Article 07/15/10
FoodConsumer
Thanks to Adagio for posting this article!
Black tea may contain a higher concentration of fluoride than previously thought, accoridng to a new study cited in a press release by Medical College of Geogia.
Dr. Gary Whiteford of the School of Dentistry, co-author of the study, suggests that heavy tea drinkers could get in trouble even though drinking a couple of tea a day may not pose a risk.
Early studies found black tea contains 1 to 5 milligrams of fluoride per liter, but the new study showed fluoride in black tea can be up to 9 milligrams per liter, almost doubling the early estimate.
The findings were presented yesterday at the 2010 International Association of Dental Research Conference in Barcelona, Spain.
Fluoride is believed to help prevent dental cavities, but over-exposure to it or long term ingestion of excessive amounts is considered a risk. According to the release, an average person can safely ingest 2 to 3 milligrams a day through fluorinated drinking water, toothpaste and food. However, serious bone health can result from ingesting about 20 milligrams a day over a period of 10 or more years.
The findings came after Dr. Whitford examined four patients who suffered advanced skeletal fluorosis - a condition caused by excessive ingestion of fluoride and characterized by joint and bone pain and damage. These patients had one thing in common: they drank 1 to 2 gallons of tea every day for 10 to 30 years.
Certain tea leaves contain fluoride at a level ranging from 600 to more than 1,000 milligrams per kilogram of leaves, Dr. Whitford found. Tea leaves also contain similarly higher levels of aluminum, which is considered neuron-toxic.
The detection method makes a difference. Early methods could account for the amount of fluoride as aluminum fluoride. Dr. Whitford's method can measure that amount of fluoride as aluminum fluoride.
The take-home message is that excessively drinking black for a long term can cause fluoride poisoning.
By David Liu
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
zooming off to vegas for the final sti course
This is an interesting post, that I have not had time to do, say and post - so why not look at Brendan's comments on T Ching?
I would love to see you comments.
http://www.tching.com/2010/07/zooming-off-to-vegas-for-the-final-sti-course/#comment-78135
I would love to see you comments.
http://www.tching.com/2010/07/zooming-off-to-vegas-for-the-final-sti-course/#comment-78135
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
US, Canada to import more Nilgiri tea
P S Sundar
First Published : 05 Mar 2010 03:48:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 05 Mar 2010 07:22:14 AM IST
COONOOR: Concluding its four-day intensive tour of Nilgiri tea areas on Thursday, a team of leading importers from the US and Canada has indicated the possibility of increased purchases of Nilgiri tea in coming months.
“Overall, we had a positive experience in Nilgiris. We are impressed with the quality of Nilgiri tea, cultivation and manufacture process, ISO certifications, worker welfare measures, including school, hospital, housing and crèche, fair trade practices, rain forest norms and ethical partnership. We will consider importing higher volume of Nilgiris tea,” Manik Jayakumar, team leader, told Express at Glendale Estate here after interacting with K Gopal Krishnan (Glendale director), K V Shenai (group manager) and K Rajmohan (general manager). “In particular, we will be supporting speciality teas like those grown under frost impact and in cold season, teas that suit our making Ice Tea which is highly popular with our consumers, silver tips and white tea, organic tea, tulsi tea and decaffeinated tea,” he confirmed.
“Since our consumers prefer ‘selfdrinking tea’ (tea without milk and sugar), we have advised producers here to offer teas whose liquor will have more colour, stronger body and higher flavour. We pay good prices for quality teas. Price is not the only factor that determines our intake,” he disclosed.
“We produce Masala chai that is drunk with milk and honey. We have been importing Nilgiri tea for 13 years, but this is my first visit here. Arising from this, we plan to import 30 to 40 percent more tea from here,” said John Simmons, president, Third Street Chai.
Meltdown helps industry
GLOBAL economic recession has done some good for tea, much to the delight of Nilgiris producers! “Since tea is cheaper than coffee, many consumers in the US have switched over to tea due to recession.
