The Food and Drug Administration (FDA-US) proposed banning artificial trans fats in processed food ranging from cookies to frozen pizza, citing the risk of heart disease.

Partially hydrogenated oils, the primary dietary source of the fats, have been shown to raise "bad" cholesterol. Artificial trans-fat is a uniquely powerful promoter of heart disease. Although, consumption of potentially harmful artificial trans-fat has declined over the last two decades in the United States, current intake remains a significant public health concern says FDA Commissioner. The move is welcomed by public health advocates.

Use of trans-fats that are not naturally occurring have been drastically reduced over the years. According to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, food manufacturers have voluntarily lowered the amounts of trans-fats in their food products by more than 73 percent since 2005, in part by reformulating products. The FDA said the average daily intake of trans fats by Americans fell from 4.6 grams a day in 2003 to 1 gram in 2012.

If the proposal becomes final, partially hydrogenated oils would be considered food additives and would not be allowed in food unless authorized by health regulators. Hydrogenation is a chemical process that converts liquid vegetable oils into solid or semi-solid fats. Partially hydrogenated oils extend the shelf life of foods, and certain types of popcorn, fish sticks, pies, donuts and pizza depend on trans fats for their taste and texture. The ruling would not affect trans-fat that occur naturally in small amounts in certain meat and dairy products.

Companies wishing to include trans fats in their products would have to meet the safety standards applied to food additives and prove with reasonable certainty that they do not cause harm. FDA has created some loose regulations more than 50 years ago, to help companies avoid lengthy delays in getting food additives approved, the FDA created a list of products considered "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS).

The FDA's proposal is subject to a 60-day public comment period in which food companies are expected to outline how long they expect it to take them to reformulate products.

It is time that the GRAS scheme is revisited and decided purely on scientific merits (Source: Reuters, US Edition).

Antibiotic-resistant infections

Indiscriminate use of antibiotics is creating an epidemic like situation where antibiotics available today are not able to control infections. There is urgent need to develop new antibiotics urgently. Developments of new drugs are not easy due to the stringent requirements of clinical trials for adequate testing of the drugs for their effectiveness and safety. 

Millions of people die from infections (most often acquired in hospitals) which the existing antibiotics are not able to control. Saving a patient’s life is the primary concern of doctors. Options are very few. 

The governments, worldwide are very much concerned about the situation and millions of dollars are kept aside to support drug makers in developing new medications to combat the antibiotic resistance.

Due to the anxiety to develop new drugs (which are generally toxic), regulators should not approve new drugs without the required number of trials. Government health departments should come out with protocols to use such new drugs in a well-controlled manner.  

World Environment Day (June 5)

Today’s Times of India quotes Mahatma Gandhi’s words: “Earth provides enough to satisfy man’s needs, but not every man’s greed”.

The news item gives details about the pollution status in a few Indian cities. The data are alarming to say the least! The major pollutant is suspended particulate matter (SPM). It has reached the critical stage, probably due to construction activities to accommodate ever-increasing population in urban areas. The carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the environment has breached a limit of 400 parts per million. It is one of the many Green- House Gases (GHG) emitted by industrial activities. Then, there is more GHG potent methane gas emitted by activities in agriculture. As per the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), every year around 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted across the world! The ill-effects of the climate change, such as extreme climates, increase in the sea water levels, dead water bodies, depletion of forests, etc are seen  everywhere.

India launched 8 missions to counter climate change. No clear road map is available. Unless the missions are taken on war footing, nothing worthwhile is going to come out of these missions. 

Are we really awake? If we are awake then what we are doing to control global warming and to protect our environment? 

World Cancer Day - Cancer can be curbed!

As per a report appearing in the Times of India, two-thirds of the cancer cases in India can be prevented by exercising control on diet, alcohol and tobacco. It is reported that there are about 30 lakh new cases of cancer at any give time in India. Cancer accounts for about 5 lakh deaths in the country in a year, and as per the WHO report, the estimated cancer deaths in India will increase to 7 lakh by 2015. 

The experts on Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai say that there is a need of creating awareness amongst eople about the cancer-causing properties of alcohol, tobacco and areca nut and junk food. The combined consumption of tobacco and alcohol has synergistic effect on the cancer induction and propagation. 

Unfortunately, everything people like most can cause cancer!

Mantra should be - Prevention is better than Cure. 

Living longer is not a big deal?

It is reported that average life expectancy in India is up by 4.6 years in the decade ending 2008. Life expectancy of women in now 67.7 years and that of men is 64.6 years. This increase can be broadly attributed to the improvement in the healthcare and the overall feel-good situation amongst the population, financially or otherwise.

There are also undesirable incidences of senior citizens, most of them with nothing much to do and suffering from depression, caused by over-ambitious, career-minded children not treating them well resulting in them loosing mental balance and feeling utterly help-less. The numbers of senior citizen suicide rates in mega cities are increasing!   

The government should wake up to this reality and should have a national policy to utilize the treasury of experience and knowledge accumulated over the years, in the fields of education / training and involve them in societal welfare projects. 

Climate change deaths

Any delay in actions for controlling climate change is likely to cause over 100 million deaths by 2030 says a report commissioned 20 governments on climate change (Montreal gazette). Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by burning of fossil fuel like coal contributes maximum to the climate change.  The all-visible effects of the climate change are: melting of ice caps, extreme weather, water shortage, crop failure, rising sea levels, etc. More than 90 per cent of those deaths will occur in developing countries, said the report that calculated the human and economic impact of climate change on 184 countries in 2010 and 2030.

The world average temperature is rising and the countries have agreed in 2010 to restrict the temperature rise below 2 degree Centigrade to avoid dangerous impacts of the climate change. Temperatures have already risen by about 0.8 degrees Centigrade above pre-industrial times.

The developing countries like China and India continue to burn fossil fuel for their much needed industrial development. Every country, developed and developing, should ensure that the GHG emissions, mainly carbon dioxide, are controlled in equitable-basis to avoid watery grave for every one of us. United efforts are called for.

Ban on gutka

The Mumbai High Court upheld the ban imposed on the sale of the gutka in the state of Maharashtra by the Commissioner, Foods and drugs Administration (FDA) under the Food Safety and Standards Act. It is reported that close to 30% of the state’s population is consuming gutka and related tobacco products before the ban. Even in schools, teachers, non-teaching staff and students consume gutka and the percentage is only increasing by the day.

The essential ingredients used in gutka are betal nuts, catechu, tobacco, lime and “permitted flavours”. Chemical analyses reveal that gutkha contains both nicotine (1.6–4.5 mg/gm) and arecoline (1.4-2.5 mg/gm). Significant levels of trace metals such as phosphorus, calcium, copper, magnesium, zinc and iron have been detected in these products. Some of the organics in tobacco and betal nuts are well known carcinogens.

Cancer index quantifies potency of a particular product to cause cancer and some gutkhas had a potency of 13.75, which is enough to ban the product in Europe and America.

It is high time that everyone cooperates and supports this legal sanction fully. Let us kick out this habit of mass public health concern.