December 2007

Been overdoing the feasting and tempted by the latest 'detox' diet or supplements?  Well here's a good idea to help you recover and save you money at the same time.  First, drink a glass or two of water (tap is fine, cheaper and more sustainable than bottled); second, get a little exercise - maybe a walk in the park - and third, enjoy some nice home-cooked food.  There's a lot of nonsense talked about 'detoxing' and most people seem to forget that we are born with a built-in detox mechanism. It's called the liver. So my advice would be to ditch the detox diets and supplements and buy yourself something nice with the money you've saved.  Personally, I would recommend the new Neil Young and Steve Earle albums.  What about you? Happy New Year!

At this time of year we get to have some fun sending out some serious food safety messages wrapped up in a bit of festive cheer.    

This year a survey carried out by the Agency revealed that 80% of people in the UK were washing their turkeys before cooking. As you will hopefully be aware, washing raw meat can splash food poisoning bacteria around the kitchen, onto surfaces, utensils and chopping boards.  In 2002 an Agency study looking at the risks associated with handling raw meat found that when washing raw chicken in the sink, water droplets travelled up to 70cm.

As a scientist, I see some sources of evidence as being more powerful than others. For example, published evidence from a double blind, cross-over study, done to best practice and challenged through peer review carries more weight than anecdotal evidence. 

Nonetheless, all evidence is important and none is discounted when the Agency carries out a risk assessment, though it may be weighted according to its source. I have been interested to learn that the National Council of Women of Great Britain discussed the use of anecdotal evidence at its Annual Conference in October this year and adopted a motion to 'urge HMG to acknowledge the importance of anecdotal evidence in decision-making and put in place a system to seek, listen to, record, challenge and if proven act upon anecdotal evidence.
 
Having reproducible evidence and challenging through peer review are fundamental to the scientific process, but the Agency is not only about science.  When we develop advice and make policies -the risk management part of the business - the Agency takes into account a far wider evidence base (individual liberty, regulatory constraints, economic and social consequences and consumers’ appetite for risk).  This second stage is distinct from the scientific process of advocacy and challenge that generates the risk assessment; it's an iterative, consultative process which leads to our Board reaching and making a judgement accountably and in public.
 
I see anecdotal evidence as a trigger for more rigorous scientific studies which will provide reproducible evidence for an independent analysis of the risks.

I couldn’t help noticing a headline in the Daily Express last week ‘Tomato ketchup each day cuts your cholesterol’. The story is about a study from Finland that was published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

This somewhat small study of 21 people looked at the effects of eating tomato products on their total cholesterol, including low density lipoprotein (LDL), sometimes referred to as ‘bad cholesterol’, for three weeks. An increase in these can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. With a high tomato diet, the total cholesterol and LDL were reduced. So the researchers concluded that eating a lot of ‘tomato products’ protects you against hardening of the arteries.