you feel the best and have the most energy (and are the most tasty) reinforces the reason behind why eating the veggies is important. 

That highlights another big piece of resolutions. It’s not just important to know why something is important generally but knowing your “why.” You may have heard that we all need to eat healthy and exercise more but why is that important for you specifically. Until you know the answer to that question and really dig down into your purpose for incorporating this new practice, there will be some level of depth missing from your personal investment in holding onto this change. 

For example, you may know you want to sleep more in general and even take steps to pursue that but why? You might say, “because it will benefit my health.” Ok, but what specifically will more sleep do for you? Well, it will improve my memory and brain function and give me more energy throughout the day.  Nice, and what will that do for you? “Oh, well, I’ll be more efficient in my job and have more energy to spend with my husband when I get home instead of immediately crashing.” Ok, now we are getting somewhere. Dig a little deeper! “If I do consistently well in my job, I will have a better chance at the promotion I want next quarter. I could also invest more time into my partner in the ways that I want. Ok, cool. So NOW the new habit of getting more sleep is directly tied to your goal of investing in your love life and earning a promotion! Yes, it’s still healthier for you but that’s a pretty vague reason when it comes to motivation. Lots of things are healthy alternatives that we have zero motivation to pursue. Our goals must be tied directly to something that has specific and quantifiable value to us personally.  

The FDA: Public Defender or Profit Seeker?

The FDA. We hear that acronym in the news more now than ever before but what is the FDA, really? Where does its power come from and what does it do? First, FDA stands for the Food and Drug Administration and is an agency of the United States government. It gets its power from Congress and is the result of a collection of laws that dictate the parameters of its power. You might know the most common one, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. It is one of the oldest of the dozen or so laws and acts grounding the FDA. It’s name has changed over the years to reflect its role and expertise though “FDA” has stuck for almost the last century. 

Year Designation and Location Statute

1839 Patent Office, Department of State 5 Stat. 353, 354 (1839)

1849 Chemical Laboratory of the Agr, Dpt of the Interior 9 Stat. 395 (1849)

1862 Chemical Division, Department of Agriculture 12 Stat. 387 (1862)

1889 Chemical Division, U S Department of Agriculture 25 Stat. 659 (1889)

1890 Division of Chemistry, USDA 26 Stat. 282, 283

1901 Bureau of Chemistry, USDA 31 Stat. 922, 930 (1901)

1927 Food and Drug Insecticide Administration, USDA 44 Stat. 976, 1002 (1927)

1930 Food and Drug Administration, USDA 46 Stat. 392, 422 (1930)

1940 FDA, Federal Security Agency 54 Stat. 1234, 1237 (1940)

1953 FDA, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare 67 Stat. 631, 632 (1953)

1979 FDA, Department of Health and Human Services 93 Stat. 668, 695 (1979)

With an annual budget of around $6 billion, it’s important to understand as much as we can about this regulatory organization. The Administration is led by a commissioner that is appointed by the president and employs around 18 thousand people around the country. It’s important to note that there is a pretty significant gap in the FDA’s responsibilities as the USDA handles most meat, poultry and eggs regulation. The Food Safety and Inspection service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture are both separate entities. Also, as we’ve touched on in previous articles, things like food waste and pesticides are actually handled by the EPA. It’s also important to note that most food labeling regulation is outside of its purview. Some labeling is overseen by the USDA but the FDA basically just requires that food has nutritional information on its label. The accuracy of that information is not policed by them. 

A big part of understanding the conversation today about the FDA and if they are being effective in their role in the current pandemic is the question of funding. The FDA is funded in part by taxpayer money and in part but what is called user fees. Basically, manufacturers pay fees when they submit an application for their drug to be reviewed and then they pay an annual fee based on the number of drugs they have approved and in the marketplace. While about half of the FDA budget comes from user fees, more than 60% of the human drug related budget comes from user fees. Put simply, more approvals equals more money for the FDA. This might strike you as odd because it seems like a conflict of interest for the regulatory body to be funded by giving their approval to companies within the industry it is meant to regulate. Exactly. Here in lies one of the biggest pitfalls of a strong belief in the mission of the FDA. While this doesn’t automatically mean that the FDA is chasing their payday instead of prioritizing the safety of the American public, it does give one something to think about. It might also explain why drugs such as Nuplazid, a treatment for Parkinson's that lead to more deaths in the test group than the control group which received zero treatment, are still allowed to hit the market. It is one explanation but I’m sure there are others. We, the American people, are just still waiting to hear them. 

Resources:

https://www.propublica.org/article/fda-repays-industry-by-rushing-risky-drugs-to-market

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-fdas-role-public-health

https://today.uconn.edu/2021/05/why-is-the-fda-funded-in-part-by-the-companies-it-regulates-2/

https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-history

Happy New Year! Cheers?

