The Heart & Stroke Foundation Promotes Foods that Increase the Risks of Heart Attacks & Strokes

This symbol
is Misleading. It should be seen more as a warning than an endorsement of a food product.

When it is somehow allowed to be placed on an advertisement for a burger, a juice with much higher sugar levels than pop, then you know something's wrong.


The Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) promotes a Health Check program that is supposed to recommend food products that are beneficial, and not harmful to a person's health.

From the HSF article entitled, Judge a food by its label, is this statement about the Health Check symbol:

The Health Check symbol on menus is designed to help you make healthier meal choices when you are away from home.

On the contrary, and this is appalling, the Health Check stamp is getting stamped on products that are excessively unhealthy, and increase the risks of cancer, obesity, strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

The HSF is a volunteer-based health charity, that is regularly seen in public ads. They have done great work in raising research funds - $90 million in 2005, and as it says on their splendid web site, they promote healthy living. It does not fit the image or the otherwise good work that this huge organization does, to be endorsing foods that cause the very illnesses they fight against.

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff is a specialist in obesity and weight loss. He was consulted by journalist Wendy Mesley for last weeks broadcast of Markeplace, which reported on sodium in food.

His blog, Weighty Matters, gives the scoop on the Heart and Stroke Foundations Health Check program. This current blog post is spreading the word about the revelations posted at Weighty Matters. Dr. Freedhoff's evidence-based information backs up his assertions that the practices of the Health Check program is unethical and misleading. (for future reference check his November, 2007 archives)

The criteria for a food product getting the coveted Health Check stamp is that the product has to meet the Canadian Food Guide standard. There's a big problem - the Food Guide that is still being used is 15 years old, has been criticized as deficient, and therefore, drops the standards so that many unhealthy meats, drinks, and children's food products, can get the Health Check symbol.

In light of the major study released just over a week ago that showed the relationship between red meats, high sodium level, and cancer, many of the foods that are endorsed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation are detrimental to one's health.

As Dr. Freedhoff points out,

"Health Check, the Heart and Stroke Foundation's program that with their little logo, steers patients to products in a manner that they promote as,"

when you choose foods with the Heart and Stroke Foundation Health Check symbol, it's like shopping with their dietitians.

This is what people want to hear alright. People want to trust national health organizations.

Health Check's CEO Sally Brown, pointed out that "products must comply with nutrient criteria based on Canada's Food Guide."

That sounds great too.

Unfortunately, what sounds good is not what it seems. The Canada Food Guide that Ms Brown refers to is the 1992 Canada Food Guide. That, according to Freedhoff, "even Health Canada recognized as being deficient and behind the times."

A revised version was released in February of 2007 - "slightly less woefully deficient" (Dr. Freedhoff).

You would think that the criteria has also changed for applications for products to get Health Checks. The Heart and Stroke Foundation site says that the criteria will be revised and they hope to finish their revisions "in the next few months." It's 9 months since, and no revised criteria.

Why the hesitation? Work overload? Laziness? A cozy relationship with big meat and food companies? Money? Possibly. This is interesting - the Health Check program generates over $3 million annually.

From the good doctor's blog:

Perhaps it is that $3,000,000 annually, a $3,000,000 that has explicitly purchased the Health Check seal, that prevents Sally Brown from explaining how it is the Heart and Stroke dietitians are unable to state that in fact red meat's not healthy, that refined flours lead to metabolic syndrone, that sugar contributes to calories which contributes to obesity, that using cartoon characters to promote nutritionally deficient foods to children is wrong ...

Even though there is a small print disclaimer on ads, saying "this is not an endorsement", the Heart and Stroke Foundation actually brags about it.

With ground beef burgers being one of the most popular meats in the summer months, having the Health Check symbol in place now helps consumers understand that lean and extra lean ground beef can be part of a healthy diet.

