遗传工程食物的健康安全性问题—介绍2000／2001年FAO／WHO联合专家顾问委员会的结论意见与建议

本文介绍联合国家专家有关遗传工程植物性食物对人体健康安全问题的结论性意见和建议,由于世界各国公众对转基因生物作为食物的安全问题日益担心,联合国世界粮农组织（FAO）和世界卫生组织（WHO）在2000年和2001年共同召集了两次FAO／WHO联合专家顾问委员会会议,会后公布了两份详尽的报告。针对当前一些有争议的问题,联合专家委员会出了合理的并具权威性的结论意见和建议。其中包括实质等同性概念,对健康的长期效应,抗菌素抗性基因问题,潜在的过敏原性及其新修订的评估策略－树型判定法。     

2010—2012年中国居民含添加糖食物消费状况

目的：分析我国居民含添加糖食物消费状况,为了解居民饮食行为、开展健康教育、慢性病预防提供科学依据。方法： 使用2010—2012年中国居民营养与健康状况监测中的膳食回顾数据,结合《中国食物成分表》,对消费含添加糖食物的17 053名居民的消费特征进行分析。结果：中国居民2010—2012年含添加糖食物消费率为26.90%,人均含添加糖食物供能比为9.09%,消费最多的前3类食物为速食食品,蛋糕、甜点类,乳类及制品;消费率最高的人群为6~11岁城市女性。结论:2010—2012年我国居民平均含添加糖食物的供能比为9.09%,消费水平相对较低。     

山东诸城恐龙国家地质公园臧家庄“巨型诸城暴龙”馆

2012年6月30日,"国家古生物化石专家委员会"办公室组织部分院士、专家赴山东诸城考察,就诸城恐龙化石保护问题进行了深入的研讨,并提出了多方面的建设性意见和建议。     

山东诸城恐龙国家地质公园臧家庄“巨型诸城恐龙”馆

——2012年6月30日,“国家古生物化石专家委员会”办公室组织部分院士、专家赴山东诸城考察,就诸城恐龙化石保护问题进行了深入的研讨,并提出了多方面的建设性意见和建议。     

基于DPSIR-GM(1,1)模型的甘肃省生态安全评价与预测

生态环境质量的综合评价是实现经济社会与自然环境协调发展的重要前提。以甘肃省为研究区域, 基于“驱动力—压力—状态—影响—响应”(DPSIR)概念模型, 构建生态安全评价指标体系, 运用灰色关联改进理想解(TOPSIS)的评价方法, 对甘肃省生态安全状况进行综合评价, 并采用灰色预测模型对2019—2023年甘肃省生态安全的发展前景进行分析。结果表明: 甘肃省2009—2018年生态安全状况总体呈现上升趋势, 安全等级从敏感上升至一般; 驱动力、压力及影响指标有波动下降的趋势, 状态及响应指标值逐年上升; 甘肃省2019—2023年的生态安全综合指数从0.7274增长至0.9463, 达到安全状态。     

2005—2014 年疏勒河流域土地生态安全评价

针对疏勒河流域生态环境脆弱、人地矛盾突出的特点, 采用“环境-经济-社会(EES)”模型, 建立疏勒河流域土地生态安全评价指标体系, 构建土地生态安全评价的熵权物元模型, 对疏勒河流域2005—2014 年土地生态安全状况进行评价研究, 并利用主成分分析法定量研究疏勒河流域土地生态安全的限制因子。结果表明: 2005—2014 年疏勒河流域土地生态安全还存在着恶化风险, 2005—2007 年风险降低, 2007—2008 年风险小幅增加, 2008—2009 年风险降低, 2009—2013 年风险大幅增加, 2013—2014 年风险有所降低; 发展方向表现为“不安全→安全”的阶梯式上升趋势, 其中, 2005—2007 年土地生态安全状态为“不安全”, 2008—2009 年安全状态为“临界安全”, 2010—2011 年安全状态为“较安全”, 2012—2014 年安全状态为“安全”; 制约2005—2014 年疏勒河流域土地生态安全水平提升的关键因子分别是人均耕地面积、森林覆盖率、人均水资源量、产水模数、第三产业产值与GDP 占比和耗水率, 其中, 森林覆盖率和产水模数影响最大, 主成分荷载达0.973和0.968。研究结果以期为疏勒河流域土地生态治理决策和人地关系和谐可持续发展提供科学依据。     

