Creators Syndicate

FIGHT BACK!  BY DAVID HOROWITZ  

Just When You Thought It Was Safe 

        If you're like millions of other health-conscious  Americans,
you've probably given up butter in favor of  margarine as your spread
of choice. That's because butter is  loaded with cholesterol, which
contributes to heart disease,  while margarine is made with
cholesterol-free vegetable oils.  
        But two researchers at the Harvard School of Public  Health say
switching to margarine may be doing our hearts  more harm than good.
Dr. Walter Willett and Dr. Albert  Ascherio have found that trans-fatty
acids in margarine and  other hydrogenated vegetable oils actually
increase  concentrations of low-density lipoproteins, the so-called 
"bad cholesterol," and decrease high-density lipoproteins,  the "good
cholesterol" that helps protect the heart against  coronary disease.  
        Willett and Ascherio believe that trans-fatty acids may  cause
as many as 30,000 deaths a year in this country. They  want to see
hydrogenated vegetable oils phased out of food  processing. Short of
that, they suggest warning labels on all  foods containing hydrogenated
oils so that shoppers can avoid  or reduce their intake of trans-fatty
acids.  
        But other food scientists say the Harvard research is  far from
conclusive, and that more data on trans-fatty acids  must be collected
before any panic alarms are sounded. These  experts believe that
consumers should concentrate on reducing  the total amount of fat in
their diets, including both animal  and vegetable fats. If you must use
margarine, choose the  "light" or "diet" varieties or the softer
spreads that come  in tubs instead of sticks. Soft spreads are less
hydrogenated  than stick margarines.  *** 
        After years of development and testing, genetically  altered
tomatoes are on their way to supermarket shelves.  Calgene Inc.
received final approval from the Food and Drug  Administration to
market its patented Flavr-Savr tomato under  its premium-priced
MacGregor label. The Flavr-Savr tomato is  identical in taste and
nutritional value to ordinary tomatoes  -- only it's better. The
difference is that the new tomato is  genetically engineered to ripen
slowly.  
        Most commercial tomatoes are picked when they are green  so
they won't spoil before they get to market. Flavr-Savr  tomatoes are
left to ripen on the vine. Once picked, the  retarded ripening process
allows the tomatoes to reach the  supermarket ripe -- but not
over-ripe. And it's that vine- ripened flavor that Calgene was after.  
        From the beginning, natural-food activists have been 
concerned about the unknown health effects of genetically  altered
foods. Calgene sought to head-off any adverse public  reaction by
asking the FDA to test its new tomato and by  labeling its MacGregor
brand as a genetically altered food.  
        What concerns some consumer groups is that everything  Calgene
did was voluntary. The FDA has no program in place to  test the next
generation of genetically engineered  agricultural products. Nor does
the agency have any plans to  require warning labels on such products.
So, unless the  government decides to regulate genetically altered
foods and  fibers, that controversy is likely to continue in the
future.  
        If you have questions or comments, please write to David 
Horowitz at 72662,1775. COPYRIGHT 1994 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.