constitutional amendment
to protect the pursuit of happiness

make the search for happiness an inalienable right

the Happier Movement, a non-governmental organization backing the legislation

Both Japan and South Korea include the right to happiness in their constitutions

Bhutan pioneered the idea of maintaining a "happiness index." W
1776 U.S. Declaration of Independence made its often-noted stand for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

"pursuit of happiness" into Article 6 of the constitution, which states that education, health, food, work, housing, leisure and security – among other issues – are the social rights of all citizens.

holding to account a government that has long been accused of not providing basic services to the poor.

"This great proposal would establish tools that would permit, in the pursuit of happiness, the rescue of social rights,"
change expectations.

Brazil Considers Adding 'Happiness' To Constitution

MARCO SIBAJA 02/ 2/11 07:20 AM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/02/brazil-happiness-constitution_n_817397.html

BRASILIA, Brazil — In a nation known for its jubilant spirit, massive parties and seemingly intrinsic ability to celebrate anything under the sun, is a constitutional amendment really required to protect the pursuit of happiness?

Several lawmakers think so, and a bill to amend Brazil's Constitution to make the search for happiness an inalienable right is widely expected to be approved soon by the Senate, which reconvened Tuesday. The bill would then go to the lower house.

The debate comes a month before Brazil's Carnival, a raucous festival replete with tens of thousands half-naked men and women that Rio officials call the largest party on Earth. But supporters say the happiness bill is a serious undertaking despite the revelry, meant to address Brazil's stark economic and social inequalities.

"In Brazil, we've had economic growth without the social growth hoped for," said Mauro Motoryn, the director of the Happier Movement, a non-governmental organization backing the legislation. "With the constitutional amendment, we want to provoke discussion, to seek approval for the creation of conditions in which social rights are upheld."

Similar explorations of officially finding happiness have been pushed by other governments. Both Japan and South Korea include the right to happiness in their constitutions, and earlier this month, the British government detailed plans to begin a $3 million project to measure citizens' well being.

In the early 1970s, the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan pioneered the idea of maintaining a "happiness index." Well before that, the 1776 U.S. Declaration of Independence made its often-noted stand for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

The bill before Brazil's Congress would insert the phrase "pursuit of happiness" into Article 6 of the constitution, which states that education, health, food, work, housing, leisure and security – among other issues – are the social rights of all citizens.

Cristovam Buarque, a senator and former minister of education who is the bill's sponsor in the Senate, said adding the "pursuit of happiness" was essential to helping ordinary people begin holding to account a government that has long been accused of not providing basic services to the poor.

While Brazil is on track to becoming the world's fifth largest economy by the time its hosts the 2016 Olympics, it's lagging public education system, poor roads and railways and crime-ridden slums threaten further advances.

Cristiano Paixao, a constitutional law expert and professor at the University of Brasilia, said he thought the proposed amendment was pointless tinkering that would end up being "legal folklore" as Brazil's democracy has moved beyond the need for such gimmicks since the end of the 1964-85 military dictatorship.

"It would make sense if we were in the moment of redemocratization, of the movement for direct elections," he said. "Now, it just won't be of use."

At a Senate hearing before the bill was passed by a committee last November, Daniel Seidel of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops criticized the "pursuit of happiness" movement as little more than a marketing campaign that didn't propose solutions to Brazil's social woes.

"Wouldn't it be better to speak clearly about social welfare, about the reduction of inequality?" he asked senators.

But Luciano Borges, president of the National Association of Public Defenders, said the movement could breathe life into a legal push for stronger social rights.

"This great proposal would establish tools that would permit, in the pursuit of happiness, the rescue of social rights," he said.

Motoryn, of the Happier Movement, said he is simply hoping society will take a serious look at the proposed amendment, and perhaps change their expectations.

"Happiness isn't a game, people confuse it with something that is superfluous and it isn't," he said. "We need quality health care, which we don't have. We need quality education, which we don't have.

"It's about creating conditions for people to pursue happiness, but with training, with knowledge, preparing us to be a more advanced society in the future."

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Toasting bread increases acrylamides significantly - doubling, even over 5 times in this white bread:
Pepperidge Farm Original White Bread (not toasted) 36
Pepperidge Farm Original White Bread (toasted) 216

Acrylamide is a well-established carcinogen and neurotoxin
the typical American diet contains rather large amounts of acrylamide
even more prevalent in diets that contain a lot of fried foods.

diets low in fried starchy foods contain very low levels of acrylamide.

fried, deep fried or oven-baked during production or preparation are not considered to contain any appreciable levels of acrylamide.
No levels could be detected in any of the raw foodstuffs or foods cooked by boiling, including potatoes, rice, pasta, and flour.³

the best thing, of course, is to eat NO fried foods at all.
avoid burning food during frying, deep-frying, broiling and grilling, and to especially not eat burned food, period! ³

