Carcinogens in Food, Soya Milk & Babies, Epilepsy, Breastfeeding, Reading & Eyesight, Head Lice, Food Poisoning from Barbeques, Mothers’ Life Expectancy, Heroin Deaths, Food Supplements & Learning Difficulties, Critiques in the BMJ

CANCER IN CRISPS, CEREAL AND CHIPS

Following on from the news last week that Swedish scientists had found acrylamide in cooked food containing carbohydrates, the Food Standards Agency – run by our government - has repeated the experiments and also found high levels of acrylamide in some foods.

So what is acrylamide? Which foods are affected? And what should we do about it?

ACRYLAMIDE is not definitely known to cause cancer in humans but it is classified as a ‘genotoxic carcinogen’ – this means that in the laboratory it can damage genetic material in a way that suggests that it may lead to cancerous changes in humans. It is formed naturally when some carbohydrates are cooked – and the more they are cooked the higher the levels of acrylamide get. Acrylamide is used commercially in grouting, plastics, sewage treatment and papermaking. It is also used to remove particles from water but is only present in water at a very low level – controlled and monitored by law. It has been shown to cause nerve damage and infertility. The Swedish research team was looking at exposure to acrylamide in the workplace and found the high levels in foods as an unexpected by-product of this research.

Which Foods are Affected?

The problem with this research is that not all foods could be tested so saying that a certain brand of food contains high levels does not mean that other similar types of food are safe. What does seem to be indicative of the acrylamide level is the way in which the food is cooked. Frying and baking seem to be the worst culprits, followed by grilling and roasting; the chemical was not found at high levels in raw food or food that had been boiled. Only chips, crisps, crispbreads and cereals were tested and high levels of acrylamide was found in foods cooked from raw at home as well as in the pre-prepared processed foods.

For your interest, some of the foods tested and found to contain high levels of acrylamide include

• Chipped and fried supermarket potatoes
• Walker’s crisps
• Ryvita crackers
• Kellogg’s rice crispies and
• Pringle’s crisps

What Should We Do?

Firstly, don’t panic if your child has been going to school with a bag of crisps in their packed lunch every day – we have been exposed to these chemicals for generations and even now do not understand the effect that they have on the human body. The Food Standards Agency calls them ‘potentially cancer causing’. And is not advising people to change their diets or how they cook. Any damage acrylamide could cause would be chronic – caused by years of exposure.

However until further research is done it may be worth limiting consumption of certain foodstuffs. And it is known that fresh fruit and vegetables can protect you from cancer, so yet again a healthy diet with a balance of foods and plenty of fresh food is the healthy answer.

It is also worth bearing in mind that a lot of the foods mentioned in the FSA’s report are high in salt and fat as well so cutting them out would improve your child’s diet.

What you shouldn’t do is undercook food such as meat, which can lead to potentially fatal food poisoning.

There will be more research and hopefully better information on which foods are affected – we will keep you up to date – but read this letter to a national newspaper to balance the scare, Eat food and die - again.

Related Links

Food Standards Agency - Welcome To The FSA
How serious is the latest food scare?
Alarm at cancer chemical link to cooked foods
Cancer link to fried food fails to check British appetite for chips

CAN SOYA MILK DAMAGE A BABY’S IMMUNE SYSTEM?

Soya milk was accused of causing infertility in boys who were fed it as babies a few years ago. This week it is being blamed for weakening babies’ immune systems.

Soya is often used for babies as a vegan alternative to cow’s milk and also in families with a strong history of food allergy or eczema. It is known that soya contains natural chemicals that mimic human oestrogen, hence the concern about infertility in boy babies who were fed it as infants. These chemicals are called phyto-oestrogens and researchers at the University of Illinois have suggested that they could also impair the immune system. This is probably just another groundless health scare - but if you are concerned do talk to your midwife.

