![]() The BSE crises in the UK through the 1980s and 1990s were thought to have started when sheep infected with scrapie (a sheep disease not transmittable to humans) were fed to cattle. ![]() While research on the cause continues, it's been recognized that BSE spreads among animal populations when livestock is fed meat and bone material from already infected animals. ![]() Scientists haven't yet determined the exact cause of the disease, which was first recognized in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1986. Often called "mad cow disease," BSE is a degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system (brain and spine) of cattle. It may also help to review some basic information about BSE and Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease, a variant form of which may be contracted from BSE-contaminated cattle (more on this in a bit). As of 2017, there have been five cases of BSE in the US. I would appreciate your thoughts on this subject.īefore getting to the specific matter at hand (the safety of gelatin and gelatin-containing products), it's worth mentioning that Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is rare in the US and there's no evidence that BSE is transmitted through gelatin (be it food, pills, or other products containing gelatin). Government, and more importantly, the food and supplement industries, should do more to insure that all food products and supplements used in America are free from contamination of this horrible disease in order to prevent any chance of an outbreak like the one seen in Europe a few years ago. Is there fewer gelatins in a standard hard pill as opposed to a "soft gel" capsule? What are the mathematical chances of contracting the disease from gelatin in a food product? Since gelatin is used in so many food products, is it realistic to try avoiding all gelatin? However, when symptoms do occur, the person dies a horrible death, via a deformed and shrinking brain, usually soon thereafter. It is also very alarming that BSE has a long incubation period (years) whereby the infected person has no symptoms. I also understand that it is highly unlikely that the standard processes involved in producing gelatin would ever remove or disable the BSE contamination. I understand that one of the main components of gelatin comes from the bones and skin of cows and that it is often imported from other countries. I would like to know if I should be concerned with the risk of contracting "bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)" or its human variant, from the use of vitamins, supplements, over-the-counter medication, or pills prescribed by a doctor which contain gelatin?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |