Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Be smart! Should I believe all that the advertisements say? Teacher’s Version (with video exemplars) NOS/STSE Features 1. Science is based on skepticism. 2. Scientists should be open-minded. 3. Scientific knowledge is tentative. 4. Ethical considerations are always important in scientific research. You can click an icon like this to access the activities in this package. You can click an icon like this to access the PowerPoint files in this package. You can click an icon like this to access the exemplar videos in this package. If the links do not work, try again by pressing the “Ctrl” key and pressing the icon at the same time. Table of Contents Introduction (i) Activity 1: Do you require a high protein diet? P.1 Activity 2: How much protein does a food product contain? P.4 Activity 3: Incredible food: Soy (soya) Protein - What does the advertisement say? P.8 Appendix 1: Advertisements for extension activity P.12 Appendix 2: Lesson Plan P.19 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Introduction Rationale More and more health food products are available in the market. Yet there have been few regulations on the claims of their advertisements. How can people analyze these claims? And how can people decide whether they need the health food products? The package uses protein-rich health food products as examples to incorporate students’ scientific knowledge into daily life. Students can also learn the tentative nature of scientific knowledge and how to choose a suitable test for a scientific investigation. Level of study Number of lessons Form 3 – Form 7 4 lessons (each lesson 35-40 minutes) Contents 1. Applying scientific knowledge in reading advertisements 2. Measuring protein content in food products 3. Analyzing claims in advertisements Teaching package includes 1. Worksheets (Teacher’s Version and Student’s Version) 2. A Teaching PowerPoint (i) ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Activity 1 Do you require a high protein diet? What kind of diet do you need? Notes: Students may be asked for examples of well known athletes or movie stars such as Lee Lai Shan, Guo Jingjing, Jackie Chan, to discuss the dietary requirement of different people. Also to brainstorm different kinds of occupations, and how they differ in terms of dietary requirement. Do you require protein supplements? There are many protein products on the market. Below are the advertisements for two of them: Notes: Students may be divided into groups. Half of the groups read Ad 1 and answer Q1-3. Others read Ad 2 and answer Q1, 2 and 4. Ad 1 Source﹕Volleyball Association of Hong Kong, China “… the most useful protein supplement ever, it enlarges every muscle that you want it to… contains the best quality nutrients, it facilitates protein uptake after exercise and improves muscle strength, you will certainly love it ” Ad 2 Remarks: The two advertisments are real advertisements found on the internet. Teachers can show the following websites for students to read the advertsiements. Ad 1: http://www.owbfitness.com/ (This ad is no longer exist in 2007 but similar products can be found in the website) (N.B. The English version of the website is greatly different from the Chinese version. Teacher can discuss why the Chinese version is very different from the English one. This is probably due to the differences in regulatory control of claims on nutritional functions in different countries.) Ad 2: http://www.fancl-hk.com/products/foods/essential/5008.asp (Last visited: 23/5/2006) P.1 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Q1 Which kinds of people may need the products? People who require a lot of protein (e.g. pregnant woman, children, strength athletes, bodybuilders) may need the products. Remarks: Strength athletes e.g. weightlifting athletes, shot putters who need to gain muscle size will require more proteins than other athletes e.g. runners. Q2 Why is protein so important to our bodies? Protein provides materials for growth and repairs. It acts as an energy reserve. Enzymes and hormones for regulation of body functions are made of protein. It is one of the components of cell membranes and cytoplasm. Some important biomolecules e.g. haemoglobin, and antibodies are partly protiens (The answers may vary with students’ level of knowledge.) Q3 Those people who want to add volume to their muscles (get larger muscles) usually eat a high-protein diet or consume protein supplements like the one in Ad 1. Can all protein consumed be stored in the body for muscle building? Are there any other factors that could contribute to increasing muscle size? No. Excess protein cannot be stored. Amount and duration of exercise contribute in increasing muscle size. People must exercise to strengthen the muscles and provide better heart health and blood supply. (The amino acids are added to muscle fibres as part of the repair processes following exercise – all exercise does some muscle damage, but in training, this is a good thing if not taken too far!!) Genetic factors, diet, rest, etc. are also factors that affect the muscle size of a person. Additional information: After birth, the number of muscle fibres cannot increase. One cannot make muscle more effective just by making it bigger. The increase in muscle size is due to the increase in the size of each muscle cell and due to more development of blood vessels to oxygenate the cells and take away waste more efficiently. An athlete requires more protein mainly for the