HEALTHY LIVING IN AN UNHEALTHY WORLD: Food for Survival in a Polluted World

Further, somewhat differently focused suggestions for nutritional protection against illness (see also Bland, above)--this time, for protection against ""cancer and many other environmentally induced diseases."" Calabrese, Professor of Public Health at the U. of Massachusetts, and science writer Dorsey acknowledge that, since the science of nutrition and environmental health is a new one, ""many of its conclusions are tentative and in need of further testing."" Readers are on their own, therefore, in following or not following the pointers here: they are generally harmless, if not guaranteed effective. Samples: consumption of vitamin C at the same time as cured meats (e.g., orange juice with breakfast bacon) seems to prevent the formation of the potent carcinogens, nitrosamines; pectin, a fiber present in apples and other fruit, reduces the amount of lead absorbed from the environment; vitamin E lessens lung damage caused by air pollution. First, the authors review nutrition basics, toxicology (how poisons act on the body), and epidemiology (what we can learn about disease prevention from cancer and other disease patterns in the population). They then cover five general classes of hazardous agents at length, and discuss possibilities for lessening possible harm through nutritional measures. The first class, the ""chemical feast"" that is our food, represents a hazard as well as a source of protection. The others: air, water, and land pollutants; occupational hazards of the chemical variety; drugs (which have direct chemical effects, but also affect nutrient absorption); and, finally, ""lifestyle"" pollutants--like tobacco and alcohol. An informative, if speculative, summary.