Irradiated Foods May Cause Serious Brain Damage

Lourdes Salvador
A possible contributor to neurodevelopmental problems and neurological disorders has been uncovered in irradiated food.

Findings in a recent scientific study show that irradiated foods may cause severe neurological damage in cats, including paralysis, visual problems, and movement disorders.

Cats fed a diet of irradiated foods suffered from degradation of myelin, a protective insulator of nerve fibers in the central nervous system ane neurons in the brain.

Loss of the myelin sheet leads to diseases such as multiple sclerosis and impairs the central nervous system. This may result in movement disorders, cognitive problems, pain, and loss of feeling.

Some of the damage in the cats was reversible when they were taken off the irradiated food diet, showing promise for people with MS leading a more normal life with dietary intervention. However, the newly developed myelin was not as thick as the original myelin.

Unfortunately, irradiated foods are increasing and are not required by law to be labeled. Many so-called fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats are approved for irradiation with a dose of radiation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the claim of preventing bacteria growth and preserving freshness.


Scientists were quick to dismiss the potential for similar demyelinating in humans. "We think it is extremely unlikely that [irradiated food] could become a human health problem," Ian Duncan., a professor at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, explained.

Others cite the rise in autism, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological disorders along with many studies which show food irradiation produces known toxic and carcinogenic chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects.

Reference

Duncan ID, Brower A, Kondo Y, Curlee JF Jr, Schultz RD. Extensive remyelination of the CNS leads to functional recovery. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Apr 2.

This article originally appeared in the MCS America News, June 2009 Issue http://mcs-america.org/June2009.pdf. For more articles on this topic, see: MCSA News.

Copyrighted 2009 Lourdes Salvador & MCS America
Print Email
Bookmark and Share

Lourdes Salvador

Lourdes Salvador is the founder of MCS America, a science writer, and a social advocate for the greater awareness of environmental contamination, human toxicology, and propagation of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) as a disorder of organic biological origin induced by toxic environmental insults.

The mission of MCS America (MCSA) is:

1. To propagate medical, legal, and social recognition for multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) as a disorder of organic biological origin induced by toxic environmental insults. 

2. To provide support and referral services to the individuals with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), electrosensitivity, Gulf War Syndrome (GWS), autism, and other illnesses of environmental origin.

3. To ensure that environmental toxicants are identified, reduced, regulated, and enforced through lobbying for effective legislation.

MCS America serves as a partner for Environmental Education Week, a partner for the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE), and a supporter for the American Cancer Society: Campaign for Smokefree Air.

For more information, please visit:
MCS America
MCS America Blog
MCS America Activist Wear
American Chronicle
MCS Awareness
Environmental Education Week
Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE)
American Cancer Society: Campaign for Smokefree Air

All articles Copyrighted © 2007 - 2009 MCS America