中国居民食物消费结构变化及未来发展政策建议

梳理了新中国成立以来我国居民食物消费的发展变化规律,即改革开放以前,我国居民食物结构单一、营养不良现象普遍;改革开放以后至20世纪末,食物种类日渐丰富,营养不良状况明显改善;21世纪以来,居民食物结构不断优化,但营养失衡与营养改善现象并存。比较2014年居民实际食物消费与《中国食物与营养发展纲要（2014—2020年）》推荐量差异,提出了确保未来我国食物供给需要的政策建议。     

“生物多样性的编目与监测”项目科学委员会首次会议在巴黎召开

拟议中的国际合作项目“生物多样性的编目与监测”(InventoryingandMonitoringofgiodiversity)科学委员会第一次会议于1993年3月30—31日在法国巴黎国际生物科学联合会(IUBS)总部召开,会议由委员会主席F.deCastri主持,科学委员会和协调委员会的成员共9人出席了会议.     

ISAAA信息

可持续农业发展全球委员会的建议一个由农业、气候、食品与营养、经济以及自然资源高级专家联合组成的独立的有关"农业与气候变化可持续发展全球委员会"近日发布了一份有关粮食安全政策建议的报告。该委员会得到了国际农业研究磋商小组(CGIAR)气候变化、农业与粮食安全研究项目     

益生菌与健康专题序言

<正>益生菌作为促进人体健康的微生物制剂,具有维持肠黏膜屏障功能,调节免疫功能和促进营养物质的代谢吸收等重要作用,因此,适当的饮用益生菌产品对肠道菌群紊乱、功能性消化不良、肠胃炎、腹泻、便秘、肠绞痛、肠易激综合征、炎症性肠病以及幽门螺旋杆菌感染等胃肠道疾病具有良好的应用。联合国粮农组织(FAO)和世界卫生组织(WHO)的联合专家委员会在2001年首次明确了益生菌的科学定义,即益生菌是指当摄取足够数量时,对宿主健康有益的活的微生物。     

Assessment of heavy metal contamination of rice grains (Oryza sativa) and soil from Ada field,Enugu, Nigeria: Estimating the human healtrisk

The concentrations of heavy metals in rice grains and soils from Ada cultivated fields were investigated. Rice and soil samples were digested and the heavy metal concentrations determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results showed the following concentrations of metals (mg/kg): soil—Pb (4.64 ± 2.18), Cd (0.83 ± 0.83), Zn (20.26 ± 18.60), Mn (68.90 ± 19.91), Ni (3.46 ± 2.42), and Cr (21.41 ± 14.6); rice—Pb (3.99 ± 1.43), Cd (1.10 ± 0.53), Zn (65.37 ± 58.09), Mn (37.81 ± 5.82), Ni (3.12 ± 1.49), and Cr (10.87 ± 6.47). The Canadian, Nigerian and Chinese maximum allowable concentration for cadmium in soil were exceeded by 15%, 30%, and 85% of the soil samples, respectively. Heavy metals in all the rice samples evaluated were found to be above the World Health Organization (WHO) maximum permissible limit for lead, cadmium, and chromium. Strong positive and significant correlations were observed between some metal pairs in soil and rice indicating the similarity in origin. The estimated daily intakes of Pb and Cd from rice grown on the fields were higher than the safety levels established by WHO and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee Food Additive, respectively. Hazard quotients and total hazard index for Pb and Cd were greater than 1. This indicates that consumption of rice from these fields will likely induce adverse health effects arising largely from Pb and Cd exposure.     

