Thursday, October 29, 2009

Giving Candy to Kids may Lead to Violent Crimes

The Bitter Side of a Sweet Treat: Giving Candy to Kids may Lead to Violent Crimes

Thursday, October 29, 2009 by: Elizabeth Walling, citizen journalist
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Key concepts: Candy, Sugar and Health
View on NaturalPedia: Candy, Sugar and Health

(NaturalNews) Most parents are aware that too much refined sugar isn't good for their kids. Now a new study indicates that children who are given sweets on a daily basis are more likely to end up as violent adults. The Welsh study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, examined data on more than 17,000 children born in April of 1970. The data was derived from the British Cohort Study, which provided detailed information about the participants at points throughout their childhood and adulthood.

When questioned at age 34, there were 35 participants who reported being convicted of a violent crime. Out of these, 69 percent reported eating candy daily as a child, while 42 participants without a history of violence reported consuming daily sweets as children. These statistics occur after accounting for factors such as gender, education, family income and parenting styles.

Researchers, however, are not entirely sure how to interpret the results of this preliminary study. Study author Simon Moore, a senior lecturer in the Violence and Society Research Group at Cardiff University in Wales, says sugar is not entirely to blame. Children who receive sugary treats every day may not learn to delay gratification and could develop poor impulse control. These traits are linked to delinquency later in life.

"We think that it is more to do with the way that sweets are given to children rather than the sweets themselves. Using sweets to quiet noisy children might just reinforce problems for later in life," adds Moore.

Experts like Melinda Johnson, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, agree that the study doesn't prove sugar is the true cause behind violence in adulthood. She says the children in the study may have experienced violence at home, and suggests the possibility that children who receive candy on a daily basis may suffer from poor overall nutrition.

In fact, Simon Moore discovered the link between childhood nutrition and adult behavior before he participated in this study. "Kids with the worst problems tend to be impulsive risk takers, and these kids had terrible diets - breakfast was a Coke and a bag of chips."

We know that sugar weakens the immune system in children and also prevents some nutrients from being properly utilized, which means limiting refined sugar is a definite part of providing children with a nutritious diet. But in response to the results of this study, Moore is quoted saying, "It's not fair to blame it on the candy."

Not fair to whom? Since its doubtful candy itself will suffer hurt feelings, perhaps this means it would be unfair to the commercialized food industry if suddenly parents stopped buying sodas, fruit drinks, sugary cereals, cookies and candy to pacify their children in an effort to prevent violent behavior. The effect would likely be profound, as you could imagine.

Would it solve all violence issues? Of course not. We know that sugar is not to blame for all of our problems, but

if the use of refined sugar was greatly reduced in our society we would notice two things:
first, a broad improvement in behavior and health in both children and adults.

And secondly, commercial food companies would notice their fat wallets slimming down considerably. Neither the food or pharmaceutical industries are quite ready for an outcome such as this, so the real effects of refined sugar on children continues to be played down by experts of the industry.

Admittedly, the study in question is far from extensive and can't be considered a clear conviction against sugar. What we can infer from this study is that when parents take a more conscientious approach toward their children when it comes to food, it can have a positive effect on the lives and future of their children.

Nutrition is not the only important aspect of raising children, but good nutrition is a solid foundation which parents can build upon to help their children grow into productive, mindful adults.

For More Information:

http://www.time.com/time/health/art...

http://health.usnews.com/articles/h...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...

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Monday, October 26, 2009

Raw Milk Is Real - Commercial Processed Milk Can Be Totally Dead And Worse

Good Beginnings [- Raw Milk]
special recipe for nourishing milk
a healthy cow.
raised humanely, primarily on pasture, and without the use of hormones, antibiotics or unnatural feeds.
from a local dairy

The Amazing Health Benefits of Raw Milk
nutritional content of raw milk is broad and highly bioavailable.
complete package of proteins, natural carbohydrates, natural fats, vitamins, and minerals complete with the enzymes necessary to completely digest and assimilate all of these valuable nutrients.
rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, chloride, zinc, selenium, manganese, iodide, phosphorus and many others. Its range of vitamins includes A, C, D, E, K, B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin and folic acid. All of these vital nutrients remain intact only when milk is raw.

The natural fats in raw milk are essential for using all the important fat-soluble vitamins in raw milk. Again, these remain undamaged only in raw milk.

raw milk can be vital for growing children, preventing common maladies such as asthma, allergies, tooth decay, influenza, pneumonia and many others, while improving overall growth and development
raw milk in his practice as a healing food.reduce allergies, prevent infections and improve overall health.
raw milk can be a wholesome and healing addition to your diet.
---

milk began as a powerful health food

the milk we encounter today is an industrialized, processed product. commercial processing:

Pasteurization

Louis Pasteur
developed the pasteurization process to preserve beer and wine, not milk.
dairy operations became more concerned with profits rather than the cleanliness of their milk.
cut corners and produce filthy milk, only to "clean" it up with a nifty, high-heat sanitation process.

The purpose of pasteurization is to eliminate all bacteria and enzymes.
The process is not selective - all friendly bacteria and beneficial enzymes are destroyed
actually makes pasteurized milk more susceptible to contamination because it has no good bacteria to fight off the bad.

Many people who are lactose-intolerant may find they can add milk back into their diet if it's raw, simply because of this specialized bacteria.

Ultra-pasteurization is a process that involves even higher temperatures for longer periods.
industry standard because it virtually kills milk and makes it completely sterile.
it is simply dead.

Homogenization

homogenization process is harmful because it causes the milk fat to oxidize.
linked to modern diseases like cardiovascular disease.

Reconstitution
powdered milk, which is blasted with high temperatures during dehydration.
causes oxidation and the formation of potentially carcinogenic compounds.
Commercial milk may also be completely reconstituted from powdered milk or milk solids. ... not have to be stated on the food label

akin to eating irradiated vegetables or hydrogenated oils.

Commercial processing mutates a health food into a disaster
.

Is Milk the Real Problem?

dairy industry is its treatment of dairy cattle, who are often confined in filth, shot up with growth hormones and antibiotics, and kept in such harsh conditions that their life span is barely one-quarter of that of the average pastured cow.
disregard for the health and well-being of consumers.