repair of muscle cells. Notes: Teacher can link this part to the NSS Science curriculum “science in a sprint”. Teacher can mention “fast & slow twitch” muscles if there are athletes among the students. Reference: Muscle fibres are classified into different types including fast and slow twitch muscle fibres. Fast twitch muscle fibres (快縮肌纖維)contract quickly but get tired rapidly. Slow twitch muscle (慢縮肌纖維) fibres contract slowly but can remain contracted for a longer period. Athletes participating in different sports may have different proportions of fast and slow twitch muscle fibres. http://www.hksports.net/hkpe2000/human_body/anatomy/muscular/fiber_type.htm (Chinese) http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/factfiles/fastandslowtwitch/soleus.shtml(English) P.2 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Q4 Some protein supplements like the product in Ad2 target at vegetarians. Do you think vegetarians especially need the product or other protein supplements? Explain. Vegetarians do not necessarily need to consume the products. Proteins are made up of amino acids. Our bodies manufacture proteins according to the base sequences of DNA by using amino acids. We cannot produce some proteins if we lack certain amino acids. We can produce most of our own amino acids while some “essential” amino acids have to be consumed. Meat, fish and eggs can provide all these essential amino acids but some plant foods cannot. However, by mixing different kinds of plant foods, even vegetarians can get all the amino acids they required. Remarks: Most vegetarians do eat milk and eggs. Only those called vegans (嚴守素食主義的人) must ensure that they can get enough essential amino acids. Vegans do not eat any animal products. Reference: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/nutrition/basics_protein.shtml#types_of_protein (Last visited: 23/5/2006) P.3 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Activity 2 How much protein does a food product contain? From activity 1, we learnt that some people do require more protein in their diet for various reasons. However, news reports on health problems caused by low-quality milk are not uncommon. So, even though you are sure that you need protein supplements, you have to make sure that the products contain the right amount of proteins that you are looking for. Imagine that you have just bought a milk product. You want to check if the milk product contains the same amount of protein as specified on its food label. Notes: Teacher may ask students to bring their own food products which they think are protein-rich. Below are two methods for testing protein. Read the information carefully and choose one which is best suited for the above purpose. Explain your choice. (If necessary, your teacher may describe the methods to you in greater detail using the PowerPoint slides.) General information Detection limit P.4 Biuret test Albustix paper (PowerPoint slide 10) (PowerPoint slide 13) Biuret reagent is a blue solution. It reacts with protein to give a purple solution. The intensity of the purple colour is proportional Albustix paper is used for testing the presence of protein in urine. The paper contains an indicator dye. At a constant pH, protein to the protein concentration. reacts with the dye giving a green-blue colour. The colour is proportional to the concentration of protein. 0.2 – 50 µg 0.15 - 20 g/L ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Testing procedure Biuret test Albustix paper 1. Prepare a set of standard solutions (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 mg/ml) by using bovine (cattle) serum albumin. 2. Pipette 1 ml standard solution (8 mg/ml) to a test-tube containing 2 ml Biuret solution. 3. Repeat the above step for the 1. Dip the Albustix paper into a solution of the test sample. 2. Remove excess liquid from the test paper. 3. Wait for 60 seconds for the test paper to dry 4. Match the colour of the test paper with those on the standard rest of the standard solutions colour chart found on the bottle. and the test sample. 5. Protein concentration of the 4. Mix the contents inside each of sample is estimated by the tubes well. Wait for 15 comparing the colour of the minutes. paper with the colour chart 5. The intensity of the purple provided on the bottle of colour of the contents inside Albustix paper. each of the tubes is determined by measuring the amount of light transmitted through the solution using a colorimeter. 6. A standard curve is plotted with Remarks: Alkaline food products may give a false-positive result with light transmittance versus the Albustix paper. concentration of protein. 7. Protein concentration of the test sample can then be determined from the standard curve after obtaining the light transmittance value from the calorimeter. Limitations P.5 It is only applicable to soluble The Albustix test is only a proteins and colourless solution. semi-quantitative method. The result is only an estimated value since the colour chart provides only the test results of certain protein concentrations. The concentration between two values cannot be measured. ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Discuss the criteria for a scientist to choose a test method. Criteria for choosing a test method: 1) Will it work for the particular food product; 2) Accuracy in relation to the purpose; 3) Cost (Notes: This question may be answered by a whole class discussion.) Which test will you choose to estimate the protein content in the milk product? Explain your choice below. Albustix test is advised. Biuret solution is not applicable to the milky solution. Besides, there is no need to use such a sensitive test as the Biuret test for estimating protein content in milk. Scientists do not always choose the most accurate test. Requirement of accuracy is different from one test to another. (For example, we use a 4-digit balance to weigh chemicals but not our body weight). A perfect assay never exists. We may choose one test over another because of ease but sometimes the choice is dictated by specific scientific limitations or cost. Science-Technology-Society Albustix paper is used for testing the presence of protein in urine. Normally, urine contains no protein but kidney diseases may result in the presence of protein in urine. The invention of the Albustix paper has provided a convenient assay for doctors to measure protein in urine. People can even perform the test at home. So, science and technology are affecting our lives! Science is ever improving Scientists have developed many methods to determine protein concentration accurately e.g. the Kjeldahl method, and the Bradford Assay. Scientists often try to improve their methods of investigation. They improve or develop new techniques to get more reliable and accurate results. P.6 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Having decided on which test you will be using to estimate the protein content of the milk product, now work out the detailed procedure in the space below to show how you are going to estimate if the milk product contains the same amount of proteins as specified on its food label. (Hint: Dilution of the milk product may be required.) (Notes: Students may require guidance in the dilution of sample and the calculation of the protein content. In the biuret test, dilute the sample by ten times if the sample exceeds the highest concentration of standards.) Now, try to estimate the protein content in the milk product! Is it the same as stated in the food label? Notes: Teacher may link up Activity 2 with Activity 3 by saying that, “In Hong Kong, there is a food label ordinance governing the accuracy of information on nutritional contents of the food products. The claims made on the food label are likely to be true. However, there is no similar legislation governing the claims made in advertisements of food products. This is especially a problem for those claimed to be ‘health foods’. Notes: Lower vitamin C content than claimed was found in Ribena in Australia, a popular drink worldwide. Teacher may use PowerPoint slides 21-23 to discuss the issue with students. P.7 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Activity 3 Incredible food: Soy (soya) Protein - What does the advertisement say? Soya has been one of the most popular foods in Asia (China and Japan) and is said to be a good protein source for vegetarians. The proteins in Soya have been investigated for many years for benefits to health apart from muscle building. Recently, a new food supplement made from Soya has been produced. Advertisements in a local newspaper are shown below. (The brand name is covered.) Optional exercise: People talk about different kinds of cholesterols. Do you know about them? Are all cholesterols bad? Find it out from the following website! http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/cholesterol1.shtml (English)(Last visited on 2/3/2006) http://www.healthcare2u.com/cd_chole.html (Chinese) (Last visited on 2/3/2006) Cholesterol is a kind of lipid molecule which is an important part of cell membranes as well as the precursor of steroid hormones e.g. sex hormones. P.8 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Let’s take a look into the suggestions by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about soy protein! Remarks: The original FDA statement about soy protein: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/tpsoypr2.html (Last visited on 2/3/2006) The Soy Health Claim – 1999 In October 1999, FDA approved a health claim that can be used on labels of soy-based 1 foods to support their healthy-heart benefits. The agency reviewed research from 27 studies that showed soy protein's value in lowering levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad" cholesterol). Food marketers can now use the following claim, or a reasonable variation, on their 5 products: "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease.” Foods made with the whole soybean, such as tofu, may qualify for the claim if they have no fat other than that present naturally in the whole bean. Q1 Does the FDA allow the health claims made in the advertisement for the product? The FDA only approved the health claim about lowering the risk of heart diseases but not others. Is soy protein so Q2 What evidence did the FDA use to decide on approving incredible? the health claim? Reviewed a large number of research papers. Now, look at the following statement about the effects of soy protein. Soy protein shows little effect on "bad" cholesterol - 2006 News Soy protein in the diet or from nutritional supplements has little or no effect on the risk factors for heart disease, according to a new American Heart Association scientific 1 statement published in 2006. After analyzing 22 studies, it is found that large amounts of soy protein in the diet reduced low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or “bad cholesterol” by only 3 percent and had no effect on high-density lipoproteins (HDL), or “good cholesterol”, no effect on lipoprotein or blood pressure. In a statement released in the year 2000, adding soy protein to a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol was recommended. However, the statement is re-evaluated after the recent, well-controlled studies, noted above were added to the knowledge base. P.9 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. 