EarthSave Research Update
May/June 1997

HEALTH

ANTIOXIDANTS and FRUIT AND VEGETABLES: Researchers used a new technique to measure the antioxidant activity in food. Kale was the vegetable with the most antioxidant activity, followed by beets, red peppers, broccoli, spinach, potato, sweet potato, and corn. Cauliflower, eggplant, carrots, string beans, cabbage, squash, garlic, iceberg lettuce, celery, onion, leaf lettuce, and cucumber had progressively lower levels. Blueberries and strawberries were the fruits with the most antioxidant activity, followed by plums, oranges, red grapes, kiwi, pink grapefruit, white grapefruit, white grapes, apples, tomatoes, bananas, pears, and melons.

Source: Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry 1996;44:3426.

BEEF and NEW SUPERBUG and CANADA: In May, health officials announced that beef contaminated with an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria had caused 207 illnesses in Canada. The health officials warned that the bacteria--salmonella type 104--may also be in poultry and pork. Type 104 was first noted 13 years ago in Great Britain where the number of illnesses attributed to it have been rising rapidly, reaching 3,500 in 1995 compared to 150 when first identified in 1984. This new arrival to Canada is believed to have evolved as a response to use of antibiotics to treat livestock. Only 12 percent of antibiotics in agriculture in Canada are used to treat diseases in animals. About 25 percent are used for growth promotion; 63 percent are used to prevent diseases before their onset.

Source: Yvonne Zacharias, "New Superbug linked to beef found in BC," Vancouver Sun, May 30, 1997. Scott Simpson, "Health officials warn of superbug in beef," Vancouver Sun, May 31, 1997.

BEEF and NEW SUPERBUG and US: Salmonella type 104 has reached the US as well. In April, the Centers for Disease Control announced that type 104 was responsible for an outbreak of food poisoning among 19 children in Nebraska in October 1996. Type 104 is resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline, which are commonly prescribed for salmonella poisoning. Other drugs are being used in Great Britain, but type 104 is becoming resistant to them as well. Type 104 is the second-most common type of salmonella in Great Britain where outbreaks have been linked to farm animals, pork sausage, meat paste and raw chicken.

Source: New York Times, April 11, 1997.

BLOOD TYPE and DIET: Proponents of several new specialty diets claim that the nutritional effect of any given food depends on your ancestry, blood type and metabolic rate. But according to a story investigating these diets in Newsweek magazine, "Proponents of the new diets all have stories about people who fared better on their plans than on conventional low-fat fare. But until someone publishes hard data on the effect of eating for your blood type, there's no reason to swallow any of the new prescriptions." Newsweek quotes Dr. Dean Ornish as saying "Telling people that they should eat more meat because they have type-O blood is irresponsible." "Maybe so," notes Newsweek, "but it sure sells books."

Source: Geoffrey Cowley and Patricia King, "One Man's Meat," Newsweek, April 7, 1997.

CANCER and WHOLE GRAIN CONSUMPTION: Researchers examined 15 studies of whole grain intake and found a striking consistency in reduced risk for colorectal and gastric cancers associated with intake of whole grains. In isolated studies, whole grains also appeared to protect against endometrial cancer and coronary heart disease. Some of these reduced risks may be linked to fruit and vegetable intake. Further research is needed to establish whether whole grain intake is protective against chronic diseases.

Source: Nutrition and Cancer 1995;24:221-9.

COLORECTAL CANCER and FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION: A case-controlled study involving 976 residents of Southern California found that frequent consumption of fruits, vegetables, and grains was associated with a decreased risk of precancerous colorectal polyps.

Source: American Journal of Epidemiology 1996;44:1015-25.

COLORECTAL CANCER and DIET: About 120,000 deaths occurred in 1993 as a result of cancer of the digestive organs. About 90 percent of colorectal cancer, the most common GI cancer, is attributable to diet. International correlation studies and case-control studies provide strong evidence for a positive association between animal fat and red meat consumption and colorectal cancer incidence and mortality.

Source: Nutrition Review 1996:54:259-79

DAIRY INDUSTRY and LAWSUIT: A self-described milk-aholic is suing the dairy industry, claiming that a lifetime of drinking whole milk contributed to his clogged arteries and a minor stroke. Norman Mayo, 61, believes that he might have avoided health problems if he had been warned on milk cartons about fat and cholesterol. Mayo wants warning labels on dairy products, and on all dairy industry ads and commercials. "If tobacco products can be required to have warning labels, why not dairy products? asks Mayo. Mayo also is seeking reimbursement of his medical expenses and unspecified compensation for personal injury.