+++

Dairy Un-Forbidden: Discover the Virtues of Raw Milk (Opinion)

Monday, October 26, 2009 by: Elizabeth Walling, citizen journalist
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Key concepts: Raw milk, Health and Food
View on NaturalPedia: Raw milk, Health and Food

(NaturalNews) Dairy has come under attack in recent years, and it's no wonder why. Milk has been linked to all sorts of health problems such as allergies, sinus infections and even cancer. But the commercial dairy industry touts milk as a health food that is necessary for healthy bones and teeth. So, what is fact and what is fiction? Is milk a superfood or a wicked fiend? The truth is that milk began as a powerful health food and has been corrupted by greed into its modern commercially-processed counterpart.

The fact that milk is an inherently unhealthy food is a misconception which is not entirely unfounded. The truth is that almost all of the milk we encounter today is an industrialized, processed product. It is not anything close to a whole, natural food. Modern milk is hit hard when it comes to commercial processing:

Pasteurization

Most people can link the term pasteurization with Louis Pasteur, but few people realize he originally developed the pasteurization process to preserve beer and wine, not milk. In the world of dairy, pasteurization only became necessary when dairy operations became more concerned with profits rather than the cleanliness of their milk. Pasteurized milk meant they could cut corners and produce filthy milk, only to "clean" it up with a nifty, high-heat sanitation process.

The purpose of pasteurization is to eliminate all bacteria and enzymes. The process is not selective - all friendly bacteria and beneficial enzymes are destroyed along with any potential pathogens. Most people don't realize this actually makes pasteurized milk more susceptible to contamination because it has no good bacteria to fight off the bad.

Among valuable living organisms destroyed during pasteurization Lactobacilli bacteria aids in the digestion of lactose. Many people who are lactose-intolerant may find they can add milk back into their diet if it's raw, simply because of this specialized bacteria. Enzymes are also destroyed during pasteurization. Lipase, an important fat-assimilating enzyme, is non-existent in pasteurized milk, as well as phosphatase, the enzyme that makes calcium absorption possible.

In addition to killing off beneficial bacteria and enzymes, pasteurization also destroys other nutritional aspects of milk. Pasteurized milk often contains less than half the vitamin A, C, D and E compared to raw milk (the vitamin D content in commercial milk is synthetic). Valuable B6 and B12 vitamins are completely obliterated when exposed to heat. In addition, the minerals in pasteurized milk are not bioavailable like those in raw milk. Amino acids like tyrosine and lysine are also altered during pasteurization.

Ultra-pasteurization is a process that involves even higher temperatures for longer periods. This method has become an industry standard because it virtually kills milk and makes it completely sterile. It is no longer a living food rich in vital substances - it is simply dead.

Homogenization

This process essentially breaks up and redistributes the fat in milk so the cream will no longer rise to the top. Almost all commercial milk is homogenized. The homogenization process is harmful because it causes the milk fat to oxidize. Oxidized fat is a dangerous substance that can be linked to modern diseases like cardiovascular disease.

Reconstitution

Low-fat versions of commercial milk are made more palatable with the addition of powdered milk, which is blasted with high temperatures during dehydration. This causes oxidation and the formation of potentially carcinogenic compounds. Commercial milk may also be completely reconstituted from powdered milk or milk solids. This does not have to be stated on the food label because according to legal technicalities it is considered to be "milk."

Drinking milk that has gone through these types of processing is akin to eating irradiated vegetables or hydrogenated oils. Commercial processing mutates a health food into a disaster, and we have learned this the hard way.

Is Milk the Real Problem?

One of the most objectionable aspects of the dairy industry is its treatment of dairy cattle, who are often confined in filth, shot up with growth hormones and antibiotics, and kept in such harsh conditions that their life span is barely one-quarter of that of the average pastured cow. Although the commercial diary industry insists the milk that comes from such cows is healthy, that is very difficult to believe. It can be said that all of the problems associated with the dairy products have nothing to do with milk and everything to do with commercialized industry and its obsession with the almighty dollar, coupled with complete disregard for the health and well-being of consumers.

Good Beginnings

There is a special recipe for nourishing milk, and it begins with a healthy cow. Dairy cattle should be raised humanely, primarily on pasture, and without the use of hormones, antibiotics or unnatural feeds. All milking cows should be visibly healthy and preferably certified. Ideally, raw milk should come from a local dairy where you can actually visit and see the operation in person. Bringing home a gallon of milk from a farm you have actually seen with your own eyes is a reward in itself, and the experience of bringing home a truly wholesome local food is priceless.

The Amazing Health Benefits of Raw Milk

The nutritional content of raw milk is broad and highly bioavailable. Raw milk is a complete package of proteins, natural carbohydrates, natural fats, vitamins, and minerals complete with the enzymes necessary to completely digest and assimilate all of these valuable nutrients. It is rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, chloride, zinc, selenium, manganese, iodide, phosphorus and many others. Its range of vitamins includes A, C, D, E, K, B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin and folic acid. All of these vital nutrients remain intact only when milk is raw.

Raw milk is considered a complete protein - meaning it contains all eight of the essential amino acids that can't be manufactured by the body. These aminos are important building blocks for cells, neurotransmitters, bones, muscles and the other non-essential amino acids. The natural fats in raw milk are essential for using all the important fat-soluble vitamins in raw milk. Again, these remain undamaged only in raw milk.

There are groups of native people, such as those from the Loetschental Valley in Switzerland, whose traditional diets consisted of mostly raw milk and its various food products (such as raw cheese, butter and cultured dairy foods). These people exhibited fine health and longevity. Several early studies revealed that raw milk can be vital for growing children, preventing common maladies such as asthma, allergies, tooth decay, influenza, pneumonia and many others, while improving overall growth and development (studies are cited below). Naturopathic doctor Ron Schmid, author of The Untold Story of Milk and raw milk enthusiast, regularly prescribes raw milk in his practice as a healing food. He especially notes raw milk's ability to reduce allergies, prevent infections and improve overall health. It is possible for us to learn from examples such as these, and consider raw milk a healthy choice.

For many of us, the decision about whether or not we include dairy products in our diet is a multi-faceted one. Consuming milk isn't right for everyone, for a variety of reasons. But if you've avoided milk because of its tainted reputation, it's important to realize raw milk can be a wholesome and healing addition to your diet.

For More Information:

http://www.realmilk.com/healthbenef...

http://www.realmilk.com/moreraw.html

http://www.realmilk.com/rawvpasteur...

http://www.westonaprice.org/transit...

