Healthy nutrition: say no to GMO's

Image: www.foodfightthedoc.com

Are you ready for a food fight?! Sorry to disappoint if scenes from Animal House are running through your mind, because it's not that kind of fight to which I'm referring. The GMO conflict is waging on and at the risk of sounding overly dramatic, the very essence of our food and our health is at stake. One ongoing battle front for concerned American consumers is the call for GM food labeling. Unlike most other industrialized countries, the US doesn't label GM foods (1).

Just what is a GMO? -
I've posted about GM foods in the past, but in case you missed those posts (found here and here), I'll just briefly explain that GMO or GM are acronyms for Genetically Modified Organism. You may also see GE used, and this stands for Genetically Engineered. GM foods are the result of  taking specific selected gene(s) from one kind of organism and placing them into a related or unrelated organism (2). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), GMO's contain genetic material that "has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally" (2). In other words, not "present in, or produced by nature" (8).

"It's not nice to fool mother nature" -
What's wrong with the good, old, conventional, natural methods of breeding our crops? Well, it's seems they're just too time consuming and not very accurate. Never mind that this is how nature works. Biotechnology now allows scientists to modify plants in a lab in order to enhance certain desirable traits for crops such as drought tolerance and pest and disease resistance. For example, scientists can take a gene from a bacterium that is resistant to an herbicide like Roundup and insert it into a soybean plant cell to create a Roundup resistant soybean (1). This is viewed as a major benefit to farming because now farmers are able to plant these Roundup resistant GM seeds, known as "Roundup ready" seeds, and then use Roundup to kill the weeds without harming the crops. Are you sensing a theme here? The company that patented the Roundup ready seeds also patented the Roundup.

Well, I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you to learn that there's more to the story, but that's for another post. For now, it might be helpful to know how The World Health Organization answers the question of why foods are being genetically modified. After all, they are looking out for the world's health.  Here's what they have to say: 

"GM foods are developed – and marketed – because there is some perceived advantage either to the producer or consumer of these foods. This is meant to translate into a product with a lower price, greater benefit (in terms of durability or nutritional value) or both." [emphasis added]

Hmmm... Let's briefly examine two of the reasons stated in the WHO statement for why GM foods are developed and marketed:

1. product with a lower price
2. product with a greater benefit (durability or nutritional value or both)

Is less expensive food of greater benefit nutritionally? -
A product with a lower price that has a greater benefit than a product with a higher price would be outstanding. I love a bargain, but I'm no economist. However, it's probably safe to say most of us would agree that getting something valuable for a lesser cost seems like a good thing. So, in an effort to make food cheaper and more abundant, cost effective and time efficient farming practices have evolved over the decades. GM crops are one result. Some advantages of GM foods are pest and disease resistance, herbicide as well as cold, heat and drought tolerance, and even greater nutritional benefit (3).  On the other hand, as a very wise biology professor once said, "for every yin, there's a yang", or put another way, for every benefit, there's a consequence.  


Admittedly, the modernization and industrialization of farming practices have brought prices down significantly on some foods. But ultimately at what cost? Consider that the top GM crops are corn and soy which go into many processed foods (9). In fact, "thousands of products on supermarket shelves are made with ingredients from genetically modified crops" (9).  For example, high fructose corn syrup or soy protein is used frequently in the manufacture of prepackaged convenience foods. Yes, the benefits of these foods are that they're cheap and convenient, but there are consequences as well.

A 2006 report from the USDA Economic Research Service revealed some interesting statistical trends on the percent of income American's spent on food over the last 70 years. In 1930, Americans spent 24.2% of their income on food, compared with 9.5% in 2004 (4). Slate has broken it down further by food eaten at home and compared the percentages by country 

Image from: Slate.com

(shown in the bar graph at right). The point being, Americans are paying a lower price for their food than at any other time in history and are also spending less than most countries. If, as WHO states, GMO's are being developed and marketed as products with a nutritional benefit, is the benefit being reflected in the public health? Are Americans healthier?


The fact is obesity rates in America are at the highest rates ever recorded and the diseases that correspond with being overweight/obese are increasing dramatically (5). You can check out the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) interesting animated map here, that shows by state how obesity rates have increased since 1985. The map illustrates that during the past 20 years, "there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high. In 2010, no state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-six states had a prevalence of 25% or more and 12 of these states had a prevalence of 30% or more" (5).


Is the American penchant for inexpensive, fast, processed and prepackaged, GM foods coming with the unexpected cost of diminishing health and rising health care costs? According to the US Surgeon General, "Obesity is the fastest growing cause of disease and death in America" (6). "One out of every eight deaths in America is caused by an illness directly related to overweight and obesity" and this statement was made back in 2003 (6). Sadly, things haven't improved since then. Does the cheaper cost of GM foods balance out the health care costs of poor nutrition? According to the National Institutes on Health, "on average, people who are considered obese pay 42% more in health care costs than normal-weight individuals" (7). Is there really a lower price/increased nutritional benefit to GM foods?