In the current fiscal ending this month, there has been mentionable increase in useful enquiries for tea from the US, compared to last year. Similar impact has been felt in our shipments to Europe,” said K Gopal Krishnan, director, Glendale Estate.
“The visiting US-Canada importers’ team has left hopes with us for increased shipments to those countries next fiscal. We have all the varieties of teas these importers have been seeking, he told Express.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
World Tea Expo and Flavonoids
Thank you to Greg Robertson at Tea Wolf www.teawolf.com for this great article. As I prepare to ship off to the World Tea Expo, it is a nice reminder my work in the tea industry helps to spread the benefit of flavonoids to more people everyday. It is a great feeling to be a part of a health-wise and earth-conscious industry.
Enjoy this article:The Color of Health
Why Nutrients Called Flavonoids Are Good For You
Copyright © 1994 by Jack Challem, The Nutrition Reporter™
All rights reserved.
As researchers probe the once-hidden depths of foods, they're discovering that vitamins and minerals are merely the tip of the nutritional iceberg.
Perhaps the largest group of "other" nutrients are the flavonoids, also known as bioflavonoids. Researchers have identified more than 4,000 of them in plants.
Like their better known chemical cousins, the carotenes, flavonoids are plant pigments, creating a rainbow of colors. In addition, many flavonoids and carotenes function as antioxidants and protect plants from damaging free radicals. The big difference is that flavonoids are water soluble, whereas carotenes are oil soluble.
The flavonoids were first isolated in the 1930s by Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Ph.D., the Nobel laureate who discovered vitamin C. Szent-Gyorgyi found that flavonoids strengthened capillary walls in ways vitamin C could not and, at first, they were referred to as vitamin P. But the chemical diversity of flavonoids precludes their classification as a single vitamin.
The major dietary sources of flavonoids include fruit and fruit products, tea, and soy. Studies have found that the flavonoids in these foods protect against heart disease and cancer.
The Wine...or the Grape?
One clue to the health benefits of flavonoids comes from studies of the "French paradox." The paradox is that the French eat almost four times more butter and three times more lard-and have higher cholesterol levels and blood pressures-than do Americans. Yet the French are 2.5 times less likely than Americans to die of coronary heart disease.
Many people have suggested that the liberal French consumption of red wine protects against coronary heart disease, apparently by lowering cholesterol levels or preventing abnormal blood clots. In fact, at least eight medical studies have found that a glass or two of wine daily protects against heart disease. But some studies have reported that red wine is better than white wine, suggesting that some of the benefits might be unrelated to the alcohol.
To better understand the potential benefits of moderate wine drinking, a team of Israeli researchers led by Alexendra Lavy, Ph.D., compared the effects of red and white wine on 20 healthy men. Half of the subjects were given 400 milliliters (roughly two glasses) of either red or white wine daily for two weeks. Both of the wines contained 11 percent alcohol.
Lavy and her colleagues examined how the wines affected blood fats. The most dramatic effect was the increase in high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), the so-called "good" cholesterol, among men drinking red wine. Their HDL levels rose 26 percent and their apolipoprotein A-1 levels, closely related to HDL, increased 12 percent, according to Lavy's report in Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism (Sept./Oct. 1994;38:287-94). The white-wine drinkers had no change in HDL.
On the negative side, red-wine drinkers had a 26 percent increase in triglyceride levels, a type of blood fat associated with risk of heart disease. Furthermore, Lavy found no decrease in blood clotting among either the red- or white-wine drinkers.
As it turns out, the color of the grapes may be more important than the wine itself. John D. Folts, Ph.D., director of the coronary thrombosis laboratory at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, recently fed dogs red wine, white wine, or unsweetened "purple" grape juice and then measured their blood-clotting factors and blood flow. Red grapes are particularly high in two flavonoids, quercetin and rutin, which are absent in white grapes.
