Fat Substitutes Are Deceptive Cure-All for American Waistlines

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 567.

We're all familiar with slogans such as "low-calorie" and "sugar-free." But those are phrases of the past. These days it's hard to walk down a supermarket aisle and not notice America's fixation, perhaps even obsession, with fat. It is a game of how little fat one

can ingest while still enjoying all those snack-time favorites. In today's market of “nonfat" and "zero fat," it is even questionable whether products offering modest "low-fat" slogans can remain contenders. But how long can this fat- free frenzy hold its grip on the American population?

Waistlines have continued to grow even in an intense era of fat watching. A 1994 study published in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that one-third of adults were overweight between 1988 and 1991. In previous years, those figures held

steady at one-quarter of the population. Despite America's current fixation on fat, Maureen Pestine, Northwestern campus nutritionist, said sugar may return as the focus of people's health in the future. "My big concern is that people are eating all these fat-free products thinking this is a way to lose weight," Pestine said. Generally, the fat-free products have more sugar." Unfortunately, these empty calories are a culprit of weight gain. "I don't think the companies see it as a problem," Pestine said. "They think, 'Let's get rid of all the fat and give them all the sugar.' Fat leads to satiety, a feeling of satisfaction. Without it, people tend to feel less full and often eat more as a result. This leads to trouble for some people. "They think they can eat a whole box of fat-free somethings," Pestine said.

Current dietary guidelines issued by the American Dietetic Association call for a diet moderate in sugar that includes plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits. Making broader food choices, focusing on proportionality and balancing food with physical

activity are additional suggestions. But such guidelines lack the magical, cure-all appeal Americans desire.

Dan Henroid, a dietitian for Evanston Hospital, sees a future trend in the increasing popularity of meal-replacement shakes.

Boost, a shake made by Mead Johnson, is specifically marketed for people under 30. The availability of replacement shakes has risen, but consumers should be cautious, Henroid said. "1 don't necessarily view that as a good trend," he said. "Taking time to prepare a

balanced meal is a preferred option."

E x e r c i s e S e v e n.Read the article below and write one word to fill the gap.

Olestra, Proctor and Gamble's brand of the fat replacer olean, 1._____ recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Though not available in products currently 2._____ the market and only appearing in test markets this fall, Olestra may 3._____ the trend of the future. Without sacrificing taste, Olestra allows consumers to cut 4._____ on fat and calories and satisfy their urge to

crunch 5._____ the same time. Its additional fatty acids make Olestra 6._____ large to be digested or absorbed, so instead, it passes directly 7._____ the body. For example, a regular I-ounce bag 8._____ chips containing 10 grams of fat and 150 calories would

9._____ 0 grams of fat and only 70 calories with Olestra. Same taste. No guilt. Certainly there must 10._____ a catch.

E x e r c i s e E i g h t .Read the text below, some sentences are correct and there is an extra word in some of them, find the mistakes.

1.More than 100 tests have been performed on Olestra in over the past 25 years.

2.In high quantities, consumers may be experience abdominal cramps or loose stools.

3.A decrease in the absorption of karotenoids and the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K from such other foods can also occur.

4.While Olestra may appear to be a quick solution, some might use it as another excuse to jump up on the fat-free bandwagon.

5.Olestra may eliminate fat grams, but consumers must remain on the lookout for so lingering calories.

6.Henroid sees bio-engineered foods as very prominent in the nutrition world of the future.

7.Among the pioneers of these foods is Monsanto, a national company is based in St. Louis.

8.That currently offers a so slow-ripening, cross-bred tomato.

9.Such advancements might encourage much consumers to increase their fruit and vegetable intake, Henroid said.

10."They might make (fruits and vegetables) such more available," he said. 'Personally. I think the flavor is much better".

11.And where does this leave the health-conscious shopper?

12.Scrutinizing popular trends, decreasing overall fat consumption and eating a reasonable amount of food are very solid suggestions.

13.But the maze of food and nutrition fetishes won't become any more clearer in the future.

14."We're all going to need to be better consumers", said Patti Lucin, NU co-director of health education.

T a s k F o u r.Read, translate and discuss the following article on the GM food.

The GM food controversyis a dispute over the advantages and disadvantages of genetically modified (GM) food crops. No documented health hazards have come to light since GM food was introduced in the U.S. (1994). Supporters of GM food argue that

close to 150 governmental and/or industry-financed studies, and at least 47 peer reviewed articles in scientific journals have been published to attest to theoretical claims of safety. Consumer rights groups, such as the Organic Consumers Association, and

Greenpeace respond by claiming the long term health risks which GM could pose, or that the risks of GM have not yet been adequately investigated.