The Health Check symbol is a powerful label, with magnetic product-selecting effects on the consumer. Food companies know this. In fact, in a 2004 research study, an HSF dietitian, Carole Dombrow said,

65% of consumers recognized the Health Check logo as meaning the food is
'nutritious', 'healthy', good for you', or 'approved by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.' Sixty-eight percent agreed with the statement: 'I can rely on Health Check to help me make healthy food choices.'

Here's an example of one the "healthy food choices" that Health Check endorses for kids:
Disney's Buss Lightyear Milk Buddies - a sugar sweetened milk beverage.


It has 22 grams of sugar per serving along with 140 calories. That' 5.5 teaspoons of sugar per 200 ml. Drop per drop it's the same amount of sugar found in Coca Cola and almost double the calories. For an obesity specialist like Dr. Freedhoff, calories and sugar are key players in diabetes and obesity. For more examples and detail, see his post on how Health Check sells junk food to children.

Just over a week ago when the World Cancer Research Fund released the results of an extensive report which recommended no more than 500 grams of red meat a week, not surprisingly, the Big Meat industry complained about it.

In his blog post, Why the Food Guide Matters Part II, Dr. Freedhoff points out, they turned to Canada's Food Guide to defend their product.

"Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide continues to recognize red meat in the diet. The Food Guide recommends 1 to 3 servings of Meat & Alternatives per day."

Again, that guide is outdated, but still used as criteria to allow food products to get the coveted Health Check symbol.

The informative Weighty Matters blog reveals much about the HSF and the Health Check program. Dr. Yoni has written letters to them in protest, outlining specifically the harmful food products they put their label on. He continues to discuss openly with HSF representatives this whole issue, and demands answers - but the answers do not justify the actions. The HSF and Health Check are being exposed, and will lose the public's trust if they continue to promote foods that lead to strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, cancer and other medical problems. Right now the Health Check symbol is very misleading, and that has to change.

Health Check: Good for the Food Industry, not for People

The misleading continues with the Health Check symbol. Yesterday a CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) printed an online article called "Checking up on Health Check". The article is about how Health Check gives it's endorsement to foods that can make you seriously sick. For example, it said that the Health Check symbol has been allowed to go on iGor Chocolate Muffins for kids -

the muffins are almost one third sugar (mentioned on Dr. Yoni Freedhoff's blog in May of last year). Freedhoff is an obesity specialist, critic of the Health Check program, and Canada's Food Guide.

I posted in November about this deceitful symbol, and information from the blog of Dr. Freehoff. He has been exposing what the Health Check program has been allowing for their approval. Freedhoff says,

Parents will think, ‘This is great, I’m going to give these to my kids.’ Basically, they’re just shoveling sugar into their mouths.

The Health Check program process requires food companies to submit an application that has certain criteria. There is a one time evaluation of not more than $750, and upon approval, a licencing fee of up to $3625 for one product. If a company has 14 or more products the licencing fee can be from $16,500 to $49,500. So it amounts to a tidy income of close to $3 million a year for the Health Check program.

In the meantime they have approved over 1200 products, many have dangerous levels of sodium, refined white flour, sugar, and more red meat than is recommended. According to Dr. Freedhoff, these ingredients are major factors in type 2 diabetes, heart and stroke problems, and metabolic syndrome.

A good piece of advice is to educate yourself about what amounts of sodium, sugar, carbs, fats, etc. are recommended, and read the nutrition label anyway. The symbol's purpose is supposedly to be concerned with consumer health, but it can't be trusted.

Before long you will probably see it on other future products like MacDonald's MacClonewich or the Double Twin Cheese Burgers.

Health Canada Warm & Cozy with Big Food

Yes we are free to eat what we like, eat the very healthiest of food, all, some, or none of the time. So to a large extent, one would think, we can control health, and therefore protect ourselves against many sorts of medical problems associated with diet. Unfortunately, according to this award winning science/tech blog site called Weighty Matters, Health Canada, is looking out for the best interests of Big Food (see Feb. 27 articles). Now that's indigestible.