Folts found that blood clotting decreased and blood flow increased in the dogs given red wine and purple grape juice, but not in the animals fed white wine. "It is therefore possible to speculate that the cardioprotective effects of red wine consumption observed in the French and other populations may be attributed in part to the ethanol content of the wine and in part to the antioxidant and platelet inhibitory properties of other naturally occurring compounds in the wine the consumption of flavonoid-containing foods and beverages may retard atherogenesis and prevent thrombosis on a daily basis," Folts wrote in Circulation (Feb 15, 1995;91:1182-8).
Another dietary factor likely influences the French paradox. In addition to their wine consumption, the French eat a high-flavonoid diet. In an analysis of the eating habits of people in 40 nations, William E. Connor, M.D., an expert in blood fats at Oregon Health Sciences University, failed to find a strong relationship between wine consumption and heart disease risk. Instead, Connor determined that the French eat large quantities of vegetables, rich in vitamins, carotenes, and flavonoids, according to his article in Circulation (Dec. 1993;88;2771-9).
Flavonoids in Tea
Common green and black tea leaves consist of about 25-30 percent flavonoids, including quercetin and gallic esters. Like the flavonoids in grapes and other fruits and vegetables, they also protect against heart disease.
For five years, Dutch researchers Michaël Hertog, M.Sc., and Edith Feskens, Ph.D., followed the dietary and lifestyle habits of 805 men ages 65-84 in the town of Zutphen. After accounting for the men's physical activity, smoking habits, and intake of vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene, the researchers found that men eating a lot of flavonoids-in tea, onions, and apples-were far less likely to suffer heart disease or heart attacks than men eating few flavonoids.
"There is evidence that free-radical oxidation of LDL plays an important part in atherogenesis," Hertog and Feskins wrote in Lancet (Oct. 23, 1993;342:1007-11). "Flavonoids are scavengers of free radicals...It is possible that quercetin and other flavonoids reduce the rate of formation of oxidised LDL and thus inhibit the growth of atherosclerotic plaques."
The benefits of tea flavonoids were confirmed earlier this year by researchers at the Saitama Cancer Research Center, Japan. K. Imai, PhD, and K. Nakachi, PhD, studied 1,371 men enrolled in a 40-year study of eating habits and health. They reported that elderly men who drank 10 or more cups of green tea daily had lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides than men who drank less of the tea.
"Consumption of green tea was significantly associated with lower serum concentrations of lipids and lipoproteins," they wrote in the British Medical Journal (March 18, 1995;310:693-6). "An increase in consumption substantially decreased serum total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, and this strong association remained almost unaltered even after age, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and relative body weight were controlled for."
The heavy tea drinkers also benefited from higher blood levels of the HDL and lower levels of the "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) form of cholesterol. In addition, they had lower levels of certain liver enzymes, suggesting a reduced risk of liver disease.
"Green tea has many advantages over chemical preventive agents-tea is non-toxic and thus readily available to the general population," Imai and Nakachi wrote.
Drinking either green or black tea also protects against skin cancer by ultraviolet (UV) light and hazardous chemicals. In an experiment, Allan Conney, Ph.D., of the College of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, brewed four types of teas in concentrations comparable to what people drink: black tea, green tea, decaffeinated black tea, and decaffeinated green tea. He gave one type of each tea to four different groups of mice as their sole source of drinking fluid, then exposed them to either cancer-causing UV radiation or chemicals. For comparison's sake, he gave another group of mice plain water to drink.
Conney reported in Cancer Research (July 1, 1994;54:3428-35) that the teas "markedly inhibited" the numbers and sizes of tumors. Black tea was most effective, reducing the number of tumors by 93 percent in comparison with mice fed water. Green tea was almost as good, resulting in 88 percent fewer tumors. The decaffeinated black and green teas resulted in 77 and 72 percent fewer tumors, respectively.
Conney wrote that the benefits of tea are probably related to the antioxidant effect of the flavonoids. Why were the decaffeinated teas less beneficial? It's very possible that the decaffeination process removes some flavonoids as well as caffeine.
The Benefits of Soy
The flavonoids in soybeans have also been attracting attention. In a recent analysis of 730 people and 38 medical studies, James W. Anderson, M.D., found that flavonoid-containing soy protein can dramatically lower blood levels of cholesterol.