Some scientists and economists express concern about the alleged harm delaying welfare and environmental improvements, for instance by provitamin A enriched Golden rice which is said to have the potential to prevent children from Vitamin A deficiency, and

insect protected, but rice which can potentially reduce exposure of farmers to synthetic insecticides.

Other scientists and studies, however, dispute such findings and argue that GM foods aren't tested to scientific standards before being released to the public.

Another controversy recently arose around biotech company Monsanto's data on a 90-Day Rat Feeding Study on the MON863

strain of GM corn. In May 2005, critics of GM foods pointed to differences in kidney size and blood composition found in this study, suggesting that the observed differences raises questions about the regulatory concept of substantial equivalence.

The raising of this issue prompted the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to reexamine the safety data on this strain of corn. The EFSA concluded that the observed small numerical decrease in rat kidney weights were not biologically meaningful, and

the weights were well within the normal range of kidney weights for control animals. There were no corresponding microscopic findings in the relevant organ systems, and all blood chemistry and organ weight values fell within the "normal range of historical

control values" for rats. In addition the EFSA review found that the statistical methods used by Séralini et al in the analysis of the data were incorrect. The European Committee has approved the ΜΟΝ863 corn for animal and human consumption.

Séralini et al have now completed a similar analysis of the NK603 strain of corn and have come to similar conclusions as they did in their previously discredited study.

E x e r c i s e O n e.Read the article below and write one word to fill the gap.

Public perception

Research by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology 1._____ shown that in 2005 Americans' knowledge of genetically modified foods and animals continues to remain low, and their opinions reflect that they 2._____ particularly uncomfortable with

animal cloning. The Pew survey also showed that 3._____ continuing concerns about GM foods, American consumers do not support banning new uses of the technology, but rather seek 4._____ active role from regulators to ensure that new products 5._____ safe.

Only 2 % of Britons are said to be "happy to eat GM foods", and more than half of Britons are against GM foods being available to the public, according 6._____ a 2003 study. Interestingly, about 550 Amish farmers in Pennsylvania 7._____ adopted GM crops, because they allow for less intensive farming (fewer pesticides, etc.), are more productive (under most conditions), and do not conflict 8._____ the Amish lifestyle.

Opponents of genetically modified food often refer 9._____ it as "Frankenfood", after Mary Shelley's character Frankenstein and the monster he creates, in her novel of the same name. The term was coined 10._____ 1992 by Paul Lewis, an English professor

at Boston College who used the word in a letter he wrote to the New York Times in response 11._____ the decision of the US Food and Drug Administration to allow companies to market genetically modified food. The term "Frankenfood" has become a battle cry of the European side in the US-EU agricultural trade war.

E x e r c i s e T w o.Choose the appropriate word in the following sentences about food and drink.

1.He was so hungry he _____ his bowl of pasta in minutes.

А) sent B) horsed C) wolfed D) flung

2.I want to lose weight so I've decided to cut _____ cakes and biscuits.

А) up B) off C) short D) out

3.He was not at all hungry and just there _____ at his food.

A) picking B) pecking C) pointing D) licking

4.I'm not good at dieting – I eat sensibly all week but then _____ out on fast food at the weekend.

A) work B) pig C) rent D) eat

5.I was so thirsty I _____ back three glasses of water one after the other.

A) sent B) knocked C) dropped D) headed

6.Eat darling _____ or you'll be late for school.

A) into B) in C) out D) up

E x e r c i s e T h r e e.Read the article below and answer the questions:

1.What are the tasks of The European Union funds research programmes?

2.When does a patent holder have a right to control the use of crops?

3.What is the essence of the technology "Terminator"?

4.What is "terminator" in this context?

5.What is the technology "traitor" intended to do?

6.What companies develop this technology?

7.What did the terminator gene technology create?

The European Union funds research programmes such as Co-Extra, that investigate options and technologies on the coexistence of GM and conventional farming. This also includes research on biological containment strategies and other measures, that prevent

outcrossing and enable the implementation of coexistence.

If patented genes are outcrossed, even accidentally, to other commercial fields and a person deliberately selects the outcrossed plants for subsequent planting then the patent holder has the right to control the use of those crops. This was supported in Canadian

law in the case of Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser.

An often cited controversy is a hypothetical "Technology Protection" technology dubbed 'Terminator'. This yet-to-becommercialized technology would allow the production of first generation crops that would not generate seeds in the second generation because the plants yield sterile seeds. The patent for this so-called "terminator" gene technology is owned by Delta and Pine Land and the United States Department of Agriculture. Delta and Pine Land was bought by Monsanto in August 2006. Similarly,

the hypothetical Trait-specific Genetic Use Restriction Technology, also known as 'Traitor' or 'T-gut', requires application of a chemical to genetically-modified crops to reactivate engineered traits. This technology is intended both to limit the spread of

genetically engineered plants, and to require farmers to pay yearly to reactivate the genetically engineered traits of their crops. Traitor is under development by companies including Monsanto and AstraZeneca.

