Sprouts: Not A Healthy Food for Everyone
Children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems should not eat raw sprouts, according to an article in the current issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, CDC's peer-reviewed journal.
Although sprouts are often considered a "health food," the warm, humid conditions needed for growing sprouts from seeds are also ideal for bacteria to flourish. Salmonella, E. coli, and other bacteria can grow to high levels without affecting the appearance of the sprouts.
The authors reviewed reports from the United States and several other countries of outbreaks caused by eating contaminated sprouts grown from various kinds of seeds (for example, alfalfa, mung bean, and clover). The world's largest reported outbreak of E. coli O157:H7, which occurred in Japan in 1996, was linked to eating white radish (daikon) sprouts. Approximately 10,000 people became ill in that outbreak.
Researchers have treated both seeds and sprouts with heat or washed them in solutions of chlorine, alcohol, and other chemicals. Some of these disinfectants reduced the levels of bacteria, but a potential hazard remained, especially for persons with weak immune systems. High temperatures that would kill the bacteria on the seeds would also keep them from sprouting.
Access the full article at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol5no5/taormina.htm.
###
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
and connect with fellow professionals
At DoveMed, our utmost priority is your well-being. We are an online medical resource dedicated to providing you with accurate and up-to-date information on a wide range of medical topics. But we're more than just an information hub - we genuinely care about your health journey. That's why we offer a variety of products tailored for both healthcare consumers and professionals, because we believe in empowering everyone involved in the care process.
Our mission is to create a user-friendly healthcare technology portal that helps you make better decisions about your overall health and well-being. We understand that navigating the complexities of healthcare can be overwhelming, so we strive to be a reliable and compassionate companion on your path to wellness.
As an impartial and trusted online resource, we connect healthcare seekers, physicians, and hospitals in a marketplace that promotes a higher quality, easy-to-use healthcare experience. You can trust that our content is unbiased and impartial, as it is trusted by physicians, researchers, and university professors around the globe. Importantly, we are not influenced or owned by any pharmaceutical, medical, or media companies. At DoveMed, we are a group of passionate individuals who deeply care about improving health and wellness for people everywhere. Your well-being is at the heart of everything we do.
0 Comments
Please log in to post a comment.