HEALTH DAY ON THE BLOG

Let’s start with tomato skin extract:

Tomato skin extract, naringenin chalcone, shows strong inhibition of histamine release. According to researchers in Japan, tests have shown fairly conclusively that tomato skin extract is an extremely effective histamine blocker. So, if you have seasonal allergies, eat a tomato. In fact, eat lots of them!

Read on for more health news!

ONIONS FIGHT CANCER AS WELL AS KEEP BAD PEOPLE AWAY!

Strong-flavored onions can be harsh on your social life, but they are potentially great for fighting cancer. Researchers at Cornell University have found in preliminary lab studies that members of the onion family with the strongest flavor — particularly New York Bold, Western Yellow and shallots — are the best varieties for inhibiting the growth of liver and colon cancer cells.

“No one knows yet how many daily servings of onions you’d have to eat to maximize protection against cancer, but our study suggests that people who are more health-conscious might want to go with the stronger onions rather than the mild ones,” said study leader Rui Hai Liu, MD, PhD, a chemist with Cornell’s department of food science in Ithaca, N.Y.

Researchers have known for some time that onions may help fight cancer, but the current study is believed to be the first to compare cancer-fighting abilities among commonly consumed onion varieties. The new study appeared in the November 3, 2004, issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

RED WINE HELPS FIGHT CANCER!

Red wine may protect against the development of lung cancer in men, suggests new research, with each daily glass conferring additional benefit. No other type of alcohol seemed to have the same effect, the study found.

The beneficial effects of red wine may be due to tannins, which have antioxidant properties, and resveratrol, which has been shown to stifle tumor development and growth in experimental research.

FOLIC ACID ALSO HELPS FIGHT AGAINST CANCER!

Accumulating evidence suggests that folic acid, a water-soluble vitamin, could be an effective chemopreventive agent for colorectal cancer.

“Results from several studies have demonstrated that a diet deficient in folic acid may be associated with an increased risk of colonic neoplasia, whereas dietary supplementation of this nutrient may be chemopreventive,” said Adhip P.N. Majumdar and colleagues at Wayne State University. “Although the mechanisms by which folic acid exerts its chemopreventive role in colorectal carcinogenesis remain to be fully elucidated, supplemental folic acid has been shown to arrest the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of the tumor suppressor gene DCC (deleted in colorectal cancer) and to stabilize its protein in normal appearing rectal mucosa of patients with colorectal adenomas.”

(RJR)