8 ENVIRONMENTAL NUTRITIONFebruary 2002

www.environmentalnutrition.com

In Coming Issues

The latest on mad cow disease….New diet links to memory and brainhealth….How to fit more fiber in yourday….The tastiest low-fat cheeses….Evaluating Juice Plus claims.

A December 2001 ruling by a feder-al Court of Appeals now limits the U.S.Department of Agriculture’s ability toclose down a meat processing plantsolely because the plant failed to meetlimits on Salmonella contamination.

The court ruled in favor of SupremeBeef Processors, Inc., a company thathad failed three tests over severalyears, claiming the presence of Salmo-nella is not a measure of a plant’s sani-tary condition. The USDA asserts,however, that Salmonella serve as asignal that there may be a general mi-crobial contamination problem. In fact,Salmonella was chosen as a target mi-crobe precisely because taking steps toreduce its presence is likely to reducecontamination from other bacteria.

Case in point: During the three-yearperiod that Supreme Beef was failingthe Salmonella tests, a sample testedpositive for deadly E. coli O157:H7,requiring about 180,000 pounds ofground beef to be recalled by Supreme.

EN Comments

Meat Safety: A Huge Step in the Wrong Direction

Research Roundup

The court maintained that Salmonellais not a problem in meat because con-sumers can protect themselves by cook-ing it well. Although true, EN believesthe government also has the responsibili-ty to monitor food purveyors to ensurethey do their part for a safe food supply.

EN’s Bottom Line. Consumers mustcontinue to be diligent when it comesto handling and cooking meat—groundbeef in particular. Wash hands and allsurfaces after handling raw meat toavoid cross-contamination. Cookground beef well; be sure the middle ofhamburgers reaches 160o F. Seniors,young children and those with sup-pressed immune systems may want tostop eating hamburgers altogether.

But, EN urges readers to write theircongressional representatives in supportof legislation that would strengthen US-DA’s authority to set and enforce stan-dards to control Salmonella and otherharmful microbes in our food supply.

Also known as winter cherry and In-dian ginseng, ashwagandha (Withaniasomnifera) is a highly prized herb inAyurvedic medicine, dating back morethan 3,000 years. Its Sanskrit namemeans “like a horse,” an apt descriptionof its pungent aroma.

What It Might Do: Ashwagandha isreferred to as an adaptogen or tonic, anherb that enhances resistance to stress,increases stamina and promotes gener-al well-being—similar to ginseng, butwith additional calming effects. Ash-wagandha has been shown to inhibit in-flammation, stimulate immune cells,improve memory and protect the heart.A review of the literature in the De-cember 2000 issue of AlternativeMedicine Review also suggests anti-tumor, antistress, antioxidant and rejuv-enative properties, along with nervoussystem and hormonal effects. Howev-er, almost all the research has been inanimals. Studies in humans are conspic-uously scanty; one of the few found sig-nificant pain reduction and improvedfunctioning in 42 people with osteoar-thritis after three months of use.

EN on Herbs

Ashwagandha: “Indian Ginseng” to Counter StressHow it Might Work: Ashwagandhacontains over 35 identified constitu-ents, which may help explain the plant’smyriad medicinal actions. In additionto alkaloids and saponins, steroidalcompounds called withanolides that re-semble the active constituents in gin-seng may normalize hormone levels.

If You Take: Recommended dosagesvary. Some say to take capsules ofpowdered root (two to three grams,three times a day); check package di-rections on extracts. For standardizedproducts, look for 1.5% withanolidesand 1% total alkaloids.

Caution: Do not take if you are preg-nant or nursing, have ulcers or gastritisor take sedatives or benzodiazepines.Large doses of the herb may cause nar-cotic-like effects and stomach upset.

EN Weighs In: For countering theeffects of stress, ashwagandha maybe cheaper and more responsible thanenvironmentally threatened ginseng,though its effectiveness and safetyhave yet to be clinically proved.

More Cancer Links• Selenium might help protect

against prostate cancer, suggestsfindings of the Baltimore Longitudi-nal Study of Aging. The researchersstudied 52 men diagnosed with pros-tate cancer and 96 men with no de-tectable cancer. Men with the lowestblood selenium levels were four tofive times more likely to have pros-tate cancer as men with the highestselenium levels. Blood seleniumseemed to decrease significantlywith age, suggesting that gettingmore selenium may be particularlyimportant for older men. Good foodsources include Brazil nuts, seafoodand whole grains.The Journal of Urology, December 2001.

• Calcium may protect women frombrain cancer, suggests findingsfrom The San Francisco Bay AreaAdult Glioma Study. The study com-pared dietary intakes (but not supple-ment use) of 337 adults with a typeof brain cancer called astrocyticglioma with 450 people withoutbrain cancer. Women with the high-est dietary calcium intake (1,000milligrams or more) had half the riskof brain cancer as women with thelowest calcium intake (less than halfthat). Men did not show the sameprotection, perhaps because hormon-al differences in women trigger en-hanced absorption of calcium.Nutrition and Cancer, November 15, 2001.

• Middle-aged men who participatein moderately vigorous to vigor-ous activity may reduce theiroverall cancer risk, according to aBritish study. Researchers followed7,588 men in their 40’s and 50’s for19 years. The risk of cancer was sig-nificantly less in men who engagedin more intense exercise more fre-quently; no benefits were seen atlesser levels. Specifically, the mostreduced risk was seen for cancers ofthe prostate, upper digestive tractand stomach.British Journal of Cancer, November 2001.