A University of Manchester study in Nature Reviews Cancer reports that only one of hundreds of Egyptian mummies showed cancer and ancient writings rarely mention it, which the authors read as evidence that cancer is largely man-made rather than genetic.
Food Consumer
Diet
Earing highly antioxidative diet cuts pancreatic cancer risk
An Italian case-control study of 326 pancreatic cancer patients and 652 controls, run from 1991 to 2008, found a diet with high total antioxidant capacity was linked to up to 40 percent lower risk. About 53,070 Americans were expected to be diagnosed with the disease in 2016.
Environment
Which cell phone is safer: GSM-based or CDMA-based?
A study report suggests GSM phones, used on AT&T and T-Mobile networks, affect brain activity much more than the CDMA phones used by Verizon, Sprint and U.S. Cellular, raising the question of whether buyers should weigh network type when choosing a handset.
Supplements
Free radical scavengers reduce radiation-induced DNA damage
Ionizing radiation generates reactive oxygen species that damage DNA. A 2001 study found scavengers such as DMSO, glycerol or cysteamine present during exposure helped protect DNA and improve cell survival. The article's extension to antioxidant supplements is theoretical.
Environment
Breaking News: U.S. study links cell phone radiation to brain cancer
In a US government animal study, rats exposed to GSM or CDMA cell phone radiation from before birth developed glioma in up to 3.3% of exposed males and heart schwannomas in up to 6.6%, while no control rats developed either. Female rats appeared less susceptible.
Supplements
Trehalose good for artery function
In a University of Colorado Boulder trial, adults aged 50 to 77 who ate 100 grams of trehalose a day for 12 weeks improved resistance artery endothelial function by about 30 percent, but only among participants whose weight changed by no more than five pounds.
Supplements
Red yeast rice supplement acts like statins
In a 12-week double-blind trial in India of 191 untreated patients newly diagnosed with hyperlipidemia, a supplement combining red yeast rice, grape seed, niacinamide and folic acid cut LDL cholesterol by 29.4%, against 3.5% on placebo.
Food
Chlorella helps people using high cholesterol diet
In a four-week trial, 34 adults ate three eggs supplying 510 mg of cholesterol daily with either five grams of chlorella or placebo. Total cholesterol and LDL rose 3.5 and 1.7 percent on chlorella against 9.8 and 14.3 percent on placebo, while HDL rose more.
Phytochemicals
L-citrilline supplements help erectile dysfunction
In a small Italian trial, 50 percent of men with mild erectile dysfunction who took 1.5 grams of L-citrulline daily for a month improved erection hardness from score 3 to 4, against 8 percent on placebo. None reported side effects, but it worked less well than PDE-5 inhibitors.
Supplements
L-carnitine, L-arginine and niacin help erectile dysfunction
In a 2012 trial of a supplement combining propionyl-L-carnitine, L-arginine and niacin, men with erectile dysfunction saw a small but significant improvement after three months. Up to 40% had better erections and 77% partially responded, the authors report.
Supplements
Testosterone supplements help erectile dysfunction
A meta-analysis of 41 of 1,702 reports found testosterone supplementation improved erectile function and other aspects of sexual response in hypogonadal men, and may add to PDE5 inhibitors. The authors caution that only industry-sponsored trials still showed effects after weighing bias.
Law & Regulations
FSMA Final Rule for Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration
The FDA's final FSMA rule requires certain registered food facilities to adopt mitigation strategies for processes vulnerable to intentional adulteration, rather than targeting particular foods or hazards. The final version adds flexibility to the 2013 proposal.
Disease
FDA: Allergy Relief for Your Child
Weeks of sneezing with a stuffy or runny nose may point to allergic rhinitis rather than a cold, the FDA says. Up to 40 percent of children have it, and the agency, which regulates allergy medicines and allergen extracts, urges care when giving them to children.
Politics
Top Chicken Brands Now Inspected by Own Employees
Food & Water Watch released a list, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, of poultry plants and their supermarket brands in USDA's New Poultry Inspection System, which shifts duties to company employees and leaves one USDA inspector checking up to 2.33 birds a second.
Politics
Food Safety Advocates Denounce Weakening of Catfish Inspection System
The Senate voted under the Congressional Review Act to nullify USDA's mandatory catfish inspection rule. Food & Water Watch's Wenonah Hauter objects, noting 2015 testing found 9 percent of imported catfish positive for banned malachite green and 2 percent for gentian violet.
Healthy Recipes from AICR
Healthy Recipes: Spring Pasta Salad
Whole-wheat shells with asparagus, fava beans, arugula, grape tomatoes, ricotta salata and dill. The lemon and oil dressing replaces mayonnaise, so the salad holds up better outdoors. Twelve servings at 192 calories and 4 g fat each.
Chemical
Aspartame boosts appetite, weight gain
In a 42-day trial at Cairo University, weanling male hamsters given water with aspartame below the FDA's acceptable daily intake ate more and gained more weight than controls. The author reported liver and brain tissue changes and urged regulators to revisit the ADI.
Law & Regulations
FDA Makes Changes to the Nutrition Facts Label
FDA finalized the Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods: bigger, bolder calorie and serving size type, required amounts for vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium, an added sugars line in grams and percent Daily Value, and a rewritten footnote explaining percent Daily Value.
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