Source: Associated Press, June 7, 1997.

ESTROGEN and BREAST CANCER and DIET: A recent study of African-American women showed that a change from a typical North American diet to a low-fat, high-fiber diet will lower serum estrogen levels. African-American women seem to have higher levels of serum hormones than Caucasian women. Researchers speculate that this might explain why African-American women under the age of 40 have a higher risk of breast cancer than any other ethnicity in that age group.

Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1996;88:1369-1374 and 1332-1333.

HEART DISEASE and DIET: Heart disease mortality in Finland declined by 55% among men and 68% among women between 1972 and 1992. During this time, total fat content of the Finnish diet changed from 38% of calories to 34%, saturated fat from 21% to 16% and cholesterol intake decreased by 16%.

Source: Preventive Medicine 1996;25:243-50.

ULCERS and FIBER: A study of 48,000 male health professionals revealed that men who consumed an average of 30 grams of fiber a day were roughly half as likely to get an ulcer as men who averaged 13 grams a day.

Source: American Journal of Epidemiology 1997:145, 42.

VEGETARIAN DIETS and ATHLETES : An increasing number of athletes are adopting vegetarian diets for ecological, economic, religious, health and ethical reasons. Vegetarian diets (except possibly fruitarian and strict macrobiotic diets) can easily meet the nutritional requirements of all types of athletes provided they contain a variety of plant foods. Vegetarian athletes, like most athletes, may benefit from education on food choices that benefit athletic performance and promote overall health.

Source: Enette Larson, MD, RD, LD, "Vegetarian Diet for Exercise and Athletic Training and Performance: An Update," Issues in Vegetarian Dietetics, Vol VI, No 3, Spring 1997.

VEGETARIAN DIETS and COLLEGE STUDENTS : Mariott Management Services, which provides meals for dining halls on some 550 college campuses, estimates that as many as 15 percent of the students it serves are vegetarians. Moreover, the demand is so great that Mariott's dietitians are working overtime to devise new vegetarian fare. At New York's Sarah Lawrence College, about 60 percent of the more than 1,000 undergraduates eat no meat, and about 5 percent eat no meat or dairy.

Source: US News and World Report, Nov 11, 1996.

VEGETARIAN DIETS and LONG, HEALTHY MARRIAGES: George and Gaynel Couron recently celebrated their 81st wedding anniversary. That makes the Courons the longest-married couple in the US. (Two other couples, both now deceased, were married a record 86 years each.) The Courons eat a vegetarian diet. George, now 100 years old, and Gaynel, 97, still like to hold hands, nuzzle and kiss. "They get real sickening," says daughter Ardith Wignall, 71.

Source: People, April 28, 1997.

ENVIRONMENT

STATE OF THE WORLD 1997

Each year, the Worldwatch Institute publishes State of the World, a report on progress being made toward a sustainable society. Here are excerpts from Chapters Six through Nine of State of the World 1997 (New York: Norton, 1997). In the April issue of the EarthSave Research Update, we covered Chapters One through Five.

Chapter Six: Valuing Nature's Services

Mangrove Forests

¥ The explosive growth of industrial aquaculture operations--especially shrimp for export--has accelerated the loss of mangrove ecosystems worldwide. Mangroves play countless vital roles in maintaining the health of coastal environments, including serving as nurseries for coastal and marine fisheries.

¥ Shrimp aquaculture more than quadrupled between 1985 and 1994, with a global market value of over $8 billion a year. "In the growing list of countries where this has become an important industry, up to half of mangrove areas have been converted to intensive aquaculture. The Philippines has lost 78 percent of its coastal wetlands and mangroves, Ecuador has lost 70 percent, and Thailand and Indonesia, about one third. Worldwide, shrimp ponds have consumed about 2.7 million hectares of rich coastal ecosystems. The 'footprint,' or impact, of the loss extends far beyond the immediate area."

¥ "Wetlands that have been converted to intensive aquaculture can bring in as much as $11,600 per hectare a year. But using natural mangroves for fish, game, fuel, wood, food, fodder, medicines, and other uses can yield $1,000 to $10,000 per hectare a year. More to the point, these other uses can be sustained indefinitely, whereas aquaculture operations are viable for only 5-10 years. After that, they are the aquatic equivalent of a strip mine: they can no longer support life and are prohibitively expensive to rehabilitate.

