Risk is low that gelatin carries mad cow disease.

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Posted on Mon, Apr. 10, 2006 RICHARD HARKNESS: AS PRESCRIBEDRisk is low that gelatin carries mad cow disease Q: The recent case of mad cow disease in Alabama has me worried. Is it safe to take prescription and over-the-counter products made with gelatin capsules? A: The Alabama finding is the third confirmed case of the fatal, brain-wasting disease in cows in the United States. Gelatin is derived from the skin and bones of cattle and pigs. It's used in making capsule and tablet formulations of prescription and OTC medicines and dietary supplements. It's also widely used in the manufacture of foods and cosmetics. The consensus seems to be that gelatin carries a very low risk of potential disease transmission to humans, and there have been no reports of such cases. Cow-derived gelatin comes from the hide and bones, tissues that don't seem to be high-risk. Even so, it should be said that cross-contamination from higher-risk tissues (if infected) during the manufacturing process might be

possible if adequate safeguards are not in place. More on which animal tissues are higher-risk in a minute. According to an FDA advisory panel, most of the gelatin produced in the United States is made from the skin of pigs, and is not considered a risk. However, products typically list "gelatin" or "collagen hydrolysate" in their ingredients list without disclosing whether it's derived from cows or pigs. There's no government regulation that requires such disclosure. Some products are available as "vegicaps," which are made from plant sources and contain no animal byproducts. That said, let's look at mad cow disease in more detail. Mad cow disease (BSE is the scientific name) has become a worldwide worry, with a host of countries reporting cases, leading to the slaughter of thousands of cows to prevent its spread. Other animals also can harbor the disease. It's called scrapie in sheep and chronic

wasting disease in deer and elk. In fact, the origin of the disease in cows is thought to have been sheep-rendered animal feed given to cattle. Another possible source was an infected antelope that died in a British safari park in the 1970s, its carcass rendered for use as protein-rich cattle feed. The danger to people is that the cow disease has been linked to the human brain disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, apparently spread by eating beef from affected cows. The infected brain takes on a spongelike appearance as it becomes riddled with holes. Prevention is the only treatment. Normal methods used against infectious diseases don't work. The causative agent is thought to be an abnormal protein called a prion that creates toxic plaques in the brain. Richard

Harkness is a consultant pharmacist who writes on health care topics. You can write him at 1224 King Henry Drive, Ocean Springs, MS 39564 or e-mail rharkn. © 2006 ContraCostaTimes.com and wire service sources. .http://www.contracostatimes.com "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo.

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