Anderson, an endocrinologist and nutritionist at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, found that daily consumption of 47 grams of soy protein-one-tenth of a pound-significantly decreased total cholesterol, the "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) form of cholesterol, and triglycerides.
Overall, substituting soy protein for about one-half of the meat protein in the diet reduced total cholesterol by an average of 9.3 percent, LDL by 12.9 percent, and triglycerides by 10.5 percent. People with very high cholesterol levels-above 335 mg per deciliter of blood-benefitted the most. On average, adding soy to their diet resulted in a 19.6 percent cholesterol reduction, according to Anderson's article in the New England Journal of Medicine (Aug 3, 1995;333:276-82).
Although the amounts of soy protein consumed varied in the 38 studies, Anderson estimated that 25 grams daily would probably reduce blood cholesterol levels by an average of 8.9 percent and 50 grams by 17.4 percent.
According to Anderson, it would be very easy for people to increase their soy consumption. An 8-ounce glass of soy milk contains 4 to 10 grams of soy protein, 4 ounces of tofu contain 8 to 13 grams of soy protein, and a soy hamburger or hotdog contains about 18 grams of soy protein. Drinking two glasses of soy milk (instead of regular milk) and eating one soy burger daily would provide approximately 30 grams of soy protein.
Recommendations
The flavonoids are an important reminder that the nutritional benefits of wholesome foods go beyond familiar vitamins and minerals. Nutrition research is ongoing and new discoveries are made every year.
And while it may be convenient to reach for a high-potency flavonoid tablet, consider that a piece of fruit contains a more diverse supply of flavonoids. The best way to obtain a broad selection of flavonoids is by eating a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, tea, and soy. Most flavonoids are colored, so look for the best and brightest (assuming they're not artificially colored): red grapes, oranges, pink grapefruit, strawberries, blueberries, and so forth. After you establish a solid dietary foundation, then consider whether you might want a flavonoid supplement for specific health benefits.
This article originally appeared in Let's Live magazine. The information provided by Jack Challem and The Nutrition Reporter™ newsletter is strictly educational and not intended as medical advice. For diagnosis and treatment, consult your physician.
copyright © 1996 The Nutrition Reporter™ - updated 12/04/96
for more information contact jack@thenutritionreporter.com
Enjoy this article:The Color of Health
Why Nutrients Called Flavonoids Are Good For You
Copyright © 1994 by Jack Challem, The Nutrition Reporter™
All rights reserved.
As researchers probe the once-hidden depths of foods, they're discovering that vitamins and minerals are merely the tip of the nutritional iceberg.
Perhaps the largest group of "other" nutrients are the flavonoids, also known as bioflavonoids. Researchers have identified more than 4,000 of them in plants.
Like their better known chemical cousins, the carotenes, flavonoids are plant pigments, creating a rainbow of colors. In addition, many flavonoids and carotenes function as antioxidants and protect plants from damaging free radicals. The big difference is that flavonoids are water soluble, whereas carotenes are oil soluble.
The flavonoids were first isolated in the 1930s by Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Ph.D., the Nobel laureate who discovered vitamin C. Szent-Gyorgyi found that flavonoids strengthened capillary walls in ways vitamin C could not and, at first, they were referred to as vitamin P. But the chemical diversity of flavonoids precludes their classification as a single vitamin.
The major dietary sources of flavonoids include fruit and fruit products, tea, and soy. Studies have found that the flavonoids in these foods protect against heart disease and cancer.
The Wine...or the Grape?
One clue to the health benefits of flavonoids comes from studies of the "French paradox." The paradox is that the French eat almost four times more butter and three times more lard-and have higher cholesterol levels and blood pressures-than do Americans. Yet the French are 2.5 times less likely than Americans to die of coronary heart disease.