In addition to the commercial protection of proprietary technology in self-pollinating crops such as soybean (a generally contentious issue) another purpose of the terminator gene is to prevent the escape of genetically modified traits from crosspollinating

crops into wild-type species by sterilizing any resultant hybrids. The terminator gene technology created a backlash amongst those who felt the technology would prevent re-use of seed by farmers growing such terminator varieties in the developing world and was ostensibly a means to exercise patent claims. Use of the terminator technology would also prevent "volunteers", or crops that grow from unharvested seed, a major concern that arose during the Starlink debacle. There are technologies evolving which contain the

transgene by biological means and still can provide fertile seeds using fertility restorer functions. Such methods are being developed by several EU research programmes, among them Transcontainer and Co-Extra.

E x e r c i s e F o u r.Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.

Allergenicity

A gene for an allergenic trait (transfer)unintentionally from the Brazil nut into genetically engineered soybeans while intending to improve soybean nutritional quality for animal feed use. Brazil nuts already (know)to produce food allergies in certain people prior to this study. In 1993 Pioneer Hi-Bred International (develop)a soybean variety with an added gene from the Brazil nut. This trait (increase)the levels in the GM soybean of the natural essential amino acid methionine, a protein building block commonly added to poultry feed to improve effective protein quality. Investigation of the GM soybeans (reveal) that they produced immunological reactions with people suffering from Brazil nut allergy, and the explanation for this is that the methionine rich protein

chosen by Pioneer Hi-Bred (be)the major source of Brazil nut allergy. Pioneer Hi-Bred (discontinue)further development of the GM soybean and disposed of all material related to the modified soybeans.

This study (indicate)some of the possible risks of GM foods. In particular that there is no law or regulation in either the United States or Canada that required Pioneer Hi-Bred or any other company for testing for allergenicity or toxicity of GM foods prior to

them being licensed to be grown and consumed in their respected countries. Food allergy problems (occur)with many conventional foods, and Kiwi fruit, for instance, as a relatively new food in many communities, (become)widely eaten despite provoking allergies in certain individuals.

Another allergy issue (publish)in November 2005, when a pest resistant field pea developed by the Australian CSIRO for use as a pasture crop was shown to cause an allergic reaction in mice.

Respected plant scientist Maarten J. Chrispeels (make)interesting comments about this example that illustrate how foods offer many different types of risks.

The immunologist who (test)the pea noted that the episode (illustrate)the need for each new GM food to be very carefully evaluated for potential health effects.

E x e r c i s e Fi v e.Read the article and decide whether the statements are true or false.

1.GM crops are healthy both for people and animals.

2.GM crops kill weeds.

3.GM crops provide for food security and environment protection.

4.Growth of cities extinguishes farm land.

5.Consumer diets are against animal protein.

6.Global food security may be supported by genetic resources.

7.GM technologies will benefit developing countries.

Environmental and ecological impacts

There has been controversy over the results of a farm-scale trial in the United Kingdom comparing the impact of GM crops and conventional crops on farmland biodiversity. Some claimed that the results showed that GM crops had a significant negative impact on wildlife. Others pointed out that the studies showed that using herbicide resistant

GM crops allowed better weed control and that under such conditions there were fewer weeds and fewer weed seeds. This result was then extrapolated to suggest that

GM crops would have significant impact on the wildlife that might rely on farm weeds. In July 2005 the same British scientists showed that transfer of a herbicide-resistance gene from GM oilseed rape to a wild cousin, charlock, and wild turnips was possible.

Many agricultural scientists and food policy specialists view GM crops as an important element in sustainable food security and environmental management. This point of view is summarized in the ABIC Manifesto: ___________________ .

On our planet, 18 % of the land mass is used for agricultural production. This fraction cannot be increased substantially. It is absolutely essential that the yield per unit of land increases beyond current levels given that: The human population is still growing,

and will reach about nine billion by 2040; 70,000 km² of agricultural land (equivalent to 60 % of the German agricultural area) are lost annually to growth of cities and other non-agricultural uses; Consumer diets in developing countries are increasingly changing

from plant-based proteins to animal protein, a trend that requires a greater amount of crop-based feeds. More skeptical scientists as Dr. Charles Benbrook point out that improvement of global food security is hardly being addressed by genetic research and that a lack of yield is often not caused by insufficient genetic resources. Regarding the issues of intellectual property and patent law, an international report from the year 2000 states: __________ .

If the rights to these tools are strongly and universally enforced – and not extensively licensed or provided pro bono in the developing world – then the potential applications of GM technologies described previously are unlikely to benefit the less developed

nations of the world for a long time (i.e. until after the restrictions conveyed by these rights have expired).