Lancet, p 1142, 5/8/37

Am J Dis Child, Nov 1917

Lancet, 2001 358(9288):1129-33

Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin, 518, p 8, 1/33

Buzz up!
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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Regenerative Grassroots Solution - Organic Food, Farming, & Ranching

a powerful and regenerative grassroots solution: organic food, farming, and ranching.

feed the world with healthy food, but also reverse global warming

transitioning from chemical, water, and energy-intensive industrial agriculture practices to organic farming and ranching on the world's 3.5 billion acres of farmland and 8.2 billion acres of pasture or rangeland

We need to drastically reduce meat overproduction

the burning question is how do we move organics in the U.S. from being the 4% alternative in the marketplace to being the norm

stop buying chemical, GMO, globally sourced and so-called "natural" food
switch to organic and more locally and regionally produced products

a political movement and change public policy
move to an ethical and scientifically grounded policy and practice that promotes health, conservation,
+++

The Organic Revolution: How We Can Stop Global Warming

by Ronnie Cummins

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/10/22-11

Published on Thursday, October 22, 2009 by CommonDreams.org

"Let us not talk falsely now, for the hour is getting late."

Bob Dylan, "All Along the Watchtower"

* * *

Beyond the gloom and doom of the climate crisis, there lies a powerful and regenerative grassroots solution: organic food, farming, and ranching. Even as politicians and the powerful fossil fuel lobby drag their heels and refuse to acknowledge that we have about ten years left of "business as usual" before we irreversibly destroy the climate and ourselves, there is a powerful, though largely unrecognized, life-force spreading its roots underground.

Millions of organic farmers, ranchers, conservationists, and backyard gardeners (supported by millions of organic consumers) are demonstrating that we can build a healthy alternative to industrial agriculture and Food Inc. Our growing organic movement is proving that we can not only feed the world with healthy food, but also reverse global warming, by capturing and sequestering billions of tons of climate-destabilizing greenhouse gases in the soil, through plant photosynthesis, composting, cover crops, rotational grazing, wetlands preservation, and reforestation.

The heretofore unpublicized "good news" on climate change, according to the Rodale Institute and other soil scientists, is that transitioning from chemical, water, and energy-intensive industrial agriculture practices to organic farming and ranching on the world's 3.5 billion acres of farmland and 8.2 billion acres of pasture or rangeland can sequester 7,000 pounds per acre of climate-destabilizing CO2 every year, while nurturing healthy soils, plants, grasses, and trees that are resistant to drought, heavy rain, pests, and disease. And of course organic farms and ranches can provide us with food that is much more nutritious than industrial farms and ranches-food filled with vitamins, anti-oxidants, and essential trace minerals, free from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), pesticides, antibiotics, and sewage sludge.

In 2006, U.S. carbon dioxide pollution from fossil fuels (approximately 25% of the world's total) was estimated at nearly 6.5 billion tons. If a 7,000 lb/CO2/ac/year sequestration rate were achieved on all 434 million acres of cropland in the United States, nearly 1.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide would be sequestered per year, mitigating close to one quarter of the country's total fossil fuel emissions. If pastures and rangelands were similarly converted to organic practices, we would literally be well on our way to reversing global warming.

But we need an organic revolution in ranching and livestock production, as well as farming and forestry. We need to drastically reduce meat overproduction (77% of all U.S. agriculture resources are devoted to raising animals or animal feed), and over-consumption (a leading cause of obesity, heart disease and cancer) and ban methane-belching factory farms. As the Rodale Institute points out, organic livestock raising practices, including rotational grazing, manure management, methane capture for biogas production, and improved feeds and feed additives, can drastically reduce livestock-related emissions and, because of the massive acreage currently devoted to livestock production (nearly 2.5 times greater than croplands), can safely sequester approximately 60% of the total greenhouse gases that humans, animals, cars, and industry are pumping out every year.

This Organic Revolution, or "Great Sequestering," made possible by a global grassroots movement with the power to transform the marketplace and public policy, is perhaps the only short-term strategy or solution at hand that can buy us the precious time we need to radically reduce energy use and greenhouse pollution and build a green economy. Although politicians and the coal and utilities industry claim that sequestration of massive carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants is on the horizon, there is little or no scientific evidence to back this up. Sequestration of CO2 in the soils of organic farms and ranches, on the other hand, is a proven fact.

Before carbon sequestering forests and grasslands were ravaged by chemical-intensive industrial agriculture (and industrial forestry), soil organic matter generally composed 6-10% of the soil volume, three to six times the 1-3% levels typical of today's industrial agriculture soils. In other words, taxpayer subsidized, chemical-based industrial agriculture, factory farms, and unrestricted grazing (along with industrial forestry) have turned the earth's soil (which still contains three times as much carbon as the entire amount of CO2 in the atmosphere) from being a climate-stabilizing carbon sink into a massive and dangerous source of global warming.

Given our escalating climate emergency, the burning question is how do we move organics in the U.S. from being the 4% alternative in the marketplace to being the norm, and organic acreage from being 1% of total cultivated land to the majority of farmland, pasture, and rangeland? The answer of course is that we must sound the alert, offer up our practical solutions and rapidly transform public consciousness and policy. But the Via Organica, the road to get there, will be long and arduous. The majority of Americans must not only stop buying chemical, GMO, globally sourced and so-called "natural" food, and switch to organic and more locally and regionally produced products, but we must also rise up as a political movement and change public policy. We must literally force the politicians and the corporations to put a halt to our "business as usual" destruction of the climate and public health, and instead move to an ethical and scientifically grounded policy and practice that promotes health, conservation, greenhouse gas reduction, and organic sequestration. Please join and support the Organic Consumers Association and the climate change movement http://www.350.org as we carry out this life or death campaign.

Ronnie Cummins is co-founder and director of the Organic Consumers Association.

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Bolivia's Massive Public Health Campaign - Washing Hands - Significantly Reduces Common Disease

Bolivia ... massive campaign by the country's public-health officials ... millions of other Bolivian schoolchildren have been washing their hands a lot more than usual — after recess, before meals and every time the animated dancing hands pop up in public-service announcements on TV.

increase in hand-washing ... reduce ... spread of other common diseases in Bolivia.

