Synthetic Versus Natural Food Colorings: Answers to Many Common Questions
There is a lot of confusion surrounding food color additives. Synthetic food dyes are a cause for grave concern for many consumers, and for good reason. After all, not only do we read articles telling us how dangerous these dyes may be (carcinogenic, mutagenic), we see some of them being banned from use in the United States and abroad. Why are colorants used in food at all, and why not use natural colors? A good question, and there are many more questions, and misconceptions, concerning the use of added coloring in food. This article aims to clear up some of the confusion, with a detailed list. Let's start with some basic questions.
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Overview of Categories of Controlled Substances in the United States
Controlled substances, are defined by The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Actu of 1970, which is usually referred to simply as the Controlled Substances Act. This act established the current categories of controlled substances by dividing them into five areas, called "schedules." Drugs classified in this manner are those which are considered to have a greater potential for abuse than prescriptions drugs. Schedule I drugs have the highest potential for abuse and schedule I the lowest. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is responsible for the regulation of controlled drugs, including oversight of manufacturing, distribution, storage and dispensing.
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Food Label Zealots, Chemicals, Supplements, and Natural Food: Want Some Chlorophyll?
As a continuance of my assault on the misleading ideas about "natural" food, this is yet another follow-up to a series of blog posts where I discuss chemicals in foods and the concept of natural. In the last one I talked about the difference between chemicals as nutrients and chemicals as pharmacologic agents. I explained that some chemicals in food do have a physiological affect beyond their basic biological functions. Others, such as compounds in herbals used for medicinal purposes simply have no function as a "nutrient." All of these, though, have one thing in common and that is summed up by saying that "The poison OR the remedy is in the DOSE." This is important in helping us recognize the difference between nutrition information and alternative medicine information.
Continue Reading » Food Label Zealots, Chemicals, Supplements, and Natural Food: Want Some Chlorophyll?
Experience with the Use of Sympathomimetic Agents Like Sibutramine (Meridia) for Weight Loss: Mostly Negative
Sibutramine is the most recent drug with sympathomimetic activity that has been recognized by regulatory agencies as having cardiovascular adverse effects that may outweigh its potential value as a weightloss drug. Sibutramine is marketed in Europe under several trade names, including Reductil, Reduxade, Ectiva, Sibutral, Zelium, and others. Meridia is the only brand name in the United States. The European Medicines Agency took definitive action on January 21, 2010 in advising against the continued prescribing of the drug, and Abbott Laboratories suspended sales of the drug in Europe [1]. This action was prompted by a preliminary evaluation of results from the Sibutramine Cardiovascular OUTcome (SCOUT) trial reported by the United States FDA [2]. The FDA has not imposed a ban on the drug but has obtained a change in the boxed warning label to contraindicate its use in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease and in all individuals over 65 years of age (updated warning, April 15, 2010). These regulatory actions were prompted by an early review of the SCOUT trial [3] that revealed an incidence of cardiovascular events of 11.4% in patients receiving sibutramine compared to 10% in those receiving placebo. This was an unexpected finding; the hypothesis in the design of the study was that an anticipated weight loss from the use of sibutramine would be associated with a reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular events when compared to that observed in patients receiving the placebo treatment [3].
Continue Reading » Experience with the Use of Sympathomimetic Agents Like Sibutramine (Meridia) for Weight Loss: Mostly Negative
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