Carbonated drinks like Coke and Pepsi are reducing one of the carcinogenic chemical - 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MI, which is used as caramel colouring in the drinks in Califonia!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REUTERS - Coca-Cola Co and PepsiCo Inc are making changes to the production of an ingredient in their namesake colas to avoid the need to label the packages with a cancer warning.
The change will not be noticeable to consumers, according to statements from both companies.
Coke and Pepsi said on Friday that they had asked their suppliers of the caramel coloring in their colas to alter their manufacturing process to meet the requirements of a California ballot initiative aiming to limit people's exposure to toxic chemicals.
"Consumers will notice no difference in our products and have no reason at all for any health concerns," said PepsiCo spokeswoman Gina Anderson in a statement.
The change is meant to reduce the amount of a chemical called 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MI, which in January was added to the list of chemicals covered by California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, also known as Proposition 65.
High levels of that chemical have been linked to cancer in animals.
The California statute says that "no person in the course of doing business shall knowingly and intentionally expose any individual to a chemical known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity without first giving a clear and reasonable warning ..."
Coca-Cola spokesman Ben Sheidler said the modification to the manufacturing process will have no effect on the formula, color or taste of Coca-Cola.
Both companies said they started in California, and would expand the use of the reduced 4-MI caramel coloring over time.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc said all the caramel color being produced for it meets the new California standard.
Earlier this week, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a U.S. watchdog group, said it found unsafe levels of the chemical in cans of Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Dr Pepper and Whole Foods Markets Inc's 365 Cola.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said at the time it was reviewing the group's petition but stressed that the drinks were still safe. An FDA spokesman said a person would have to drink "well over a thousand cans of soda a day to reach the doses administered in the studies that have shown links to cancer in rodents".
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/coke-pepsi-alter-caramel-color-ingredient-191302113.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The article stated that consumers will not notice any difference in their products. Does that mean that the product still contain a high amount of such carcinogen?
Also, this carcinogen seems controversial as the FDA states that a very high amount of consumption is required in order for it to be cancer-causing.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
supersize vs superskinny
Hello all!
Found a documentary on eating disorders.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOx9uwBfKGc&feature=related
Very interesting! must watch!
Found a documentary on eating disorders.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOx9uwBfKGc&feature=related
Very interesting! must watch!
eating disorder awareness video
Hello all,this could be a good video to introduce eating disorders topic. It's only 3 1/2 mins long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSqtVDIwnHo
The last part is quite scary.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSqtVDIwnHo
The last part is quite scary.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Study: Green Tea Drinkers Show Less Disability With Age
(Reuters) - Elderly adults who regularly drink green tea may stay more agile and independent than their peers over time, according to a Japanese study that covered thousands of people. Green tea contains antioxidant chemicals that may help ward off the cell damage that can lead to disease.
Researchers have been studying green tea's effect on everything from cholesterol to the risk of certain cancers, with mixed results so far. For the new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers decided to examine the question of whether green tea drinkers have a lower risk of frailty and disability as they grow older.
Yasutake Tomata of the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine and his colleagues followed nearly 14,000 adults aged 65 or older for three years. They found those who drank the most green tea were the least likely to develop "functional disability," or problems with daily activities or basic needs, such as dressing or bathing. Specifically, almost 13 percent of adults who drank less than a cup of green tea per day became functionally disabled, compared with just over 7 percent of people who drank at least five cups a day. "Green tea consumption is significantly associated with a lower risk of incident functional disability, even after adjustment for possible confounding factors," Tomata and his colleagues wrote.
The study did not prove that green tea alone kept people spry as they grew older. Green-tea lovers generally had healthier diets, including more fish, vegetables and fruit, as well as more education, lower smoking rates, fewer heart attacks and strokes, and greater mental sharpness. They also tended to be more socially active and have more friends and family to rely on. But even with those factors accounted for, green tea itself was tied to a lower disability risk, the researchers said. People who drank at least five cups a day were one-third less likely to develop disabilities than those who had less than a cup per day. Those people who averaged three or four cups a day had a 25 percent lower risk.
Although it's not clear how green tea might offer a buffer against disability, Tomata's team did note that one recent study found green tea extracts seem to boost leg muscle strength in older women. While green tea and its extracts are considered safe in small amounts, they do contain caffeine and small amounts of vitamin K, which means it could interfere with drugs that prevent
Researchers have been studying green tea's effect on everything from cholesterol to the risk of certain cancers, with mixed results so far. For the new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers decided to examine the question of whether green tea drinkers have a lower risk of frailty and disability as they grow older.