10% to 15% drop in the rate of incidence of acute diarrheal diseases

prevention and educational campaigns."

promoting hand-washing on billboards, at soccer games, in classrooms and on TV.

Diligent washing, especially at critical times (like after going to the bathroom and before meals, for example), helps reduce the rate of diarrheal disease by more than 40%.

led to a sharp reduction of pinkeye cases in Korea
+++

H1N1: Swine Flu's Collateral Health Benefits in Bolivia

By Jean Friedman-Rudovsky / La Paz, Bolivia Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1931223,00.html

If any good has come of the global H1N1 flu pandemic, it may have started with a child like Nayeli Quispe, 7, a second-grader from the impoverished hillsides of La Paz, Bolivia. Prompted by a massive campaign by the country's public-health officials to contain the spread of the new flu virus, Nayeli and millions of other Bolivian schoolchildren have been washing their hands a lot more than usual — after recess, before meals and every time the animated dancing hands pop up in public-service announcements on TV. "First you wet them really well, then you rub the soap all around and then you dry them with a clean towel," says Nayeli.

Public-health experts now say the increase in hand-washing across the country may have had some collateral benefits, not only in helping to reduce H1N1 infections, but also the spread of other common diseases in Bolivia. "We see a steady 10% to 15% drop in the rate of incidence of acute diarrheal diseases in all age groups, compared with last year's numbers at this time," says Dr. René Lenis, Bolivia's director of epidemiology, referring to data collected on the number of weekly cases of diarrheal disease reported in medical centers nationwide in 2008 and 2009. (See how not to get the H1N1 flu.)

Although the new statistics, and the apparent link between hand-washing practices and disease reduction, need further investigation, "this certainly raises our attention," says Lenis. Diarrheal diseases are the biggest killer of children under age 5 worldwide; in Bolivia, 30,000 children die each year from such illnesses. Swine flu, as H1N1 is still referred to there, has hit Bolivia hard as well, with more than 2,000 infections and 55 deaths in a country of 9 million, most having occurred during the southern hemisphere's winter (June through August). (Read "Child-Care Centers and Parents Brace for Flu Season.")

When the virus first appeared, say government officials, the country reacted the only way it could. "You can combat these outbreaks in two ways — medically and nonmedically," says Lenis. "Bolivia doesn't have the medical resources that other countries do, so we rely on prevention and educational campaigns."

Starting in April, sudsy cartoon hands were everywhere, promoting hand-washing on billboards, at soccer games, in classrooms and on TV. "[Nayeli] was taught at school, and then would remind us to do it at home," says Claudia Quispe, Nayeli's mom. It's not that she and her family didn't wash their hands before, explains Quispe, an indigenous Aymara shop owner, but they didn't do it as much or as thoroughly as they should have. Within her family, Quispe thinks the public-health campaign has been a success: "Normally both Nayeli and my 3-year-old son have constant stomachaches or diarrhea. But in the last few months, they just haven't had those issues," she says.

That's exactly how the program is supposed to work, says Therese Doley, a senior adviser for UNICEF's Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project. "Kids are the key because they are great at carrying messages," Doley tells TIME. For years, WASH has been trying to educate people, particularly in developing countries, about the benefits of a simple action like washing hands with soap. Diligent washing, especially at critical times (like after going to the bathroom and before meals, for example), helps reduce the rate of diarrheal disease by more than 40%.

Often, though, the problem is not just about good habits or bad ones but about access to clean water or the ability to afford soap. In Bolivia, 25% of the country still doesn't have access to water in the home. Health officials recognize that every citizen must have a sink to wash their hands in before they can expect significant reduction in disease. But when more than half the population is already living with some sort of bacterial or parasitic stomach infection, it's crucial to encourage those who can wash their hands to do so.

Lenis and Doley are still wary of the short-term data on Bolivia's descending rates of diarrheal disease; it remains to be seen whether the trend will hold up. But the findings "make a lot of sense, because behavior change like increased hand-washing happens quicker when there is a perceived threat," says Doley. She says she has not seen similar data regarding a drop in rates of diarrheal or other diseases on an H1N1 timeline from other countries (though at least one news report suggests that increased hand-washing due to H1N1 has led to a sharp reduction of pinkeye cases in Korea). They may trickle in, however, if other countries are also looking for these correlations, says Doley.

Bolivia's challenge now is to maintain the good numbers. The last time Bolivia witnessed a plummet in diarrheal-disease rates was during the cholera outbreak of 1992 and 1993, when better personal-hygiene habits led to a reduction in the spread of infection. But as the threat of the disease died down, so too did people's standards of cleanliness. Lenis says that the Bolivian government is committed to continuing its media campaigns and that ongoing potable-water and sewage-system expansion projects will help make Bolivians healthier. Most important, however, is keeping up the education, says Lenis. "Adults forget or think [hand-washing is] not necessary anymore, but kids get into it as an activity," he says, adding that he's lobbying to make hand-washing education part of the basic public-school curriculum. It may thus be up to little Nayeli and all her friends to keep their country on track.

The Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex: A Deadly Fairy Tale

Some excerpts:
Merck’s ... Gardasil vaccine for HPV, now being widely administered to pre-teens, was found to be linked
to ... Lou Gehrig’s disease;
$1.4 billion fine ... deceptive correspondence ... Eli Lilly gaming the system again
AstraZeneca was fined $160 million for scamming the Medicaid system in Kentucky after being fined $215 million for ripping off
Alabama;
Glaxo l... failing to warn doctors and pregnant women of the dangers of its antidepressant drug Paxil related to birth defects;
Pfizer scored a record- breaking fine of $2.3 billion for illegally marketing several drugs over the years

Merck is steeped in a well-documented record of criminality.

