Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Peru: Morning News Roundup - Thursday August 7

Peru women march to defend milk aid

Thousands of women marched through the streets of Peru’s capital yesterday to pressure the government to drop plans to scale back a free milk programme. Protesting mothers, some blowing whistles and shaking empty milk cans while carrying children strapped to their backs, say cutbacks would bust already tight household budgets at a time when food prices are rising. (The Peninsula - click here to read complete article)


Peru finds regional coca law unconstitutional

Peru's top court has overturned a regional law legalizing the cultivation of coca leaves, the key ingredient in cocaine. The department of Puno had approved the law in February. But Peru's Constitutional Tribunal ruled that only the central government has the authority to set national drug policy. The court announced its decision Wednesday. (AP - click here to read complete article)


Boozman Plans Trip to Brazil, Peru

Trade with Arkansas will be the topic next week when U.S. Rep. John Boozman visits Brazil and Peru along with officials of the Arkansas World Trade Center headquartered in northwest Arkansas. Boozman, R-Ark., said Wednesday he would lead a delegation to the two South American countries starting Sunday and returning August 18th. (KATV 7 - click here to read complete article)


Resistant TB Still Curable With Aggressive Treatment

The deadliest form of tuberculosis is still curable if properly treated, according to a new study that lifts hopes in the battle against bacterial infections impervious to common antibiotics. A Peruvian experiment, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, demonstrates that "under pretty difficult circumstances, it is possible to achieve a high level of cure," Dr. Raviglione said. (The Wall Street Journal - click here to read complete article by Keith J. Winstein)


APEC meeting on food security opens in Peru

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting on food production and security Wednesday opened in Cusco in southern Peru. Representatives from 18 of the 21 APEC member economies attended the meeting which will last until Thursday. More and more food crosses borders as globalization and international trade grow, said Lin Wei, deputy head of the import and export food safety bureau of China's quality inspection agency. (Xinhua - click here to read complete article)



Credicorp Quarterly Profit Declines on Currency Loss

Credicorp Ltd., Peru's largest financial-services company, said profit fell 16 percent in the second quarter on a currency loss. Net income declined to $73.7 million, or 92 cents a U.S.- traded share, from $87.4 million, or $1.10, a year earlier, Lima- based Credicorp said today in a statement on its Web site. (Bloomberg - click here to read complete article by Alex Emery)

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• Sports : Peru invests three soles per citizen in sports
• Transportation : Peru: New bypass to benefit 2 million Lima motorists
• Business : Peru: Samoa Fiber to invest $600 million in production of bio oil
• Transportation : Peru university will not give land to Lima for new highway project
• Business : Peru's Agriculture trade grew 41 percent totaling $3.21 billion

# Martin says :
7 August, 2008 [ 12:26 ]

Has anyone considered telling women in Peru and elsewhere that if you can not afford milk [food] for your baby stop having so many babies?

# EC says :
8 August, 2008 [ 08:18 ]

The program of aiding with milk to impoverished children has been politizised for decades. This policy has never considered the fact that children in Peru lack the enzyme to metabolized milk after 3 years of age nor there are other splendid options (e.g kiwicha) to nourish these children.

# rice and sugar says :
8 August, 2008 [ 09:41 ]

Dear EC,
I agree with you that Kiwicha and Quinoa are excellent choices for Peruvian children, and so would be soy I suppose. You are right, this would be easier for people to get. But, how do you know that all, or most, or many Peruvian malnourished children lack - which enzyme? I don't know much about pediatrics myself (I am not a medical doctor), and I am sure that a malnourished child would probably have different metabolism rates for different foods. But, maybe you can help me, have there been any studies done in malnourished Peruvian children and milk metabolism? We are not talking galactosidase here. I assume you are talking about perhaps a calcium metabolic enzyme, perhaps?

# EC says :
8 August, 2008 [ 13:25 ]

Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products. It is not a condition seen ONLY in underdeveloped countries as a matter of fact the prevalence in children in the USA is 30%, worldwide close to 70%. In Peru is way high. This is a troublesome issue; imagine the medical establishment in Peru telling all the poor families to stop drinking milk (the program was started by Barrantes a Peruvian Leftist back in the 80's) and eating more cereal (which by the way would be more expensive).

# Victor says :
8 August, 2008 [ 16:58 ]

You are right EC, lactose intolerance is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose, the predominant sugar in milk. There are several papers that suggest the prevalence of high rate of lactose intolerance among Andean natives. Before the arrival of the Europeans in the Americas there were not animals suitable for milking. Llamas and alpacas were domesticated in the Andes but it seems humans did not use their milk. Hence, the occasional Indian with the Gene had no milk-giving animals to provide milk for his or her nutritional enrichment. Without milk available, the lactose-tolerant gene confers no survival advantage, so its prevalence did not increase among American Indians. Symptoms of the disorder are bloating, flatus, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. It is quite often that you see poor people in the Andes complaining, and exacerbated by TV new!, about the quality of donated milk that made their kids sick. When, in fact, their kinds were lactose intolerant. A concern, then, for both children and adults with lactose intolerance, is getting enough calcium in a diet that includes little or no milk. Quinoa, Kiwicha and soy beans provide proteins, healthy fats and phytochemicals. However it does not contain significant among of calcium, the mineral the kids need to develop strong bones. Fortifying soy, quinoa and kiwicha "milk" with calcium can be a good alternative. Other alternative calcium containing products include almonds, dried peas, beans, lentils and leafy green vegetables.

No mammal needs milk after being weaned, so the question now should be is milk necessary for children's health?

Populations and Lactose Intolerance
European Americans 2-19%
Native Americans 95%
African Americans 70-77%
Asian Americans 95-100%
Latinos 52 %
Mexico 83 %

# Rev KiwiCulture says :
8 August, 2008 [ 20:11 ]

Very interesting,just goes to show how much reliant we are  and have to be  to acknowledge the importance of our planet natural resourses

# Rev KiwiCulture says :
8 August, 2008 [ 20:39 ]

Some people should not be running or in charge of a country,if they can't look after THEIR own CULTURE of PEOPLE especially IN TIMES of NEED when FOOD is  the KEY to SURVIVAL is most CRUESAL [ my cultural saying goes like this] LOOK AFTER YOUR OWN back yard,before YOU TRY TO LOOK AFTER SOMEONE ELSES, in simple terms Look after your ownself,before you can or are able to be a support or look after another person.[ Never turn your back on your own,for one day you mite need their help.

It is better to know the Devil you know then to know the devil you don't