Believe it there are plenty of worms in the pork? Try pouring some Coke on a slab of pork, in a while you should be able to see worms crawling out of it. Although such infestations are harboured in other animals as well, modern veterinarians feel that pigs are most vulnerable because they scavenge and eat any food, including dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses, own excreta and wastes. Hence, pig’s bodies are full of toxins, worms and latent diseases. Modern commerical breeding can help to minimise this problem to a good extent.
Undercooked or untreated pork is a good breeding ground for pathogens Listeria and other microorganisms including E. coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus. The bigger Helminths – such as roundworms, pinworms, hookworms and tapeworms are not even noticed during meat inspections.
Re-contaimination after cooking can take place if food is not properly kept. When people are infected, there may not be any warning symptoms, and when they do, they resemble symptoms of many other illnesses.
Some common diseases are as follows:
+ Influenza (flu) is one of the most common illnesses which pigs share with humans. The virus can be found in the lungs of pigs during the summer months and passes on to human in the cooler months. As sausage contains bits of pigs’ lungs, eaters are susceptible to bouts of influenza.
+ The meat contains high quantities of histamine and imidazole compounds, leading to itching and inflammation.
+ Growth hormone such as the drug ractopamine, a banned chemical agent is commerically used in pig farming to stimulate rapid growth in China and Taiwan. Long term consumption can destroy cell structure, leading to chromosome mutations and cancer. It is also reported to cause severe side effects in people with glaucoma, diabetes and prostate hyperplasia.
+ Nitrites and nitrates are commonly used in the preparation of meat to preserve and give it a better appearance. These components are highly toxic and can cause stomach cancer.
+ Sulphur-containing mesenchymal mucus from the pigs can be absorbed and deposited in the humans’ tendons and cartilage, resulting in swelling, arthritis, rheumatism etc. Excessive sulphur intake results in human tendons and ligaments being replaced by the pig’s soft mesenchymal tissues, further degenerating the human cartilage.
+ Its high cholesterol and saturated fat content can lead to formation of gallstones and obesity.
+ Pork can be infested with the dangerous tapeworm - taenie solium worm, which transfers to the human intestines with greater frequency in nations where pigs are eaten. It is capable of affecting many other organs, and is deemed incurable in critical cases and can be fatal.
+ Trichiniasis is a parasitic disease caused by eating raw or undercooked pork infected with the larvae of a species of roundworm called the trichina worm. Though most infections have either minor or no symptoms and no complications, a large burden of adult worms in the intestines promote symptoms such as nausea, heartburn, dyspepsia and diarrhea. With increasing number of larvae migrate through tissue and vessels, the body’s inflammatory response results in edema, muscle pain, fever and weakness. In rare cases, it can cause serious neurological defects, stroke and pneumonia.
+ Although not a common cause of illness, Yersinia enterocolitica which causes gastroenteritis is present in various foods, but almost all outbreaks have been traced to pork and can grow in refrigerated conditions. Luckily this bacteria can be killed by heat.
Other comments
The choice to take pork is very personal. It is a good source of protein, thiamin, vitamin B6, selenium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B12, phosphorus and zinc, with low sodium content.