Many people have suggested that the liberal French consumption of red wine protects against coronary heart disease, apparently by lowering cholesterol levels or preventing abnormal blood clots. In fact, at least eight medical studies have found that a glass or two of wine daily protects against heart disease. But some studies have reported that red wine is better than white wine, suggesting that some of the benefits might be unrelated to the alcohol.
To better understand the potential benefits of moderate wine drinking, a team of Israeli researchers led by Alexendra Lavy, Ph.D., compared the effects of red and white wine on 20 healthy men. Half of the subjects were given 400 milliliters (roughly two glasses) of either red or white wine daily for two weeks. Both of the wines contained 11 percent alcohol.
Lavy and her colleagues examined how the wines affected blood fats. The most dramatic effect was the increase in high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), the so-called "good" cholesterol, among men drinking red wine. Their HDL levels rose 26 percent and their apolipoprotein A-1 levels, closely related to HDL, increased 12 percent, according to Lavy's report in Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism (Sept./Oct. 1994;38:287-94). The white-wine drinkers had no change in HDL.
On the negative side, red-wine drinkers had a 26 percent increase in triglyceride levels, a type of blood fat associated with risk of heart disease. Furthermore, Lavy found no decrease in blood clotting among either the red- or white-wine drinkers.
As it turns out, the color of the grapes may be more important than the wine itself. John D. Folts, Ph.D., director of the coronary thrombosis laboratory at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, recently fed dogs red wine, white wine, or unsweetened "purple" grape juice and then measured their blood-clotting factors and blood flow. Red grapes are particularly high in two flavonoids, quercetin and rutin, which are absent in white grapes.
Folts found that blood clotting decreased and blood flow increased in the dogs given red wine and purple grape juice, but not in the animals fed white wine. "It is therefore possible to speculate that the cardioprotective effects of red wine consumption observed in the French and other populations may be attributed in part to the ethanol content of the wine and in part to the antioxidant and platelet inhibitory properties of other naturally occurring compounds in the wine the consumption of flavonoid-containing foods and beverages may retard atherogenesis and prevent thrombosis on a daily basis," Folts wrote in Circulation (Feb 15, 1995;91:1182-8).
Another dietary factor likely influences the French paradox. In addition to their wine consumption, the French eat a high-flavonoid diet. In an analysis of the eating habits of people in 40 nations, William E. Connor, M.D., an expert in blood fats at Oregon Health Sciences University, failed to find a strong relationship between wine consumption and heart disease risk. Instead, Connor determined that the French eat large quantities of vegetables, rich in vitamins, carotenes, and flavonoids, according to his article in Circulation (Dec. 1993;88;2771-9).
Flavonoids in Tea
Common green and black tea leaves consist of about 25-30 percent flavonoids, including quercetin and gallic esters. Like the flavonoids in grapes and other fruits and vegetables, they also protect against heart disease.
For five years, Dutch researchers Michaël Hertog, M.Sc., and Edith Feskens, Ph.D., followed the dietary and lifestyle habits of 805 men ages 65-84 in the town of Zutphen. After accounting for the men's physical activity, smoking habits, and intake of vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene, the researchers found that men eating a lot of flavonoids-in tea, onions, and apples-were far less likely to suffer heart disease or heart attacks than men eating few flavonoids.
"There is evidence that free-radical oxidation of LDL plays an important part in atherogenesis," Hertog and Feskins wrote in Lancet (Oct. 23, 1993;342:1007-11). "Flavonoids are scavengers of free radicals...It is possible that quercetin and other flavonoids reduce the rate of formation of oxidised LDL and thus inhibit the growth of atherosclerotic plaques."
The benefits of tea flavonoids were confirmed earlier this year by researchers at the Saitama Cancer Research Center, Japan. K. Imai, PhD, and K. Nakachi, PhD, studied 1,371 men enrolled in a 40-year study of eating habits and health. They reported that elderly men who drank 10 or more cups of green tea daily had lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides than men who drank less of the tea.
"Consumption of green tea was significantly associated with lower serum concentrations of lipids and lipoproteins," they wrote in the British Medical Journal (March 18, 1995;310:693-6). "An increase in consumption substantially decreased serum total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, and this strong association remained almost unaltered even after age, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and relative body weight were controlled for."
