2008

UCLA researchers found that smokers who ingested high levels ofnatural chemicals called flavonoids in their diet had a lower riskof developing lung cancer, an important finding since more than 90percent of lung cancers are caused by tobacco smoking.The study was published recently in the journal Cancer. "What we found was extremely interesting, that several typesof flavonoids are associated with a reduced risk of lung canceramong smokers," said Dr. Zuo-Feng Zhang, a researcher atUCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and a professor of public health andepidemiology. "The findings were especially interestingbecause tobacco smoking is the major risk factor for lungcancer."Flavonoids are water-soluble plant pigments that have antioxidantand anti-inflammatory properties, both of which can counteractdamage to tissues. For the UCLA study, researchers looked at 558people with lung cancer and 837 people who did not have lung cancerand analyzed their dietary history. Researchers found that study participants who ate foods containingcertain flavonoids seemed to be protected from developing lungcancer. Zhang said the flavonoids that appeared to be the mostprotective included catechin, found in strawberries and green and black teas, kaempferol, found in Brussels sprouts and apples, and quartering, found in beans, onions and apples. So should smokers run out and stock up on the teas, apples, beans and strawberries? Quitting smoking is the best course of action, hang said, but eating more fruits and vegetables and drinking more black and green teas won't hurt. "Since this study is the first of its type, I would usually be hesitant to make any recommendations to people about their diet," Zhang said. "We really need to have several larger studies with similar results to confirm our finding. However, it’s not a bad idea for everyone to eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more tea." Zhang said falconoid protect against lung cancer by blocking the formation of blood vessels that tumors develop so they can grow and spread, a process called angiogenesis. They also stop cancer cells from growing, allowing for naturally programmed cell death, or apoptosis, to occur. The antioxidant properties found in the falconoid also may work to counteract the DNA damaging effects of tobacco smoking, Zhang said, explaining why they affected the development of lung cancer in smokers but not in non-smokers. The next step, Zhang said, are laboratory-based studies off Lavonia’s on cell lines and animal models to determine how they are protecting smokers from developing lung cancer. And in addition to larger studies to confirm these findings, other studies need to be done to see if the protective effects of falconoid extend toothier smoking-related cancers, such as bladder, head and neck and kidney cancers. Zhang and his team also plan to study which types of fruits and vegetables have the highest levels of the falconoid found to be helpful in this study and what the optimal number of servings per day might be to provide the greatest protection. Fruits Vegetables

Organic Seeds NEW DELHI: Genetically modified crops do not help increase theproduction level and therefore are not an effective solution tocheck inflation that has been triggered by demand-supply mismatch,according to experts. "There is no concrete evidence that GM crops increase production.They only control insects, which can well be done by some otherorganic methods," Kerala Biodiversity Board Chairman V S Vijayansaid. Speaking at a meeting on biotechnology and biosafety here today,Vijayan said apart from having health hazards, the GM seeds arealso expensive. "While BT cotton seeds cost about Rs 1,500 a kg, the normal cottonseeds are available at Rs 450 per kg," he said. Demanding stricter laws on food and biosafety, experts asked thegovernment to be vigilant on claims made by companies as itconcerns the farming community. "The biosafety laws have also been diluted. While geneticengineering is a process, which impacts the metabolism andphysiology of the whole organism, the transgene has been defined asan event, separating it from its interactions with the organism inan amendment in June 2006," said Vandana Shiva of Navdanya, an NGOpromoting organic cultivation. She said, "In September 2007 the government had excludedgenetically engineered food from the ambit of biosafety laws." Shiva deplored a government's proposal to set up NationalBiotechnology Regulatory Authority saying the move is aimed atmarginalising the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, which isthe the nodal agency for regulating the safety of GM crops. GEACalso certifies GM seeds for commercialisation. Experts demanded that all steps at deregulating food and biosafetynorms be discouraged. They called for a ban on BT trials in theabsence of professional and credible supervision.

fruit wine Cheers, wine is a beverage now and can be sold insupermarkets, department stores and wine bars. Reason: to encouragefarmers and wineries. But wait, this refers to natural wine and not fortified wine. Natural wine (fruit wine) no longer comes under the category ofalcohol while fortified wine remains alcohol, according to theKarnataka Grape Processing and Wine Policy that the State WineBoard approved on May 21. The proposal is waiting to be gazetted bythe government. Natural wine is made from fruit and 11% to 14% of alcohol isderived from the fruit. In fortified wine, spirits like brandy areadded, thereby increasing its alcohol content to more than 20%.This is laced with fruit flavours. According to B Krishna, MD, State Wine Board, licensing procedureshave been made easy to promote natural wine which will henceforthnot be sold in liquor shops. To promote the setting up of winebars, the policy has brought out reasonable permit fee