The pharmaceutical complex has also infiltrated the majority of American medical
schools and medical research departments.
Mylan Labs settled a case for $100 million.Mylan conspired with the main manufacturer of the
active, indispensible ingredient to have an exclusive agreement.
The FDA’s under-regulation and erroneous oversight encourages this type of corruption.

demand legal accountability
+++

The Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex: A Deadly Fairy Tale

Doug Henderson and Gary Null
Progressive Radio Network, October 20, 2009
PDF Version

It has been a particularly bad month for the pharmaceutical industrial complex in its
ongoing litigations in American courts. Among the main pharmaceutical headlines, Merck’s
Gardasil vaccine for HPV, now being widely administered to pre-teens, was found to be linked
to amyltrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease; following a $1.4
billion fine in promoting one of its blockbuster drugs Zyprexa off-label, deceptive
correspondence was uncovered by Eli Lilly gaming the system again by promoting another one
of its drugs, Cymbalta, off-label for fibromyalgia; AstraZeneca was fined $160 million for
scamming the Medicaid system in Kentucky after being fined $215 million for ripping off
Alabama; Glaxo lost a Pennsylvania trial for failing to warn doctors and pregnant women of the
dangers of its antidepressant drug Paxil related to birth defects; and Pfizer scored a record-
breaking fine of $2.3 billion for illegally marketing several drugs over the years: Bextra, Zyvox,
Geodon and Lyrica. These kinds of charges, among the many others, have become a habit for
drug makers for the past dozen years.

When we speak of the pharmaceutical industry complex, it does not refer solely to private
drug manufacturers. The complex, like a Matrix that holds captive the health of the nation in
medical slavery by its own design and manipulation, is a consortium, a spiders’ web woven with
financial attachments throughout the medical profession. In addition to the pharmaceutical and
medical device firms, this complex includes every government health agency—the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), and or course the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—as well as
drug lobbying firms now employing a large number of former Congresspersons, insurance and
HMO companies, all of the leading professional medical associations such as the American
Medical Association (AMA) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the majority of
medical schools and their research departments who are heavily funded by drug money, many of
1

the most prestigious medical journals, and ultimately all of this filtering downward to the
physicians who diagnose our illnesses and prescribe our medications and treatments.

America is rightly regarded as having led much of the world in many qualitative
innovations in all fields. That reputation is duly deserved. However, there is a new dynamic at
work that is causing this reputation to be challenged. We are a nation that prides itself in our
humanity, our sense of fairness, but today there is a growing concern that we are now being
monikered as a country held hostage to a national security complex, which includes the largest
military complex in the world, an obscenely expensive healthcare system and self-serving
bureaucracies and private industries that serve their own financial ends. So it is not surprising
that after spending this year $2.6 trillion on healthcare, we have such little health to show for it.
There are second world countries where people live longer and healthier lives. And we have the
worst healthcare among developed nations. So what have we received for our $2.6 trillion.

As the current healthcare debate continues to rage over in sundries—the $200 billion net
profit health insurance industry—the entire deliberation over disease prevention and treatment
has been overshadowed. And amidst this partisan and ideological anarchy, perpetuated by our
elected officials, the media, and fueled by the pharmaceutical complex, two other areas America
excels as a leader above all other developed nations is in being the premier breeding ground for
the pharmaceutical industrial complex’s greatest profits and, second, as the world’s exemplar in
medical fraud and corruption. The fairy tale of America’s health as being best served by drugs is
a creation of this complex, a lullaby that brings ill citizens repeatedly to their doctors and
hospitals for diagnosis and treatment, or simply to deny healthcare altogether to the uninsured.
The country is pacified by a blind belief that the drugs being prescribed to them have been
proven safe because our government health agencies have our physical health and well-being in
their best intentions. This is a lie, an extraordinarily deadly lie. Iatrogenesis, medically induced
injury and death, is the number one cause of death in American medicine annually, since only a
small percentage of these deaths are actually reported. Each year more Americans die from
preventable deaths due to our medical system than all military causalities in the two world wars
combined. This is tantamount to medical genocide. One of the major causes of these deaths is the
overmedication of Americans in all ages. The constant need for profits has created an
environment that allows the pharmaceutical industrial complex to use their enormous financial
2

and political clout to literally make normal life experiences into new diseases, such as social
anxiety disorder, in order to sell its drugs. The pharmaceutical industry has been given the
authority to pathologize life, with the drugging of our children, seniors, etc. For example, the
leading cause of AIDS deaths today is a result of liver failure. This is not a condition of HIV
infection, but a direct result of the anti-HIV drug AZT. Is it little wonder then that we are being
intimidated and frightened into believing that mandatory vaccination is being touted even though
the science of efficacy and safety, even the need, for these new swine flu vaccines is patently
unproven. It is perhaps one of the largest falsehoods ever perpetuated on humanity that dwarfs
the sleaze on Wall Street.

If any one of us committed manslaughter, we would be behind bars instead of walking a
crimson carpet into the offices of our elected officials in the Congress and Senate or past the
gates guarded by the nation’s Cerberus, Rahm Emmanuel, to lobby the White House. Yet if we
are a pharmaceutical executive, or a lobbyist representing a drug company who has collected a
litany of charges including medical fraud, criminal salesmanship, gaming the insurance
industries, repeated lying to federal officials, and manipulation of data regarding life-threatening
adverse effects of drugs that have killed so many people, we can walk away with a fine, a surge
in the stock market after a settlement, a financial bonus, and the personal satisfaction in not
having to apologize so we can continue business as usual. This is the power the pharmaceutical
industrial complex possesses and its usurped right to distain every noble principle in the
Hippocratic Oath that every physician dedicates her or himself to live by, “That I will exercise
my art solely for the cure of my patients, and will give no drug and perform no operation for a
criminal purpose.”

Every American who is prescribed a drug by a physician has the belief that that pill has
undergone rigorous trials to scrutinize its safety. And when there are known potential adverse
effects, we blindly assume these are known to the attending physician. However, this is a myth
perpetuated not only by drug makers, but by our own federal health agencies. A 2003
investigation published in The Independent in the UK reported that “under pressure from the
pharmaceutical industry, the FDA routinely conceals information it considers commercially
sensitive, leaving medical specialists unable to assess the true risks [of approved drugs].” One
case involved a very popular over-the-counter drug, the painkiller ibuprofen. The investigators’
3

search uncovered concealed data showing that ibuprofen increased heart attack risks by 25
percent. Even Freedom of Information (FOI) filings to the FDA do not produce all the
information being requested. For example, a group of Swiss investigators filed an FOI to procure
trial data about the musculoskeletal pain drug Celecoxib and received back only 16 of the 27
trials conducted on it. A separate FOI concerning a similar drug, Valdecoxib, had pages and
paragraphs deleted because sections of the document were marked as “trade secrets.” An even
worse case involving a leaked report concerning internal memos and secret FDA reports
provided detailed evidence that the FDA approved 9 different antidepressants, representing a
total of 22 studies enrolling 4,250 children, while knowing full well that the risk of “suicide-
related events” was twice as high as children taking a placebo. These are just several examples
among numerous others.

