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which attempted to provide for "advances in food technology" and er plasma cholesterol levels than the soybean-oil-fed calves; fat- give "manufacturers relief from the dilemma of either complying streaking was found in their aortas, and atherosclerosis was with an outdated standard or having to label their new products as enhanced. But the calves fed soybean oil showed a decline in ‘imitation’... [since] ...such products are not necessarily inferior to cium and magnesium levels in the blood, possibly due to ineffi- the traditional foods for which they may be substituted". Hutt cient absorption. They utilised vitamins and minerals inefficient- considered the word ‘imitation’ to be oversimplified, inaccurate ly, showed poor growth and poor bone development, and had and "potentially misleading to consumers". The new regulations abnormal hearts. More cholesterol per unit of dry matter was defined ‘inferiority’ as any reduction in content of an essential found in the aorta, liver, muscle, fat and coronary arteries—a nutrient that is present at a level of two per cent or more of the US finding which led the investigators to the conclusion that the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). The new ‘imitation’ pol- lower blood cholesterol levels in the soybean-oil-fed calves may icy meant that imitation sour cream, made with vegetable oil and _be the result of cholesterol being transferred from the blood to fillers like guar gum and carrageenan, need not be labelled 'imita- other tissues. The calves in the soybean oil group collapsed when tion' as long as artificial vitamins were added to bring macronutri- forced to move around and they were unaware of their surround- ent levels up to the same amounts as those in real sour cream. ings for short periods. They also had rickets and diarrhoea. Coffee creamers, imitation egg mixes, processed cheeses and imi- The McGovern Committee report continued dietary trends tation whipped cream no longer required the ‘imitation’ label, but already in progress: the increased use of vegetables oils, especial- could be sold as real and beneficial ly in the form of partially hydro- foods, low in cholesterol and rich in genated margarines and shortenings. polyunsaturates. Coffee creamers, imitation egg In 1976, the FDA established the These new regulations were adopt- mixes, processed cheeses and GRAS (Generally Recognized As ed without the consent of Congress, Safe) status for hydrogenated soy- continuing the trend instituted under imitation whipped cream no bean oil. A report prepared by the Nixon in which the White House longer required the ‘imitation’ Life Sciences Research Office of the would use the FDA to promote cer- Federation of American Scientists tain social agendas through govern- label, but could be sold as real for Experimental Biology (LSRO- cfectorincresing he lobbying coat | 2G beneficial foods, low in B isence inthe avalaleintormatio of special-interest groups such as the cholesterol and rich In on hydrogenated soybean oil that edible oil industry, and short-circuit- demonstrates or suggests reasonable ing public participation in the regula- polyunsaturates. ground to suspect a hazard to the tory process. It allowed food process- public when it is used as a direct or ing innovations, regarded as 'technologi- indirect food ingredient at levels that cal improvements' by manufacturers, to enter the marketplace are now current or that might reasonably be expected in the without the onus of economic fraud that might be engendered by _ future." greater consumer awareness and congressional supervision. They ushered in the era of ersatz foodstuffs, convenient counterfeit Wi: Mary Enig, a graduate student at the University of products—weary, stale, flat and immensely profitable. Maryland, read the McGovern Committee report, she fa ” Coffee creamers, imitation egg mixes, processed cheeses and imitation whipped cream no longer required the ‘imitation’ label, but could be sold as real and beneficial foods, low in cholesterol and rich in \ ), Then Mary Enig, a graduate student at the University of Maryland, read the McGovern Committee report, she was puzzled. Enig was familiar with Kummerow's research and she knew that the consumption of animal fats in America was not on the increase. Quite the contrary, the use of animal fats had been declining steadily since the turn of the nant powers, but entered the contest on the side of the lipid hypothesis. The Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, chaired by George McGovern during the years 1973 to 1977, actively promoted the use of vegetable oils. "Dietary Goals for the United States", published by the commit- tee, cited USDA data on fat consumption and stated categorically that "the overconsumption of fat, generally, and saturated fat in particular...have been related to six of the ten leading causes of death" in the United States. The report urged the American popu- lace to reduce overall fat intake and to substitute polyunsaturates for saturated fat from animal sources—margarine and corn oil for butter, lard and tallow. Opposing testimony included a moving letter (buried in the voluminous report) by Dr Fred Kummerow of the University of Illinois, urging a return to traditional whole foods and warning against the use of soft drinks. In the early 1970s, Kummerow had shown that trans fatty acids caused increased rates of heart dis- ease in pigs. A private endowment allowed him to continue his research, but government-funded agencies such as the National Institutes of Health refused to give him further grants. One study that was known to McGovern Committee members, but not mentioned in its final report, compared calves fed saturat- ed fat from tallow and lard with calves fed unsaturated fat from soybean oil. The calves fed tallow and lard did indeed show high- Corres did not voice any objection to this usurpation of its century. A report in the Journal of American Oil Chemists—which the McGovern Committee did not use—showed that animal fat con- sumption had declined from 104 grams per person per day in 1909 to 97 grams per day in 1972, while vegetable fat intake had increased from a mere 21 grams to almost 60 grams." Total per- capita fat consumption had increased over the period, but this increase was mostly due to an increase in unsaturated fats from vegetable oils—with 50 per cent of the increase coming from liq- uid vegetable oils and about 41 per cent from margarines made from vegetable oils. Enig noted a number of studies that directly contradicted the McGovern Committee's conclusions that "there is...a strong corre- lation between dietary fat intake and the incidence of breast can- cer and colon cancer"—two of the most common cancers in America. Greece, for example, had less than one-fourth the rate of breast cancer compared to Israel, but the same dietary fat intake. Spain had only one-third the breast cancer mortality of France and Italy, but the total dietary fat intake was slightly greater. Puerto Rico, with a high animal fat intake, had a very NEXUS - 23 polyunsaturates. Continued on page 80 DECEMBER 1998 - JANUARY 1999