GM food labeling-
Considering the above information, the critical factor in maximizing our potential for good health is good nutrition. This is only possible by having access to healthy foods and having the ability to make informed decisions about what foods we choose to eat. The fact that GM foods are not labeled in the US makes this impossible. Bearing in mind a 2008 survey, found here, which showed 87% of Americans polled felt labeling of GM food was necessary, it would seem that the US government would enact a GMO labeling policy.  This has been proposed, but unfortunately still not enacted and surely standing to benefit most from GM foods will continue to insist the labeling of GM foods is unnecessary. Considering the mounting research that shows evidence of harm from GMO's (10), it seems prudent to let our government officials know that we feel the labeling of our foods is highly important.

The following statement sums up succinctly the importance of making healthy food choices:

"Every day, several times a day, you make food choices that influence your body's health for better or worse.  Each day's choices are repeated over years and decades, the rewards or consequences become major. That being the case, paying close attention to good eating now can bring you health benefits later"  (5).

Tips to Avoid GMO's:
So, until GM food labeling becomes a reality, and this is a big question mark right now, you will have to do a little due diligence to avoid GMO's. You can limit your consumption of GMO's by making careful food choices. Here are a few suggestions for ways to avoid GM foods:

1. Steer clear of the top 4 at risk ingredients found in prepackaged, processed convenience foods - corn, soy, cottonseed and canola.
2. Try to buy organic foods when possible. 
3. Try to buy only grass fed meat or wild caught fish.  Feed fed cattle and farm raised fish are likely to be fed GM food.
4. Watch out for GM sugar beet sugar which is on the market now.

For more suggestions visit the True Food Shopper's Guide, which includes specific name brand non GMO foods to buy or GM foods to avoid. They even have an app available for your smart phone.  Lastly, please consider signing the petition found at the Institute for Responsible Technology. We need to let President Obama know that Americans want meaningful GM food labeling now, because the stance the US government seems to be taking to human consumption of GMO's is that they are innocent until proven guilty.  This principle may work for the justice system, but seems reckless when applied to our food supply, especially considering how absolutely crucial food is to our health and very survival.
 
Sources
(1) Wikipedia, Genetically modified organisms, Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism August 2011

(2) World Health Organization, Food Safety retrieved from http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/ August 2011
(3) Whitman, D. B., Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful? April 2000, Retrieved from http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php August 2011
(4) US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Retrieved from http://www.ilfb2.org/fff06/51.pdf August 2011
(5) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/animated_map_slides/map26.jpg August 2011
(6) US Surgeon General Statement
(7) US Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health, WIN, Retrieved from http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/index.htm#overweight August 2011
(8) Free Dictionary, natural, Retrieved from www.thefreedictionary.com/natural, August 2011
(9) True Food Now, Retrieved from  http://truefoodnow.org/shoppers-guide/ on August 2011
(10) Responsible Technology, The Campaign for healthier eating in America, Retrieved from http://www.responsibletechnology.org/docs/140.pdf August 2011

More skinny on fats - the good, the bad, the ugly

While we're on the topic of fat...Yesterday the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released statistics on obesity. First, what defines obesity?  In determining overweight or obesity for adults, a tool called the Body Mass Index (BMI) is used.  According to the CDC:

• an adult that has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight
• an adult that has a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese

Check out the CDC's BMI tool in the right hand column of this blog. As you can see, it uses height and weight, and for most people this correlates with their amount of body fat. If the tool isn't working for you (it requires Flash Player 9) you can go directly to the CDC's website here and use their interactive BMI calculator. Children and teens have their own BMI calculator that also uses height and weight, but this data is then plotted on a BMI-for-age growth chart in order to obtain a BMI percentile. You can find that tool here.

So, back to the obesity statistics.  This may not be all that surprising to some, but it's a sad fact that recent data released by the Weight Control Information Network (WIN) shows that over one third (33.8%) of American adults (age > 20) are obese and over two thirds (68%) are overweight. After checking your BMI, you might even be realizing that you're among these statistics.

Okay, enough of the depressing news. Let's talk about what can be done to make a positive change in these obesity trends.   The last post mentioned the 1990's low-fat/no-fat diet craze. Then the pendulum swung the other way and low carbohydrate eating became the next fad. Regardless of how or what you're eating, the most important information to keep in mind when you're trying to lose weight is calorie consumption. If the calories being consumed are greater than the calories being burned, weight gain occurs. It's as simple as that.

