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ECO RESOURCES
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ECO NEWS
| Bt Corn on Hold Genetically engineerd corn, otherwise known as Bt corn, has recently been found to cause Bt "pollution". Caused by the genetically engineered "natural" insecticide, the resulting pollen blows onto milkweed plants and kills the Monarch butterfly caterpillars that feed on it. Lacewings and bees are tow ther beneficial insects dying from the toxins found in Bt corn. The U.K. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) has recognized the research which revealed these findings in December of 1999, and as a result the EPA has issued a partial moratorium on the Bt corn. By requiring farmers to plant 20 to 50 percent of non-gentically engineered corn upwind of the modified crop the EPA hopes to minimize these problems. These "refuges" cannot be sprayed with insecticide unless the farmer can prove that pests are out of control, and the health of the surrounding wildlife populations must also be monitored regularly. 5/00 |
| Give Me An E Recent studies published in the American Journal of Epidemiology indicate that overall, nearly 30 percent of Americans monitored between 1988 and 1994 were found to have below normal levels of vitamin E in their bloodstreams. More than 16,000 patients over the age of 18 were tested. When viewed as a separate group, the level for African Americans rose to more than 40 percent, which is believed to be a significant factor in the high mortality rate from heart disease among blacks. The level believed to be necessary to reduce this risk is 29umol/L. 5/00 |
| A Weight-Tea Issue Among the many benefits found to come from drinking Green Tea, there is now evidence that it can actually aid in weight loss. Studies conducted at the University of Geneva in Switzerland looked at three groups of men. Each group subscribed to comparative treatments: green tea extract containing 50 milligrams of caffiene, 50 milligrams of caffiene alone, and a placebo containing neither green tea extract or caffiene. The men were all fed a diet consisting of 35 to 40 percent fat and the treatments were administered at breakfast, lunch and dinner. During the following 24 hours each man was measured for thermogenesis (the rate at which calories are burned) and energy expenditure or metabollic rate which determines how effective excercise will be for burning fat. The group on the green tea extract showed a 4 percent increase in thermogeneis. In addition, their energy expenditure was raised by 4.5 percent. In contrast, the group taking the caffiene only treatments showed no increase in metabollic rates, suggesting that there are properties in the green tea other than caffiene which may promote a higher level of fat burning. Researchers also found that there were no increases in heart rates, which suggest a safe choice for overweight patients who may also suffer from hypertension or heart disease. 5/00 |
| Future Fuel In an effort to find a cleaner burning diesel fuel, researchers at the University of Illinois may also help out farmers and give the economy a boost. Agricultural engineers have found a way to "flash-mix" the ethanol, which is a by-product of corn, with diesel fuel, resulting in what is now known as oxydiesel. The hope is that the because of a higher oxygen content by weight the fuel will burn cleaner and therefore reduce emissions and relieve stress on the ozone. And in turn, give farmers a new market for a crop which currently suffers from low prices and a high surplus. Much more research will need to be conducted before the impact of oxydiesel will be known, but test vehicles are now on the roads courtesy of Chicago Transit Authority and Archer Daniels Midland. 5/00 |
| Lower Fat, Fewer Migraines A new study from the University of California at Irvine suggests that a change in diet may significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines. Participants of the study, who had an average daily fat intake of 65 grams, were restricted to only 28 grams of fat per day. During the eight week study, their headaches were monitored. For subjects on the low fat diet, incidence of headaches dropped on average from 6 to 1 per month and headache symptoms were also less severe.More research is required to determine exactly how low fat diets reduce migraines. Researchers suspect that high fat levels might interrupt blood vessel contraction and that eating more carbohydrates instead of fat increases serotonin - which is known to reduce migraines. 11/99 |
Will Spicy Food Save your Life? After recent outbreaks of Escherichia coli (also known as E. coli), researchers at the Kansas State University have been studying the ability of spices to kill the deadly bacteria. In their study, biologists applied 23 different spices to raw ground beef and salami containing E. coli. Cloves and garlic were found to be the most effective bacteria-killing spices. A mixture of 7.5% cloves and 92.5% ground beef killed 99% of the bacteria. A large dose of garlic on salami also resulted in the elimination of 99% of the bacteria. It should be noted that applying palatable doses of these spices significantly lowered the percentage of bacteria destroyed. Spices have been used for thousand of years to reduce bacteria and fungi especially in warmer climates. Some other spices found effective in destroying bacteria were cinnamon, sage and oregano. 11/99 |
Should Communities Fluoridate their Water? Last year the people of Natick, Massachusetts assembled a panel of experts in chemical risk assessment to help them decide whether to add fluoride to the towns water. Unlike government or industry reports, the Natick study is deemed significant in that panelists were considered to be both indepedent and impartial. The study resoundingly concluded that water flouridation was not a good idea primarily because it does not reduce the incidence of cavities. The Natick panel cited a 1986 study by the National Institute of Dental Research in which the dental decay of 39,000 school children was monitored. A third of the children lived in fluoridated areas, a third were partially fluoridated and a third were unfluoridated. The study showed no difference in detal decay based on fluoridation. Natick panelists also cited recent studies of Western Europe, which is 98% unfluoridated, in which dental decay rates have declined as much as the U.S. Several drawbacks of fluoridation were also cited by the Natick report including: making bones more brittle; potential fluoride poisoning; the leaching of lead from pipes; and links to cancer. 11/99 |