5 10 Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Q3 Compare the statements made by the FDA and the American Heart Association. Why has the knowledge about the health effects of soy protein been re-evaluated? Scientists gather new evidence / knowledge from well-controlled studies becomes available. Q4 This kind of change is common in the scientific world. Can you name another scientific knowledge/theory that has ever changed? Yes. Examples of change in scientific knowledge: - Evolution theory, identification about the nature of the pathogen causing SARS (Paramyxovirus, Coronavirus) - Evidence about cause of stomach ulcer Scientists should keep an open mind and can modify their views when new evidence comes along. Scientists usually evaluate old evidence in light of the new ones. Q5 Soy is regarded as a healthier source of protein than meat since it contains little or no cholesterol. But are there any drawbacks from eating so much soy? Think! Students should be encouraged to express different views. Students can be allowed to search for information. Examples of drawbacks: - Some soya bean varieties are genetically modified so their long-term effects on human health is unknown (relating to GM, not to the protein) - There are some chemicals in the soya bean (e.g. isoflavones) that may have bad health effects for certain people. Scientists should keep an open mind until there is enough evidence to make decisions. Remarks: Isoflavones are a group of chemicals whose chemical structures are similar to estrogen. Some scientists have suggested that isoflavones might help in preventing cancers but there is also indirect evidence showing that isoflavones may promote growth of certain cancer cells. The studies concerning the risks and health effects of isoflavones are not well established. P.10 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Extension activity: Are advertisements about food products always true? Many health products, just as that in activity 3, have made a number of health claims. Are they really true? How can you verify the claims? Remarks: Advertisements of some other health products are provided for students. A copy of the advertisements with additional information is attached in Appendix 1. You are scientists working for the Consumer Council. Your task is to design an investigation to assess the health claims made by the products. Present the design of your investigation to the class. In your presentation, include possible problems and limitations of the design. (Technical procedures are not required.) Include ethical considerations in your design. How do scientists overcome such concerns? Notes: Teachers may guide students to think about the problems of animal/human testing and ask them to search for alternatives to animal test such as tissue culture. Scientists should act ethically. Summary of the lesson P.11 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Appendix 1: Advertisements for extension activity Extension activity: Are advertisements about food products always true? Advertisement for a vitamin C product (Brand name is covered.) You may include the following questions in your discussion. 1. What is vitamin C? What are its functions in the body? Vitamin C is a weak acid, also known ascorbic acid. It is essential in preventing scurvy in humans and to maintain the health of teeth and gums. 2. What are the claims in the advertisement? The product can help in improving immunity, reducing the severity of colds. The product can release vitamin C bit by bit slowly over an 8-hour period so as to avoid damaging the stomach. 3. Are the claims valid based on your knowledge? Vitamin C will not damage the stomach. 4. P.12 How to test the effect of the product on health? ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Advertisement for a sliming product (Brand name is covered.) You may include the following questions in your discussion. 1. What is chitosan? Chitosan (蟹殼素/殼聚糖) is a Chitosan is a polysaccharide produced commercially from chitin, the protein making up the hard shells (exoskeletons) of crustaceans and insects. polysaccharide produced commercially from chitin which comprises the exoskeleton of crustaceans (e.g.crabs and shrimp). 2. What are the claims in the advertisement? The product can absorb fats and expel the fats out from the body. People will not absorb any fats from meal after using the product. 3. How to test the effect of the product on health? P.13 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Advertisement for a collagen product (Brand name is covered.) You may include the following questions in your discussion. 1. What is collagen (膠原蛋白)? What are its functions in the body? Collagen is a protein which is the main component of connective tissues such as ligaments and cartilage. (Notes: For lower form students, teacher may explain what collagen is before any discussions.) 2. What are the claims in the advertisement? By drinking the product, people can improve their skin quality. 3. Are the claims valid based on your knowledge? Collagen will be digested into amino acids in the body. New collagen can only be synthesized from amino acids available according to the genetic code in their DNA. 4. P.14 How to test the effect of the product on health? ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Appendix 2: Lesson Plan Activity 1: Do you require a high protein diet? Time 15 min Intended Learning Outcomes Students should be able to Identify the protein requirement of different people State the importance of protein to the body Teaching Flow Students discuss the dietary requirement of people with different occupations. Students read the advertisements on the internet / worksheet Students discuss the people who need the products most and answer Q1 to Q2. Students discuss the factors contributing to the increase in muscle size (Q3). Students discuss the claims in Ad2 and discuss whether a vegetarian needs protein supplements. Materials Activity 1 worksheet PowerPoint Slides 2 - 8 Remarks The Chinese and English version of the website showing health food products may be different. In the English version, not many claims are made. Teacher may discuss this difference phenomenon with students. Teacher may emphasize the point that what students learn in science can easily apply into daily life and it would help them to make decisions (e.g. the principle of getting larger muscles) P.19 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Activity 2: How much protein do the food products contain? Time 70 min Intended Learning Outcomes Students should be able to describe the criteria for choosing a specific test for scientific investigation point out that there is no perfect test point out that scientists do not necessarily always choose the most sensitive test but one which can serve the intended purpose, and at the same time is more convenient and/or less costly Teaching Flow Students are given food products with nutrition labels. (Or students can bring the products from home) Teacher introduces Biuret test and Albustix test. Students discuss the choice of test. Students work out their plan of investigation using Albustix test for testing protein. Teachers may guide students by the following questions: Q: How to measure its protein concentration if the sample is in solid form? Q: How to prepare the food samples if they exceed the detection limits? Students perform the test. Teacher asks students whether their results are consistent with the protein concentration claimed for the products. Teacher points out that there is no perfect test and scientists do not necessarily always choose the most accurate test but also take into consideration other factors like cost and ease of administration Materials Activity 2 worksheet Materials for the investigation (stated in Appendix 2) PowerPoint Slide 9 - 20 PowerPoint Slide 21-24 (Ribena vitamin C content was lower than that claimed) Remarks The protein test in this activity is not an experiment, but a kind of measurement called an “assay”. Students are expected to find out that Biuret test cannot measure the protein concentration in this case since the colour of the milk will interfere with the colour of the Biuret reagent. Teacher may discuss the issue of improper food labelling by using the case of Ribena vitamin C content. P.20 ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Activity 3: Incredible food: Soy (soya) Protein - What does the advertisement say? Time 15 min Intended Learning Outcomes Students should be able to point out that scientists review evidence to justify a claim. point out that scientific knowledge is subject to changes and scientists usually evaluate old evidence in light of new ones. P.21 Teaching Flow Students read the advertisement of the soy protein product. Students identify the health effect of soy protein in the advertisement. Students read the FDA’s suggestions about soy protein. Students discuss how the FDA approved the claim of soy protein. Emphasis is put on how scientists justify the validity of certain claims. Students read the statement of the American Heart Association and compare the two statements. Students discuss the reasons for the changes of scientific knowledge. They are encouraged to give examples of other changes in well-known scientific knowledge. Students can discuss the drawbacks from eating too much soy. Materials Activity 3 worksheet PowerPoint Slide 24 - 29 Remarks Teacher may explain the difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol to students. ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved. Senior Form Biology – Be smart! Should I believe all the advertisement say? Extension Activity: Are advertisements about food products always true? Time 35 min P.22 Intended Learning Outcomes Students should be able to apply their scientific knowledge in analyzing claims in different products be aware that ethical problems may be involved in scientific investigations Teaching Flow Students are divided into groups and each group is given an advertisement of a health product. Students discuss the validity of the claims on the advertisement based on their scientific knowledge. Students design a test to verify the claims on the health product. Students present their design to the class. Teacher may discuss the ethical problems in their design. Materials Remarks Extension activity worksheet Advertisement of food products PowerPoint Emphasis can be put 30-32 on the fact that students should not believe all claims of the advertisements but should try to verify the claims based on scientific evidence. ©2007 The University of Hong Kong – Faculty of Education. All rights reserved.