The pharmaceutical industrial complex is perhaps the largest, most influential cartel in
the world. This becomes evident after considering the billions of dollars and other currencies
drug companies have been forced to pay for a wide variety of corruption charges. Our analysis of
724 legal settlements from a random sampling among the over one hundred thousand by
pharmaceutical corporations totally $87 billion is just a small indication about how pervasive Big
Pharma’s criminality since the vast majority of settlements are concluded outside of court and
remain confidential.

It is extremely difficult to comprehend why the United States principle federal health
agencies, particularly the FDA and National Institutes of Health (NIH), with the specific
mandate to provide oversight on all pre-approved drug applications and delegated with the task
to assure drugs are safe or at least specify clearly their known dangers, are so reprehensible and
inept. There is only one rational answer and that is the pharmaceutical industry is the FDA’s
largest client, and this relationship goes much deeper than the FDA functioning as an objective
regulator investigating pharmaceutical products before being released upon the American
population. It is not to far afield to suggest that as it stands now the US regulatory agencies are
an extension of corporate America.

As serial offenders of product safety cover-ups for over a decade, drugs have injured and
killed millions. In the case Merck’s Vioxx, this one drug has killed 44,000 people and injured
4

120,000 others. Only in America could you kill 44,000 and not go to jail and get a raise. Should
we assume, therefore, that the pharmaceutical complex should be trusted without challenge? We
have also been asked to believe that the manufacturers were guided by a sense of public service.
But when examining the top ten drugs sold, the facts reveal otherwise. In one example,
manufacturers marked up a drug an astounding 500,000% over its equivalent generic version.
Six other drugs were marked up 2000%. Pharmaceutical companies make profits higher than oil
companies.

Big Pharma’s impact is felt almost everywhere. But nowhere is it felt more than in the
legal system. In a recently concluded, short-term study, we found 724 cases involving Big
Pharma in which either the case ended in a verdict against the pharmaceutical company or the
company settled. The number of cases is staggering, as are the dollar amounts. These cases cover
practically every type of civil and criminal case. From products that kill, harm and maim, to false
claims, to not paying taxes, to patent infringements, to bribery, to publishing false scientific
journals. Yet, in spite of the tens of thousands of lawsuits won against Big Pharma, it still
conducts business as usual.

Eli Lilly flooded state Medicaid programs with Zyprexa: its superstar, antipsychotic drug.
In 2003, worldwide sales of Zyprexa grossed $4.28 billion, amounting to almost one third of
Lilly’s total sales. In the United States, during the same year, Zyprexa grossed $2.63 billion. A
whopping 70 percent of these sales were directly related to government agencies—principally
Medicaid. Fast-forward six years to 2009, Eli Lilly pleaded guilty for having illegally marketed
Zyprexa for an unapproved use to treat dementia, and will pay $1.42 billion to settle civil suits
and end the criminal investigation. Lilly agreed to pay $800 million to settle civil suits. It will
pay $615 million to resolve the criminal probe, and plead guilty to a misdemeanor in violation of
the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for promoting Zyprexa as a dementia treatment.

Did Lilly also know of the possibility that Zyprexa could cause diabetes, which was also
kept concealed under the protection of the FDA? They most certainly did, which makes their
behavior all the more reprehensible. In 2002, British and Japanese regulatory agencies issued a
warning that Zyprexa may cause diabetes. In addition, even after the FDA issued a similar
warning in 2003, Lilly did not pull Zyprexa from the market. This becomes all the more
5

understandable after it is taken into consideration that Lilly is also the largest maker of diabetes
medications.

An article by Mike Adams, the Natural News editor, states that Merck employees had a
“hit list” of doctors they sought to “neutralize.” This allegation was confirmed when documents
that had been secret were revealed during a Vioxx court case. The Australian revealed that the
documents surfaced in the Federal Court in Melbourne and exposed the criminal intent
of Merck employees who admitted they were going to “stop funding to institutions” and
“interfere with academic appointments.”   One Merck employee testified (about the doctors on
the hit list), “We may need to seek them out and destroy them where they live.” Merck
threatened or intimidated at least eight clinical investigators, testimony in court revealed. There
are other, similar stories in which Merck deals with dissent by attempting to destroy the lives
and careers of academics who don’t review their drugs favorably.

Merck is steeped in a well-documented record of criminality. Such actions include, but
are not limited to, intentionally hiding the liver-damaging effects of its cholesterol drug,
intentionally withholding the release of clinical data that revealed the failures of another
cholesterol drug; it has dumped vaccine waste and manufacturing chemicals into water supplies;
it opened up offshore banking accounts to avoid paying billions of dollars in U.S. taxes, and it
was caught in a huge scheme of scientific fraud when it was discovered that the company used
in-house writers to secretly write so-called “independent” studies that were published in peer-
reviewed medical journals.

Under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which the U.S. Department of Justice and the
SEC enforce, it is illegal to bribe a foreign government official in order to obtain or retain
business. Apparently, Bristol-Myers and Schering Plough were unaware of this law. According
to the Associated Press, both drug makers were engaged in influencing government officials in
Germany and Poland respectively.

Earlier this year, an article in the Boston Business Journal reported that a former drug
company sales executive pleaded guilty in Boston federal court to telling the roughly 100
representatives she supervised that they should promote a pain drug for uses she knew had been
rejected by the FDA. Bextra was the drug she pleaded guilty to inappropriately selling. Pfizer has
6

since pulled it from the market. According to a press release from U.S. Attorney Michael
Sullivan's office, “Holloway was aware of the FDA's safety concerns, but...she nonetheless had
her sales staff of approximately 100 employees sells Bextra for precisely the uses that the FDA
refused to approve.”

The pharmaceutical complex has also infiltrated the majority of American medical
schools and medical research departments. A recent survey in the Journal of the American
Medical Association discovered that 60% of academic department chairs have personal ties to
industry (as consultants, board members, or paid speakers), while 66% of the academic
departments had institutional ties to industry. Researchers who receive funding from drug and
medical-device manufacturers are up to 3.5 times as likely to state their study drug or medical
device works than are researchers without such funding.