New Years’ Eve is here and with it we round out the holiday season and prepare for an evening of cheer and toasting. However, with flu season and corona looming in the background, it might make sense to consider what the last party of the year might do to our precious, and possibly taxed, immune system. 

We’ve talked about eating well but let’s briefly dive into one of our favorite party guests, alcohol. Alcohol is undoubtedly popular and we all know it isn’t the most healthy thing to put into one’s body, but is it really all that bad? 

Beyond the impairment and dangers of functioning under the influence, alcohol itself carries a pretty heavy toll on our body’s immune system. Put simply, in any quantity, big or small, frequent or rare, it weakens us. Just one drink can suppress the immune system for as long as 24 hours. If you’ve ever had heavy drinkers in your family, you probably already know that chronic drinking carries a significant risk of several different forms of cancer. The risk of esophageal cancer, especially for those who do not process alcohol well due to an enzyme deficiency, is significantly increased by consuming alcohol, along with colorectal cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, and various cancers located in the head and neck. This increase in risk is measurable even when someone only has one drink a day or occasionally binge drinks. It’s also important to not that binge drinking here doesn’t mean getting blackout drunk. Binge drinking means having 4 or 5 drinks at one time and yes, a shot counts as a drink. 

Cancer may seem like it is just a scare word sometimes and almost everything you engage with can give you some form of cancer but that’s not all alcohol is tied to. It’s also tied to the degradation of your liver, kidneys, lungs, and heart. It impacts the brain as you might assume and most notably for this COVID plagued time, it significantly impacts the lungs. 

The immune system is suppressed by alcohol consumption and is more susceptible to infection by bacteria, virus and even physical injury. Injuries heal slower and alcohol especially stifles the healing of burns, hemorrhagic shock and traumatic brain injuries. It disrupts the microbiome in our gut which is involved in everything from breaking down our food to regulating our hormones. The system of organisms cohabitating in our gut also supports our immune system and just one serving of alcohol can throw that system into complete disarray. Frankly, the list of things not impacted in some way by that one ingredient would probably be shorter.

So, this New Year’s make sure you are considering all the risks and weighing them appropriately and keeping the very best of company before you partake of this literal bomb to the body’s homeostasis. Cheers!

Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590612/pdf/arcr-37-2-153.pdf

https://adf.org.au/insights/alcohol-immune-system-covid-19/ 

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body

Crush Your Thirst, Not Your Health

The temperature is 92 °F. You’re sitting by the pool with your feet dangling over the edge. It’s mid-summer and the scent of honeysuckles perfumes the warm air. You reach into the cooler for something to drink and haul out a glass bottle of orange, fizzy liquid. You aren’t ten anymore but you’ve never lost the love of a cold bottle of pop to cut the summertime heat. Twisting off the top, you knock back a crisp 20 ounces of citrusy fizz, straight out of your childhood. The flavor is the same, the color, too. The brominated vegetable oil (BVO) holding it all together. Wait, what? Why is BVO in your drink? Oil in soda sounds gross and unlikely but there it is on the ingredients list. What’s that about?

Turns out, BVO is in a lot of citrusy drinks and it is, in fact, what keeps them together. It’s an emulsifier and helps prevent the oils in these drinks from separating from the carbonated water. Without it, a drink like Crush would divide into its parts and make up a very different overall experience. Ok, so BVO keeps orange soda and other artificial orange drinks, like the Orange Thirst Quencher Gatorade, looking good and delivering a unified, homogenous flavor profile. What’s the big deal?

The big deal is that BVO has been linked to memory loss, skin conditions (like swelling and boils), brain development issues, hormonal dysfunction, fertility complications, thyroid impairment and, you guessed it, cancer. This makes it an obvious addition to any country’s ban list and it is banned in over 100 countries. Not to make this a trend when combined with our last article, but once again, the U.S. is sadly behind. PepsiCo has stated that it plans to remove the ingredient from its products and has removed it from Gatorade as recently as last year. They’ve declined to comment on their motivation for doing so but we can only hope that this move will encourage movement towards a BVO-free USA.

For the time being, the FDA is holding to its opinion that BVO is “generally considered safe” for human consumption. There are a number of medical professionals that are pushing for a reconsideration of BVO and the global opinion definitely seems to support this perspective. In the meantime, it’s important to know what these chemicals are and what impact they may have on one’s health. BVO seems to be pretty bad for us. Even if you don’t have a large amount of it at one time, it is now thought to linger in the body, similar to heavy metals, building up over time. The global recommendation is to eliminate it entirely from one’s diet. Until the U.S. catches up with that standard, we can do what we need to, to protect ourselves and our families.

Resources:

https://perioimplants.us/blog/bvo-soft-drinks/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/bvo/faq-20058236

https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/Food/11-foods-banned-us/story?id=19457237