Radio Shows | How Good Spinach Goes Bad | mp3 … wma … wav

Recently fresh spinach was pulled from supermarket shelves, salad bars and college cafeterias. E. coli contamination managed to turn a nutritious food into a dangerous source of diarrhea. The outbreak came from processing plants in central California. So far, 200 cases have been reported in 26 states. Normally E. coli is harmless. In fact, it's a common intestinal bacteria that we need to make vitamin K, an essential nutrient. What makes this E. coli different? Well, it produces molecules that change our cells and tissues. For example, some of these bacteria produce proteins which cause our intestinal cells to secrete water leading to diarrhea. In some serious cases, the bacteria can enter the blood stream. The spinach E. coli called O157H7 produces a powerful toxin that can cause multi-organ failure and death. Many times though, E. coli stays confined to the gut and although you feel like you could die, the infection clears in about a week. Physicians rarely prescribe antibiotics for bacterial gastrointestinal infections. The bottom line is, they don't reduce the severity or the length of the disease. Should you give in to calls for a total ban on fresh spinach by your child? Absolutely not! But listen for alerts issued by public health organizations like the CDC. In the mean time, continue the struggle to convince your children that vegetables are good for them.