Gesetzliche Regelungen für Mykotoxine in Lebensmitteln (Official Regulations on Mycotoxins in Food)

When establishing maximum limits, in addition to issues relating to preventive consumer protection and toxicological data on risk assessment, sampling procedures and methods of analysis, as well as economic and political aspects have to be considered. Therefore, various and diverse organizations tend to be involved in the process of establishing maximum limits. Specifically, the following are responsible for the toxicological evaluation of the substances in question: International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC), Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and, within the Commission of the European Communities, the Scientific Committee for Food (SCF). The interests of world-wide trade are looked after by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Codex Committee of Food Additives and Contaminants, and the World Trade Organisation, WTO. On the basis of Commission Regulation (EC) no. 315/93, in 2001 the EU has adopted Commission Regulation (EC) no. 466/2001 on contaminants establishing maximum limits for nitrates, heavy metals, 3-monochlor-propan-1,2-diol, and aflatoxins in foods (peanuts, nuts, dried fruits, cereal/cereal products). In February 2002, this Regulation has been completed by Regulation (EC) no. 257/2002 (aflatoxins in cereals), and in March 2002 by Regulation (EC) no. 472/2002 (aflatoxins in spices and ochratoxin A in cereals and dried grapes). Reference is made to other mycotoxins the levels of which in certain foods should be the subject of future regulations.     

Quantitative risk assessment of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods: the FAO/WHO approach

Quantitative microbiological risk assessment is a very new and unique scientific approach able to link, for the first time, data from food (in the farm-to-fork continuum) and the various data on human disease to provide a clear estimation of the impact of contaminated food on human public health. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have recently launched risk assessment studies of a number of pathogen-food commodity combinations (Salmonella in eggs and in broiler chickens, Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods, Campylobacter in broiler chickens, Vibrio in seafood) to be used to lower the risk associated with these food-borne diseases and ensure fair practices in the international trade of food. The FAO/WHO Listeria risk assessment was undertaken in part to determine how previously developed risk assessments done at the national level could be adapted or expanded to address concerns related to L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods at an international level. In addition, after initiation of the risk assessment, the risk assessors were asked by the Codex Committee on Food to consider three specific questions related to ready-to-eat foods in general, which are: (1). estimate the risk for consumers in different susceptible populations groups (elderly, infants, pregnant women and immunocompromised patients) relative to the general population; (2). estimate the risk for L. monocytogenes in foods that support growth and foods that do not support growth under specific storage and shelf-life conditions; (3). estimate the risk from L. monocytogenes in food when the number of organisms ranges from absence in 25 g to 1000 colonies forming units per gram or milliliter, or does not exceed specified levels at the point of consumption. To achieve these goals, new dose-response relationships and exposure assessments for ready-to-eat foods were developed. Preliminary data indicate that eliminating the higher dose levels at the time of consumption has a large impact on the number of predicted cases.     

Health risk perspectives of metal(loid) exposure via consumption of striped venus clam (Chamelea gallina Linnaeus, 1758)

The metal(loid)s are mainly transported to the Black Sea via rivers and affect the coastal area where fisheries are intensive. Chamelea gallina (striped venus clam) is the most abundant mollusk species in the Black Sea and used as a bioindicator for monitoring of metal(loid) pollution. In this respect, the concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn in C. gallina collected from 16 different locations along the Black Sea coast (Turkey, Bulgaria, and Russia) were determined and evaluated for the potential human health risk. The results obtained were found to be below the maximum permissible limits indicated in the food safety guidelines. Similarly, the analyzed metal(loid)s did not pose a potential hazard to humans for consumption of the C. gallina, regarding provisional tolerable weekly intake described by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Moreover, target hazard quotient and hazard index were found to be lower than 1 for not only average consumer but also the consumer who consumed a portion (160 g) once a week. In contrast, consumption of C. gallina could cause health risks for Cd and As in case of increasing portion sizes.     

