Nov 25 2008

Melamine esoterica

I am hearing rumors that the melamine crystals that caused kidney blockage in Chinese infants are not the same as the ones that harmed cats and dogs last year.  The crystals in pets’ kidneys were formed of melamine and its by-product, cyanuric acid.  The ones in infants seem to be made of melamine linked to uric acid.  Fortunately, these are not nearly so lethal.

Uric acid is not a contaminant.  It is a normal breakdown product of components of DNA and RNA, excreted in urine.  Babies – and adults -  normally excrete uric acid through the kidneys. Really, eating melamine is not a good idea and putting it into pet food, animal feed, or human food is nothing short of evil.

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  • Christine Irizarry
  • November 28, 2008
  • 4:33 pm

Our newspaper recently reported an increase in childhood kidney stones. Coincidence? If melamine leaches from can liners, too, should we worry, twice? Two days ago I called Abbott Labs.’ media line in Columbus, Ohio, to learn about the difference between Similac and Similac Organic. They did not call me back. Is the provenance of dairy ingredients different? Should parents prefer Similac organic? If the regular Similac is just as good, why sell two products? How long will it take to label the provenance of ingredients? “Doctors here and across the nation are noticing a surprising new trend: an increase in kidney stones among children — some of them as young as 7 years old.” – by Rachel Stults, The Tennessean, Nov. 23, 2008. http://www.tennessean.com. I am a researcher at the newspaper.

  • Marion
  • November 28, 2008
  • 4:44 pm

Those kidney stones are most likely due to the high levels of salt in kids diets these days, not melamine (click on Salt and look for the Eating Liberally post, which links to the reports on this). As for Similac, the organic variety is made with organic ingredients – no synthetic pesticides in the cows’ feed, no growth hormones, no antibiotics. Worth the higher cost? I think so, but you have to decide for yourself, as I discuss in What to Eat.

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