Don't Go Mad

[DEF]

DON'T GO MAD

Until December 23, 2003, mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, was something to worry about in other parts of the world. But the problem has landed on our shores with the discovery of a few infected cows in the state of Washington. Not wanting to fall victim to the media hype, I thought it important to find out what we really need to know about the disease -- and what changes, if any, we need to make in our eating habits.

I called Robert Petersen, PhD, an associate professor of pathology and neuroscience at Case Western Reserve University and chief scientific officer for Prion Developmental Laboratories, which is developing more rapid testing for mad cow disease.

WHAT IS MAD COW DISEASE?

Dr. Petersen explained that mad cow disease is one of several prion diseases. Prions are normal proteins, which, the current thinking goes, can become misshapen and infect other prions, resulting in a disease of the nervous system that causes dementia and ultimately death. Humans who eat the nervous tissue of an animal with mad cow can develop what is called variant Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

According to Dr. Petersen, no one in this country has developed vCJD other than a person who grew up in England in the early 1990s. Even so, he agrees that in spite of the small number of affected cows, mad cow is a real and serious disease, so it's prudent to take steps to be sure you won't become a victim. There are several ways to do this short of giving up beef entirely.

STEPS TO SAFETY

Dr. Petersen's first suggestion is one that the French government instituted -- eliminate bone-in cuts, or meats still on the bone. The reason for this is that the cow's nervous system -- including its bone marrow -- harbors mad cow disease. When you cook meat that is on the bone, there is the possibility that marrow from the adjacent bone could contaminate the meat. For complete safety, buy the steak or the roast, but remove the meat from the bone before you cook it.

As for hamburgers, there is no need to go without, says Dr. Petersen. Chopped meat is dangerous only because you rarely have a way of knowing what parts of the cow it comes from. Have a butcher grind it for you from a cut of meat, such as sirloin, that has nothing to do with the cow's nervous system.

Organic beef producers have jumped on the marketing bandwagon trumpeting messages that their products are safe. Dr. Petersen concurs that it's likely these animals are indeed protected. Cows get the disease by eating feed that contains remnants of animal carcasses, possibly including those that have another prion disease. Because organically raised cows graze rather than being fed in feedlots, the odds of their encountering an infectious agent, he says, have been minimized. While some high-end markets are posting signs that assure you their beef is safe, Dr. Petersen is less confident about that. Unless it is organically produced beef, there is no reason to think that it is any safer.

Best bet: Japanese Kobe steak. In the US, we routinely test 18,000 cows a year -- out of the nearly 40 million that go to slaughter each year. But the Japanese test each and every one of its cattle destined for slaughter. If you want steak from cattle that you know is disease free, order Japanese Kobe steak. Although expensive, you can relax and enjoy your meal.

LOOKING AHEAD

Will there come a time when we can quit worrying about the possibility of mad cow disease in American beef? Dr. Petersen reports that the government now is looking at more efficient ways to test for the disease, but there is no way to know when and if one will be found and how long it would take to put it into use. The US government has had rigid standards for a number of years about what goes into cow feed to help prevent the possibility of mad cow disease, but it has been slow to find new ways to test quickly and efficiently for its presence in animals. In the meantime, he reminds us that the possibility of contracting vCJD is much lower than getting a disease such as Legionnaire's disease.

With safe choices, you can have your steak and enjoy it, too

[NSCR FAN]

Ah, OK. Thanks, Bob.