Health Canada is holding public consultations on whether or not to increase the available claims that Big Food can place on packaging, i.e., what constitutes a "low-fat", "reduced calories", etc. Such labels create health halos around the food.

According to obesity expert, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, Big Food wants Health Canada to make it easier for them to put labels on food which help them sell more of their products, for example, "low-fat" on candy snacks. The intention of food manufacturers of course is to increase sales, and properly worded marketing is worth $ millions. They know that "low-fat" or "reduced calories" will sell more. Researchers like Dr. Brian Wansink of Cornell University showed in three studies show that low-fat labels lead all consumers — particularly those who are overweight — to overeat snack foods.

While it's deliciously healthy, and quite filling for industry execs, it is not at all in the best interest of peoples' health.

Freedhoff is becoming a nationally recognized consultant on nutrition. He has appeared on Market Place on at least two occasions to open the lid on the misleading Health Check symbol (see previous posts here on the Health Check symbol sham).

In two recent blog posts he again exposes Health Canada's conflicting interests. Here's a slice from a Feb. 27 post:

Stay tuned tomorrow when I introduce you to the goings on behind the scenes at the current Happy Corporations (Health Canada) consultations into food labeling where surprise, surprise, the food industry has an invited seat to the table, the process is skewed dramatically in their favour, and with industry of course wanting it be made easier for them to make outlandish health claims on foods (health sells) in the absence of real evidence to support them.

If Health Canada is protecting the food industry's profits, while the very foods that get approved are hurting individual's health, then what authority can the general public rely on for real, and healthy, food nutrition information? Well one answer is, depend on yourself to research and educate yourself about foods, what's in them, and how food ingredients affect your health. Ok, yeah sure, we're all gonna become food researchers and find out about safe foods - just like how we take for granted, what elected representatives and their departments are expected to do.

Really, are millions of Canadians expected to spend countless hours, days, or months researching everything they consume or will consume?

Most people are busy with work, families, activities and living - they want quick information about food, but the more lax government criteria becomes regarding nutritious-sounding "health halos", the more likely people will overeat food that is harmful to them, get sick, and continue feeding the cycle of news-making "health care system problems".

The problems in Canada's health care system has been a constant in the news for decades. There are long waiting lists, staff shortages, lack of equipment like MRI, or CT scan units, and huge mistakes in testing, and emergency room problems. The interest of Health Canada should ONLY be in promoting the best habits of people, which in large part is food and diet related. It's such a misleadingly name department when they make it easy for food companies to get a misleading label on unhealthy food, yet people die by the tens of 1000s each year from consuming these very foods. What a contradictory organization!!

How about the department of health and the department of finance get together, talk about how much health cost expense could be saved if people were getting sick less, were not mislead by food labels, were assisted in their daily health education.

Speaking of education, perhaps education departments would want to get involved and teach some real world evidence-based information on healthy eating. Teach kids about what harmful product ingredients promote sickness, what are the recommended daily intake levels of known suspects like sodium, sugar, fat, white flour, red meat, and processed meats. Inform them of how most modern foods are grown, i.e., pesticides used in growing food. Teach them how to interpret nutrition labels - basically how to make educated food choices.

Hey Health Canada, help cut down on the health care problems by being on peoples' side, and promoting food which is evidence-based healthy. Protect people, not the food industry.

Note: The words in the above cartoon have been modified from the original. The artist is Matt Carmody, and the cartoon was taken from this site.

Our Health, and Future Health Care II

Better health can be tackled through a multi-pronged approach.

Back in April I did a post related to problems in the overall health care system. At the Cameron Inquiry yesterday, Robert Ritter, executive director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association, described the strain and stress of overworked medical personnel in all areas of care, besides the current area of focus now, Pathology. He says the pay increase has created anger among the medical association. That's a problem that NLMA are pressuring government to address. If my hearing is normal I think he also mentioned prevention (of illness) in his post inquiry press interview. In the meantime, what can the general publc do to relieve health strain?