Dietary Monitoring Studies on Lead and Cadmium Exposures in Poland

Abstract

The dietary intake of metals, especially lead and cadmium, in some regions of Poland exceeds Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) allowances established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). This is mostly due to increased environmental pollution.

The results of dietary monitoring studies to determine the heavy metals content in daily diets and in selected food products are described.     

Neandertal energetics and foraging efficiency

Mechanical interpretations of Neandertal skeletal robusticity suggest extremely high activity levels compared to modern humans. Such activity patterns imply high energy requirements; yet it has been argued that Neandertals were also inefficient foragers. The present study addresses this apparent conflict by estimating energy needs in Neandertals and then evaluating those estimates in the context of energetic and foraging data compiled for contemporary human foragers and nonhuman primates. Energy demands for Neandertals were determined by first predicting basal metabolic rates (BMR) from body weight estimates using human standards developed by the World Health Organization [FAO/WHO/UNU (1985) Energy and Protein Requirements. Report of the Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Export Committee, Geneva: WHO]. Total daily energy expenditure (kcal/day) was then estimated assuming high levels of physical activity (i.e., 2--3 x BMR), comparable to those observed among subsistence-level populations today. These estimates of energy requirements (ranging from 3000--5500 kcal/day) were then used to determine Neandertal foraging efficiency assuming (1) minimal survival-level foraging returns, and (2) daily foraging times longer than those observed among any contemporary foraging group and comparable to a nonhuman primate. Even with these extremely conservative parameters, estimates of Neandertal foraging efficiency (approximately 800--1150 kcal/h foraged) were comparable to those observed among living hunter-gatherers. These results indicate that if Neandertals did have heavy activity levels, as implied by their skeletal robusticity, they would have required foraging efficiencies within the range observed among modern groups. Thus, Neandertals could have been either highly active or poor foragers, but they could not have been both.     

WHO Study Group on cell substrates for production of biologicals, Geneva, Switzerland, 11–12 June 2007

For many years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has provided global leadership in defining technical specifications for quality assurance and safety of biological medicines produced in cell substrates. Current WHO requirements for the use of animal cells as substrates for production of vaccines and other biologicals were adopted by the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization in 1996 (WHO TRS 878). Since then, significant progress especially in the development of vaccines in novel continuous cell lines of mammalian origin as well as in insect cells has been made and consequently there is an increasing need for the re-evaluation of existing criteria for the acceptability of such cell lines. In addition there is also a need to consider new issues in cell substrate safety arising from these new cell types and developments in technology and scientific knowledge. In response to these demands, the WHO Study Group on Cell Substrates was formed in 2006 to initiate revision of WHO requirements and to address the need for further research in this area. At its second meeting on 11-12 June 2007, the Study Group reviewed scientific data that would form the basis for new recommendations and made a number of proposals for further investigations. The Study Group is working on the preparation of a revised WHO document, and a broad consultation with regulators, manufacturers, and other relevant parties is planned for 2008.     

Future body mass index modelling based on macronutrient profiles and physical activity

Background

An accurate system of determining the relationship of macronutrient profiles of foods and beverages to the long-term weight impacts of foods is necessary for evidence-based, unbiased front-of-the-package food labels.

Methods

Data sets on diet, physical activity, and BMI came from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), and Epidemiology Diabetes Intervention and Complications (EDIC). To predict future BMI of individuals, multiple regression derived FAO/WHO and DCCT/EDIC formulas related macronutrient profiles and physical activity (independent variables) to BMI change/year (dependent variable). Similar formulas without physical activity related macronutrient profiles of individual foods and beverages to four-year weight impacts of those items and compared those forecasts to published food group profiling estimates from three large prospective studies by Harvard nutritional epidemiologists.

