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Jam and jelly may help fight cancer

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:24:00 -0400

Researchers at the Institute of Food Research have found that an ingredient found in jelly and jam could help prevent the spread of cancer.

They found that pectin – a natural fibre found in fruit and vegetables and widely used in food processing – played a role in fighting the progress of the disease.

Lab tests showed that pectin binds to and is believed to inhibit galectin 3 (Gal3) – a protein that plays a role in all stages of cancer progression.

"Most claims for the anticancer effects of foods are based on population studies. For this research we tested a molecular mechanism and showed that it is viable, "said Professor Vic Morris from the Institute of Food Research.

Previous studies have identified a strong link between eating lots of fibre and a lower risk of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract but exactly how fibre exerts a protective effect is unknown.

Pectin is better known for its jam-setting qualities and as being a component of dietary fibre. The present study supports a more exciting and subtle role.

Interaction between dietary carbohydrates and mammalian proteins, of which this research is an example, may provide an explanation.

Other food carbohydrates such as beta glucans are considered to be bioactive and their anti-cancer action can be attributed to different types of carbohydrate - mammalian protein interactions.

"For a whole combination of different effects it is best to consistently eat a range of fruits, vegetables and high-fibre foods. You don''t necessarily have to eat a superfood," said Morris.

Morris will now conduct a study to identify how pectin can be taken up by the body and released so it can exert its effect on cancer cells.

The research could result in functional foods with added bioactive pectin as well as providing more conclusive evidence for the importance of a eating at least your ''5-a-day''.

"This first step opens the way to a new and exciting area of research in bioactive carbohydrates,” said Morris.

Our bodies have an in-built weapon against HIV

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:20:00 -0400

Scientists at the University of Southern California claim have moved a step further towards utilising the body’s in-built weapon against HIV by identifying the atomic structure its active portion. Xiaojiang Chen, the study leader, describes this enzyme as an enzyme known as APOBEC-3G, which is present in every human cell. He says that this enzyme is capable of stopping HIV at the first step of replication, when the retrovirus transcribes its RNA into viral DNA. The researcher adds that the discovery sheds light on how and where the enzyme binds to the viral DNA, mutating and destroying it. "We understand how this enzyme can interact with DNA. This understanding provides a platform for designing anti-HIV drugs," Nature magazine quoted Chen, a professor of molecular and computational biology at USC, as saying. According to the researchers, the HIV virus has evolved to encode the protein Vif, known as a "virulence factor", that blocks APOBEC-3G. When the enzyme gets deactivated, the RNA of the HIV virus can be successfully transcribed to viral DNA, an essential step for infection and for producing many more HIV viruses. Chen insists that his team’s findings provide significant clues as to where Vif binds to APOBEC-3G, something that may pave the way for drugs to prevent the deactivation of the enzyme. "We were born with it, and it''s there waiting," he said. Besides fighting HIV, he added, APOBEC-3G could also inhibit the Hepatitis B virus. Other members of the APOBEC family serve important roles in antibody maturation, fat metabolism and heart development. Mapping the structure of APOBEC-3G at the atomic level is a goal that "has been sought after worldwide because of its significance," Chen said. (ANI)

Traditional family dinners ‘the best bet to fight childhood obesity’

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:20:00 -0400

Forget exercise and cutting on calories, for a traditional family dinner is more than enough to fight obesity, at least in case of kids, says a leading expert.

In a recent Brisbane health conference, child health experts have said that family that eats together has better nutrition levels than those who miss out on the lovely experience.

Based on a two-year health survey, University of Newcastle health school associate professor Clare Collins said that parents and children who start a healthy food program lose more weight than those who focused solely on exercise.

Her survey of 165 obese children aged five to nine underlined the fact that parents were still the biggest influence on child nutritional health.

"The most important thing you can do for your kids is to sit down at the table as a family," the Courier Mail quoted her, as saying.

The expert, however, said that studies are yet to establish exactly why dinner-table meals worked best but suggested they probably contained healthier food. (ANI)

Green algae extract may offer short bowel syndrome treatment

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:18:00 -0400

In a first of its kind study, scientists have found that an extract from green algae Chlorella may turn out to be an effective treatment for short bowel syndrome (SBS).

SBS is a clinical condition characterized by diarrhea, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, malabsorption, and progressive malnutrition related to a wide resection of the small intestine.

One of the most important therapeutic objectives in the management of SBS is to maintain the patient''s calorie intake and nutritional status.

But, some enteral nutrition (EN) products use for energy supports in order to reduce total parenteral nutrition (TPN) demand. .

Chlorella is a species of green algae that grows in fresh water. It has been consumed as a food source for centuries in mainly Japan and other Far East countries, besides, it''s healing properties has enhanced it''s consumption too. Several EN products have been used for SBS.

Led by Mustafa Kerem from Gazi University Experimental Surgery Center, the study showed that there''s a positive effect of chlorella crude extract (CCE) on intestinal adaptation of rats which had undergone short bowel syndrome.

The researchers saw that administration of CCE led to significant increase in intestinal villi height and villi width, intestinal protein and DNA amount, and serum citruline levels, which is a sign of improved intestinal absorption.

Utilising this information, one can say that algs which are easily found widely in salt and fresh waters and can be generated easily, can be used in clinical settings.

CCE has beneficial role in intestinal adaptation. It seems that it can be an alternative to the other commercial enteral and parenteral products.

The study was published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology. (ANI)

Polished granite slabs are not ‘silent killers’, say experts

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:17:00 -0400

Slabs made of polished granite do not emit such amounts of radiation as to be termed “silent killers”, says an American expert.

Mike Brennan, a radiation health physicist with the Washington State Department of Health in Olympia, says that even a Geiger counter cannot detect radiation from a slab of granite from more than a few inches away.

"So in terms of direct radiation, you would have to spend a long time, at least hours per day, laying on the granite countertop, in order to receive very much exposure from it," Earth quoted him, as saying.

He even dismisses suggestions that granite worktops were likely to emit lots of radioactive radon gas, the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

"What we encourage people to do is to test their home for radon. The test kits are readily available and they''re easy to use. And if you test your home for radon and you don''t have a radon problem, you can be pretty certain that you don''t have a problem in connection with your granite countertop," he says.

Andrew Karam, a radiation safety expert based in Rochester, New York, agrees.

He thinks that it will not be a good advice if people are asked to tear out pricey granite worktops.

"If anybody is thinking about doing that, I would advise them to give me a call, because my wife and I are looking to redo our kitchen," he says. (ANI)