Also beware alternative practitioners who tell you that wheat and dairy are the root of all evil – people have been eating them for generations and the alternatives may turn out to have problems of their own. Following Breastfeeding Awareness Week it is worth recalling that breast milk is a good tried and trusted source of infant nutrition.

Read the article at Warning over soya milk for babies and follow their excellent link to Scientists versus the soya industry. Another source of information is the Food Standards Agency, which is currently researching the effects of phyto-oestrogens in soya – the results will be available in November.

NATIONAL EPILEPSY WEEK

This awareness campaign starts this week and Epilepsy Action has released the startling statistics that 59% of childhood epilepsy deaths and 39% of adult deaths were preventable. There are many different types of epilepsy ranging from simple absence attacks (petit mal epilepsy) to grand mal fits. Epilepsy can usually be well controlled with modern treatments – read about the diagnosis and treatment in epilepsy.

The poor care the report refers to includes the length of time people wait to see an epilepsy specialist, inadequate treatment or investigation and insufficient warnings about the risks of hazards – swimming and cycling are dangerous for children and adults with uncontrolled fits. The report says that up to 70% of people could be seizure free if correctly treated.

Read the report at Epilepsy Action: News and see Inadequate care causes epilepsy deaths.

Epilepsy Action: Beach Park is an information site for children and teenagers with epilepsy and also tells you what to do if a friend has a fit. Also read this letter on the misdiagnosis of epilepsy.

BREASTFEEDING AWARENESS WEEK

After our discussion last week about the risks of chemicals from the environment getting into breast milk there is a reminder in this week’s press about all the things that breastfeeding is known to help – it promotes weight loss, helps prevent breast cancer in the mother and boosts the baby’s immune system as well as reducing glue ear and respiratory infections. Read Breast is best for mum too.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Reading Can Damage Your Child’s Sight

Says a report from California. Apparently Aboriginals who do not read have near zero rates of myopia (short-sightedness) and in Britain we have a 30 to 40% rate. Causes include genetic factors mainly but this report suggests that ‘straining your eyes’ by reading for too long or in low light may also damage them – granny was right all along!

Read Reading 'can damage child's sight' and causes of myopia from this weeks BMJ.

Head Lice Treatments

Different treatments are discussed in this article in the British Medical Journal – it says that wet combing can be effective if done regularly and properly. Read Head lice.

Food Poisoning from Barbeques

As the weather gets warmer the Food Standards agency has issued a warning about uncooked meat – sausages etc that look charred on the outside can be raw inside and carry potentially fatal bacteria such as E.Coli – they are launching a new advert to the tune of ‘When will I see you again’ – you can read all about it at TV ad asks: 'When will I see you again?' and Beat the barbecue bugs.

Sons Decrease a Mother’s Life Expectancy

…according to this report which appears to be linked to Cambridge University. I hope none of my money paid for the research since it led to a plethora of scientifically unproven theories – being helped with the washing up and feeling nurtured etc are the authors’ reasons for living longer. Apparently daughters give you an extra 23 weeks of life! If you are interested read Having too many sons 'is bad for mothers' health'.

Heroin Deaths

The video of the dead body of Rachel Whitear and her descent into heroin addiction is being released to schools as part of a drugs awareness campaign. While it does contain shocking images it has prompted debate on the way society and schools treat drug users and the more prevalent problem of excess alcohol consumption by young people. Read Video of dead student used to shock pupils aged 9. I certainly wouldn’t be happy if my 9 year-old was shown this at school – what do other parents think? Let us know on our message boards.

Can Food Supplements Help Children with Learning Difficulties?

The National Electronic Library for Health has gathered together all the research and looked at the way this subject has been reported in the press. They conclude that the research is at too early a stage to make predictions about the value of vitamin and mineral supplements for children with learning difficulties. Read Can food supplements boost pupils' learning?

More from the BMJ

This week’s British Medical Journal also has a couple of interesting criticisms – on Private Eye’s coverage of the MMR issue by Drs Elliman and Bedford and on the BBC’s national IQ tests by Trisha Greenhalgh.