The heavy tea drinkers also benefited from higher blood levels of the HDL and lower levels of the "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) form of cholesterol. In addition, they had lower levels of certain liver enzymes, suggesting a reduced risk of liver disease.
"Green tea has many advantages over chemical preventive agents-tea is non-toxic and thus readily available to the general population," Imai and Nakachi wrote.
Drinking either green or black tea also protects against skin cancer by ultraviolet (UV) light and hazardous chemicals. In an experiment, Allan Conney, Ph.D., of the College of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, brewed four types of teas in concentrations comparable to what people drink: black tea, green tea, decaffeinated black tea, and decaffeinated green tea. He gave one type of each tea to four different groups of mice as their sole source of drinking fluid, then exposed them to either cancer-causing UV radiation or chemicals. For comparison's sake, he gave another group of mice plain water to drink.
Conney reported in Cancer Research (July 1, 1994;54:3428-35) that the teas "markedly inhibited" the numbers and sizes of tumors. Black tea was most effective, reducing the number of tumors by 93 percent in comparison with mice fed water. Green tea was almost as good, resulting in 88 percent fewer tumors. The decaffeinated black and green teas resulted in 77 and 72 percent fewer tumors, respectively.
Conney wrote that the benefits of tea are probably related to the antioxidant effect of the flavonoids. Why were the decaffeinated teas less beneficial? It's very possible that the decaffeination process removes some flavonoids as well as caffeine.
The Benefits of Soy
The flavonoids in soybeans have also been attracting attention. In a recent analysis of 730 people and 38 medical studies, James W. Anderson, M.D., found that flavonoid-containing soy protein can dramatically lower blood levels of cholesterol.
Anderson, an endocrinologist and nutritionist at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, found that daily consumption of 47 grams of soy protein-one-tenth of a pound-significantly decreased total cholesterol, the "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) form of cholesterol, and triglycerides.
Overall, substituting soy protein for about one-half of the meat protein in the diet reduced total cholesterol by an average of 9.3 percent, LDL by 12.9 percent, and triglycerides by 10.5 percent. People with very high cholesterol levels-above 335 mg per deciliter of blood-benefitted the most. On average, adding soy to their diet resulted in a 19.6 percent cholesterol reduction, according to Anderson's article in the New England Journal of Medicine (Aug 3, 1995;333:276-82).
Although the amounts of soy protein consumed varied in the 38 studies, Anderson estimated that 25 grams daily would probably reduce blood cholesterol levels by an average of 8.9 percent and 50 grams by 17.4 percent.
According to Anderson, it would be very easy for people to increase their soy consumption. An 8-ounce glass of soy milk contains 4 to 10 grams of soy protein, 4 ounces of tofu contain 8 to 13 grams of soy protein, and a soy hamburger or hotdog contains about 18 grams of soy protein. Drinking two glasses of soy milk (instead of regular milk) and eating one soy burger daily would provide approximately 30 grams of soy protein.
Recommendations
The flavonoids are an important reminder that the nutritional benefits of wholesome foods go beyond familiar vitamins and minerals. Nutrition research is ongoing and new discoveries are made every year.
And while it may be convenient to reach for a high-potency flavonoid tablet, consider that a piece of fruit contains a more diverse supply of flavonoids. The best way to obtain a broad selection of flavonoids is by eating a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, tea, and soy. Most flavonoids are colored, so look for the best and brightest (assuming they're not artificially colored): red grapes, oranges, pink grapefruit, strawberries, blueberries, and so forth. After you establish a solid dietary foundation, then consider whether you might want a flavonoid supplement for specific health benefits.