As I mentioned in the April post, there are plenty of things we can do, like help prevent health problems that are within our control. We know that exercise helps. Avoiding foods, habits and environments that we know will lead to serious problems is another way. Last fall I was interviewed by Deanne Fleet about health care and the emergency room crisis at the time. Though only a small part of my chat with her was played, I mentioned a few ideas about how society has a role in how well the system runs. One was, why not have general health telethons each year to raise money not just for the Janeway, but for senior's care, or ER for example. How about putting more focus on healthier lifestyles and eating by an aggressive long term campaign of education? Emphasize taking control of our own health destinies.

And to reiterate briefly a few other suggestions regarding how government and health decision makers can affect future health care, there needs to be more stringent regulating of harmful food ingredients. The food industry has so much influence on what gets labeled as healthy. The health check symbol program is a good example. That program is misleading - many foods that are very high in sugars and sodiums are approved for the health check symbol. Let nutrition experts alone, not food industry reps determine Canada's food guide, and nutrition criteria for programs like the health check symbol.

One more, junk food advertising to children under 13 could be banned. That idea was introduced in the Ontario legislature in April. With obesity and type 2 diabetes on the rise in young people, there will be more chronic care required for younger people, unless this situation is analysed, and thoughtful preventative measures are put in place.

Our Health, and Future Health Care

Our health care system healthiness is to a degree approached from a number of angles - government, community groups, fundraisers, individuals, health ads, and in schools. That degree is going to have to increase if we want to sustain and improve health care in this province.

Right now there's not nearly enough nutrition education being communicated to youth and adults. The idea that society needs the best nutrition and health information should be the foundation for people to make the best choices in food and lifestyle.

The Cameron Inquiry into the botched hormone receptor testing is starting to highlight some of the problem areas in our health care system - investment in staff training and reliable equipment. This is everyone's concern, and as baby boomers age, there will be more challenges to an already burdened health system. Challenging yes, and it can improve. Here are some ideas to consider for improving future health care and personal health.

Disseminating more health information via schools, hospitals, public service announcements.

Enforcing policies for the food industry to make nutrition guides more readily available. Last year Marketplace covered this very topic and found that it was difficult to get nutrition information at many restaurants. People were shocked to see how high calorie and sodium levels were in many of the food items.

Industrial companies which have negligent safety practices should be inspected to ensure they strictly adhere to safety guidelines; to make work environments more conducive to employees to wear proper safety apparel like masks where there are toxic fumes, or materials like asbestos. There are companies here in St. John's and probably everywhere else where employee safety is secondary. When many cancers alone are caused by environmental factors, more stringent safety regulations needs enforcing.

Whether it's started in elementary school, or in public service announcements, there needs to be more of an emphasis on taking more personal responsibility for one's health, i.e., seeking out nutrition information, healthier habits, hence, staying away from hospitals and doctors to a greater degree, and therefore, taking some stress away from health workers. Bad habits don't easily change overnight but self-inflicted good health is a goal worthy of a reminder anytime!

It's often said that religion should be kept out of politics. How about keeping business out of real health discussions. Their interests are in profit not some altruistic hope for individual's well being. The closest they come to that is in advertising - their concern is how well it works to make it appear that food products are beneficial to your health.

Much more can be done by the food industry to help. As we have seen, the food industry is in the pocket of influential agencies like Canada's Food Guide, and programs like the Health Check Symbol. They sit on boards that define criteria for determining what is healthy. It's been said here previously that the Heart and Stroke Foundation actually promotes food products that contribute to heart attacks and strokes.

Ban junk food advertising to children under 13. In fact, that is currently being considered in Ontario, after a private member's bill was introduced April 8.

