Dangers of POTATO CHIPS

It is really safer and healthier to eat food in their raw state.’

Naloko tayo nito! Nuong nakaraang Linggo lamang nakabili ang aking kapatid (para sa pamangkin) ng ilang kapiraso nito. Hindi lang Made in China ang alanganin sa kalusugan, pati pala Made in USA! Bakit nakakalusot ito sa Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD), dahil ba gawang STATESIDE? - Doy/IPD

Philip S. Chua, MD
http://www.malaya.com.ph/oct13/edchua.htm

The Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), based in California, has filed notices with the Attorney General of the State against the following potato chip companies: Lay’s potato chip maker PepsiCo Inc., Pringles maker Proctor & Gamble Co, Cape Cod potato chip parent Lance Inc. , and Kettle Chips maker Kettle Foods Inc. (larawan sa kaliwa: www.junkfoodblog.com/uploaded_images/lays-cur...)

This civil action is intended to alert the public through proper product labeling that potato chips contain high levels of acrylamide, a toxic and cancer-causing chemicals substance, according to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. This chemical is formed when starchy foods are fried or baked at high temperatures. When meats are cooked at high temperatures, the cancer-causing heterocyclic amines are produced.

The ELF has listed the following offenders on "how their potato chip brands exceeded the required warning levels for acrylamide - - - Cape Cod Robust Russet: 910 times; Kettle Chips (lightly salted): 505 times; Kettle Chips (honey dijon): 495 times; Pringles Snack Stacks (pizza-flavored): 170 times; Lay’s Baked: 150 times.

Those companies who distribute, market, or sell, their potato chips without such warnings are in violation of California law, California Proposition 65.

It is really safer and healthier to eat food in their raw state. While sushi, for instance, is not enjoyed by most people, properly prepared and uncontaminated raw fish, and raw beef, are a couple of the healthier foods there are. Of course, celery, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, tomatoes, broccoli, turnips, salad greens, and other fruits and vegetables are best eaten raw.

In the meantime, while we are developing our taste for raw or minimally processed foods, we can shy away from the obvious "unhealthy ones" in the market, like potato chips and French fries, processed meats, fish, vegetables, doughnuts, and all soda drinks. And talking of soda beverages, soft drinks, regular or diet, are unhealthy and can cause illnesses. Drinking one soft drink a day increases the risk of developing adverse metabolic traits and Metabolic Syndrome itself, according to a new study at the Boston University School of Medicine in Massachusetts.

Metabolic Syndrome is characterized by the presence of three or more of the following risk factors: high blood pressure, excess waist circumference, low level of the good cholesterol (HDL), high level of triglycerides, and elevated fasting glucose (blood sugar) level. This syndrome predisposes individuals to the development of diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, and stroke, among others. (larawan sa baba;http://www.originaldominicks.com/images/beverages.gif)

These findings were published online July 23, 2007 in Circulation, where lead investigator Dr. R. Vasan, said that "the consumption of soft drinks has doubled to tripled between 1977 and 2001, and that soft-drink consumption is linked with weight gain and obesity as well as an increased risk of diabetes."

Dr Ravi Dhingra of the Harvard Medical School "related the incidence of metabolic syndrome and its components to soft-drink consumption in more than 6000 individuals participating in the Framingham Heart Study."

The report revealed that "in a cross-sectional analysis of the data, those consuming more than one soft drink daily had a 48 percent higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome than those who drank less than one soft drink per day." The study further stated that " in a longitudinal analysis of more than 6000 subjects free from metabolic syndrome at baseline, drinking more than one soft drink daily was associated with a 44% greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome and with developing four out of five components of metabolic syndrome.