Is it worth the time & $$$??

During the holiday season, I happened to come across this interesting piece of information which I want to share with u all. Health Canada wants public’s opinion about its unusual proposal to put small amounts of the enzyme asparaginase which happens to be a cancer-fighting drug in foods like potato chips and French fries. With Feb 21st being the last day for public’s comments on this proposal, I thought that why not I choose this topic as my second blog. Now let me explain why they want to do this. The chemical acrylamide found as a cooking by-product in production of foods like French fries and potato chips has been linked to cancer in animals. But you may all wonder what this has to do with the enzyme asparaginase. In fact, research has suggested that asparaginase reduces the production of acrylamide. According to Health Canada, the enzyme is already in use in countries like US, Australia, New Zealand & Denmark. Moreover the enzyme has also been given a favourable evaluation by the joint FAO/WHO expert Committee on Food Additives.

Now the question arises is it worth the time & $$$?? I happened to read some of the comments posted by public on this matter in the CP24 news website. To me, it did appear that not many were interested with this proposal. As one person rightly said, such a proposal would only cause the general public to think that junk foods are a healthier option when in fact, they are not. She feels that although the enzyme may or may not have an effect on the cancer forming cells, but these junk foods would still be potential contributors of obesity, diabetes and other health issues. Some also feel that adequate testing needs to be done before adding the enzyme as they fear of the possible side effects which may be caused.

Like the two sides to a coin, I only feel that implementation of this plan is going to benefit some and harm others. Food manufacturers & marketers will be able to boost their profits with increased sales. On the flip side, it is going to prove detrimental to consumers who are going to consider junk foods to be a healthier choice. According to the American Dietetic Association, there are no good or bad foods. All food can be eaten as long as it eaten in moderation and in appropriate amounts. The addition of asparaginase is only going to make these foods to sound like a good food. Another potential problem with its addition is that, some consumers may stop eating French fries/chips altogether for the risk they fear may be associated with the enzyme. I strongly believe that people should not be deprived of these small pleasures, which they get when they eat these comfort foods. This reminds me of one of the posts on emotional eating which talks about how we find it hard to resist certain foods in a social situation. I agree with this point as I feel that when we watch a movie with our friends, we usually prefer to munch on a bag of chips or fries rather than having a salad. Although these may not be the healthiest options, but it is these foods which usually unite people together. Having said this, I feel that it is okay to have these foods one in a while in appropriate portion sizes and in moderation. It is only when we make it a regular routine, it becomes a problem.

In one of our lectures, we discussed how the funding is increasingly being allocated to downstream strategies such as physicians and hospitals. We also learnt about how there has been an increased interest on treatment (downstream) vs health promotion and prevention (upstream strategies) with only 5% of the total health care funding going to the public health. Although I do agree that asparaginase being an anti-cancer drug can help fight cancer. But instead of spending billions of dollars on these anti-cancer drugs, why not spend $$ on cancer prevention programs such as the Tobacco control and National level- Cancer Prevention.

While I am not against Health Canada’s proposal, but it does appear to me that the harm associated with the addition of the enzyme outweighs its benefits. Since Health Canada wants our opinion on this proposal, it is now in our hands to decide whether it is worth the time and $$$??