Health
Ronnie Cummins, Scourge of Genetically Modified Food, Dies at 76
Ronnie Cummins, a ponytailed activist who became one of the country’s leading advocates for organic food and a leading critic of genetically modified food, died on April 26 in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where he lived and worked part-time. He was 76.
Rose Welch, his wife and partner in starting the Organic Consumers Association, an advocacy and informational organization, said his death, which was not widely reported at the time, was caused by bone and lymph cancer.
Mr. Cummins was a lifelong activist and protester, beginning with his opposing the Vietnam War and nuclear power. He settled on organic food activism in the 1990s after he was hired as a director of the Pure Food Campaign, a lobbying group that sought to broaden awareness of the dangers of genetically engineered food while pushing for responsible labeling and government testing.
Mr. Cummins worked in the field for the campaign, raising alarm at rallies and supermarkets about the perils of foods using genetically modified ingredients. He handed out leaflets, wrote opinion articles and answered consumers’ questions as a campaign spokesman.
He also worked for the Beyond Beef campaign, aimed at reducing beef consumption and promoting safer methods of cattle production. Both campaigns were founded by the environmental activist and social theorist Jeremy Rifkin.
Mr. Cummins “was a tough guy who could be an activist and also step back and do the intellectual homework behind what we were doing,” Mr. Rifkin said in a phone interview.
“Too often activists burn out after starting out with high expectations,” he added. “But Ronnie could write, research, reflect and be open to all points of view.”
One of Mr. Cummins’s frequent targets was recombinant bovine somatotropin, or bovine growth hormone, a genetically engineered hormone, produced by Monsanto, that stimulates milk production in cows.
On the first day that farmers were allowed to sell milk from cows injected with the hormone, in 1994, Mr. Cummins told The Associated Press that “if we don’t slow down the technology of change with genetically engineered additives, we will be making a very major mistake in terms of human health, animal health and the survival of family farms.”
He continued to rail about milk produced by hormone-treated cows after he and Ms. Welch started the Organic Consumers Association, based in Finland, Minn., in 1998.
“Recombinant bovine growth hormone is bad for dairy cows, literally burning them out in three or four years, causing terrible physical stress and a long list of medical problems including reproductive complications,” Mr. Cummins wrote in The Fresno Bee in 2008.
He relished battling with major brands. In 2001, he raised doubt about Starbucks’s promise not to use milk products with the hormone by asking to see its promise in writing. (The company eventually complied in 2007.) He warned about a “sneak attack engineered by the likes of Kraft, Dean Foods and Smucker’s.” To pressure companies using modified beet sugar, he threatened a protest against Hershey.
Though there are unresolved questions about the effect of genetically modified organisms on biodiversity, there is a near-universal consensus among scientists that genetically modified foods are safe to eat.
Most consumers do not share that view, however, a skepticism due in large part to the efforts of activists like Mr. Cummins.
The safety of genetically modified food “is like global climate change, where 99 percent of scientists believe in it,” Pamela Ronald, a plant pathology professor at the University of California, Davis, told The Roanoke Times in 2013.
She added, “You have scientists around the world who say genetically engineered crops are safe to eat — and then you have Ronnie Cummins.”
Mr. Cummins was born Adrian Alton Abel on Oct. 28, 1946, in Jefferson, Tex., about 20 miles from the Louisiana border. His father, Jack, was an accountant for Gulf Oil in Port Arthur, Texas, in the heart of the state’s oil industry. His mother, Elise (Stout) Abel, was a homemaker who died by suicide in 1951.
In his 20s, Adrian changed his name to Ronnie Cummins, the name of a boy who was also born in 1946 and who died in 1954. Ms. Welch said he changed his name because he feared reprisals from the Ku Klux Klan for his antiwar activities at Rice University in Houston, where he had majored in English and philosophy and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1969.
Ms. Welch said she did not know why her husband took the Cummins boy’s name in particular. She said he told her that he did not have a criminal record that he was seeking to hide with a new identity. His brother, Jack Abel Jr., said by phone that the story behind the name change “is so personal I can’t share it.”
In addition to his wife and brother, Mr. Cummins is survived by his son, Adrian Cummins Welch; and his sisters, Molly Travis and Bonnie Abel.
