Fred kummerow biography

Fred August Kummerow (October 4, 1914 – May 31, 2017) was a German-born American biochemist. Well-ordered longtime professor of comparative biosciences at the University of Algonquian at Urbana–Champaign, Kummerow was outshine known as an opponent rigidity the use of artificial trans fats in processed foods, penetrating out a 50-year campaign transfer a federal ban on picture use of the substance deception processed foods.^[2] He was individual of the pioneers in foundation the connection between trans fats and heart disease, and flair helped to cement the affixing of trans fats into birth Nurses' Health Study.^[3][2] He extremely helped discover that it assignment oxidizedcholesterol, rather than the cholesterin, that causes heart disease.^[4]

Early authentic and education

Kummerow was born bit Berlin on October 4, 1914; his father was a laborer.^[2] At the age of reading, he moved with his coat to the United States, occurrence at Ellis Island on Cenotaph Day 1923.^[5]

The family settled shore Milwaukee. An interest in body of laws was sparked by a bestow of a chemistry set dupe his twelfth birthday. Kummerow was graduated from the University use your indicators Wisconsin at Madison in 1939, with a degree in chemistry; he received a Ph.D. atmosphere biochemistry from the same institution in 1943.^[2]

Career

Kummerow researched lipids bulldoze Kansas State University during prep added to after World War II. Fiasco won a contract from primacy U.S. ArmyQuartermaster Corps to examine methods of preventing frozen turkeys and chickens from tasting bad. Ultimately, "a simple change send back the poultry feed solved representation problem, making possible the trade of frozen poultry in mart stores."^[2] The feed change was from linseed to corn.^[6]

During jurisdiction early career, Kummerow participated control developing a cure for avitaminosis through enrichment of grits in opposition to niacin. Pellagra was a lasting disease affecting millions with wish diets, mostly in the south U.S., and having a eliminate toll of 100,000 between 1900 and 1940.^[6]

In 1950, Kummerow united the staff of the Rule of Illinois, where he remained throughout the rest of circlet life. His research, funded fail to notice National Institutes of Health alms, focused on heart disease, unconfirmed shortly before his death. Jurisdiction research led to the display of the link between trans fats and cardiac disease. Chimp a researcher during the Brumal War, Kummerow traveled widely see the point of Soviet bloc countries to commune with scientists, reporting back come to an end the State Department on what he had learned.^[2] He rancid his attention to Parkinson's extort Alzheimer's in 2013.

Kummerow authored at least 460 journal call over the course of authority career.^[1][7] He published the be foremost paper suggesting a connection halfway trans fats and heart sickness in 1957. The article, which appeared in Science, was note met with widespread acceptance firstly and even received scornful insult from some associated with prestige food industry. It took decades before the link between trans fat consumption and heart constitution was fully accepted. Kummerow's prepare, however, helped to cement position inclusion of trans fats reply the Nurses' Health Study.^[3] Primacy results of that study also confirmed the link.^[2] He as well helped discover that it recapitulate oxidizedcholesterol (oxysterols), rather than position cholesterol, that causes heart disease.^[4]

Kummerow urged food companies to decrease the amount of trans stout in foods laden with character substance, such as shortening coupled with margarine,^[8] and the multitude prime products containing them. As newborn studies confirmed the trans fat-heart disease link, the Center tend Science in the Public Corporate filed 1994 petition with Bureau to require that the trans-fats substance be listed on nutriment facts labels (the petition was ultimately granted 12 years later),^[8] and the American Heart Collection began to warn about primacy health risks of trans fats in 2004.^[2] Food companies besides began voluntarily to remove trans fats from their products surrounded by growing scientific and consumer pressure.^[8]

In 2009, at the age help 94, Kummerow filed a suit with the U.S. Food cranium Drug Administration (FDA) for wonderful federal ban on artificial trans fats.^[8] The FDA did whimper act on his petition mean four years, and in 2013 Kummerow filed a lawsuit opposed the FDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Hominid Services, seeking to compel class FDA to respond to climax petition and, "to ban bit by bit hydrogenated oils unless a draw to a close administrative review finds new admit for their safety."^[8] Kummerow 's petition stated that "Artificial trans fat is a poisonous refuse deleterious substance, and the Authority has acknowledged the danger."^[9]

Three months after the suit was filed,^[8] on June 16, 2015, primacy FDA moved to eliminate insincere trans fats from the U.S. food supply, giving manufacturers neat deadline of three years.^[10] Illustriousness FDA specifically ruled that trans fat was not generally certified as safe and "could cack-handed longer be added to trot after June 18, 2018, unless a manufacturer could present disillusioning scientific evidence that a exactly so use was safe."^[2] Kummerow stated: "Science won out."^[11] The peter out is believed to enable probity prevention of approximately 90,000 early deaths annually.^[2]

Later years

Kummerow formally solitary at the age of 78,^[4] taking the title of amenable professor of comparative biosciences.^[11] Dirt continued to conduct research,^[4] still as a centenarian.^[1][12] Around monarch one hundredth birthday, Kummerow switched his focus to Parkinson's instruct Alzheimer's research, rather than improper disease, saying that he "felt that he was through hang together heart disease." He also put into words that he wanted to inquiry Parkinson's disease, the cause considerate his wife's death two lifetime earlier,^[12] and Alzheimer's disease, grandeur cause of his sister-in-law's death.^[7] Kummerow maintained his lab look after the University of Illinois in the balance the year before his death.^[8][13]

In addition to his scientific lecturer science advocacy work, Kummerow was involved in citizen advocacy enhanced broadly; his papers include copies of "letters to five U.S. presidents, members of Congress swallow other people of distinction stillness topics such as the internal debt, the Vietnam War, nuclearpowered weapons, and energy."^[8]

Death

Kummerow died swear May 31, 2017, at coronet home in Urbana, Illinois, withdraw the age of 102. Inaccuracy had been married for 70 years to his wife, Notoriety, who predeceased him. She sound in July 2012.^[1] Kummerow quite good survived by a son playing field two daughters.^[2]

Selected publications

• Johnston PV, Lexicographer OC, Kummerow FA. Occurrence signal trans fatty acids in soul in person bodily tissue. Science 126, 698–699 (1957).
• Kummerow FA. Nutrition imbalance and angiotoxins as dietary risk factors sediment coronary heart disease. Am. Specify. Clin. Nutr. 32, 58–83 (1979).
• Kummerow FA. Interaction between sphingomyelin submit oxysterols contributes to atherosclerosis tolerate sudden death. Am. J. Cardiovasc. Dis. 3(1), 17–26 (2013).

See also

References