When it comes to beef, is the grass-fed kind really healthier?
Here's a look at some of the top health news being talked about around the U.S. and the world today:
• It's a topic many are already passionate about, but new research took on the question of whether cows who are grass-fed really produce healthier beef than those fed on feed-lots. Turns out, according to a researcher from California State University in Chico, grass-fed beef does have lower levels of unhealthy fats, higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, lower levels of dietary cholesterol and more of certain vitamins and antioxidents. However, the New York Times blogged, researchers warn this does not prove the differences are great enough to have a "meaningful impact on human health."
• Turns out those frequent shopper cards that ever grocery store seems to hand out had a greater value than compiling consumer information recently. Officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the cards actually helped pinpoint the source of the recent salmonella outbreak, the Associated Press reported.
• Combatting an outbreak of lice in a household is no fun. Turns out, for certain tough cases, there may be a more effective way to fight lice than a common lotion - and it comes in the form of a pill, the Los Angeles Times reported this week.
• One of the biggest drug use threats to tweens is sniffing inhalants to get high, according to a survey released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The use by 12-year-olds of inhalants like aerosol cans, glues and paint solvents is more than the use of marijuana, cocaine and hallucinogens combined, CBS News reported.
Tina Reed covers health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at tinareed@annarbor.com, call her at 734-623-2535 or find her on Twitter @TreedinAA.
Comments
theodynus
Fri, Mar 12, 2010 : 12:52 p.m.
Mad cow is overblown and not a serious problem in the United States cattle population because we don't generally use animal-based feed. Grass fed beef has not been shown to have lower levels of E Coli, though some studies indicate the E Coli in free-range/organic/whatever cows is easier to kill. See http://www.slate.com/id/2242290/. Finally, grass-fed does not automatically mean humanely raised, nor does grain-fed mean inhumanely raised. "Free range" hasn't even been defined by the USDA, I don't think. Grass-fed has some health benefits, tastes different and is (on average) a better product. However, it's not a cure for our problems.
mgnfcntb
Fri, Mar 12, 2010 : 12:26 p.m.
Meaningful impact? Is death a meaningful impact? Does cattle living their entire lives in feces create a health hazard? As with all decisions we generally get some pretty good warnings before a complete disaster; mad cow, salmonella, E coli. It's a huge system and there is only one way to change it, one purchase at a time.