Agriculture Is A Key Driver of Antibiotics Resistance
It is very important to know that just about any infection can become life-threatening now.
This is why the irresponsible approach of the agricultural industry is so egregious. Use of antibiotics in food production is a Key factor driving the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria, yet the agriculture industry is doing very little to address its role in this growing health threat.
The US uses nearly 30-M lbs of antibiotics each year to raise food animals. And this accounts for about 80% of all antibiotics used in the US, and nearly 70% of these antibiotics are considered “medically important” for humans.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledges that antibiotic resistant disease can be spread via ingestion or contact with contaminated foods, yet despite that knowledge the agency has opted not to ban the use of antibiotics in agriculture. Instead, 3 years ago the FDA just recommended that pharmaceutical companies voluntarily re-label certain antibiotics, reserving them for use in sick animals only.
As reported by Mother Jones, this has had almost no effect on the way antibiotics are used: “The FDA’s policy phases out growth promotion but leaves prevention intact — even though giving animals small daily doses of antibiotics to ‘prevent’ disease is virtually indistinguishable from giving them small daily doses to promote growth.
A 2014 Pew analysis found no fewer than 66 antibiotic products that the FDA allows to be used for ‘disease prevention’ at levels that are ‘fully within the range of growth promotion dosages and with no limit on the duration of treatment.’ In other words, you change the language you use to describe the practice and continue giving your herd of 4,000 confined pigs the same old daily dose of antibiotics.”
To address these federal regulatory shortcomings, California recently passed its own State Law to restrict antibiotic use in livestock. While the bill still allows antibiotics to be used as “prophylaxis to address an elevated risk of contraction of a particular disease or infection,” the drugs cannot be used “in a regular pattern.”
This minor detail closes the loophole that allows farmers to simply change the stated reason for why they are dosing their herd. The bill, which was signed by on 10 October 2015 will go into effect in Y 2018.
The Big Q: Is Grass-Fed Beef better for us?
The Big A: Yes.
Studies show grass-fed beef tends to be higher in some nutrients, and contain fewer bacteria that can cause food poisoning,
According to the American Grassfed Association, which has a certification program, grass-fed animals are “those that haves
Conventionally raised livestock are typically fed primarily Corn and Soy, which causes them to fatten more quickly.
In Y 2010 a review in Nutrition Journal that found that grass-fed beef contained higher levels of beneficial fats such as omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid. It also contained more antioxidants and higher levels of beta carotene, a precursor to Vitamin A that can give grass-fed beef a yellowish appearance.
This month, Consumer Reports tested 300 samples of beef purchased at stores across the United States and determined that beef from conventionally raised cows was three times as likely as grass-fed beef to contain bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics. The report recommended that consumers choose grass-fed Organic beef “whenever possible.”
Consumers who wish to buy grass-fed beef can find that information on package labels, as required by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Researchers are investigating the use of probiotics, probiotics, and certain herb and plant extracts, such as oregano and thyme, known for their antimicrobial properties. Others are working on more potentially disturbing alternatives.
According to the article: “Other scientists are tinkering with genetic innovations that boost animals’ immunity… Animal scientist Mark Cook and his team at the University of Wisconsin at Madison discovered a way to disable an off switch in chickens’ immune systems and have replicated the results in cattle. ‘It works in all of them,’ said Jordan Sand, an associate scientist with the University of Wisconsin team and the chief technical officer of Ab E Discovery, the spinoff company the team founded to continue its research and take it to market.”
The research involves the protein interleukin-10 (IL-10), which acts as a signaling agent, telling the immune system when to stop working. The team vaccinated egg-laying hens to create antibodies for IL-10, and then mixed the antibody-producing eggs into feed given to chickens infected with an intestinal disease.
By eating the eggs, the chickens became “immune” to the IL-10 signal telling their immune systems to shut off, and few ended up developing the disease.
The questions here are, what does eating such chickens mean to human health? And will it provide a benefit, or might it affect human health in some unsuspected adverse way?
Eat healthy, Be healthy, Live lively.
HeffX-LTN
Paul Ebeling
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