In America, one can hardly turn on the television or pick up a newspaper without reading
about the hot button issue of health care reform. Why such emotion? Why are, seemingly,
rational people so intransigent and unwilling to budge from their positions? Could lobbyists have
anything to do with this? According to OpenSecrets.org, there are 3093 lobbyists in the health
field and Big Pharma now spends approximately $1.2 million daily to persuade Congress to act
according to their script. An investigation conducted by Medical Verdicts & Law Weekly found
that 30 key lawmakers are involved in health legislation totaling $11 million in health
investments. Three of every four major health firms have at least one lobbyist who worked for a
congressman. Startlingly, nine lobbyists employed by Big Pharma are former congressional
staffers who are still well-connected to Capitol Hill. The conflicts of interest are everywhere.
Judd Gregg (R-NH), the Obama nominee for Commerce Secretary, who withdrew because of
opposition to the Administration's agenda, is a senior member of the Health Committee. He
revealed that he has $254,000-$560,000 in health stocks."

In 2000, Mylan Labs settled a case for $100 million. What the numbers don’t tell you is
the story behind the numbers. In 1998, Mylan raised the wholesale price of clorazepate, a generic
tranquilizer, to $377.00 (for 500 tablets) from $11.36 in one year. This represents a 3000%
increase on a generic drug.
7

It was subsequently revealed that Mylan conspired with the main manufacturer of the
active, indispensible ingredient to have an exclusive agreement. The agreement prevented any
other manufacturers from producing the drug, for without the active ingredient, the drug could
not be made. Mylan’s deception was uncovered and it had to pay $100 million to settle an FTC
antitrust case. But Mylan represents only an infinitesimal percentage of such examples. In all
likelihood, the vast majority of similar cases remain undetected. The FDA’s under-regulation
and erroneous oversight encourages this type of corruption.

Another case included in our study states, “TAP [Taketa-Abbott Pharmaceutical]
Pharmaceutical Products Inc. -- $875,000,000 under the False Claims Act.” TAP agreed to pay
$875 million to resolve criminal charges and civil liabilities in connection with its fraudulent
drug pricing and marketing conduct regarding the drug Lupron, according to a press release from
the Department of Justice. Lupron is used by male cancer patients to suppress the production of
testosterone. Another drug worked as well, so to make Lupron the drug of choice for this
condition, TAP played dirty by giving kickbacks to physicians prescribing the drug, thus
ensuring its ridiculously high price would be maintained. Even though criminal indictments were
filed against TAP Pharmaceutical officials, Lupron’s price remains overly inflated.

Ever wonder why Big Pharma would engage in all manner of illegal activity? In light of
the steady stream of articles detailing how the elderly are oftentimes forced to choose between
purchasing their medication and buying food, a good place to begin is to examine what it costs to
make a drug and what Big Pharma sells it for. Life Extension magazine conducted an original
investigative report in which it compared the actual price of a popular drug and how much the
generic version of its active ingredients costs. Examine these figures:

WHAT DRUGS REALLY COST
BRAND NAME CONSUMER
PRICE
(For 100
tabs/caps)
COST OF
GENERIC
ACTIVE
INGREDIENT
(For 100
tabs/caps)
PERCENT MARKUP
8

Celebrex 100 mg $130.27 $0.60 21,712%
Claritin 10 mg $215.17 $0.71 30,306%
Keflex 250 mg $157.39 $1.88 8,372%
Lipitor 20 mg $272.37 $5.80 4,696%
Norvasc 10 mg $188.29 $0.14 134,493%
Paxil 20 mg $220.27 $7.60 2,898%
Prevacid 30 mg $344.77 $1.01 34,136%
Prilosec 20 mg $360.97 $0.52 69,417%
Prozac 20 mg $247.47 $0.11 224,973%
Tenormin 50 mg $104.47 $0.13 80,362%
Vasotec 10 mg $102.37 $0.20 51,185%
Xanax 1mg $136.79 $0.024 569,958%
Zestril 20 mg $89.89 $3.20 2,809%
Zithromax 600mg $1,482.19 $18.78 7,892%
Zocor 40mg $350.27 $8.63 4,059%
Zoloft 50mg $206.87 $1.75 11,821%

9

In order to understand how we can spend 2.6 trillion this year on healthcare, but not
reduce the incidence of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, mental conditions, arthritis, etc.,
we must realize this is a game. With each piece of the puzzle, feeding into a single picture of a
massively corrupt, unethical, and frequently illegal system controlled by relatively few
corporations within the pharmaceutical complex and the health insurance industry, are the ring
leaders. They in turn influence thousands of lobbyists, paid-off scientists and academicians, and
policymakers, especially those who rule on important health oversight committees. Health
officials and legislators in turn solicit expert witnesses, preselected by the cartels, to position
their drug agendas in the most favorable manner. The pharmaceutical cartel also has direct
connections with its supporting scientific advisory boards and key foundations. These
foundations, supported by policy think tanks who supply the so-called independent experts, then
lobby the upper echelon within the FDA, NIH, CDC, NIMH, HHS. Ideally they hire former
health commissioners and legislators previously players in the game to assist those same federal
agencies to see their drugs guided through the regulatory process. Public relations and
advertizing firms are contracted to give the public impression that these drugs are effective and
safe for the sole reason they have received official licensing. In addition, the cartel creates front
organizations with consumer-friendly titles whose representatives appear at national conferences
and seminars beholden to special drug interests. Finally, the drug corporations set money aside to
be paid out in settlements. With the exception of class action suits, the majority of cases for
injury and death are accompanied by confidentiality clauses to prevent public disclosure of data
the companies wish to remain secret.

This is how the medical system is rigged and it is why we can watch 60 Minutes or read
the New York Times serving as pharmaceutical shills to encourage vaccination, yet refusing to
air or print the dissenting voices who have the scientific evidence to show it is a massive fraud.
Therefore, the public is misled every step of the way. Victims of injury, such as the tens of
thousands of children, now at 1 in 91 children, with autism spectrum disorder, are forced to fend
for themselves. Parents know far better than the FDA and CDC, when their perfectly normal
child after a vaccination or a series of vaccines shortly thereafter is lost, withdrawn into the dark
corners of autism. And yet the pediatrician and psychologist will say the child must have had a
genetic defect. The CDC, FDA and NIH, with an orchestrated voice, say it is not the vaccine.
Everyone within the pharmaceutical industrial complex denies the truth. Only now, during the
10

11

healthcare debate, are we seeing clearly the rampant politics of the pharmaceutical and insurance
industries. The veils are finally being removed. If it were not for the healthcare debacle, we
might still not know how the game is rigged and why our politicians and health officials will not
tolerate any real reform and accountability at any level.

