Nutrition News Briefs
- U.S. farmers spent $126 billion to produce the food consumed in 1996, and $421
billion was spent by the food industry to market it.
- A study of 33,737 men found that higher levels of the mineral selenium were
associated with a reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer. Selenium has also been found
to protect against lung, colon and rectal cancers.
- The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) recently attempted to prevent sales of the
health supplement Cholestin because it contained a naturally occurring
cholesterol-lowering chemical also used in synthetic form in the prescription drug
Mevacor. The makers of Cholestin took the FDA to court to block the agency's restrictive
action, and because the FDA could not prove that Cholestin was unsafe in any way, the
judge ruled against the agency. Critics of the FDA's move believe it was a blatant attempt
to protect Mevacor from competition with an inexpensive but equally effective alternative.
Based on information in: Organic Gardening, Sept-Oct 1998; Science News, 19-Sept-98;
Whole Foods, Sept-Oct 1998 |