TURMERIC AND INFLAMMATION-NEW FINDINGS

Turmeric has a unique dietary role under the Indian cooking system and there is practically no curry preparation without the presence of this ubiquitous natural condiment. With almost all artificial colors being weeded out of human diet because of the health risks associated with them, Turmeric emerged as a rich source of natural yellow color which is available to day across the world for food industry to use in hundreds of processed food products. More than the color, Turmeric is recognized as a food component with medicinal effects. Besides its antibacterial credentials, the Curcumin that is present in it is considered as an anti inflammatory substance possessing properties to combat a number of human diseases linked to inflammation. Here is the latest findings on Curcumin which seem to be opening new avenues for its effective use in counteracting human diseases among population across the world.. 

"Turmeric has been used widely in Indian cooking for thousands of years, and, in the past two decades, hundreds of studies have determined curcumin helps fight arthritic inflammation, reduces cancer risk and slows the onset of diabetes, said Sukumar, co-director of the breast cancer programme at Johns Hopkins. Curcumin is a potent inhibitor of inflammation, which can exacerbate rheumatoid arthritis and spur cancerous growths, according to Sukumar. The compound inhibits a molecule called NF-kB that plays a key role in initiating inflammation. "What curcumin does is blunt this pathway. That's how it is able to mediate its effect," Sukumar said. Consuming curcumin also has been shown to repair skin damage caused by radiation therapy for cancer, she said. Maitra, Sukumar's colleague, began working a few years ago on a water-soluble form of curcumin that can be taken in pill form. That formulation is still in the experimental stages. The body doesn't readily absorb curcumin so a person has to consume several grams of curcumin a day to get the health benefits, Sukumar said. Pills containing unaltered curcumin are on the market. "The other way, the preferable way, is to add (turmeric) to everything you cook," Sukumar said. To get the full benefits, dissolve turmeric in warm oil and add it to foods, she said".

It is true that Curcumin is not water soluble and most of it, consumed through oral route, does not get absorbed across the intestine having only limited effect on flora associated with the gut. The attempt to increase absorption through its solubilization and creating ready to take preparations like tablets or pills is a welcome effort. Since Indian culinary preparations contain high levels of Turmeric even the limited solubility does help getting adequate quantity into the blood stream to derive the benefits attributed to this food adjunct. It is for those population which do not like the typical flavor of Turmeric in the food, camouflaged preparations are necessary to deliver sufficient dosage to confer the benefit. 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE CANCER "ALARM"-A WAKE UP CALL WORTHY OF ATTENTION

Consumers world over are being bombarded day in and day out with hundreds of reports, often contradicting each other, carrying information about the relation between processed foods and the killer disease Cancer. It is difficult for any layman to come to any meaningful conclusion regarding the validity or veracity of such claims. Some emanate from scientists craving for publicity while others are floated by vested interests with their own agenda, though a few are genuine. But when a serious report is put out by a scientific body of a technologically advanced country like the US, it is time one listens to its arguments and judgment.

"Traditionally, we reduce cancer risks through regular doctor visits, self-examinations and screenings such as mammograms. The President's Cancer Panel suggests other eye-opening steps as well, such as giving preference to organic food, checking radon levels in the home and microwaving food in glass containers rather than plastic. In particular, the report warns about exposures to chemicals during pregnancy, when risk of damage seems to be greatest. Noting that 300 contaminants have been detected in umbilical cord blood of newborn babies, the study warns that: "to a disturbing extent, babies are born 'pre-polluted.' " It's striking that this report emerges not from the fringe but from the mission control of mainstream scientific and medical thinking, the President's Cancer Panel. Established in 1971, this is a group of three distinguished experts who review America's cancer program and report directly to the president".

Though the report is scary, consumers, industry and policy makers cannot shy away from facing the reality as enunciated by the panel. The recommendation to use glass in stead of plastics in microwave thawing, heating and cooking is logical because of the uncertainties in terms of safety, posed by many chemicals that go in the making of different plastics. Over whelming role plastic containers play in to day's life cannot be easily reversed but glass technologists will have to come up with light, strong, crack-proof and thermally stable glass containers for use in place of plastics in the coming years. .

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

MEAT CONSUMPTION-THE CANCER "SCARE"

The eternal conflict between meat eaters and vegetarians regarding the advantages and disadvantages of meat as a human food has spawned many studies to establish the safety of meat consumption. World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), a non-partisan organization devoted to studies on human cancer with special reference to preventive measures, recently published a report alluding to the linkage between meat consumption and cancer, advocating limited intake of meat in the diet. Naturally there is bound to be hostile response to such claims, especially from meat lobbies which question the veracity of any such reports and soundness of the scientific conclusions. .

The industry had reacted to the news that two leading scientists had suggested the WCRF report had been found to be 'significantly flawed'. The industry said a review of the original research by one of the scientists review, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found 'no conclusive evidence of a causal relationship' between eating meat and colorectal cancer.

While WCRF is standing by its conclusions in spite of the fierce opposition from meat industry, there is a general agreement that reducing meat consumption is good for health. According to WCRF a weekly intake of 500 gm might not be a cause of worry till further studies dwelve deep into this issue.

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com