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eco-eating |
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Is Refrigeration Destroying our Health? There is evidence that refrigeration may contribute strongly to the destruction of glyconutrients in green leaf vegetables. Glyconutrients contain special sugars which are necessary for many functions inside and betweens cells (besides burning for energy). There are 8 or more of these necessary sugars and the body can manufacture them by endogenous synthesis provided it is healthy and stress-free. Along with endogenous synthesis, glyconutrients from food or supplements contribute strongly to provision of the necessary sugars for glycosylation. Glycosylation is the process of attachment of the necessary sugars to proteins. It has been estimated that 60% of protein in the body is glycoprotein. Glycoproteins are the medium by which cells communicate with each other. Effective communication between cells is essential for effective information processing in the immune system, for effective anti-adhesion of pathogens, for effective adhesion of hormones, for effective function of tissues, for effective structure of tissues, for effective repair of tissues, and for effective expression of genes. It is interesting to note that many diseases such as auto immune diseases and cancers have become much more prevalent in conjuction with the widespread introduction of refrigeration in the twentieth century. Sucrose is not one of the necessary sugars for glycosylation of proteins. When plants are exposed to cold they change their carbohydrate metabolism to create lots of sucrose in order to survive freezing. This is evidenced by the following quotations from scientific journals. Thus, development of Arabidopsis leaves at 5 degrees C resulted in metabolic changes that enabled them to produce and accumulate large soluble sugar pools without any associated suppression of photosynthesis or photosynthetic gene expression. These changes were also associated with enhanced freezing tolerance. We suggest that this reprogramming of carbohydrate metabolism associated with development at low temperature is essential to the development of full freezing tolerance and for winter survival of over-wintering herbaceous annuals. (extract from abstract) (Development of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves at low temperatures releases the suppression of photosynthesis and photosynthetic gene expression despite the accumulation of soluble carbohydrates. Strand A, Hurry V, Gustafsson P, Gardestrom P. Department of Plant Physiology, University of Umea, Sweden. Plant J. 1997 Sep;12(3):605-14.) -------------- Quotations from another article follows: There was a shift in the partitioning of carbon from starch and toward sucrose (Suc) in leaves that developed at 5°C. (extract from abstract) Leaves of Arabidopsis that develop at 5°C greatly increase their expression of SPS and cFBPase in the Suc-synthesis pathway in the cytosol but not in the starch-synthesis pathway in the plastid (Strand et al., 1997). Marked increases in the SPS activity have also been reported for spinach (Guy et al., 1992; Holaday et al., 1992), for winter cultivars of oilseed rape and wheat (Hurry et al., 1995b), and rye (Hurry et al., 1994) after prolonged exposure to cold. The increased expression and activity of Suc-synthesis enzymes correlates with an accumulation of sugars in leaves at low temperature. It has been proposed that high sugar levels might be important for cryoprotection (Santarius, 1982; Anchordoguy et al., 1987; Carpenter and Crowe, 1988). However, there is no direct evidence that the increased sugar levels are due to increased synthesis and not just to a passive response to the inhibition of growth and phloem transport. It is also not clear whether the increased activities of the enzymes leading to Suc merely counteract the direct inhibitory effect of low temperature (see above) or whether they actually lead to increased Suc synthesis. Higher levels of sugars, especially Suc, may be necessary in the cytoplasm not only to maintain export and provide cryoprotection but possibly also to help mechanize a selective increase in the cytoplasmic volume. Investigations of plants with altered levels of sugars will test these ideas. (Acclimation of Arabidopsis Leaves Developing at Low Temperatures. Increasing Cytoplasmic Volume Accompanies Increased Activities of Enzymes in the Calvin Cycle and in the Sucrose-Biosynthesis Pathway. Åsa Strand*, Vaughan Hurry, Stefan Henkes, Norman Huner, Petter Gustafsson, Per Gardeström, and Mark Stitt. Plant Physiol. (1999) 119: 1387-1398) ---------------------- Sucrose solutions are used to reduce damage to freezing tissue resulting from ice crystal formation. The simplest solution for preventing freezing damage in routine histological specimens, which are to be sectioned in a cryostat, is probably to cryoprotect the fixed material before plunging in liquid nitrogen. Tokuyasu has shown that sucrose solutions that are over 1.6 M can be frozen by immersion in liquid nitrogen without ice crystal damage. (http://www.biotech.ufl.edu/EM/data/freeze.html) --------------------- Glyconutrients are non-starch polysaccharides - they usually contain more than ten of the necessary sugar molecules; for example xylose, arabinose and mannose. Like starch these can be broken down and converted to sucrose. In view of the importance of freeze-tolerance to plants this seems likely to occur and should be investigated as a matter of urgency. Conclusion If refrigeration is contributing to the loss of glyconutrients from plants and contributing strongly to increasing rates of cancer, autoimmune, and other diseases, massive action must be taken. 1. It is necessary for people who do not have access to unrefrigerated, fresh fruit and vegetables to take glyconutrient supplements. 2. The structure of supply of fruit and vegetables must be encouraged to evolve in order to provide delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables without refrigeration. Sapoty Brook, Dec. 2005. ___________________________________________________________ Sapoty Brook BSc (Melb) BEng (Monash) MSc (Deakin) is an independent nutrition consultant specialising in raw food and necessary sugars supplementation. He is the author of eco-eating, a guide to balanced eating for health and vitality which is an acknowledged raw food classic. He teaches the art of raw eating from his home near Byron Bay. In his spare time he invents and innovates strange futuristic things. ©Sapoty Brook, 2005. May be downloaded from the web, but not copied in any other way without written permission from the author. |