With a few words you can put a positive tone on anything. It's easy, especially when you're talking about the Ooey-gooey and chewy FanTaste-ic Goodness of the Chocolate Chippers, and other "fun" foods. There are people who like to sarcastically joke about the "corporate bogeyman". Well, there are thousands of reasons to be weary of insidious advertisers.

Completely wipe out the use of trans fats. Again, the bottom line of industry is to make profit, which includes cutting expenses, and making a product as cheaply as possible. That's a big reason for using trans fat. It kills people, but it's a cheap way to preserve products for a longer shelf life.

Here's a nice example. The innocence of young girls is used to sell Girl Guide cookies. Who can resist! Unfortunately, 3 of these innocent cookies are laced with 1.5 grams of trans fat. It could have been removed but isn't. And why not? Voortman's can remove all trans fat from their cookies, so ..?

One more suggestion: Hospitals ought to set a better example for healthy eating by not allowing cafeterias to serve stuff like poutine, or allowing junk food giants like Tim Horton's set up in cafeterias.

Many patients are in the hospital because they have had heart attacks, strokes and other coronary problems. Often, they are advised to stay away from salt, not to mention foods high in sugar. Check out the Tim Horton's nutrition guide here. Notice that their sandwiches are very high in sodium. Three (the Turkey Bacon Club, the Deli Trio, and the beloved Ham & Swiss) have sodium levels that are above the daily recommended limit of 1500 mg per day - and that's just one food item, not including the "meal deals" which include donut and beverage.

The St. John's Health Sciences Centre has a Tim Hortons. After hours it's the only place to eat. The irony is obvious, a hospital with a "fun food" vender, and the cycle continues.

A general health care Telethon. The Janeway Telethons have been very successful, and we have a brand new hospital for kids. However, one suggestion is to have a telethon this year and/or the next, for the ER, or for the elderly care, for example.

These are one observer's assessment of current health care and where it needs to go in the future. At the very least more discussion and analysis of societal health practices is a place to begin nursing our overall health and health care system to a better level.

ObeseCity

St. John's, proudly known as "The oldest city in North America", has a thriving, bursting economy, and lately, is known to have a bursting obesity rate of 36.4%, the highest among Canadian cities.

A University of Alberta researcher found that the rate is related to the proportion of fast-food outlets in the region. The Atlantic region had the highest in comparison to other Canadian regions.

In Quebec city the obesity rate is 17.3% and the # of fast-food outlets per 10,000 residents is 1.97. In St. John's the # of fast-food outlets per 10,000 is 3.54.

There are 100,646 residents in St. John's proper (1/5 of NL's population), and 181,113 (nearly 2/5 of NL's population) residents in the St. John's metro area (City of St. John's).     The following table is from the CTV story


That's a large proportion of people, and, potential health problems related to obesity. This is a concern, most importantly for personal health, but also for the health care system - it's medical staff and infrastructure, and the provinces health care budget.

While this study compared cities, there is no reason to believe that other areas of NL would have better rates.

Various factors are associated with Atlantic Canada's higher rate - socio-economic factors, weather, cost of healthier foods, and quite possibly an inadequate amount of education about the dangers in many foods. It would be an interesting idea to make more room in school curriculums for food and nutrition education, reinforced by healthier food choices in schools. (NL has the highest teenage obesity rate in the country as well)

Food and our body's food processing system is in a way like an engine, or a plumbing system. If you put harmful oils, pollutants, grease, and junk into it, the system can clog, and need to be cleansed (angioplasted, or snaked).

It's not easy to change eating patterns .. boy, it's not easy, but the more we learn about bad foods, and how it can affect our direct health and daily being, the better decisions we can make on what food we want our bodies to process.

This earlier blog post has information that was released a few months back on the relationship between cancer and weight. Another warns of dangerous sodium levels in food, and here is an analysis of Dr. Yoni Freedhoff's exposure of the misleading Health Check symbol.

Food and health education is a big part of individual health, and the health care system. Our province, schools, health and any individual or organization can promote more informed citizens to make healthy choices.