N-acetyl-cysteine and lipoic acid have been shown to be protective against acrylamides toxicity

rats and mice that were given acrylamide over a period of seven days developed tumors

acrylamide's neurotoxicity was due to a dramatic reduction in glucose metabolism in nerve cells

eat lots of fruits and veggies, and protect yourself with a good antioxidant.

limit the amount of fried foods in your diet, as they contain both acrylamide and other damaging chemicals formed by the heating and oxidation of oil
---

Acrylamide
present in certain foods cooked at high temperatures

acrylamide can cause nerve damage in humans, such as loss of feeling, loss muscle control and tingling.

acrylamide levels
starch-based foods, such as potato chips, french fries, cookies, cereals and bread
Tortilla chips, breakfast cereals, breads, cookies, crackers, and other bakery products contain
significant amounts of acrylamide.

They do not form when food is cooked in water,

higher the cooking temperature, the more acrylamide is formed.

AGEs may also cause cancers, aging of tissues, and arteriosclerosis by raising cholesterol and causing clotting and are associated with loss of kidney function, Alzheimer's disease, thinning and wrinkling of skin and cataracts.

Cooking with water prevents sugars from binding to proteins to form these poisonous chemicals.

ACRYLAMIDE

Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/1220.html

Research in four countries is suggesting that French fries and potato chips may be a leading cause of cancer in the Western world. Scientists at the meeting of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization are very concerned about the very high levels of acrylamide in the food supply. Acrylamide is a chemical used in the manufacture of plastics. It was first discovered to be present in certain foods cooked at high temperatures as the result of work announced in Sweden in April 2002.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have concluded that acrylamide causes cancer in laboratory animals, but there are no studies of the relationship between acrylamide and cancer in humans. However, solid research shows that acrylamide can cause nerve damage in humans, such as loss of feeling, loss muscle control and tingling.

The Swedish research and subsequent studies in Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, have found that acrylamide levels in certain starch-based foods, such as potato chips, french fries, cookies, cereals and bread, were well above the level given in the World Health Organization's Guideline Values for Drinking Water Quality. Potato chips contain 500 times the maximum allowable amounts of acrylamide, and French fries sold in fast food chains contain more than 100 times the maximal allowable amounts. Tortilla chips, breakfast cereals, breads, cookies, crackers, and other bakery products contain smaller but significant amounts of acrylamide.

Acrylamide belongs to a class of chemicals that form advanced glycation end products, also known by their first letters as AGEs. They are a group of molecules that are formed when sugar attaches on protein when starchy foods such as potatoes and grains are cooked in the absence of water at very high temperatures. They do not form when food is cooked in water, and the higher the cooking temperature, the more acrylamide is formed.

Diabetics form advanced glycation products in their bodies because high blood sugar levels cause sugar to stick on the protein in cell membranes to form AGES, and it is these AGEs that cause the horrible side effects of diabetes, such as blindness, deafness, heart attacks, strokes and kidney damage. AGEs can damage every tissue in the body. HBA1C, the blood test doctors use to measure control of diabetes, actually measures this sugar bound to the protein on a person's cells. AGEs may also cause cancers, aging of tissues, and arteriosclerosis by raising cholesterol and causing clotting and are associated with loss of kidney function, Alzheimer's disease, thinning and wrinkling of skin and cataracts.

Exciting research from the University of Reading in England may eventually allow us to eat French fires and potato chips without being harmed by acrylamides (4). Deep frying at high temperature causes sugar in potatoes to stick to protein to form acrylamides. Donald Mottram showed that asparagine, only one of the 21 amino acids that form protein in humans, sticks to sugar. If this is true, it may be relatively simple to finding and use strains of potato with a low asparagine content, or genetically engineer potatoes or wheat that lacks asparagine. Then foods could be made from them that did not have asparagine available to form acrylamide.

Cooking with water prevents sugars from binding to proteins to form these poisonous chemicals. Since steamed and boiled vegetables, whole grains, beans and fruits are cooked with water, they do not contain significant amounts of advanced glycation products. This is another reason that you should eat your fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans -- raw or cooked with water. We no longer recommend eating potato chips or French fries as a source of salt when you exercise, and we will avoid eating them ourselves.

=====

Acrylamide: The Food Toxin That Could Cause Cancer

http://www.smart-publications.com/articles/view/acrylamide-the-food-toxin-that-could-cause-cancer/#fn-333-5

Acrylamide is a well-established carcinogen and neurotoxin (causes nerve damage). According to Lois Gold, director of the Carcinogenic Potency Project at the University of California, Berkeley, "You get more acrylamide from smoking than you do from food." But based on a newly released Swedish report that indicates acrylamide is a by-product of fried foods, there is definite room for concern-not panic.

