The next minor miracle of genetic engineering may appear at the breakfast table in the form of heart-healthy bacon. A genetic engineer at the University of Pittsburgh, Yifan Dai, cloned a litter of pigs with high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids (Alison Richards, NPR: All Things Considered, 20 March 2006). Omega-3 are polyunsaturated fats found in flaxseed oil and in oil-rich fish, like salmon, sardines, lake trout, or albacore tuna. Scientists believe that a diet with Omega-3 acids can reduce risks of heart disease:

Since the first AHA Science Advisory "Fish Consumption, Fish Oil, Lipids, and Coronary Heart Disease,"1 important new findings, including evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), have been reported about the beneficial effects of omega-3 (or n-3) fatty acids on cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with preexisting CVD as well as in healthy individuals.2 New information about how omega-3 fatty acids affect cardiac function (including antiarrhythmic effects), hemodynamics (cardiac mechanics), and arterial endothelial function have helped clarify potential mechanisms of action. (Circulation (American Heart Association), 19 November 2002)

Fats found in mammals characteristically contain Omega 6 (Linoleic Acid). Changes in American dietary patterns since the 1950’s have shown in increase in the proportion of Omega 6 consumption relative to Omega 3 by a factors ranging from five to ten. (Omega 3 Information Service) Omega 6 contributes to high blood pressure and water retention (Anne Collins, Dietary Fats). Dai’s genetically engineered pigs may be one of a series of meat and dairy products that could offset this imbalance.

This appears to be progress. Nevertheless, there is something to be said for the old-fashioned idea of “eat less.” Eat less meat. Eat less dairy. Take nutrients naturally. Take flaxseed oil and eat fatty fish for Omega 3. Rather than developing technologies that enable Americans to consume more, health authorities need to communicate an explicit reduction. Instead, they obfuscate the message by targeting the offending nutrient without mention of food which carries it. “Choose foods low in saturated fat” is less clear than “eat less meat,” and it is designed specifically to appease the meat industry. (Marion Nestle, Food Politics, 2002).

Bacon is delicious, certainly. Such delights ought to be consumed sparingly. This so-called “healthy” bacon may have higher levels of Omega 3, but no one knows what other properties it carries. Further, popularizing the idea of consequence-free bacon may, in the long term, promote ill health by reinforcing the taste for fatty meats in the diet. It is worth noting that the invention of artificial sweeteners have not slowed the obesity rates in this country. In fact, it has exacerbated it:

"Davidson and Swithers, members of the Ingestive Behavior Research Center at Purdue, suggest that being able to automatically match caloric intake with caloric need depends on the body's ability to learn that the taste and feel of food by the mouth suggests the appropriate caloric intake….The body's natural ability to regulate food intake and body weight may be weakened when this natural relationship is impaired by artificial sweeteners," said Davidson, an expert in behavioral neuroscience. "Without thinking about it, the body learns that it can use food characteristics such as sweetness and viscosity to gauge its caloric intake. The body may use this information to determine how much food is required to meet its caloric needs." (Science Daily, 30 June 2004)

If this holds true for Omega 3 meat and dairy, as it foes for artificial sweeteners, then this kind of progress may be movement in the wrong direction.