Is the FDA to blame for U.S. health woes?

May 13, 3:12 PMExtreme Weight Loss ExaminerMark Rubi

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Photos from FDA.gov

Is the FDA to blame for U.S. health woes? The Food and Drug Administration is in the news a lot these days, busy saving Americans from the dangers of Cheerios and the like. The agency revels in publicity and promoting its image as a superhero safeguarding the American public. But underneath the mask of the hero is the face of something not quite so benign.

The FDA’s own publication lists their mission is to:
“Ensure that the nation’s food supply is
safe and wholesome, that the
cosmetics are not harmful, and that
medicines, medical devices, and
radiation-emitting consumer products
are safe and effective;”

This is certainly a noble goal and one that is broad and wide reaching. In 1958, the agency and Congress enacted the Food Additives Amendment and created a list of nearly 200 approved food additives. In 1958, the overall health of Americans was pretty good despite the fact that smoking was commonplace. Obesity and weight related chronic illnesses affected the only a small percentage of the American population.

50 years later, more than 60% of American adults are either overweight or obese. Chronic health issues related to the weight problems are at epidemic proportions. What has changed? Why isn’t our science and technology making us healthier instead of less healthy?

50 years later, the FDA’s food additive database, known as EAFUS (Everything Added to Food in the United States), lists over 3000 food additives. Nearly 700 of these additives are categorized as “EAF” – meaning that they have “not yet been assigned for toxicology literature search.” If they have not yet been tested for toxicology individually, then it is quite apparent that they have not been for their reaction when combined with any of the thousands of other food additives.

Recent studies have suggested that caloric intake alone is responsible for the increasing American waistline, but none have addressed the reason why. After all these thousands of years, did people all of a sudden become pigs? Or did environmental factors such as the ingredients in the food supply change drastically? What has been the effect of artificial sweeteners, hydrogenating oils and chemically altering corn to make it as sweet as sugar? And, what about those thousands of new chemicals added to our diets? Can these things have played a role?

According to smokefree.gov, more than 4000 chemicals are in cigarettes and cigarette smoke. We know that many of these chemicals were added to make the product more addictive. The tobacco industry knew why they were adding the chemicals. Does it seem unreasonable that the food industry might also know the same thing: Can certain additives increase your sales? Increased consumption may help the bottom line of business in the short term, but increased health costs for our country far outweigh the benefits.

Perhaps the problem is that the FDA has been more concerned with protecting consumers than protecting citizens. By focusing on consumerism rather than individual health, the FDA has allowed the food industry to dictate to them instead of the other way around.
 

 ©Copyright: Mark Rubi, May 13, 2009