If we want to clean up American medicine, the corporate shield must be removed and
politicians, health officials and pharmaceutical executives must be held accountable. If they are
threatened with jail time for manslaughter by pushing dangerous drugs, then we will see less life-
threatening drugs go to market.

We are in a perfect storm without a life raft. We much take back our freedoms of choice
and demand legal accountability or nothing will change.

Doug Henderson, JD is a legal mediator specializing in civil rights and Director of Gary
Null and Associates in New York City. Dr. Gary Null is the host of the nation’s longest
running public radio program on nutrition and natural health and a multi-award-winning
director of progressive documentary films, including Vaccine Nation and Autism:
Made in the USA. Dr. Null is also the plaintiff on a law suit against the FDA to prevent
the launch of the swine flu vaccine until safety studies have been thoroughly conducted.

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Keeping the Body Alkaline for Optimum Health

Keep the Body Alkaline for Optimum Health

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 by: Alex Howard, citizen journalist
See all articles by this author
Email this author

http://www.naturalnews.com/027280_alkaline_food_blood.html

Key concepts: Alkaline, Food and Blood

(NaturalNews) The term pH stands for potential hydrogen. It is the degree of concentration of hydrogen ions in a substance such as water, blood and food. pH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14. The lower the pH reading - the more acidic a substance is. The higher the pH reading, the more alkaline the body is. A pH of 7 is neutral. Ph balance is the balance of acid and alkaline in all fluids and cells throughout your body. Our bodies are alkaline by design and acid by function. This means that our bodies function more efficiently when slightly alkaline, but bodily functions, such as digestion, are acid producing. So what can we do to ensure that our bodies remain more alkaline and balanced?

The human body's metabolic process is naturally acid producing. However, this waste needs to be neutralized or "balanced" so it can be safely eliminated from the body without damaging tissues and organs that are responsible for detoxifying the body. Alkalinity is needed to neutralize and balance acidity. The presence of alkalinity in the body's acid producing environment is counteractive to the onset of illness and disease and also prevents decomposition.

"Acidosis" refers to an acid pH. It is an imbalanced acidic condition of all bodily fluids. Almost all cellular functions in the body are sensitive to the pH of their fluids. If the pH falls too far to the acidic side the cells become poisoned in their own toxic wastes and will die. All chemical processes have an ideal pH.

Your blood should have a pH of 7.35 - 7.45. Many studies show that people with a correct blood pH enjoy good health; whereas, people with a low, or acidic, pH are more likely to be ill. The slightest imbalance can cause serious illness and disease.

The body will do whatever it must to maintain the blood pH balance, and will continually steal acidneutralizing minerals from wherever necessary, such as calcium from bones and teeth. The blood will dump the acid into other body organs in an effort to detoxify itself. The organs then dump the acid back into the blood, creating a vicious cycle of trying to rid itself of acidity. This cycle can be ended with a properly balance pH.

Symptoms of mild cases of acidosis include headache, lack of energy, sleepiness, fast and shallow breathing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and loss of appetite. Acidosis can result in rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, lupus, tuberculosis, osteoporoses, high blood pressure and most cancers.

Metabolic acidosis occurs when the body has more acidity then alkalinity in it. Eating a diet of excessive meats, grains and breads, dairy products, sugar, overcooked, refined and processed foods and fast foods, can lead to an acidic pH balance. Other factors can include overload from pollutants and chemicals, emotional stress and negative thinking. Even excessive exercising (past the point of exhaustion) causes acidity.

The most important way to stay alkaline is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

- Increase the amounts of vegetables and fruit (alkaline foods) that you eat while decreasing the amount of acid-forming foods, such as grains, dairy products, pasta and breads.

Juicing vegetables can be an excellent way to increase your alkaline food intake.

Just because a fruit or vegetable may be acid, that doesn't mean it will be acid when it is digested. When foods are digested, they turn into "ash". This ash is what determines if a food is acid or alkaline.

- It is important to remember that the method of cooking will also have either an acidic or alkaline reaction. For example, a potato that is baked or boiled in its jacket is alkaline food, whereas a fried potato is acid-forming.

- Make sure you drink at least 2 liters of good water per day. Normal tap water falls short of being good for you. Most city water has additives such as chlorine and fluoride, which are acid forming. Distilled water, water treated by reverse-osmosis or alkaline waters are best.

- Stress - Joy helps to alkalize the body. Take time to relax, have fun and laugh!

- Exercise will tend to make the body more alkaline, but exercising excessively will become acid-forming.

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Soy foods may curb hip fracture risk in older women

Fri Oct 16, 2009 10:16pm EDT

By Joene Hendry

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Postmenopausal women may lessen their chances of fracturing a hip by adding soy-based foods to their diet, a study from Singapore hints.

Women in the study were 21 to 36 percent less likely to fracture a hip when they reported eating a moderate amount of soy, Dr. Woon-Puay Koh, at the National University of Singapore, and colleagues found.

In their study, daily moderate soy intake was at least 2.7 grams of soy protein, 5.8 milligrams of soy isoflavones per 1000 calories, or the equivalent of 49.4 grams of tofu.

This level of soy is consistently "higher than the low levels of consumption in the West," Koh told Reuters Health in an email.

Koh's team assessed dietary soy intake of more than 63,000 Chinese men and women who were 45 to 74 years old when, between 1993 and 1998, they enrolled in the Singapore Chinese Health Study.

Follow-up through the end of 2006 showed 276 men and 692 women had fractured a hip.

The men were about 71 years old and the women about 73 years old, on average, when they suffered the fracture, the investigators report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

As mentioned, moderate soy intake was associated with a reduced risk of hip fracture among women, but not among men.

The current findings are consistent with those of a previous investigation in postmenopausal Chinese women in Shanghai who showed a 30 percent reduced risk for hip fracture among those consuming higher amounts of soy.

Koh and colleagues surmise that the bone-protective effects of soy isoflavones may play a critical role in the bone health of postmenopausal women.

They call for further investigations to confirm and clarify this association.

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, October 1, 2009