In the first half of the 1900s and before, people in Newfoundland and Labrador, did much more physical work than todays computer age workers. There wasn't much nutritional information going around, but people did eat plenty of organic food, which many grew themselves. Of course, there was lots of fat in meat, or salt meats, but people, perhaps unknowingly, were exercising as they worked, and burned off calories.

The province, and St. John's can help people by encouraging more physical activity. The trail system around the town and Mount Pearl is a great place for walkers, and more can be done.

Ottawa has the Rideau Canal where 1000s of people skate. The city is lucky to have a 7 km canal maintained in the winter for skaters. We have unsupervised ponds but there is a real threat of drownings. A public skating rink would be great for St. John's - a shallow water rink where families can go for general skating.

Unfortunately there are now few areas of the city where such a rink could be placed, as commerce is the first priority it appears. What little practical space is left for such an endeavor should be frozen (pun intended), and assessed to determine how the area could either just simply be flooded in the winter, or an actual open air rink with rink boards, benches, etc., could be constructed.

Winter is difficult for getting around. Sidewalks at the best of winters are hidden beneath tons of snow. It's not possible to keep them cleared constantly like during the last week's four major snowfalls. The city has been doing a fine job of keeping roadways cleared so far. However, better sidewalk clearing than has been witnessed in past years, needs to happen. It would mean safer streets, safe people, and importantly, contribute to lowering risk of obesity.

A Way to Improve Health Wait Times, etc.

Improve our own health habits!

There are many preventative health measures we can take to avoid visits to the hospital, and ease the demand on the health care system. Exercising, be it walking, which is excellent, other cardio, and/or increasing omega3 fatty acid oils (from salmon/seal or other fish oils), or decreasing harmful fat intakes. Even if our rich society promotes the idea that there is less wealth circulating to provide adequate health care, we need to just avoid personal health problems anyway.

So, let's take a typical summer's barbecue. It's a common habit, a typical summer tradition. Well, consider, you are eating more portions of red meat, more artificial bbq sauce, and possibly more fries, or even "skin-on" chicken. It may sound good, but it is speeding up your own death clock. Look, the food, and bbq-related industries will keep advertising their products to be associated with fun, happy and traditional times. It is to their benefit for Certain!! They will be making big bucks whether you live or die. Your clogged arteries is their success. But, you should think about whose interests they are looking after. Think about your own first. Keep away from health-causing fats, and protect yourself first. It's cool when you are the winner in the end.

Life does not have to be the same every day. You can improve the ol' diet, increase your own years to live, while increasing your own bank accounts!

Your own health determines what the good life is for you, not how some food company portends it to be.

It's interesting to note that a few generations ago, while people fished the most nutritious foods, and grew their own veges, they also exercised at the same time, which helped keep harmful fats in check, and reduce heart problems. Today, exercise is much more artificial and unnaturally incorporated into the daily life routine.

Makes you wonder if it has been a forward or a backward evolution increment.
Take charge of your own health, your life and future!!

Need to get your Cholesterol level up? Try this!

Give yourself a break from the worry of gougingly high fuel prices, and health care crises, and why not "treat" yourself to this giga meal.


This is a 10 inch "Munchy Box" described by Dr. Yoni Freedhoff at his Weighty Matters blog. Freedhoff is an obesity specialist and strong critic of Canada's food guide, and the health check program.
Got to go. Have a big walk to do. Don't mind though, knowing that I'll reward myself with poutine later is motivation enough.