This article originally appeared in Let's Live magazine. The information provided by Jack Challem and The Nutrition Reporter™ newsletter is strictly educational and not intended as medical advice. For diagnosis and treatment, consult your physician.
copyright © 1996 The Nutrition Reporter™ - updated 12/04/96
for more information contact jack@thenutritionreporter.com
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Organic Trade Association's Press Release ADHD Linked to Pesticides
2010 Press Releases
Organic agriculture prohibits pesticides linked to risk of ADHD
News release
For immediate release
Contact: Barbara Haumann, 413-376-1220
Organic Trade Association (OTA) encourages consumers to choose organic fruits and vegetables
GREENFIELD, Mass. (May 17, 2010)—Following closely on the heels of the President’s Cancer Panel Report exhorting consumers to choose food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers , antibiotics, and growth hormones to help decrease their exposure to environmental chemicals that can increase their risk of contracting cancer, a study published in today’s issue of the journal Pediatrics concludes that exposure to organophosphate pesticides at levels common among U.S. children may contribute to the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in these children.
“Studies have increasingly shown the importance of minimizing young children’s exposure to even low levels of chemical pesticides. This study adds to that wealth of knowledge and arms parents with information that helps them reduce their children’s pesticide intake,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s Executive Director, pointing out that the use of organophosphates is prohibited in organic production.
The article reported findings from a study examining the association between urinary concentrations of metabolites of organophosphates and ADHD in children ages 8 to 15. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers led by Maryse Bouchard, a researcher in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Montreal, analyzed the levels of pesticide metabolites in the urine of 1,139 children and found children with above-average levels had roughly twice the odds of being diagnosed with ADHD.
As the largest study of this kind so far, it reminds consumers that organophosphates were originally developed for use in chemical warfare because they are known to be toxic to the nervous system. Organophosphate compounds are used in agriculture to kill pests.
“Organic food production and processing is the only system that uses certification and inspection to verify that these chemicals are not used,” Bushway added. “Those seeking to minimize their exposure to these chemicals can look for the USDA Organic label wherever they shop.”
The abstract of the paper published in the journal Pediatrics is accessible online.
For more information on organic, go to OTA’s consumer web site, www.organicitsworthit.org.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy.
Organic agriculture prohibits pesticides linked to risk of ADHD
News release
For immediate release
Contact: Barbara Haumann, 413-376-1220
Organic Trade Association (OTA) encourages consumers to choose organic fruits and vegetables
GREENFIELD, Mass. (May 17, 2010)—Following closely on the heels of the President’s Cancer Panel Report exhorting consumers to choose food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers , antibiotics, and growth hormones to help decrease their exposure to environmental chemicals that can increase their risk of contracting cancer, a study published in today’s issue of the journal Pediatrics concludes that exposure to organophosphate pesticides at levels common among U.S. children may contribute to the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in these children.
“Studies have increasingly shown the importance of minimizing young children’s exposure to even low levels of chemical pesticides. This study adds to that wealth of knowledge and arms parents with information that helps them reduce their children’s pesticide intake,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s Executive Director, pointing out that the use of organophosphates is prohibited in organic production.
The article reported findings from a study examining the association between urinary concentrations of metabolites of organophosphates and ADHD in children ages 8 to 15. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers led by Maryse Bouchard, a researcher in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Montreal, analyzed the levels of pesticide metabolites in the urine of 1,139 children and found children with above-average levels had roughly twice the odds of being diagnosed with ADHD.
As the largest study of this kind so far, it reminds consumers that organophosphates were originally developed for use in chemical warfare because they are known to be toxic to the nervous system. Organophosphate compounds are used in agriculture to kill pests.
“Organic food production and processing is the only system that uses certification and inspection to verify that these chemicals are not used,” Bushway added. “Those seeking to minimize their exposure to these chemicals can look for the USDA Organic label wherever they shop.”
The abstract of the paper published in the journal Pediatrics is accessible online.
For more information on organic, go to OTA’s consumer web site, www.organicitsworthit.org.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Demeter USA About Biodynamic Agriculture
There are less than a half of a dozen Biodynamic Tea Estates, so far. We at QTrade proudly represent three of them and often exclusively. Email me for a list of current teas.
