Alcohol binging and its consequences-New insight into protective component in red wine

Alcohol based drinks are increasingly being consumed world over whether to celebrate some events or drown the sorrow at a personal level. Though it is an intoxicating drink and governments in many countries tried to impose ban on its making and consumption, the so called "prohibition" policies never worked satisfactorily in an country so far. The debate regarding the beneficial aspects of alcohol consumption is a never ending one and many argue that moderate consumption can be health supporting. However there is near unanimity on the fact that too much consumption or addictive consumption can be injurious to health. It is well established that high intake of alcohol can cause liver cirrhosis and eventual death among many habitual drunkards. Also known is the fact that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to development of different types of cancers affecting head, neck, esophagus, breasts and colorectum, supposedly due to DNA and RNA damage at the cellular level. Recent reports that red wine, a good source of an antioxidant Resveratrol, can help the body to repair the damage caused by alcohol are creating some excitement among cancer therapists for evolving a workable therapy based on this phytochemical. Here is a gist of the report. 

""Alcohol bombards your genes," says Robert Sclafani, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the CU School of Medicine. "Your body has ways to repair this damage, but with enough alcohol eventually some damage isn't fixed." The body metabolizes alcohol by converting it to acetyl aldehyde, then uses aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) to further convert it to acetic acid, which is excreted. Acetyl aldehyde, a partially processed state of alcohol, is a carcinogen that produces DNA "cross links" that can cause cell death. If enough alcohol is consumed the body can end up with a backlog of acetyl aldehyde. Increased consumption of alcohol, loss of the ALDH gene that helps the body process alcohol, and loss of the ability to repair DNA cross links all result in increased cancer risk. However, Sclafani says there is something in red wine, that blocks the cancer-causing effect of alcohol and believes resveratrol, a natural chemical found in the skins of grapes and berries as well as in red wine and dark chocolate, is the prime candidate. The researchers found that resveratrol kills cells with unrepaired DNA damage so they can't go on to cause cancer. Growing evidence also suggests that resveratrol directly binds to DNA and RNA, activates antioxidant enzymes, prevents inflammation, and kills the cells with the most damage – the cells that have the highest probability of being able to cause cancer.  Before you take this news as carte blanche to quaff red wine by the bucketful, Sclafani warns that the resveratrol in red wine (and other chemopreventive chemicals found in grape seed extract) isn't a magic bullet that can completely undo the cancer-causing effects of alcohol. However, by killing the most dangerous cells it may decrease the probability that alcohol use will cause cancer. Interest in using natural compounds to fight cancer and other diseases has been growing in recent years. Resveratrol has also been linked to reduced risk for heart disease, a potential way to fight obesity and slowing down of the aging process."

Moderate consumption of alcohol does not cause accumulation of the intermediate metabolite from alcohol, viz acetyl aldehyde which has a tendency to produce DNA cross links leading to cell death and consequences there of. While qualitatively the above theory may sound realistic, how Resveratrol can be used in a form that can readily be delivered at the cellular level is of some concern. Absorption of many polyphenolic molecules with powerful antioxidant potential across the intestine is a matter that has to be considered if and when they are to be used in any therapeutic application. Resveratrol is also no exception to this absorption uncertainty. Incidentally this chemical is also being promoted as an anti-aging agent though no one knows precisely how it works in human body. There are many plant foods containing Resveratrol though Red wine is the most promising source.

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

NANO FERTILIZERS AND MEGA CONSEQUENCES-STARTLING FINDINGS

Innovative development that led to the emergence of nano technology has been hailed as a major break through and almost all industries including the food processing sector jumped into the band wagon without properly assessing the long term consequences of its wide scale application on the human health and environment. One of the issues that merited serious attention is about the consequences of the easy transit of nano particles through the cellular system and no clear picture has still emerged whether this would pose real dangers to human beings. Also of importance is the likely impact these nano particles of hundreds of chemicals released eventually into the environment on agriculture and animal world. In an alarming report which came out recently it is claimed that nano technology based fertilizers and nutrient products do affect the performance of plants like Soybean adversely which is a serious concern. Here is more information on this alarming development.

"Manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs), manmade materials with at least one dimension less than 100 nm, are increasingly used in consumer goods (e.g., sunscreens, fuels, and paints), and thus are entering the atmosphere and soil. Some MNMs stress the cells of plants, causing growth inhibition, MNM uptake, DNA damage, and death. For instance, hydroponically grown plants (i.e., plants grown in mineral nutrient solutions) are damaged when they accumulate some MNMs. Also, some MNM-exposed soil microbial communities become less diverse. Therefore, soil-grown food crops could be impacted by MNMs, although there is a lack of direct evidence. We studied soybean growth from planting through seed production in farm soil to which MNMs were added. For two high-production MNMs, we observed the bio-accumulation of MNM metals and the cessation of symbiotic nitrogen fixation".

The tendency for these nano particles to accumulate in water and soil and pass into agricultural system is really alarming. Added to this some plants show that their cells can retain some of the nano particles and such bio-accumulation interferes with normal functioning of many growth functions of the plant. Most alarming is that nitrogen fixation which typical in the case of leguminous plants is interfered with which may have far reaching implications on soil fertility restoration. These aspects need further critical study and earlier this is done better it will be for the planet. With practically no control or oversight regarding the use of nano technology by many industries, the devastating effect of increased contamination of food and environment is only a matter of time!

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