The mineral depletion of foods available to us as a nation (1940-

2002)--a review of the 6th Edition of McCance and Widdowson.

Thomas D.

Register of Nutritional Therapists, silverdale, East Sussex, UK. david.mri@btconnect.com

Over the past 60 years there have been fundamental changes in the quality and quantity of food available to us
as a nation. The character, growing method, preparation, source and ultimate presentation of basic staples have
changed significantly to the extent that trace elements and micronutrient contents have been severely depleted.
This trend, established in a review of the 5th Edition of McCance & Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, is
still apparent in this review of the 6th edition of the same work. Concurrently there has been a precipitous
change towards convenience and pre-prepared foods containing saturated fats, highly processed meats and
refined carbohydrates, often devoid of vital micronutrients yet packed with a cocktail of chemical additives
including colourings, flavourings and preservatives. It is proposed that these changes are significant
contributors to rising levels of diet-induced ill health. Ongoing research clearly demonstrates a significant
relationship between deficiencies in micronutrients and physical and mental ill health.

PMID: 18309763 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Acid-alkaline balance: role in chronic disease and detoxification.

Minich DM, Bland JS.

Information Integration and Innovation at Metagenics, Inc, Gig Harbor, Wash, USA.

In conclusion, the increasing dietary acid load in the contemporary diet can lead to a disruption in acid-alkaline
homeostasis in various body compartments and eventually result in chronic disease through repeated borrowing
of the body's alkaline reserves. Adjustment of tissue alkalinity, particularly within the kidney proximal tubules,
can lead to the more effective excretion of toxins from the body. Metabolic detoxification using a high
vegetable diet in conjunction with supplementation of an effective alkalizing compound, such as potassium
citrate, may shift the body's reserves to become more alkaline.

PMID: 17658124 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Why the preeminent risk factor in sporadic Alzheimer's disease

cannot be genetic.
Foster HD.

Department of Geography, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. hfoster@office.geog.uvic.ca

If genetic risk factors are preeminent in the etiology of sporadic Alzheimer's disease, three corollaries follow:
age-adjusted death rates from it should be fairly spatially uniform, should not vary significantly over time and
should not alter markedly with migration. Globally, none of these corollaries hold true. The APO E(4) allele and
other genetic aberrations that promote sporadic Alzheimer's disease do so most effectively in low alkalinity-high
aluminum environments, especially if these are experiencing acid rain.

How minerals may influence the development and expression of

immunity to endoparasites in livestock.
McClure SJ.

CSIRO Livestock Industries, F.D. McMaster Laboratory, Armidale, NSW, Australia. susan.mcclure@csiro.au

This review attempts to explain how dietary mineral intake may affect the immune system, with particular
reference to gastrointestinal nematode infestations of livestock, and considers its significance for other gut
infections as well as for other species. Of the 56 minerals found in mammalian tissues, 16 are currently
considered to be essential, and a further 13 probably essential, for cell and tissue function. To date, eight of
these have been shown to affect the function of the mammalian immune system directly. Nine others have roles
in physiological pathways such as neurological or endocrine function, or protein or carbohydrate metabolism,
which in turn regulate the immune system. The remainder may in the future be shown to have immunologically
specific roles. The pathogenesis of mineral effects on immunity involves a number of pathways and molecular
mechanisms. Major areas requiring further investigation are the relationship between deficiency of minerals and
in vivo immune-mediated protection against disease, in particular diseases of the mucosa, and the mechanisms
by which the minerals or their deficiency exert their effect on immunity. Research is also required into the
possibility that animals in the process of acquiring gut immunity have higher requirements for minerals.

PMID: 18186769 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]