Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
06/05/2011 China Times [Reported by You Wanqi and Huang Tianru, Taipei]
The plasticizer scandal has yet to subside. Professor Li Kuanrong from the Institute of Molecular Medicine at National Tsing Hua University, in an exclusive interview with this newspaper, pointed out that beyond the commonly reported toxins such as dioxins, formaldehyde, and hydrogen peroxide deliberately added by manufacturers, "dairy products" and "health foods" frequently consumed by the public should be included in the Department of Health's long-term inspection list. He urged consumers to educate themselves and not be easily deceived by advertisements, wasting large sums of money while unknowingly ingesting harmful substances.
Li Kuanrong noted that margarine, commonly known as solid vegetable cream, undergoes a manufacturing process that converts some natural "cis-fatty acids" into "trans-fatty acids." People often choose cholesterol-free vegetable cream over animal cream to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, unaware that the effect is precisely the opposite.
He explained that through millions of years of evolution, the enzymes in the human body responsible for metabolizing fatty acids can only recognize natural cis-fatty acids. With regular exercise and a controlled diet, these can naturally be expelled from the body. In contrast, trans-fatty acids are nearly impossible to eliminate through exercise or normal metabolism, instead accumulating in the liver or blood vessel walls, accelerating the development of cardiovascular diseases.
Additionally, regarding the expensive health foods on the market, Li Kuanrong confidently asserted that most animal-derived health products, such as collagen and growth hormones, lack physiological activity, offering "less nutritional value than a single egg."
He pointed out that an egg, if incubated, can develop into a chick. The meat and feathers are composed of proteins, while the bones consist of calcium phosphate. All the nutrients required by living organisms are present in an egg. Rather than spending large sums on useless health products, people would be better off simply eating eggs.
Li Kuanrong suggested that food safety labeling regulations must be revised, especially for restricted additives. Ingredient descriptions should be comprehensible to consumers. For example, most people have no idea what "benzoic acid" is. Labeling should follow international standards, such as "benzoic acid (preservative)," to help consumers understand its purpose.
Officials from the Department of Health stated that dairy products and health foods are categorized as general food items and are already included in the regular inspections conducted by the inter-ministerial joint task force. As for trans-fatty acids, given their significant impact on human health, they have long been listed as mandatory information for food labeling.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 110605/ 4/ 2srno. html
Experts Warn: Margarine Harms Heart, Collagen Less Effective Than Eggs
The plasticizer scandal has yet to subside. Professor Li Kuanrong from the Institute of Molecular Medicine at National Tsing Hua University, in an exclusive interview with this newspaper, pointed out that beyond the commonly reported toxins such as dioxins, formaldehyde, and hydrogen peroxide deliberately added by manufacturers, "dairy products" and "health foods" frequently consumed by the public should be included in the Department of Health's long-term inspection list. He urged consumers to educate themselves and not be easily deceived by advertisements, wasting large sums of money while unknowingly ingesting harmful substances.
Li Kuanrong noted that margarine, commonly known as solid vegetable cream, undergoes a manufacturing process that converts some natural "cis-fatty acids" into "trans-fatty acids." People often choose cholesterol-free vegetable cream over animal cream to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, unaware that the effect is precisely the opposite.
He explained that through millions of years of evolution, the enzymes in the human body responsible for metabolizing fatty acids can only recognize natural cis-fatty acids. With regular exercise and a controlled diet, these can naturally be expelled from the body. In contrast, trans-fatty acids are nearly impossible to eliminate through exercise or normal metabolism, instead accumulating in the liver or blood vessel walls, accelerating the development of cardiovascular diseases.
Additionally, regarding the expensive health foods on the market, Li Kuanrong confidently asserted that most animal-derived health products, such as collagen and growth hormones, lack physiological activity, offering "less nutritional value than a single egg."
He pointed out that an egg, if incubated, can develop into a chick. The meat and feathers are composed of proteins, while the bones consist of calcium phosphate. All the nutrients required by living organisms are present in an egg. Rather than spending large sums on useless health products, people would be better off simply eating eggs.
Li Kuanrong suggested that food safety labeling regulations must be revised, especially for restricted additives. Ingredient descriptions should be comprehensible to consumers. For example, most people have no idea what "benzoic acid" is. Labeling should follow international standards, such as "benzoic acid (preservative)," to help consumers understand its purpose.
Officials from the Department of Health stated that dairy products and health foods are categorized as general food items and are already included in the regular inspections conducted by the inter-ministerial joint task force. As for trans-fatty acids, given their significant impact on human health, they have long been listed as mandatory information for food labeling.
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 110605/ 4/ 2srno. html