Friday, April 10, 2009
Paging Big Brother...
Urine drug tests are de rigueur for new employees of many companies-- but what about a test to ensure that novel accountant is eating her leafy greens?
A Toronto research group has found that, by measuring levels of urinary potassium, one can get a good idea of whether a person is hitting the salad bar on her lunch breaks-- or taking a trip to Mickey D's.
Researchers evaluated urine samples from 220 people aged 18 to 50 with kidney stones, over a period of 24 hours. The patients also filled out questionnaires about the kind of food they ate over that same time period. Turns out, those with more potassium in their urine reported eating healthier foods like veggies, fruit, whole grains and low-fat dairy, while the low-potassium crowd more often reported eating fast food, red meat and sugary drinks. The study is in the April issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
The absurdist possibilities of such a test are endless. Will health nuts take to measuring their urine every few hours, to ensure they are getting the proper ratio of flax to wheat germ? Or will insurance companies require urine tests as pre-requisites, trying to spot heart-attacks-in waiting via a Whopper-a-day dinner habit? The mind reels...
Labels: Nutrition, urine tests
posted by Jessica Berthold at
4:50 PM
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