March 2019

14 March 2019
HEALTH
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Eat tomatoes to fight liver cancer, inflammation
NEW YORK : Higher consumption
of tomatoes could be associated with a
decreased risk of liver cancer caused by
high-fat diets, a study has found.
The study, conducted on mice,
showed that tomatoes are rich in
lycopene—a strong antioxidant, antiinflammatory
and anti-cancer agent—
which helps in effectively reducing
fatty liver disease, inflammation and
liver cancer development.
"Consuming whole foods like tomatoes
and processed tomatoes from
sauces, tomato paste, canned whole
tomato products, ketchup and juice,
provides the best source of lycopene,"
said Xiang-Dong Wang, Professor at
Virus-infected bacteria can aid
in fight against climate change
New York : Viruses do not always kill
their microbial hosts, say researchers who
found that virus-infected bacteria could thus
provide help in the fight against climate
change.
The study showed that viruses develop a
mutually beneficial relationship with their
microbial hosts. The virus establishes itself
inside the microbe and, in return, grants its
host with immunity against similar viruses.
Understanding this relationship is beneficial
not only for medical research and practical
applications but also in marine biology as
well as climate change, said Alison Buchan,
Professor at the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville.
"Marine microbes are uniquely responsible
for carrying out processes that are essential
for all of earth's biogeochemical cycles,
including many that play a role in climate
change," she said.
The function of a microbial community is
in large part dictated by its composition -
what microbes are present and how many of
each. Within the community, bacteria compete
with one another for resources. In the
course of this fight, some bacteria produce
antibiotics and use them against other types
of bacteria. This kind of interaction has been
known for some time.
But there is another fight strategy that scientists
are now considering - bacteria might
use the viruses that infect them as weapons
against other types of microbes, Buchan
explained during the annual meeting of the
American Association for the Advancement
of Science in Washington, DC.
"We have recently discovered that while
they are in the process of dying, microbes
New Delhi : Women who use personal
care products like moisturisers
and lipstick — rich in plastic chemicals
known as phthalates — during
pregnancy may put their babies at the
risk of motor skill deficiency in adolescence,
a study warns. A motor skill
is a learned ability to cause a predetermined
movement outcome with maximum
certainty. The study, published in
the journal Environmental Research,
measured levels of phthalates and their
metabolites in urine collected from
women during late pregnancy and
from their children at ages three, five,
and seven years. The Bruininks-
Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency
(BOT-2), a screening test for motor
problems, was administered at age 11
to assess motor skills.
The findings suggest that maternal
exposure to phthalates in late pregnancy
could have long-lasting adverse
effects on motor function in children in
later childhood, particularly in girls.
There was also evidence that childhood
exposure to phthalates may have
more harmful effects on motor function
in boys. “Almost one-third of the
children in our study had below or
well-below average motor skills.
can produce new viruses that then go to
attack their original invader.
This is a form of resistance we had not
observed before," she said. This type of
competitive interaction, Buchan said, is
important for stabilising the size of microbial
populations in marine systems.
This balance may be crucial for biogeochemical
processes, including many related
to climate change, Buchan noted.
Children with even subtle motor problems
often have difficulty participating
in daily activities of childhood, particularly
sports,” said Pam Factor-Litvak,
a professor at Columbia University in
Tufts University in the US.
Interestingly, we observed that
tomato powder is more effective than
the same dose of purified lycopene supplementation
to prevent liver cancer
development, said Wang.
This could be due to the potential
beneficial effects of other nutrients in a
whole tomato, such as vitamin E, vitamin
C, folate, minerals, phenolic compounds
and dietary fibres.
In addition, feeding mice tomato
powder increased the richness and
diversity of beneficial microbiota and
prevented the over-growth of some bacteria
related to inflammation, said the
study, published in the journal Cancer
Prevention Research.
For the study, infant mice were
infected with a liver carcinogen and
then fed an unhealthy high-fat diet similar
to a Western diet, with or without
tomato powder containing lycopene.
Other foods including guava, watermelon,
grapefruit, papaya, and sweet
red pepper also contain lycopene, but in
much lower concentrations compared
to tomatoes. Eating tomatoes and tomato
products such as tomato sauce rich in
lycopene is also associated with a lower
risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis,
diabetes, and certain cancers,
including prostate, lung, breast and
colon cancer, the study showed.
Garlic, onion lower
colorectal cancer risk
the US.
“Children with motor problems
may also experience low self-worth
and self-esteem, high rates of anxiety
and depression, as well as behavioral
BEIJING : Consumption of
allium vegetables
i n c l u d i n g
garlic,onion and
leek, is associated
with a reduced risk
of colorectal cancer,
researchers say.
Colorectal cancer
is the cancer of the
colon or rectum,
located at the digestive
tract's lower
end.
The study, published
in the Asia
Pacific Journal of Clinical
Oncology, showed that the odds
of having colorectal cancer was
79 per cent lower in adults who
consumed high amounts of allium
vegetable compared with
those who consumed them in
low amounts. "It is worth noting
that in our research, there seems
to be a trend: the greater the
amount of allium vegetables, the
better the protection," said
researcher Zhi Li from the First
Hospital of China Medical
University. "In general, the present
findings shed light on the primary
prevention of colorectal
cancer through lifestyle intervention,
which deserves further
in-depth explorations." For the
study, 833 patients of colorectal
cancer were matched to 833
healthy controls by age, sex and
residence area.
Importantly, according to
World Health Organization, colorectal
cancer is one of the most
common cancers around the
world along with male preponderance
with 1.80 million cases
and 862,000 deaths in 2018. In
addition, the incidence is on the
rise in India.
Chemicals in moisturisers, lipstick may harm motor skills of kids: Study
The study,
published in the
journal Environmental
Research, showed that
maternal exposure to
phthalates - plasticiser
chemicals - in late
pregnancy could have
long-lasting adverse
effects on motor function
in children.
disorders, such as ADHD,” Factor-
Litvak said a statement. Phthalate
exposures likely occurred when
expecting mothers and their children
unknowingly ingested small amounts
of products like lipstick or plastic food
containers or packaging. They may
also have absorbed these chemicals
through their skin.
“This study adds to the substantial
body of evidence on the health risks of
phthalates for children, which also
includes elevated risk for asthma and
cognitive issues,” said Julie Herbstman,
an associate professor at Columbia
University. “To the extent possible,
expecting mothers should minimise
their exposures to products like lipstick
and moisturizers that contain these
chemicals by paying attention to product
labels. “In addition, policymakers
and manufacturers should consider
steps to limit or eliminate the use of
these chemicals. No chemicals should
be this widely available until they are
proven to be safe,” Herbstman said.