Results

FAO/WHO food and beverage formula: four-year weight impact (pounds)=(0.07710 alcohol g+11.95 (381.7+carbohydrates g per serving)*4/(2,613+kilocalories per serving)–304.9 (30.38+dietary fiber g per serving)/(2,613+kilocalories per serving)+19.73 (84.44+total fat g)*9/(2,613+kilocalories per serving)–68.57 (20.45+PUFA g per serving)*9/(2,613+kilocalories per serving))*2.941–12.78 (n=334, R²=0.29, P < 0.0001). DCCT/EDIC formula for four-year weight impact (pounds)=(0.898 (102.2+protein g per serving)*4/(2,297+kilocalories per serving)+1.063 (264.2+carbohydrates g per serving)*4/(2,297+ kilocalories per serving)–13.19 (24.29+dietary fiber g per serving)/ (2,297+kilocalories per serving)+ 0.973 (74.59+(total fat g per serving–PUFA g per serving)*9/(2,297+kilocalories per serving))*85.82–68.11 (n=1,055, R²=0.03, P < 0.0001). (FAO/WHO+ DCCT/EDIC formula forecasts averaged correlated strongly with published food group profiling findings except for potatoes and dairy foods (n=12, r=0.85, P = 0.0004). Formula predictions did not correlate with food group profiling findings for potatoes and dairy products (n=10, r= ?0.33 P=0.36). A formula based diet and exercise analysis tool is available to researchers and individuals: http://thehealtheconomy.com/healthTool/.

Conclusions

Two multiple regression derived formulas from dissimilar databases produced markedly similar estimates of future BMI for 1,055 individuals with type 1 diabetes and female and male cohorts from 167 countries. These formulas predicted the long-term weight impacts of foods and beverages, closely corresponding with most food group profiling estimates from three other databases. If discrepancies with potatoes and dairy products can be resolved, these formulas present a potential basis for a front-of-the-package weight impact rating system.

     

Global immunization policies and recommendations: objectives and process

The World Health Organization (WHO) has a dual mandate of providing global policies, standards and norms as well as support for member countries in applying such policies and standards to national programmes with the aim to improve health. The vaccine world is changing and with it the demands and expectations of the global and national policy makers, donors, and other interested parties. Changes pertain to : new vaccines and technologies developments, vaccine safety issues, regulation and approval of vaccines, and increased funding flowing through new financing mechanisms. This places a special responsibility on WHO to respond effectively. WHO has recently reviewed and optimized its policy making structure for vaccines and immunization and adjusted it to the new Global Immunization Vision and Strategy, which broadens the scope of immunization efforts to all age groups and vaccines with emphasis on integration of immunization delivery with other health interventions. This includes an extended consultation process to promptly generate evidence base recommendations, ensuring transparency of the decision making process and added communication efforts. This article presents the objectives and impact of the process set to develop global immunization policies, norms, standards and recommendations. The key advisory committees landscape contributing to this process is described. This includes the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts, the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety and the Expert Committee on Biological Standardization. The elaboration of WHO vaccine position papers is also described.     

Review of the scientific basis for establishing the essentiality of trace elements

The recent Expert Consultation of World Health Organization (WHO)/Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) defined essentiality of a trace element as follows: "An element is considered essential to an organism when reduction of its exposure below a certain limit results consistently in a reduction in a physiologically important function, or when the element is an integral part of an organic structure performing a vital function in the organism." This definition omits a previous postulate that the mechanism of action of an essential trace element should be well defined; it also supersedes another criterion, once suggested for essentiality, a normal, rather than log-normal distribution of an element's tissue concentrations. The Expert Consultation offers no generally applicable criteria for the physiological importance of functions, and that determination is left to expert groups charged with setting national and other nutritional recommendations. The use of the term "physiological" rather than "biochemical" strongly implies that neither changes of an element's concentration nor of a specific enzyme function alone are proof of essentiality. Among physiologically important functions are growth, reproduction, longevity, and all metabolic and hormonal functions that bear a clear, inverse relation to disease risk. Finally, the term "consistent" states the need for independent confirmation of the original data, before an element can be recognized as essential. These definitions will be discussed as background for further discussions of our present knowledge of boron (B).