Adrian grew up among refineries and later recalled catching fish polluted by oil. But he also spent idyllic summers on his maternal grandparents’ farm, where he took care of animals and gathered eggs.
“My life experience has taught me that money rules and power corrupts, and that putting profits before people and environmental health is not only wrong but deadly,” he wrote in his book “Grassroots Rising: A Call to Action on Climate, Farming, Food and Green New Deal” (2020). “Organized grass-roots power can make a big difference,” he added, “whether we’re talking about public consciousness, marketplace pressure or politics and public policy.”
As a career, activism didn’t pay the bills, so he earned a living over the years as a newsstand owner at the University of Minnesota, the director of a food co-op in Burnsdale, Minn., outside Minneapolis, and a house painter. Ms. Welch waited tables.
“He was pretty much a hippie,” she said in a phone interview.
Both went to work for Mr. Rifkin in the 1990s, Mr. Cummins as a director, Ms. Welch as a campaign manager. They left to start the Organic Consumers Association, which supports enforcement of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic food standards, produces educational material for organic consumers and businesses, and encourages public pressure campaigns on organic food issues.
The “hippie” was finally earning a real salary — $112,900 in 2021.
The O.C.A. has spun off two organizations: the Mexico-based Via Orgánica, an agroecology farm school and research center, in 2009, and, in 2014, Regeneration International, which advances ways to develop farming practices that rebuild degraded soil.
In the view of André Leu, the international director of Regeneration International, Mr. Cummins had stood up to “the powerful elite who were monopolizing power and wealth” and were “undermining democracy, fair wages, healthy food, peace, the climate, and the environment.”
A longtime goal of Mr. Cummins’s was for the government to require labeling on genetically modified food. He fought for ballot initiatives in several states and won his first major victory in Vermont, in 2014, when it became the first state to pass a labeling law.
Faced with the prospect of a patchwork of state laws, Congress passed a sweeping federal labeling law in 2016.
But Mr. Cummins did not consider it a victory.
The law, which superseded the tougher Vermont legislation, gave companies the option of using an icon or a scannable QR code that would direct consumers to a website, instead of having to spell out the information on the package. And some foods, like highly refined sugars and oils, were exempt from the labeling requirement.
Mr. Cummins, in an article on his website, called brands like Organic Valley and Stonyfield Farms “organic traitors” and accused the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Whole Foods supermarket chain “and a cabal of sellout, nonprofit organizations” of surrendering “to Monsanto and a corporate agribusiness” by backing the legislation.
“In other words business as usual,” he added, then used a buzzword for genetically modified products — “Shut up and eat your Frankenfoods.”
Sheelagh McNeill contributed research.
Health
Supercharge your immune system with these 10 foods
Did you know that some foods can help boost your immune system naturally and work to keep you healthy? In this article, learn how to incorporate the best immunity-boosting foods into your diet – and why these foods in particular help protect your health.
Nature’s best illness fighters
Many foods you’ll find at your local grocery store can help keep you healthy throughout the year. These 10 common foods top the list.
1. Mushrooms
Mushrooms contain selenium, deficiency of which may cause increased susceptibility to contracting a virus, as found in a study published in Nutrients journal. The riboflavin and niacin found in mushrooms are also important for a healthy immune system.
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Try adding a handful of mushrooms to your pasta sauce, scrambled eggs and omelets, or throw them on top of a homemade pizza. Mushrooms are also delicious, simply sautéed or roasted with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.
2. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes and other orange foods like carrots, squash and pumpkin contain the antioxidant beta-carotene. This is a form of vitamin A that is essential for keeping your skin strong and able to fight off bacteria and viruses.
“Vitamin A helps regulate the immune system and protects you from infections by supporting immune system cells and barriers that keep the bad stuff out,” said Kara Lydon, a dietitian, certified intuitive eating counselor, and author of the e-book Nourish Your Namaste: How Nutrition and Yoga Can Support Digestion, Immunity, Energy and Relaxation. “One sweet potato has over 380% of the daily value for vitamin A.”
Try cutting sweet potatoes into strips and baking them coated in a little olive oil, salt and pepper to make a healthy homemade version of French fries.