"Beyond their unsound economics, aquaculture farms cannot perform the valuable services of natural ecosystems mentioned earlier. In India and Bangladesh, for instance, after only one year of aquafarm operation, nearby fishers reported that their wild shrimp catch had dropped by 80-90 percent. Not only do local people permanently lose access to critical resources, but strip-mine aquaculture produces a net loss of employment as well. Furthermore, much of the conversion has been heavily subsidized and benefits a relatively wealthy minority. Most of these new operations are owned not by local people but by outside investors looking to maximize short-term profit." (100-1)

¥ The value of mangroves for flood control alone has been calculated at $300,000 per kilometer in Malaysia. (105)

Honeybees

¥ Honeybee populations are being decimated by a number of factors, including pesticides and practices used by ranchers. "Pollinators that migrate long distances, such as bats, monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, and other birds, need to follow routes that offer a reliable supply of nectar-providing plants for the full journey. "[However], on US and Mexican rangelands, ranchers are converting native vegetation into exotic pasture grasses for grazing cattle. In the Mexican state of Sonora, an estimated 376,000 hectares have been stripped of nectar source plants. ... And the latest threat may come from dynamiting and burning of bat roosts by Mexican ranchers attempting to eliminate vampire bats that feed on cattle and spread livestock disease." (103)

Frogs

¥ "In one illustrative case, Bangladesh's export of frogs' legs in the 70s and 80s led to a steep decline in frog populations--and to increased outbreaks of agricultural pests and waterborne diseases. Loss of frogs' pest control and fertilizing services also led to a 25-percent increase in pesticide imports. By 1989, Bangladesh was spending three times as much each year on pesticides--$30 million--as it was earning from exporting frogs' legs. Within a year of banning these exports, frog populations began to rebound and pesticide imports dropped by 30-40 percent." (103)

Soil Erosion

¥ "On lands that have been logged or converted to crops and grazing, erosion rates are many thousands of times higher than [the natural rate]. The eroded soil carries nutrients, sediments, and chemicals valuable to the system it leaves, but often harmful to the ultimate destination. ... Replacing lost nutrients, water and so on from eroded land costs about $196 per hectare. The total cost of on-site and off-site damages (such as health costs, dredging waterways, and water treatment, but not including damage to aquatic life) from US agricultural erosion is about $44 billion per year. Worldwide, costs are roughly $400 billion per year. (105)

Chapter Seven: Transforming Security

Desertification

¥ According to UN estimates at the beginning of the 90s, some 3.6 billion hectares--about 70 percent of potentially productive drylands--are affected by desertification. (119)

¥ Currently 65 percent of the agricultural land in Africa, 45 percent in South America, 38 percent in Asia, and 25 percent in North America and Europe is affected by soil degradation. In Mexico, at least 70 percent of agricultural land is affected by soil erosion. (119)

¥ By the beginning of the 90s, 26 countries--home to about 230 million people--were in the water-scarce category. (119)

¥ In the US, more than 4 million hectares--about one fifth of the total irrigated areas--are watered by pumping in excess of recharge. (119)

¥ In 1981, an estimated 167 million households worldwide (938 million people) were landless or near-landless; that number is expected to reach nearly 220 million by the end of the 90s. (122)

Chapter Eight: Reforming Subsidies

¥ "Around the world, government policies shunt at least $500 billion a year toward activities that harm the environment, from overfishing to overgrazing. The full amount may be much greater: few countries have even tried to assess the magnitude of the subsidies they create, and none has completely succeeded. "(132)

¥ "In Australia and the arid American West, overgrazing of cattle has robbed land of much vegetative cover, freeing soils to erode and turning thousands of streams into muddy gullies. ... A recent poll in the US reported that 59 percent of adults opposed expanding mining and grazing on public lands; only 26 percent supported it." (137)

¥ In 1995, governments in western industrial countries spent $180 billion of taxpayers' money on agriculture, and effectively transferred another $122 billion from consumers to producers through high prices, for an average total of $22,000 per farmer--with rich farmers getting even more. Put otherwise, government policies inflated the food budget of a family of four in these countries by an average $1,500. (140)

¥ Subsidies are one reason there are now enough boats, hooks and nets to catch roughly twice the available fish supply--a gross imbalance that is generating powerful pressures for overfishing. (140)

¥ The US government spent an estimated $45-93 billion more than it earned on public irrigation projects between 1902 and 1986 (in 1995 dollars). (143) Thus, these irrigation subsidies emerge as little more than billion-dollar transfers from the pockets of taxpayers to those of a few lucky farmers. (144)