Most experts agree that 20-35% of our daily calories should come from fat  This amounts to about 44 to 78 grams of total fat a day, based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet (Mayo Clinic). Even though all fats contain the same number of calories (9 calories per gram), it's the foods we eat and the types of fat they provide that is vitally important. In addition, the ratio of certain fats in our diet is being recognized as significant for good health as well.

Plant Oils

Perhaps you've seen the classic spaghetti western starring Clint Eastwood called The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The title of this film might be a helpful way to remember the reputation, so to speak, of the different dietary fats. They are:

Unsaturated fats - the good
These fats are called unsaturated because of their chemical structure, where most of the fatty acids are not saturated with hydrogens. You may recall that unsaturated fats can be mono- or polyunsaturated fatty acids (also known as MUFA's and PUFA's respectively).  Major sources of MUFA's are:

• plants oils ( olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil)
• avocados, nuts and seeds 

Major sources of PUFA's are:

• plant oils (safflower, sesame, soy, corn and sunflower) 
• nuts and seeds
• high in omega 3 - Fatty, cold-water fish (such as salmon, mackerel and herring), flax seeds, flax oil and walnuts

Saturated fats - the bad
In addition to fats that are unsaturated, there are also fats that are saturated.  They are called saturated fatty acids because their chemical structure has all the hydrogens it can hold, so it is said to be saturated. Later in the post the significance of the hydrogen saturation/unsaturation will become clearer, but for now it's important to note that saturated fats should be limited in the diet.  Consuming saturated fat is one of the main dietary factors linked to increased blood (serum) cholesterol levels.  Major sources of saturated fats are:

• whole milk, cream, butter, cheese,
• fatty cuts of beef and pork, sausage
• coconut, palm and palm kernel oils and products containing them like prepackaged cakes, cookies, pies, doughnuts and pastries

Trans fats - the ugly
The fact that a fat is saturated, or mono/polyunsaturated influences its firmness at room temperature and also its stability. Generally speaking, an example would be that polyunsaturated vegetable oils are liquid, whereas saturated fats like that found in beef or butter are more solid. All fats eventually become spoiled (rancid) when exposed to oxygen (oxidation), but polyunsaturated fats are the most unstable, so they're the most susceptible.

Back in the early 1900's a chemist figured out a way to alter the chemical structure of fats through a process called hydrogenation. This is the chemical process of taking a mono- or polyunsaturated fat and partially saturating it with more hydrogen atoms. Why bother? Well, one reason behind hydrogenation is that it makes a liquid fat more solid.  It also increases the stability of the fat. This helps to prevent spoilage and extends the shelf life of prepackaged foods containing partially hydrogenated oils. Unfortunately, the downside of this process results in what are called trans-fatty acids, which are also known as trans-fats. Major sources of trans-fats are:

• Commercial baked goods — such as crackers, cookies and cakes 
• Fried foods, such as doughnuts and french fries
• Shortenings and some margarine can be high in trans fat (Mayo Clinic)

What's so "ugly" about trans-fats? Well, it turns out that when it comes to cholesterol, these fats pack a deadly one, two punch. Not only does consuming trans-fat lower the "good" cholesterol called high density lipoprotein (HDL), it raises the bad cholesterol called low density lipoprotein (LDL). In brief, lipoproteins are clusters of lipids and proteins and they transport fat through the bloodstream. LDL is loaded with cholesterol whereas HDL has the job of carrying cholesterol to the liver for recycling or disposal. A high HDL level represents better elimination of cholesterol.  As a result it is considered the good cholesterol. This is why high LDL and low HDL levels are risk factors for heart disease and stroke. You can find much more detailed information on cholesterol levels at the American Heart Association's website here.

So, now that we're familiar with the types of fat, and a few of the food sources, how can we apply this knowledge? How can we consume more of the good fats and in the proper ratios? The next and final post on fats will cover these questions. In the meantime, one suggestion is to avoid or eliminate processed, prepackaged (short for prepared and packaged) and fast foods which contain the bad and ugly fats. Replace these with whole foods, which are in their natural state, or have been processed or refined as little as possible. Start by trying to make small dietary changes, like substituting a serving of omega 3 rich fish for meat once a week. Taking small steps does make a difference and can eventually lead to lifestyle changes and healthier nutrition. 

Sources
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16287956?dopt=Citation
http://www.aafp.org/afp/980315ap/masley.html
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/omega3fa/#intro
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RhW3v6x9n44C&oi=fnd&pg=PA9&dq=can+eating+the+right+kind+of+fat+make+you+skinny%3F&ots=EmrvqR_voX&sig=gpTV4AAhMwT3bMcsqwt5I6in7u0#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/defining.html
http://win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hbc/HBC_WhatIs.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4582
Image source: Merriam Webster