Or, for a major time-saving hack, learn how to cook a sweet potato in the microwave, then simply top it with a little butter and cinnamon for an easy side dish.
3. Almonds
Almonds are an excellent source of vitamin E, another antioxidant responsible for supporting the immune system. Grab a handful – 1/4 cup – to get 50% of your daily recommended amount of vitamin E.
4. Yogurt
Yogurt contains live and active cultures called probiotics. These can help stimulate the immune system and keep our gut and intestinal tract healthy and free of disease-causing bacteria.
Any yogurt with a Live and Active Cultures seal contains some beneficial bugs. You can see them in the ingredients list as well.
Dairy products, like yogurt, also tend to be good sources of vitamin D; a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found vitamin D deficiency is linked to an increased risk of contracting a cold or the flu.
5. Leafy greens
Leafy greens like spinach and kale are rich in a whole host of nutrients, including fiber, antioxidants and folate, which is especially important for immune function, as per a study in The Journal of Immunology.
Both spinach and kale leaves are great tossed into a salad with another lighter, crunchier green, like romaine, for texture variance. Spinach leaves are also an excellent replacement for less nutrient-dense iceberg lettuce on a sandwich.
You can also use spinach and kale in fruit smoothies – just be sure to use only the leaves of the kale, not the bitter stems.
If you’re more a fan of savory, crunchy snacks, give a baked kale chips recipe a try – they are easy to make and surprisingly delicious.
6. Tea
Green and black tea contain polyphenols and flavonoids, which are antioxidants that help fight disease. In addition, an amino acid that’s responsible for an immune boost, L-theanine, is abundant in both black and green tea. Decaf versions have it, too.
Drink several unsweetened cups per day to reap the benefits. To get more antioxidants from your tea bags, bob them up and down while they brew.
7. Cabbage
This inexpensive winter vegetable is a source of glutamine, which has been noted by many studies, including one in Nutrients journal, to strengthen the immune system. Try it in your winter soups and stews, or throw shredded raw cabbage into your wraps or salads to add a nice crunch that won’t change the flavor profile of the meal.
8. Garlic
In addition to warding off vampires, garlic also contains the active ingredient allicin, which fights infection and bacteria with its antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Minced garlic is great sautéed with spinach and a little olive oil for a simple side dish, and minced garlic is also a delicious addition to homemade salsa. Tip: buy garlic pre-minced to save time and mess.
9. Barley and oats
These grains contain beta-glucan, a type of fiber with antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities that have been found to stimulate the immune system. According to a study published in Physiology & Behavior, beta-glucan can help prime the immune system and support resistance against invading pathogens.
Barley is a great addition to soups and salads thanks to its wonderfully chewy texture, and oats can make an easy and nutritious breakfast.
If you’re looking for a breakfast that’s ready for you when you wake up, give overnight oats with almond milk a try – a few minutes of quick prep the night before will have breakfast ready and waiting by morning.
10. Fish
Selenium, which is especially plentiful in shellfish such as oysters, lobsters, crabs and clams, helps white blood cells produce cytokines-proteins that help clear flu viruses out of the body.
In addition, salmon, mackerel and herring are rich in omega-3 fats, which reduce inflammation and increase airflow, protecting lungs from colds and respiratory infections.
Mix canned salmon with half a mashed avocado, a spoonful of Dijon mustard, and a spoonful of mayonnaise to make a flavorful and nutrient-dense salmon salad that’s great in a wrap, on a sandwich or simply with crackers.
Takeaways
Boosting your immune system with the foods that you eat is more accessible than you might think – and more important, too.
“Research shows that various nutrient deficiencies – vitamins A, C, E, B, D, selenium, zinc, iron, copper and folic acid – can increase your susceptibility to disease,” said Lydon. “In fact, malnutrition is the most common cause of immune-deficiency in the world, so making sure you’re eating adequately is key for immune health.”
Stock up on these natural illness fighters – mushrooms, sweet potatoes, almonds, yogurt, leafy greens, green and black tea, cabbage, garlic, barley and oats and fish – on your next trip to the grocery store.
Health
These medications could make driving dangerous, the FDA warns
It’s become common knowledge that drinking and driving don’t mix — but should you get behind the wheel after popping a pill?