Yasutake Tomata of the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine and his colleagues followed nearly 14,000 adults aged 65 or older for three years. They found those who drank the most green tea were the least likely to develop "functional disability," or problems with daily activities or basic needs, such as dressing or bathing. Specifically, almost 13 percent of adults who drank less than a cup of green tea per day became functionally disabled, compared with just over 7 percent of people who drank at least five cups a day. "Green tea consumption is significantly associated with a lower risk of incident functional disability, even after adjustment for possible confounding factors," Tomata and his colleagues wrote.
The study did not prove that green tea alone kept people spry as they grew older. Green-tea lovers generally had healthier diets, including more fish, vegetables and fruit, as well as more education, lower smoking rates, fewer heart attacks and strokes, and greater mental sharpness. They also tended to be more socially active and have more friends and family to rely on. But even with those factors accounted for, green tea itself was tied to a lower disability risk, the researchers said. People who drank at least five cups a day were one-third less likely to develop disabilities than those who had less than a cup per day. Those people who averaged three or four cups a day had a 25 percent lower risk.
Although it's not clear how green tea might offer a buffer against disability, Tomata's team did note that one recent study found green tea extracts seem to boost leg muscle strength in older women. While green tea and its extracts are considered safe in small amounts, they do contain caffeine and small amounts of vitamin K, which means it could interfere with drugs that prevent
blood clotting.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Food Pictures
Hello all !
Found a website that shares good pics of food that we can include in our PowerPoint slides when we prepare for our lessons.
The picture above can be used to introduce Genetic Food Engineering!
The website is http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
Enjoy browsing through the pictures!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
5 Commonly Mispronounced Food
JalapeñoOK, so is it ‘jala-peeno’, ‘hala-pen-o’ or ‘jala-penyo’? According to the folks at Mission Burrito, it’s none of them.
They tell us that this spicy chilli pepper is most definitely pronounced ‘ha-la-peyn-nyo’.
It’s thought that the jalapeño chilli originated from the Mexican city of Xalapa, also sometimes spelt ‘Jalapa’.
The ‘eño’ was added on the end of the word to mean ‘from’, as in ‘from Jalapa’.
MascarponeIt’s spelt ‘mascarpone’ but a lot of people still slip in an extra ‘r’ in the first syllable and pronounce this Italian cheese ‘mars-ca-po-neh’.
According to the team at Italian restaurant chain Carluccio’s: “the name is said to come from mascarpa, a milk product made from the whey of stracchino”.
They confirm that it should be pronounced ‘mas-car-POH-neh’.
CrêpeThis crispy, thin French pancake isn’t pronounced ‘kreyp’. In fact, the best way to pronounce it is a bit like ‘krep’.
The French ‘r’ isn’t pronounced as in English – the sound comes from the back of the throat like a little gargle.
According to the Epicurean website, crêpes were first made in Brittany in north-west France and their name comes from the Latin ‘crispus’, meaning ‘crisp’.
EspressoDon’t be surprised if your barista looks slightly irritated when you ask for an ‘expresso’. The drink might be quick to make, but it’s actually called an ‘espresso’.
According to legend, in 1903 an Italian named Luigi Bezzera became frustrated over the length of time it took to brew a coffee. He decided to force pressurised water through the coffee, making a short but full-bodied drink.
And so the first ‘espresso’ (‘express coffee’) was born.
Chipotle Often pronounced how it seems to be spelt, ‘chip-ottle’; we’re told by the team at Mission Burrito that this smoke-dried jalapeño is pronounced ‘chip-pot-lay’.
It’s used in Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes, and gives sauces and rubs a heady, smoky spice. The word is thought to come from the Aztec ‘chilli’ and also ‘poktli’ - named after the smoking process.
100 Million Children Have This for Lunch Everyday
Hey guys!
I saw this on Yahoo! and thought that perhaps it might be useful as an introduction to teaching malnutrition or nutrient deficiency.
(PS: Ai Ning, maybe u can use it.. Just a suggestion :))
The picture on the right shows the food eaten by poor families in third world country.
The food consist of cabbage, peas and rice has low nutritional value according to 'Save the Children', a non- government organisation (NGO) which works to improve the lives of improvished children around the globe.
Such families eat meals like this twice every day, as they do not have the means to eat three times a day.
At a press launch on Tuesday hosted at the Asian Food Channel (AFC) studio in Orchard Central, the NGO presented its findings in a new report on food concerns and malnutrition in Asia.
According to the report, unless more action is taken over the next 15 years to combat food price rises, half a billion more children would be affected by malnutrition.
The ailment is the underlying cause of a third of child deaths globally.
Currently, half of the world's underweight children live in South Asia. India holds the highest rate of chronic malnutrition among children in the world, at 48 per cent, as 60 million children are affected.
The report recommended that basic measures be taken to tackle malnutrition and reduce vulnerability to food price spikes, which includes fortifying basic foods with essential minerals or vitamins, encouraging exclusive breastfeeding for children up to six months of age, and better investment in cash transfers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)