Biodynamic® farming is free of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers in the same manner as certified organic farming. In order to qualify for Demeter Biodynamic® status a farm must first meet the same 3-year transition requirement that NOP certified organic farming requires.
What distinguishes a Demeter certified Biodynamic® farm from a certified organic farm is that, in its entirety, a Demeter Biodynamic farm is managed as a living organism. This is the fundamental principal of the Biodynamic farming method. The special body of knowledge, which underlies Biodynamic agriculture, is derived from Rudolf Steiner’s “Agricultural Course”, and the spiritual context of Anthroposophy, within which this Course was originally held.
The Biodynamic method dates back to 1924 and is one of the original approaches to organized organic farming worldwide. In day-to-day practice Biodynamic farming involves managing a farm within the context of the principles of a living organism. A concise model of a living organism ideal would be a wilderness forest. In such a system there is a high degree of self-sufficiency in all of the realms of biological survival. Fertility and feed arise out of the recycling of the organic material the system generates. Avoidance of pest species is based on biological vigor and its intrinsic biological and genetic diversity. Water is efficiently cycled through the system.
While agriculture immediately takes nature to a state that is one step removed from wilderness, the practices of farmers that steer agriculture’s course can to a large degree mimic these ancient principles of sustainability based on a careful observation of nature as a whole. Demeter/Aurora certification requires a documented evolution towards this ideal. In the realm of day-to-day practice this requires a holistic farming system that is minimally dependant on imported inputs for its survival, but instead arise from within the living dynamics of the farm itself. Demeter/Aurora certification requires that as much as possible a farm be regenerative rather than degenerative. Consider carefully materials that are imported onto the modern day organic farm. Where do they come from? Often they can be tracked back to a natural resource provided by the earth. Examples of such inputs include petroleum to move materials around, ancient mineral deposits, by-products of unsustainable agriculture-related industry, and the life of the seas and water ways. An important environmental value of Biodynamic farming is that it does not depend on the mining of the earth’s natural resource base. Instead it emphasizes contributing to it. As such, it is a farming philosophy that results in one of the lightest carbon footprints of any agricultural method.
Looked at in its widest view, the scale of this farm organism extends beyond the fence line of the farm and includes the tangible and intangible forces that work through it. Examples of such “forces” include the climate, inherent wildlife of the earth (above and below the ground), the light and warmth from the sun and the focusing of even more distant cosmic influences through the other planetary members of our sun’s solar system. The Biodynamic method of farming attempts to align all of the factors that are inherent in a living farm system in a harmonious manner. The food that results is very true to its essence and provides deeply penetrating nutrition that is medicinal as well as delicious.
Source:http://demeter-usa.org/about-biodynamic-agriculture/
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
SCAA Short and Sweet - "No Caf" and Reusable Cups are my Trend Pick
After attending the SCAA show this past weekend, other than the Bob Marley Coffee booth and reggae tunes, the items that stood out to me are Teeccino and the re-useable cups.
Teeccinno is definately my new favorite product, although this company is not "new" at all. If you enjoy tea and coffee, but need a "no caf" option, like I do right now, check this product out in your local health food market or here is the link -http://www.teeccino.com/ . Very nice family owned and operated company, that is what I am about and I think we will see the future to be more and more about.
Another cool item is all of the re-useable mugs and cups. I like the one I got for free that is customizable, email me for the info.
There was another fun gifty porcelain one there too- which I would give to someone else, but I know my would inevitably SMASH....yikes.
That is my SCAA short and sweet 2cents worth.
:) D
Teeccinno is definately my new favorite product, although this company is not "new" at all. If you enjoy tea and coffee, but need a "no caf" option, like I do right now, check this product out in your local health food market or here is the link -http://www.teeccino.com/ . Very nice family owned and operated company, that is what I am about and I think we will see the future to be more and more about.
Another cool item is all of the re-useable mugs and cups. I like the one I got for free that is customizable, email me for the info.
There was another fun gifty porcelain one there too- which I would give to someone else, but I know my would inevitably SMASH....yikes.
That is my SCAA short and sweet 2cents worth.
:) D
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