The study was based on the original findings that adduct levels (products of acrylamide that react with blood hemoglobin) were found in people who hadn't been exposed to it. Because the amount is considered a cancer risk, it was deemed important to identify acrylamide's origin. A scientific group at the University of Stockholm, headed by Professor Margareta Törnqvist, found that acrylamide is formed during the heating of starch-rich foods to high temperatures. ¹

The same thing was shown in a previous Swedish study, done two years ago, in which rats were fed fried animal feed for one or two months. ²

What's your risk? The bad news is, the typical American diet contains rather large amounts of acrylamide, and it's even more prevalent in diets that contain a lot of fried foods.

The good news is that diets low in fried starchy foods contain very low levels of acrylamide. Also, the amount of acrylamide needed to cause cancer in humans is still unknown.

What foods contain acrylamide? Acrylamide is probably formed in many types of food, many of which have not yet been analyzed. But among the foods that have been analyzed, potato chips and French fries generally contained the highest levels. The average content in potato chips is approximately 1000 micrograms/kg and in French fries approximately 500 micrograms/kg. Other food groups which may contain low as well as high levels of acrylamide are fried bread products-such as doughnuts-breakfast cereals, fried potato products, biscuits, cookies and snacks, such as tortilla chips and popcorn. ³

Foods that are not fried, deep fried or oven-baked during production or preparation are not considered to contain any appreciable levels of acrylamide.
No levels could be detected in any of the raw foodstuffs or foods cooked by boiling, including potatoes, rice, pasta, and flour.³

How much acrylamide do you ingest on a daily basis? The Swedish National Food Administration's 1997-98 survey3 of 1200 individuals, aged 17 to 70, found that an average intake of approximately 25 micrograms per day (maximum intake is approximately six times higher) of acrylamide is obtained, based on the food groups shown below. The remaining food groups are estimated to account for approximately 10-15 micrograms of acrylamide; in total an average intake of 35-40 micrograms. The percentage contribution based on an intake of 40 micrograms acrylamide per day results in:

potato products: 36 % (French fries 16 %, fried potatoes 10 %, potato chips 10 %)
bread: 16 %
biscuits, cookies and wafers: 5 %
breakfast cereals: 3 %
remaining foodstuffs groups, basically not investigated yet: 40 %

What does that mean?

It's still too soon to know exactly how much acrylamide is considered dangerous to humans.

What can you do to counteract the bad effects of acrylamide? If you have a lot of will power, the best thing, of course, is to eat NO fried foods at all. The Swedish National Food Administration advises people to stop smoking, and to avoid burning food during frying, deep-frying, broiling and grilling, and to especially not eat burned food, period! ³

Have your cake and eat it, too. If you must have your fries and chips, and want to counteract the bad effects of acrylamide, there are a couple of nutritional supplements that are believed to offer protection against acrylamide's toxicity.

N-acetyl-cysteine and lipoic acid have been shown to be protective against acrylamides toxicity and offer a dietary means of counteracting acrylamide's bad effects.

One study showed that rats and mice that were given acrylamide over a period of seven days developed tumors. When they were also treated with N-acetyl- L-cysteine, the incidence of tumors was inhibited. ⁴

Another study showed that acrylamide's neurotoxicity was due to a dramatic reduction in glucose metabolism in nerve cells, and that lipoic acid could help prevent this negative effect and help restore normal metabolism and prevent damage. ⁵

Is acrylamide risk new?

Probably not, according to the Swedish National Food Administration. "We have probably been exposed to acrylamide in food for generations." Other sources than foodstuffs (estimated average intake of 35-40 microgram/day), e.g. cosmetics, drinking water, and a possible endogenous formation in the body of acrylamide, could, to a lower extent, contribute to a background level. "The new, emerging knowledge may make it possible to reduce the risks that we have so far accepted. This is a very positive development." ⁶

In the meantime, eat lots of fruits and veggies, and protect yourself with a good antioxidant. And it wouldn't hurt if you limit the amount of fried foods in your diet, as they contain both acrylamide and other damaging chemicals formed by the heating and oxidation of oil

References

Tareke E, Rydberg P, Karlsson P, Eriksson S, Tornqvist M. Analysis of acrylamide, a carcinogen formed in heated foodstuffs.J Agric Food Chem, 2002 Aug 14;50(17):4998-5006.

