| Herbs and Helpers at Herbfest Wed 23rd July 2008 | Herbs and Helpers will be exhibiting again at Herbfest this year August 1st-3rd. We hope to welcome you to our stand and help you take advantage of some excellent offers on selected products and Batch Master PRO.
Due also to annual holiday Herbs and Helpers will reopen on Monday 11th August 2008 as usual. We hope we can fulfil your needs before or after this date.
Lorraine Hodgkinson. | | Mediterranean diet 'cuts cancer' Tue 8th July 2008 | The Mediterranean diet is rich in fruit and vegetables
Adopting just a couple of elements of the Mediterranean diet could cut the risk of cancer by 12%, say scientists.
A study of 26,000 Greek people found just using more olive oil alone cut the risk by 9%.
The diet, reports the British Journal of Cancer, also includes higher amounts of fruits, vegetables, cereals, and less red meat.
A separate study found adding broccoli to meals might help men vulnerable to prostate cancer cut their risk.
It shows there are a number of things you can do, and there is no one 'superfood' that can stop you developing the disease
Sara Hiom
Cancer Research UK
The Mediterranean diet came under scrutiny after researchers noticed lower rates of illnesses such as heart disease in countries such as Spain and Greece.
They noticed that people living there generally ate more vegetables and fish, less red meat, cooked in olive oil and drank moderate amounts of alcohol.
The latest study is one of the largest yet to look at the potential impact on cancer of the various parts of this diet.
'No superfood'
Researchers from Harvard University persuaded thousands of Greek people of various ages to record their food intake over an eight-year-period.
Broccoli
Broccoli may help ward off prostate cancer
Their adherence to the Mediterranean diet was ranked using a scoring system, and the group with the worst score compared with those who followed a couple of aspects of the diet, and those who followed it the most closely.
The biggest effect they found - a 9% reduction in risk - was achieved simply by eating more "unsaturated" fats such as olive oil.
But just two changes - eating less red meat, and more peas, beans and lentils, cut the risk of cancer by 12%.
Dr Dimitrios Trichopoulos, who led the study, said: "Adjusting one's overall dietary habits towards the traditional Mediterranean pattern had an important effect."
Sara Hiom, from Cancer Research UK, said the research highlighted the importance of a healthy balanced diet.
"It shows there are a number of things you can do, and there is no one 'superfood' that can stop you developing the disease."
Broccoli benefit
The other study suggesting that food had the power to prevent cancer came from the Institute of Food Research in Norwich.
Scientists compared the effects of adding 400 grams of broccoli or peas a week to the diet of men at high risk of prostate cancer - and in the case of broccoli found differences in the activity of genes in the prostate which other studies have linked to cancer.
Their findings raised the possibility that broccoli, or other "cruciferous" vegetables, such as cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, could help prevent or slow down the disease, particularly if the man had a particular gene variant - GSTM1.
Professor Richard Mithen, who led the research, published in the Public Library of Science journal, said: "Eating two or three portions of cruciferous vegetables per week, and maybe a few more if you lack the GSTM1 gene - should be encouraged."
Professor Karol Sikora, medical director of CancerPartnersUK, said the study was the first time in a properly controlled clinical trial that broccoli had been shown to change the expression of specific genes in the prostate gland.
"Although the observation period was too short and the numbers too small to show that the incidence of cancer actually fell, it is the first clear demonstration that broccoli and presumably other cruciferous vegetables may well reduce cancer risk."
Source:BBC | | Regulate unorthodox therapy call Tue 17th June 2008 |
Regulate unorthodox therapy call
Man receiving acupuncture
The government is already looking at the issue
Acupuncture, herbal medicines and other traditional treatments should be regulated in the UK "without delay", experts say.
The government-appointed steering group said patients were put at risk by the "incoherent" way the industry was run.
The report does not cover other forms of alternative therapy like homeopathy, but would affect 8,000 practitioners.
Ministers have already been looking at the issue and now plan to run a quick consultation on how to proceed.
But the group of experts expressed frustration changes were not happening immediately.
The current incoherent state of affairs is simply not sustainable
Professor Mike Pittilo, chairman of steering group
The issue was raised by a House of Lords report in 2000 and that has been followed by various consultations.
One of the key problems has been how to regulate treatments for which there is limited evidence of effectiveness.
But the experts, led by Professor Mike Pittilo, the vice chancellor of Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University, said unregulated treatments were putting patients at risk.
They said acupuncture had been known to cause kidney damage when the needles were inserted too deeply, while herbal medicines had been found contaminated with steroids.
Professor Pittilo said he wanted to see the public "safeguarded".
"The current incoherent state of affairs is simply not sustainable.
"Without statutory regulation, I believe vulnerable members of the public will be at continuing risk and the efforts of responsible and well-trained practitioners to follow high standards will be undermined."
The steering group was looking at everything from the use of garlic, ginseng and mushrooms in herbal medicine along with a range of traditional therapies such as ayurveda which combines diet, yoga, massage and herbal remedies.
It did not include homeopathy, aromatherapy or massages.
Health minister Ben Bradshaw said a three-month consultation would be run this summer along with negotiations with the devolved administrations before making a decision.
He said: "Patient safety is paramount and people should always seek their GP's advice to ensure that any other therapy does not conflict with any ongoing treatment."
Source: BBC
|
generated by SLiM 1.1
|
