HEALTH ARTICLES of MALA THRISSUR

1.     Green tea reduces lung cancer risks from smoking 

News from Washington : Drinking green tea could reduce the risk of lung cancer from smoking, says a new study.'Lung cancer is the leading cause of all cancer deaths in Taiwan,' said I-Hsin Lin, a student at Chung Shan Medical University, Taiwan, who conducted the study.

'Tea, particularly green tea, has received a great deal of attention because tea polyphenols are strong antioxidants, and tea preparations have shown inhibitory activity against tumorigenesis (production of new tumour),' added Lin.

Lin and colleagues enrolled 170 patients with lung cancer and 340 healthy patients as controls.

They administered questionnaires to obtain demographic characteristics, cigarette smoking habits, green tea consumption, dietary intake of fruits and vegetables, cooking practices and family history of lung cancer.

Among smokers and non-smokers, those who did not drink green tea had a 5.16-fold increased risk of lung cancer compared with those who drank at least one cup of green tea per day.

Among smokers, those who did not drink green tea at all had a 12.71-fold increased risk of lung cancer compared with those who drank at least one cup of green tea per day.

Lin and colleagues suspect genetics may play a role in this risk differential, says a release of the American Association for Cancer Research.

'Our study may represent a clue that in the case of lung cancer, smoking-induced carcinogenesis could be modulated by green tea consumption and the growth factor environment,' said Lin.

The study was presented at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer, being held Jan 11-14.2010


2. Extended  breast feeding keeps Mental ilhealth at bay.

Extended breast-feeding keeps mental ill-health at bay

News From Sysdney. Children breastfed for more than six months have a lower risk of mental health problems as they enter their teen years.

Wendy Oddy, child health associate professor at the Telethon Institute, said: 'There has been much evidence about the benefits of early breastfeeding, but the importance of this study is that it shows continued benefits from extended feeding.'

'Given the rising prevalence of mental health problems, interventions to assist mothers to breastfeed, and to breastfeed for longer, could be of long term benefit to the community,' she added.

The research team analysed data from more than 2,000 children. Just over half were

breastfed for six months or longer, 38 percent were breastfed for less than six months, 11 percent were not breastfed.

The participants underwent a mental health assessment when they were 2, 5, 8, 10, and 14-years-old. At each of the assessments, the researcher team found a link between breastfeeding duration and behaviour, said a release.

For each additional month of breastfeeding, the behaviour score improved. This remained valid after adjustment for socio-economic, social and other factors impacting on parenting. Oddy said breastfeeding could help babies cope better with stress.






3. Bt Brinjal violates our right to safe food, say youngsters

This news from India.  Recently the discussions on Bt Brinjal is going on here.  Bt Brinjal violates our right to safe food, say youngsters

'Better fast today, than eat GM food tomorrow', so said the banners held up by youngsters protesting against the possible introduction of genetically modified Bt Brinjal for commercial cultivation.

Nayani Nasa of 'Youth for Safe Food' group said: 'We have the right to safe food and genetically modified (GM) food likes the Bt Brinjal violates that. The multinationals have been wooing the farmers saying that GM seeds would give good produce and will not be infested by insects.'

'Can you imagine how poisonous those seeds must be that not even insects can infest them,' she added.

The 30-odd protestors plan to send a banner signed by them and others to Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh. Nasa said the aim of the protest is to keep up the pressure on the government.

'The government can't be expected to do anything if we don't build pressure on it,' she added

Another protestor Mohit Verma said: 'We especially chose today (Martyr's Day) for our protest because GM food is harmful and is against

Mahatma Gandhi's principles.'

Rashpal Kaur, who belongs to the National Federation of Indian Women, said they have been screening filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's documentary 'Poison on my Plate' among various groups to spread the message against genetically modified food.

The central environment ministry is holding public consultations in various Indian cities to decide if they will allow commercial release of Bt Brinjal. Last October, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee of the government had cleared it.

But a member of the committee, Pushpa Bhargava, has alleged that all necessary tests were not carried out before the decision was taken.

Earlier, in January hundreds of farmers and scientists protested against the introduction of Bt Brinjal during a public meeting held in Kolkata in the presence of central Minister Jairam Ramesh.

Several scientists and green groups have raised concerns about the use of bio-technology and the environment friendliness of this new agricultural produce, citing fears of health security.