In a statement issued by the company, Humana said the formula was kosher, manufactured under rabbinical supervision to insure it complied with Jewish dietary law, and followed specifications provided by Remedia. “Humana is doing everything it can to obtain further information that will clarify the matter. As well as the baby food, the illnesses may have had other causes,” the statement said.
According to Yediot Aharonot, the German weekly Der Spiegel reported in October 1995 that Humana had sold baby products containing proteins to infants that were allergic to proteins. Following the report, a civil suit was filed against the company and German authorities launched an investigation. Der Spiegel also reported that impurities were found in Humana products.
According to a Maariv report, the Health Ministry asked the Shin Bet and Mossad security services to become involved in the Remedia investigation due to the suspicion that the formula’s lack of B-1 vitamin could have been caused by terrorists. A senior Health Ministry official told Maariv that because the Humana production line was geared specifically for Israel, and for Jewish babies, someone could have intentionally tampered with the formula’s composition. Officials at the Shin Bet and Mossad would not confirm the report, the paper said.
While fermented soy products contain protein, vitamins, anti-carcinogenic substances and important fatty acids, they can under no circumstances be called nutritionally complete. Like all pulses, the soybean lacks vital sulfur-containing amino acids cystine and methionine. These are usually supplied by rice and other grains in areas where the soybean is traditionally consumed. Soy should never be considered as a substitute for animal products like meat or milk. Claims that fermented soy products like tempeh can be relied on as a source of vitamin B12, necessary for healthy blood and nervous system, have not been supported by scientific research.,’
When precipitated soy products are consumed with meat, the mineral blocking effects of the phytates are reduced. The Japanese traditionally eat tofu as part of a mineral-rich fish broth. Vegetarians who consume tofu and bean curd as a substitute for meat and dairy products risk severe mineral deficiencies. The results of calcium, magnesium and iron deficiency are well known, those of zinc are less so. Zinc is called the intelligence mineral because it is needed for optimal development and functioning of the brain and nervous system.
A previous study, however, had found that folate helped such patients. Dr. Eric Topol, an interventional cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, said he thought the truth was that it was neither helpful nor harmful for most people. “Over all, the likely explanation is that there is a neutral effect, and these relatively small trials found opposite findings due to the play of chance,” he said.
Researchers say the questions involve multivitamins taken by healthy people, not specific vitamins or minerals taken by groups with specific needs. Some elderly people, for example, may be deficient in vitamin B12 because they lose their ability to absorb it from foods. People who spend little time outdoors may require vitamin D, which the skin makes when it is exposed to sunlight. Even when older people are in the sun, aging skin loses much of its ability to synthesize the vitamin. Pregnant women who do not receive enough folic acid, a vitamin in fruits and vegetables that is added to enriched flour, are at increased risk of having babies with neural tube defects.
I’m sorry that my note to your group comes off as spam, which is the fault of my writing. I understand that, like all groups on the Usenet, your group gets its share of hucksters and hustlers, but I’m not trying to sell anything, and the information in my newsletter is highly relevant to your discussion. All I’m trying to do is spread the word about the newsletter (where I’m not trying to sell anything either). If you believe that nutrition news, and lessons in the skill of reading such news is not relevant in the discussion of diabetes, then I suppose I am a spammer, but I hope it’s clear that I believe these issues to be very relevant.