Preventative Medicine & Health Savings

“Honesty is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty.” ~ Plato

If preventing health problems were promoted much more, then our health care system would save money, and people could be healthier. The investment of advertisements to show people how to prevent problems could save tens of millions in the long run for our province. Peoples' habits are alot to blame for many medical problems. Of course no matter how much some people take care of themselves, they will still get diseases and problems. People are also free to decide and choose how they want to live their lives. Because we have freedom and a free market economy, popular culture and society is also composed of contradictory forces which send mixed messages to us. For example, let's take fast food. Everywhere you go, on any media out there, and around the clock, we are bombarded with ads that associate feeling good with many foods that are ticking time bombs. Foods full of harmful ingredients like saturated and trans fats are offered then gobbled up by consumers. In every commercial, the tactic is to send the message that you will be feeling good, or the product will somehow bring you happiness. These food products may taste good for the time being, but they act like sludge on drain pipes and eventually need to be "snaked" or give the balloon treatment (angioplasty).

I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of what harmful things are in our typical every foods. Nitrates, and other preservatives, are they really linked to cancer? Possibly. What about the kind of feeds for cattle? What we don't know won't hurt business. In the meantime get preventative check ups like prostate digitals for men, breast exams for women, etc., and learn as much as you can about foods, what's really in them, and what are the effects of accumulating additives. I will guess that like the cover up of nicotine by Phillip Morris, and the whole food industry secret of the danger of trans fats, there are many other juicy bites of food hazard information that is not being disclosed because corporate money silences scientists.

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed" ~ Mahatma Ghandi

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (CTFPHC)

Bisphenol A Dangers were Known before 2003

* Update - Jan. 22. This issue has been broadcast on CBC's Here & Now Monday & Tuesday. It is good to see it becoming more public knowledge. Evening news broadcasts could easily devote a section of their hour long formats to health news/consumer alerts or health education.

You really have to question all plastics, and can liners, or avoid them as much as possible. Check the number at the bottom of bottles and avoid # 7 bottles for sure!

Even five years ago, there were already 40 studies that polycarbonate plastics containing Bisphenol A (BHA) were dangerous. In 2003, it was known that exposure to low amounts of BHA caused genetic defects in mice. In fact, in a major study by Dr. Patricia Hunt & colleagues, mice drank from old baby bottles, that leached (BPA) into their systems. Damage occurred in the egg cells of female mice. Hunt explained, "so when the cells divide, their chromosomes don't line up...In humans, this results in spontaneous abortion, birth defects, or mental retardation."

Other experts were quoted in the same article mentioned above. Biologist Frederick S. von Saal has studied BPA for many years, and had this to add:

In a recent study, fetal umbilical blood shows higher BPA levels than we generated in mice. Human exposure levels are already high. The horrifying thing is that it looks as though these effects in the Hunt study happen at lower doses than what is actually found in human fetal blood - umbilical cord blood.

What about other plastic compounds? Another plastic compound called Antimony, used in PET bottles, has been and is being studied for its potential hazardous effects. How many others are unsafe, and are years aways from garnering the danger status of BPA?

There are food containers of every shape and size that millions use all their lives. Bisphenol A, and any other plastic compound may very well have contributed to a variety of health problems, including prostate enlargement and cancer, and breast cancer because it has been seeping into food and liquid.

The bottling industry has carried out their own studies, and guess what, they have not found any harmful effects from BPA, despite 90% of 150 independent studies which says otherwise. I guess that unless you want to be fired, industry sponsored research designs will have predictable outcomes.

Previous Bisphenol A posts

Falling Prices may mean Expired Products

Many items at drug stores are health related, a great reason to take a look at the expiry date. We all know that products are marked up to the clouds and it's a bit of relief to see four or five bucks off the regular price. There are reasons for that happening. It could be that there are too many of that particular item left, taking up space for newer products, or it could be a promotion in a flyer to attract customers, or it could be that the item is close to expiring or has already. The latter has been noticed on a number of health products. On one item, the price was about $5 cheaper than usual, and that was attention-getting, but the expiry date showed that the product should have been taken off the shelves two months ago.

This is not difficult to do. If a product database tracking system records a field for expiry date, a programmed alert can be printed every day indicating which products have expired on that very date, and management can direct employees to remove the products.

Check the date, the good deal could turn out to be a raw deal.