↑
Tareke E, Rydberg P, Karlsson P, Eriksson S, Tornqvist M. Acrylamide: a cooking carcinogen? Chem Res Toxicol 2000 Jun;13(6):517-22

↑
http://www.slv.se/

↑
Park J, Kamendulis LM, Friedman MA, Klaunig JE Acrylamide-induced cellular transformation. Toxicol Sci 2002 Feb;65(2):177-83

↑
Anuradha B, Varalakshmi P. Activities of glucose-metabolizing enzymes in experimental neurotoxic models with lipoate as an alleviator. J Appl Toxicol 1999 Nov-Dec;19(6):405-9

↑
http://www.slv.se/

↑

====

A good study on bread including acrylamides in backed bread and other baked and fried products:
http://www.joyfulaging.com/Bread.htm

Modern white bread is bad for your longevity, health and happiness – It should be avoided, ESPECIALLY by adults and by everyone who is overweight or has high blood sugar.

headaches, vascular damage, strokes, heart attacks, degenerative nerve disease, dementia, memory loss, vision problems, depression, lethargy, poor job performance, personality changes, poor judgment, slow reaction time, deadly accidents, stomachaches, liver damage, breast cancer (and other forms of cancer), poor digestion and improper metabolism. The measurable nerve and liver damage associated with internal yeast fermentation is seldom as rapid as with ingested alcohol, but the long-term net brain, vascular and liver damage is essentially the same.

When you eat a diet that is high in refined carbohydrates (sugar, flour, fructose, corn syrup, etc.), your intestinal flora and fauna (like Candida Albicons yeast germs) can proliferate exponentially, along with various forms of harmful bacteria, molds and fungi. Increased numbers of yeast and harmful bacteria generate well-known cell-killing toxins,

Too much iron stored in our tissues can do severe damage to our cells, tissues and internal organs. For the many men over 40 and post-menopausal women with high iron storage, the iron supplements in almost all commercial flour and bread products can accelerating aging and do serious damage,

“Asparagine” is a naturally-occurring amino acid found in carbohydrate foods that, when heated with sugars such as glucose, forms the acrylamide carcinogen. Many natural uncooked foods contain enzymes – proteins made up of amino acids that act as a catalyst and aid in the metabolism of the food, so the body can use it effectively. The higher the temperature used to prepare a starchy food and the longer it is cooked, the more likely that the three dimensional chemical structure of its enzymes will denature (break down) and become inactive, ineffective, or worse yet, a toxic, cancer-causing mutagen like acrylamide.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration made determining how to lower acrylamide levels in food “one of its highest research priorities,” according to an aggressive plan that FDA officials presented to consumer advocacy groups and food manufacturers on September 30, 2002.

Canada's government previously discovered the acrylamide / asparagine chemical reaction and quickly ordered food manufacturers to look for ways to alter it and lower acrylamide levels in foods.

Wasa Original Crispbread Fiber Rye	504
Sara Lee Plain Mini Bagels (toasted)	343
Herr's Extra Thin Pretzels	309
Dare Breton Thin Wheat Crackers	300
Pepperidge Farm Original White Bread (toasted)	216
Streit's Lightly Salted Matzos	182
Gerber Finger Foods Biter Biscuits	130
Keebler Town House Crackers Reduced Fat	130
Indian flat bread (from local restaurant)	125
Nabisco Arrowroot Biscuit (baby food)	113
Stella D'Oro Anisette Toast Cookies	107
Nabisco Chips Ahoy! Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies	97
Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats	78
Utz Unsalted Sourdough Specials	70
General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch	61
Gerber Graduates for Toddlers Animal Crackers	60
Pepperidge Farm Natural Whole Grain Whole Wheat (toasted)	59
Sara Lee Plain Mini Bagels (not toasted)	58
Sara Lee Honey Wheat Bagels (toasted)	57
Pepperidge Farm Cheddar Goldfish	57
Maruchan Instant Lunch Ramen Noodles with Vegetables Chicken Flavor	52
Super G Bread Crumbs Regular Style	42
Super G Unsalted Tops Crackers	41
Contadina Bread Crumbs Three Cheese	39
Pepperidge Farm Original White Bread (not toasted)	36
Pepperidge Farm Dark Pump Pumpernickel (not toasted)	34
Lipton Asian Side Dishes Teriyaki Noodles	34
Boboli Italian Pizza Crust (not baked)	33
Sara Lee Honey Wheat Bagels (not toasted)	27
Red Oval Farms Mini Stoned Wheat Thins	26
Shoppers Food Warehouse Cake Doughnut	24
Boboli Italian Pizza Crust (baked)	24
Nabisco Zwieback Toast (baby food)	20
La Banderita Flour Tortillas (fried)	15
Shoppers Food Warehouse Plain Doughnut	14
Super G Macaroni & Cheese Dinner	12
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner	11

Bottom Line Summary: If you want to live a long, happy, healthy life,

AVOID: HIGH BLOOD SUGAR, ALL SOURCES OF ACRYLAMIDES and
TRANS FATS, INCLUDING BREAD. INCREASE INTAKE OF ANTIOXIDANTS.

===

AT7 Health News

Monday, February 14, 2011