An Oprah threat to your health and the health of your children? Have you been misled?

Find out at www.Oprahcide.com or www.DeathByOprah.com

See FTC complaints about Oprah and her diet experts at www.JailForOprah.com

Saturday, July 18, 2009

First Evidence That Weed Killers Improve Nutritional Value Of A Key Food Crop

A whole new type of scientific literature and words of caution to coffee lovers.
"Scientists are reporting for the first time that the use of weed killers in farmers' fields boosts the nutritional value of an important food a crop. Application of two common herbicides to several varieties of sweet corn significantly increased the amount of key nutrients termed carotenoids in the corn kernels, according to a study scheduled for publication in the July 22 issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. In the new study, Dean Kopsell and colleagues note that farmers grow about 240,000 acres of sweet corn in the United States each year, making it an important food crop. Corn is among only a few vegetable crops that are good sources of zeaxanthin carotenoids. Consuming carotenoid-rich vegetables may reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (a leading cause of vision loss among older people), heart disease, and cancer, the study notes.

The scientists exposed several varieties of sweet corn plants to the herbicide mesotrione or a combination of mesotrione and atrazine, another commonly used weed killer, and harvested mature corn 45 days later. Herbicide applications made the corn an even-better source of carotenoids, boosting levels in the mature kernels of some varieties by up to 15 percent. It specifically increased levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, the major carotenoids in sweet corn kernels, which studies have linked to a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration."
This will add even more credence to the position that they have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to "healthy" foods. (they don't exist, anyway)

However, healthy eating or eating healthily (take your pick, they're the same) is safe from any assaults or research caprices.

As to cautioning coffee lovers:

Real coffee lovers just chew the beans. They know that if you love coffee, you do not dilute it with water.

Warning - do not consume weed killers straight. Always dilute your weed killers in food first.

No comments: