Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Good thing I can't afford foie gras very often
I was trolling through the e-mailed Table of Contents for the scintillating journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS, or "Pe-NAS", as J-Sexy and I call it) today and something caught my eye in the "Medical Sciences" category:
Amyloidogenic potential of foie gras
Alan Solomon, Tina Richey, Charles L. Murphy, Deborah T. Weiss, Jonathan S. Wall, Gunilla T. Westermark, and Per Westermark
The human cerebral and systemic amyloidoses and prion-associated spongiform encephalopathies are acquired or inherited protein folding disorders in which normally soluble proteins or peptides are converted into fibrillar aggregates. This is a nucleation-dependent process that can be initiated or accelerated by fibril seeds formed from homologous or heterologous amyloidogenic precursors that serve as an amyloid enhancing factor (AEF) and has pathogenic significance in that disease may be transmitted by oral ingestion or parenteral administration of these conformationally altered components. Except for infected brain tissue, specific dietary sources of AEF have not been identified. Here we report that commercially available duck- or goose-derived foie gras contains birefringent congophilic fibrillar material composed of serum amyloid A-related protein that acted as a potent AEF in a transgenic murine model of secondary (amyloid A protein) amyloidosis. When such mice were injected with or fed amyloid extracted from foie gras, the animals developed extensive systemic pathological deposits. These experimental data provide evidence that an amyloid-containing food product hastened the development of amyloid protein A amyloidosis in a susceptible population. On this basis, we posit that this and perhaps other forms of amyloidosis may be transmissible, akin to the infectious nature of prion-related illnesses.
FUCK! For those of you who don't speak science, I'll translate. These dudes at the University of Tennessee and their Swedish collaborators decided to feed or inject a bunch of transgenic mic susceptible to developing amyloidosis with amyloid protein from foie gras. Amyloidosis is a name for a grab-bag of diseases characterized by the formation of plaques or build-ups of amyloid proteins. The best known is Alzheimer's disease, but they can cause all sorts of other problems and come in a variety of forms. Anyway, these mice all developed a bunch of amyloid plaques, and they are saying this proves that amyloidosis is transmissible, like mad cow disease (AKA "prion-associated spongiform encephalopathies").
Granted, this study is a little flawed since these mice have been genetically fucked with to be more susceptible to amyloidosis, and nobody sits down and eats a plate of amyloid protein extracted from foie gras or anything else, but nonetheless this is bad news for staunch carnivores like myself. For one thing, the next time I have enough money or am dining at the expense of someone rich enough to afford foie gras, it's going to be just a smidge less delicious since I'm going to start associating it with Alzheimer's, and thus old people. I guarantee that a bunch of stupid animal rights assholes are going to jump on this like Heather Mills McCartney on rich vegan dick if they get wind of it. Animal rights people love appropriating the odd piece of scientific information supporting their bullshit anti-eating delicious animal campaigns. While nothing makes eating meat more sweet than knowing it's pissing off a bunch of self-righteous PETA people, having some obnoxious bitch be like, "Don't you know that gives you Alzheimer's?!" and then engaging me in a scientific throwdown is less appealing than the prospect of having a theological debate with my Aunt Jesus.
I'd rather eat my fatty bird liver and relish the product of inhumanely force-fed poultry in peace.
Amyloidogenic potential of foie gras
Alan Solomon, Tina Richey, Charles L. Murphy, Deborah T. Weiss, Jonathan S. Wall, Gunilla T. Westermark, and Per Westermark
The human cerebral and systemic amyloidoses and prion-associated spongiform encephalopathies are acquired or inherited protein folding disorders in which normally soluble proteins or peptides are converted into fibrillar aggregates. This is a nucleation-dependent process that can be initiated or accelerated by fibril seeds formed from homologous or heterologous amyloidogenic precursors that serve as an amyloid enhancing factor (AEF) and has pathogenic significance in that disease may be transmitted by oral ingestion or parenteral administration of these conformationally altered components. Except for infected brain tissue, specific dietary sources of AEF have not been identified. Here we report that commercially available duck- or goose-derived foie gras contains birefringent congophilic fibrillar material composed of serum amyloid A-related protein that acted as a potent AEF in a transgenic murine model of secondary (amyloid A protein) amyloidosis. When such mice were injected with or fed amyloid extracted from foie gras, the animals developed extensive systemic pathological deposits. These experimental data provide evidence that an amyloid-containing food product hastened the development of amyloid protein A amyloidosis in a susceptible population. On this basis, we posit that this and perhaps other forms of amyloidosis may be transmissible, akin to the infectious nature of prion-related illnesses.
FUCK! For those of you who don't speak science, I'll translate. These dudes at the University of Tennessee and their Swedish collaborators decided to feed or inject a bunch of transgenic mic susceptible to developing amyloidosis with amyloid protein from foie gras. Amyloidosis is a name for a grab-bag of diseases characterized by the formation of plaques or build-ups of amyloid proteins. The best known is Alzheimer's disease, but they can cause all sorts of other problems and come in a variety of forms. Anyway, these mice all developed a bunch of amyloid plaques, and they are saying this proves that amyloidosis is transmissible, like mad cow disease (AKA "prion-associated spongiform encephalopathies").
Granted, this study is a little flawed since these mice have been genetically fucked with to be more susceptible to amyloidosis, and nobody sits down and eats a plate of amyloid protein extracted from foie gras or anything else, but nonetheless this is bad news for staunch carnivores like myself. For one thing, the next time I have enough money or am dining at the expense of someone rich enough to afford foie gras, it's going to be just a smidge less delicious since I'm going to start associating it with Alzheimer's, and thus old people. I guarantee that a bunch of stupid animal rights assholes are going to jump on this like Heather Mills McCartney on rich vegan dick if they get wind of it. Animal rights people love appropriating the odd piece of scientific information supporting their bullshit anti-eating delicious animal campaigns. While nothing makes eating meat more sweet than knowing it's pissing off a bunch of self-righteous PETA people, having some obnoxious bitch be like, "Don't you know that gives you Alzheimer's?!" and then engaging me in a scientific throwdown is less appealing than the prospect of having a theological debate with my Aunt Jesus.
I'd rather eat my fatty bird liver and relish the product of inhumanely force-fed poultry in peace.
Labels: ranting, science, sexy delicious animals
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
