New York bans foie gras on animal cruelty grounds

New York can stake a claim to being the culinary capital of the world, but one famous dish is about to be taken off the menu: foie gras.

The city council voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to ban the sale of the French delicacy from 2022.

Lawmakers ruled that it is cruel to force-feed ducks and geese to fatten their livers for human consumption.

The law is set to go into effect in October 2022 and prohibits any establishment from selling, serving or even possessing foie gras.

Offenders will be fined anywhere between $500 and $2,000 for each offense.

Animal rights activists hailed the passing of the motion, which was voted through by 42 votes to six.

"It is a historic day for animal rights in New York City," Matthew Dominguez of the campaign group Voters for Animal Rights told AFP.

But foie gras farmers cried foul and threatened legal action.

"We're going to kick their ass in court," said Izzy Yanay, co-founder and general manager of Hudson Valley Foie Gras, one of New York state's major foie gras producers.

Yanay added that the ban would badly hit her company.

"I have 400 people who've been working for me for 30 years. Those people will face a tragedy," she told AFP.

The law, which needs to be signed into effect by Mayor Bill de Blasio, comes after the US Supreme Court upheld a similar ban in California in January, ending a 15-year legal battle.

Foie gras farmers claim their practice is not cruel and that activists have exaggerated the suffering that the animals are subjected to.

They say that the amount of corn given to a duck does not exceed the amount which it could eat on its own.

But opponents dispute that and say the use of a feeding tube is inhumane.

The production of foie gras is banned in several countries, including Britain.

The industry is exploring alternative ways of replicating the food that does not involve force-feeding.

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source: news.abs-cbn.com

How pain relievers can harm the liver

MANILA -- The health of a person's liver can be determined through the level of certain enzymes in the body, a gastroenterologist explained on Tuesday.

On radio DZMM's "Magandang Gabi Dok," Dr. Edward Lim, a gastroenterologist from the Chinese General Hospital, said a person can determine if his or her liver is healthy by undergoing a routine blood test.

He said this can be done by determining the level of serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) or serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) in the blood.

Both SGOT and SGPT are enzymes that can be found in a person's liver.

"Marami kasi sa mga pasyente, kapag nagpa-routine blood examination, lumalabas na mataas ang katas sa atay. Ibig sabihin, may problema sila (sa atay)," Lim said.

If the SGPT is higher than the SGOT, then it means that there is something wrong with the liver.

However, if the SGOT is higher than the SGPT, then it means that there is something wrong with the tubes of one's liver.

Lim said people who often consume alcoholic drinks usually have higher levels of SGOT in their blood, which means they might have problems with the tubes on their liver.

"Sa tubo ng atay dumadaan ang mga katas o enzymes papunta sa small intestines. 'Yung bile, tumutulong sa digestion. Kapag may bumabara sa tubo ng atay, hindi makakalabas yung enzymes, mamamaga siya," he added.

On the other hand, a person with higher levels of SGPT in his blood may have liver problems such as hepatitis, fatty liver, or a damaged liver caused by medication.

Lim explained that all medicines are metabolized either in the kidney and liver, and may have bad effects on the organs if taken beyond the recommended dose.

"Medicines hit the liver or the kidney. Kailangan silang ilabas, otherwise, nagiging toxic. Kapag sobra ang dosage, nakakasira ng kidney o atay."

Some medicines that affect the liver are pain relievers like acetaminophen and paracetamol, and medication used to cure tuberculosis.

Lim clarified that these medicines can only affect the liver if the person takes more than the required dosage.

He said this is a common problem in the US and Europe, but is uncommon in the Philippines.

"Sa Pilipinas hindi masyadong problema kasi marami, hindi compliant sa gamot. Minsan kahit 1 linggo dapat, iinumin lang ang gamot, 2 araw," Lim said.

Some people, especially those who are overweight, or have a diet high in fat, may suffer from fatty liver.

"Nagkakaroon ng fatty liver kapag hindi na alam ng liver kung anong gagawin sa excess fat. Namamaga ang atay, nababalutan ng taba. 'Yung mga pagitan ng cells ng atay, may taba," Lim added.

He also explained that men should have an SGPT below 30, while women should have SGPT below 20.

Those who want to know if they have problems with their liver should undergo a blood test, and have their liver enzymes checked.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com