Disease Proof

• Last year E. coli kept us out of the spinach patch and now it seems salmonella has reared its ugly head. More from the Associated Press:

The recalled spinach was distributed throughout the 48 states and Canada and sold in both retail and food service packages.

It covers 8,118 cases of spinach, although the company said more than 90 percent of that was on hold and would not be released.

While only a single sample from one of three packing lines tested positive for salmonella, the company said it moved to recall all the spinach packed that same day as a precaution.

• The Cancer Blog ponders the dos and don’ts of eating soy:

In comparing soy-eating Japanese women with American women who eat very little soy, researchers find lower rates of breast cancer in the Japanese women. But in a test tube, soy's plant estrogens can speed cancer cell growth. Maybe soy behaves differently in the body than it does in a tube. Or maybe soy has both negative and positive effects on breast cancer. Perhaps it's not soy at all. It could be that the populations eating soy are benefiting from not eating something else, like meat -- the saturated fat found in red meat has been linked to higher cancer rates. Replacing steak with something else may be the protective key.

• Here’s good reason to never-ever smoke. According to new research even if you’ve already quit smoking, the cancer risk can still haunt you. The AFP reports:

Taking samples from the respiratory tracts of 24 smokers, non-smokers and ex-smokers, Canadian researchers from the British Columbia Cancer Agency anaylsed gene activity using a powerful technique called "serial analysis of gene expression" (SAGE).

What they found is not encouraging for ex-puffers who thought they had escaped the dangers of lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in the world.

While certain undesirable genes changes triggered by tobacco were reversed, some DNA repair genes were permanently damaged by smoking, and others that have the potential to help combat lung cancer development remained switched off.

• Unless it involves chasing a chicken around, exercise tips are always cool. The Cardio Blog offers up some suggestions for fitness this fall. Take a look:

• Community education classes tend to follow the school year. Try something new with a friend.
• Brisk air and crunchy leaves invigorate the senses on a fall hike.
• Work fitness into your kid's routine by walking while you wait for them at practice.
• Enjoy your favorite fall TV shows -- on a treadmill or exercise bike!

• A lot of soy products can be deceptive. You might assume they have no dairy, but you got to look close. Veg Blog takes a look at one soy yogurt made with milk:

Perhaps it was naive of me to assume that soy yogurt would be, you know, non-dairy. But I guess you can’t trust a company who makes the bulk of their money from selling milk. Needless to say, there’s no way I’ll be buying any of their products going forward and they’ll definitely be receiving a call at 1-800-PRO-COWS (happy milk!) tomorrow. Might I encourage you to do the same to register your displeasure? And spread the word?


This is either a new thing or something they just decided to start divulging, as I definitely don’t recall seeing this on the label before.

• Steven Reinberg of HealthDay News reports that two popular rheumatoid arthritis medications have been linked to a slight chance of skin cancer. Read on:

"The risk of skin cancer is marginally increased among people with rheumatoid arthritis," said lead researcher Dr. Frederick Wolfe, a clinical professor of internal medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. "But it's nothing that anybody should be worried about," he added.


For the study, Wolfe and his colleagues collected data on 13,001 patients with rheumatoid arthritis included in the National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases and the U.S. National Cancer Institute SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End-Results). The researchers found a total of 623 cases of skin cancer and 537 cases of other cancers.

They also found that anti-TNF-alpha medications were associated with a slight increased risk of skin cancer. But, they did not find any increased risk for other cancers, according to the report in the September issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

• Diet-Blog is all over KFC’s new marketing plan—smell marketing. Have a look see:

I've often joked that maybe KFC have some very large extractor fans rigged in such a way as to maximize that distinctive KFC smell.


KFC have realized this, and have been trialling a new form of advertising that uses the "smell factor".

KFC has targeted corporate offices, and has managed to place a $2.99 plate meal on "the actual mail carts that pass the offices of hungry workers."

• Oh, and if you like being grossed out. Check out this New York Times article for plenty for deep-fried candy bars and cookies. Monica Davey introduces us to this uber junk food:

“This is a slice of heaven,” said Ryan Howell, 31, as he cradled his Combo Plate, which, for the record, consists of one battered Snickers bar, two battered Oreos and a battered Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup — all deep-fried in oil that is trans-fat free, thank goodness.

“This was an issue we wanted to tackle,” said Cindy Hoye, executive director of the fair, which spent the winter months testing various oils and, despite the fears of some concessionaires about possible changes to taste or costs or tradition, concluded that trans-fat-free oils created what Ms. Hoye called a better product.

National fair officials say Indiana and at least one other fair, the Western Washington, have led the way on a health issue that is only now creating a buzz in the fair industry. During a national convention of fair officials in Las Vegas this November, Indiana representatives are to offer a workshop, “Going Trans-Fat Free,” which, the convention program promises, will answer the question “What is all the craze about?”