Tangerine peel could help in the fight against certain cancers, researchers said. Human cancer cells, which contain an enzyme called P450 CYP1B1, were destroyed by a compound contained in tangerine peel, Salvestrol Q40, scientists at Leicester School of Pharmacy found. The findings may offer a new approach to uncovering a treatment for cancers such as breast, lung, prostrate and ovarian cancer, the scientists said. Medicinal chemist Dr Hoon L Tan said, “It’s exciting to find a compound in food that can target cancers specifically.Salvestrols may offer a new mechanism of dietary anti-cancer action.” He added, “Indeed, the depletion of salvestrols in the modern diet is due to the fact that many people no longer eat the skin of fruits and this may be a major contributory factor to the increasing incidence of some cancers.” However, he warned that the research was still in its early stages.Low-fat, veg diet may stall prostate cancerLow-fat, plant-based diets may help prevent or slow the progression of prostate cancer, according to a new research review. In the current study, researchers reviewed 25 previously published studies that examined the effects of plant-based diets on prostate cancer development or progression. Overall, the evidence suggests that diets high in fiber, fruits and vegetables, and low in meat and dairy, can help battle the disease, they report in the journal Nutrition Reviews. For example, several studies of men with prostate cancer have linked high saturated fat, found mainly in animal products, intake to faster disease progression and a higher risk of death. In contrast, some small trials have found that a high-fiber, low-fat vegetarian diet may slow the growth and spread of early-stage prostate tumors. Children’s ads on TV push sugar and fatWhen researchers looked at what foods were being advertised on programs watched by children and adolescents, they found that most products were larded with sugar, salt and fat. “The overwhelming majority of food-product ads seen on TV by American children are of poor nutritional content,” said the study, which is in the current issue of Pediatrics. The researchers focused on advertisements seen by two groups, ages 2 to 11 and 12 to 17. To gauge viewership, the study looked at the shows’ popularity ratings. The team found that 97.8 percent of the food advertised for the younger group was high in fat, sugar or sodium. The figure for the older group was 89.4 percent.