It depends on the type of medication, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
While most medicines are safe to take on the go, some may cause side effects that can interfere with the ability to operate a vehicle or heavy machinery, the agency warned in a notice on its website.
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These side effects can include drowsiness, dizziness, blurred vision, fainting, lack of coordination, nausea, inability to focus or pay attention, and excitability, the FDA noted.
“Some medicines can affect your driving for a short time after you take them,” the notice stated. “For others, the effects can last for several hours and even into the next day.”
Some medicines come with a warning to not operate a vehicle or operate heavy machinery for a certain period of time after taking them.
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“Many different types of medications — such as antipsychotics, anti-epileptic medications, stimulants, muscle relaxants, opioids, benzodiazepines, sleeping pills, some antidepressants, and even over-the-counter medications like antihistamines — can cause side effects that impair mental and motor functions, including fatigue, headaches, nausea, blurred vision, delayed reaction times and visual impairment,” Katy Dubinsky, a New York pharmacist and the CEO and co-founder of Vitalize, a private supplement company, told Fox News Digital.
“These side effects significantly reduce alertness and clear vision, which are crucial for safely driving and performing everyday tasks,” she added.
Dr. Shana Johnson, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician in Scottsdale, Arizona, noted that central nervous system depressants can be particularly dangerous for driving — as these medications exert their effects by calming the brain.
“Side effects associated with this calming include sleepiness, loss of focus and fuzzy thinking,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Common examples of this class are medications for muscle spasms (muscle relaxants), pain (opioids), seizures (anti-seizure medications) and anxiety (benzodiazepines).”
Two other classes of medications that have sedating effects are antihistamines used for allergy control and anticholinergics used for bladder control and chronic pain, Johnson added.
Medications that don’t mix with driving
The FDA website includes the following list of medications that could make it dangerous to drive.
- Antipsychotic medicines
- Anti-seizure medicines (antiepileptic drugs)
- Diet pills, “stay awake” medicines and other stimulants, including caffeine, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine
- Medicines that treat or control symptoms of diarrhea and urine or bladder control
- Medicines that treat or prevent symptoms of motion sickness
- Muscle relaxants
- Opioids, including some cough suppressants containing codeine and hydrocodone
- Prescription medicines for anxiety (for example, benzodiazepines)
- Sleeping pills
- Some antidepressants
- Some prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) cold remedies and allergy medicines that contain antihistamines, nighttime sleep aids or cough medicines
- Products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds, including CBD
Taking sleep medicines at night can sometimes cause impaired driving the next day, the FDA warned.
“If you take sleep drugs, talk with your health care professional about ways to take the lowest effective dose, when to take the medicines before bedtime, and when it would be safe to drive again after taking a sleep medicine,” the agency advised.
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Allergy medications may contain antihistamines that can also impede driving ability, the FDA added.
“Antihistamines can slow your reaction time, make it hard to focus or think clearly, and may cause mild confusion even if you don’t feel drowsy.”
Johnson said the impact of medications on driving abilities may vary from person to person.
“One person may feel no sleepiness with an antihistamine, while another may feel sleepy the whole day,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Seeing how a medication affects you is important to know before driving on it.”
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In her practice, Johnson said she tells her patients to try a new medication when they don’t have plans to drive — so they can see how it affects them and avoid a dangerous situation.
“The risk of medications impairing driving increases if you are on multiple medications with sedating side effects and with older adults,” she added.
Preventing impaired driving
For those who are taking medications, it’s recommended to consult with a health care professional for guidance related to driving.
For over-the-counter medicines, the agency recommends always following directions for use and reading the warnings on the Drug Facts label.
For prescription medications, the agency recommends following the directions and warnings on packaging, as well as reading the FDA-approved labeling.
“Your health care professional might be able to change your dose, adjust the timing of when you take the medicine, or switch the medicine to one that causes fewer side effects for you,” the FDA stated.
It’s also important to tell your doctor about other medicines, vitamins or supplements you are taking, as it’s possible that they could impact any side effects.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
Health
Your Guide to Ozempic and the New Weight-Loss Drugs: Top Experts + Real Women Tell All
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