Doctors for Disaster Preparedness (DDP) Urges Caution on Insect-Based Diets

TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Using insects as a main source of animal protein is being heavily promoted as a "sustainable diet," reports the Doctors for Disaster Preparedness Newsletter, but many safety questions have not been adequately addressed.

            While ground-up insects contain a "highly nutritious" mixture of amino acids, minerals, and micronutrients, long-term studies are lacking on the health effects of replacing meat and dairy with insects, the article states, enumerating several issues.

            Many if not most humans may be unable to digest the chitin in insect exoskeletons. It may interfere with the absorption of dietary fats and might over the long term cause deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins A and E.

            Chitin activates the immune system in various ways, and "the significance of chitin and its derivatives on immune responses has not been fully appreciated." Persons who are allergic to shellfish may be allergic to chitin as well.

            Possible contaminants include: parasites, which are found on 81 percent of insect farms, many of which can affect humans; bacterial spores; mycotoxins; heavy metals; and pesticide residues.

            Public acceptance is surprisingly high, the article notes, especially when people are told they are saving the planet. Raising livestock requires much more water, grain, and space than raising insects, and generates more nitrogen-containing emissions.

             "Destroying farms and killing herds of livestock has irreversible consequences," states DDP president Jane M. Orient, M.D. "Assuming that crickets and other replacements for meat and dairy will be adequate and safe is an enormous gamble with millions of human lives." She recommends:

• Attention to policies that would destroy farming and ranching in your area;
• Careful reading of food labels, as insect powder may be added to everything from soup to pasta;
• Demand that consumer advocacy groups address safety issues related to consumption of insects; and
• Investigate what snacks are provided to your schoolchildren.
• Doctors for Disaster Preparedness provides information to help save lives in the event of natural or man-made disasters.

Contact: Jane M. Orient, M.D., (520) 323-3110, [email protected]

SOURCE Doctors for Disaster Preparedness

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