December 12, 2003 – French researchers claim to have discovered a direct link between the increased commercial distribution of refrigerators and the ease of obtaining them, and the explosion in the number of people suffering from Crohn’s disease.
Thus, scientists attached to the Robert-Debré hospital in Paris, claim that we witnessed an upsurge in cases of this disease in developed countries in the early 1950s, when refrigerators became more accessible.
In doing so, people would have started consuming more of certain foods – like pork, chicken, sausage, ground meat and cheese – which keep better in the refrigerator. However, these foods also frequently contain different bacteria, such as yersinia and listeria, which can cause Crohn’s disease in people with a genetic predisposition to it.
These bacteria are frequently found in lesions caused to the intestines by Crohn’s disease. They can also survive temperatures approaching the freezing point, while most refrigerators keep food at a temperature of around four degrees Celsius.
About 100,000 Canadians are believed to have Crohn’s disease. This is usually relieved with medication and diet modifications.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
From Globe and Mail; December 12, 2003.
1. Jean-Pierre Hugot, Corinne Alberti, Dominique Berrebi, Edouard Bingen, Jean-Pierre Cézard. Crohn’s disease: the cold chain hypothesis.Lancet 2003; 362: 2012-15.