Another good food for you? Read the latests research on a food which can kill cancer cells from the BBC.
“A compound extracted from tangerine peel can kill certain human cancer cells, research shows.
A team from Leicester School of Pharmacy found Salvestrol Q40 was turned into a toxic compound in cancer cells, destroying them.
Salvestrol Q40 is found at higher concentrations in tangerine peel, than in the flesh of the fruit.
The researchers suggest the modern trend to throw away peel may have contributed to a rise in some cancers.
Lead researcher Dr Hoon Tan said his work was still at an early stage, but together with his colleagues he has formed a company to investigate further the potential to develop natural anti-cancer therapies.
He said: “It is very exciting to find a compound in food that can target cancers specifically.”
Plant immune system
Salvestrol 40 is a type of phytoalexin – a chemical produced by plants to repel attackers, such as insects or fungi.
It is converted into a toxic compound by the P450 CYP1B1 enzyme, found in much higher levels in cancer cells.
As a result, the researchers found, it proved to be 20 times more toxic to cancer cells than their healthy equivalents.
Dr Tan said Salvestrol was found in other fruit and vegetables, such as the brassica family, which includes broccoli and brussels sprouts.
However, the compound tends to be produced at higher levels when infection levels among crops are high.
Therefore, the use of modern pesticides and fungicides, which have cut the risk of infections, have also led to a drop in Salvestrol levels in food.
Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK’s science information manager, said: “Many naturally occurring substances have anticancer properties, but while this research shows that salvestrols have an effect on cells in the laboratory, there is no evidence that they have a similar effect in patients.
“Clinical trials would be needed to tell us if these substances could be developed into a cancer treatment.”"
Story from BBC NEWS
A meal at a fast food restaurant could expose children to “staggeringly” high levels of salt, a survey has suggested.
Lobby group, Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash), found one meal from Pizza Hut contained four times the daily limit of salt for a six-year old.
KFC also did poorly in the analysis of hundreds of food items, which also included McDonalds and Burger King.
All the restaurant chains said they had reduced salt levels considerably in their products in recent years.
The government recommends a maximum of 6g of salt per day for adults, 5g a day for children aged 7-10 and 3g for children aged 4-6.
According to the Cash survey, a family of four sharing a Pizza Hut meal deal – consisting of one Cheesy Bites Meat Feast, one medium Super Supreme, a portion of garlic bread, a portion of potato wedges, chicken wings, and a cheesecake desert – could eat 12.3g of salt each.
The amount of salt consumed in one meal is more than twice the daily limit for an adult and four times the daily limit of a six year old.
A family meal from KFC – consisting of eight mini breast fillets, two regular popcorn chicken portions, four regular fries, a large portion of BBQ beans, a large coleslaw and a 1.5 litre Pepsi shared equally between four – could contain 5.2g of salt per person.
Of meal combinations aimed specifically at children, the salt content varied from 4.3g of salt in a Pizza Hut chicken wrap and a soft drink to 0.6g in a McDonald’s Happy Meal of chicken nuggets and a fruit bag.
CASH said all the restaurants had information on the salt content of their food on the company websites, but Pizza Hut and KFC had no information at the point of sale.
The saltiest individual meals:
Pizza Hut Meat Feast Italian Pizza Plus (meat feast pizza, potato wedges, cheesecake) 9.7g
KFC Variety Meal (three chicken pieces, two hot wings, Colonel’s Crispy Strip, regular fries, regular diet coke) 6.3g
Burger King Chicken BLT Baguette Meal (chicken BLT baguette, regular fries, regular coca cola) 4.8g
McDonalds Quarter Pounder with Cheese Meal (quarter pounder burger with cheese, medium fries, medium coca cola) 3.2g
They called for all restaurants to carry nutrition information so people could make informed choices.
“It is over four years since the maximum daily limits for salt were established for adults and children,” said Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of Cash.
“And yet this survey shows that the salt levels in some of these meals are staggeringly high.
“How can these companies justify selling food that contains more than the maximum daily limit for adults and children in a single meal?”
He added that high levels of salt in childhood contributed to increased blood pressure and risk of heart attack in later life.
A spokesperson for Pizza Hut said the pizzas highlighted in the survey are not part of a family meal deal and that they had been working since 2004 to cut the salt in their foods.
Lower salt options
McDonalds Chicken McNuggets Meal (six chicken nuggets, medium fries, medium coca cola) 1.5g
KFC Colonel’s Meal (two chicken pieces, regular fries, regular diet coke) 2.5g
Burger King Hamburger Meal Deal (hamburger, regular fries, regular coca cola) 2.96g
Pizza Hut Seafood Lovers Pan Pizza Plus (seafood pizza, garlic bread, chocolate fudge cake) 4.7g
“Every sensible parent knows that Pizza Hut is an enjoyable treat and we have significantly reduced the salt levels in our products over the past few years.”
A spokesperson for KFC said they had reduced salt by up to 30%.
“We were the first – and remain the only – fast food chain to have removed salt from our fries, leaving customers to choose whether they want to add salt or not.”
McDonalds said they had worked hard to make significant reductions in salt levels and would continue to do so.
Burger King said their burgers had no added salt.
News Source: BBC NEWS
