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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (June 11, 2003)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR June 11, 2003 Studies show chlorophyllin may reduce liver cancer risk Poppy poster winners Several Illinois Valley students were honored by American Le- gion Post 70 members for their posters made of poppies. David West of IVHS (photo above left) proudly displays his 1st-place award with Ellie Buell, left, and Laura Warden. LBMS student, Lydia Beeman, (photo above) won first place in her grade division. Timothy Phlaum won top prize and Abigail Robenson (photo left) took second for their poppy post- ers in the fourth-and fifth-grade division. Both are homeschooled students. (Photos contributed by Ellie Buell) Antioxidant rich foods may prevent diabetes Studies increasingly indi- cate that a compound of anti- oxidant rich foods may help prevent insulin-dependent dia- betes or extend the period of remissions that are common in the early stages of the disease, scientists said during a profes- sional conference. Although the exact nutri- ent mix that is needed has not yet been determined, there is evidence that nutritional thera- pies may ultimately play an important role in the fight against diabetes, said Tammy Bray, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University (OSU) at Corvallis. Bray spoke today on the latest findings in her research at a conference called “Diet and Optimum Health,” spon- sored by the Linus Pauling Institute at OSU. She has ex- tensively studied “type one” diabetes, also known as insu- lin-dependent diabetes, or IDDM, which occurs in chil- dren and is a lifelong disease. Children with this disease, whose exact cause is un- known, must take daily insulin shots and monitor their food carefully. “We know that something triggers the diabetes to emerge,” Bray said. “The emergence is marked by an inflammation within the pan- creas, which causes it to stop producing insulin. IDDM is a serious disease and in worst cases, when untreated, chil- dren can go into a coma and die.” Bray’s research program is studying a signal, marked by oxidative stress, that she believes is triggered by envi- ronmental factors and causes an attack on the immune sys- tem. The manipulation of this signal may help prevent the disease, she said, and may be accomplished by nutritional compounds that can control this “switch.” “Our research suggests that a compound called NFkB is the cellular switch that may be involved in the advance- ment of IDDM,” Bray said. “We want to find out what it is that turns the switch on and off and then the moment that it comes on -- before it is out of control -- we want to be “We want to eat a col- orful diet, as well as foods that are rich in antioxidants. This could include spinach, carrots, soy, tomatoes and others.” --Tammy Bray, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences at OSU at Corvallis. able to shut it off.” Researchers testing a vari- ety of different compounds and foods in search of the per- fect combination have so far determined that food with high levels of antioxidants may help with IDDM. “We want to eat a colorful diet, as well as foods that are rich in antioxidants,” Bray Page 12 said. “This could include spin- ach, carrots, soy, tomatoes and others.” When children first de- velop IDDM, they often go through a “honeymoon pe- riod,” Bray said, when the diabetes is in remission. It is possible that a combi- nation of certain foods will increase the length of this honeymoon period and ensure that children with IDDM re- main in remission for the greatest amount of time possi- ble. The right compounds may even allow the children’s bod- ies to “self-repair” through the use of the antioxidants, Bray said. “Our long-term goal, of course, is that children do not get diabetes at all, but if a child does get IDDM we want it to be for only a short time,” she said. “And if they are in remission, we want the honey- moon period to last as long as possible.” Although Bray’s research is focused on IDDM, she says her work is also applicable to those with type two, or adult- onset diabetes, which ulti- mately can cause blindness, poor circulation, wounds that don’t heal, amputation of limbs and death. Appropriate nutritional therapies and compounds may be able to reduce the severity of the disease, she said. While research is continu- ing, Bray recommends that parents teach their children to eat healthy early, because children develop their sense of taste and preferences at very young ages. Bray’s research is coordi- nated with OSU’s Linus Pauling Institute, which is a national leader in studying the prevention and treatment of human disease by vitamins, micronutrients and phyto- chemicals, and the role of oxi- dative and nitrative stress and antioxidants in human health and disease. Major areas of research encompass heart disease, can- cer, aging, neurodegenerative diseases, immune dysfunction and disease caused by expo- sure to toxins. Bray’s research programs have been supported by major grants from the National Insti- tutes of Health. The official state sport of Alaska is dog mushing. A group of studies has shown that the compound chlorophyllin has great prom- ise as a way to reduce risk of certain cancers, experts said recently at a national confer- ence on Diet and Optimum Health, sponsored by the Linus Pauling Institute at Ore- gon State University (OSU), Corvallis. George Bailey, an OSU professor of environmental and molecular toxicology, said that anti-cancer studies con- ducted several years ago found that chlorophyllin can block liver cancer in rainbow trout. Continuing work is outlin- ing the molecular mechanisms and dose response of this compound with rats, mice and human volunteers. “Chlorophyllin has the unique ability to stick tightly to certain classes of carcino- gens,” Bailey said. “In the stomach, it can greatly reduce the amount of this kind of car- cinogen that gets taken up by the body.” Liver cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide, Bailey said. These findings may be of special importance in the de- veloping world, including parts of Africa, Southeast Asia and China. In Southeast Asia, liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death, caused partly by a prevalence of chronic hepatitis in those areas and large amounts of aflatoxin in the diet. “Aflatoxin is the most potent of the 50 or so com- pounds known to cause human cancer worldwide,” Bailey said. “Aflatoxin is found in corn, peanuts and rice that have been stored in damp, moist, and high-temperature areas” he added. “When the grains have been stored in these conditions, a mold be- gins to grow and the chemical forms.” Within the United States, the Food and Drug Admini- stration and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture screen peanuts, rice and other grains to ensure that they are aflatoxin-free. But in the Qidong prov- ince in China, one in 10 adults die of liver cancer due to life- long high aflatoxin exposure and hepatitis infection. Bailey and colleagues from John Hopkins University have already conducted the first clinical trial of chloro- phyllin on humans, a three- month project in this rural re- gion of China. Their biomarker study showed that chlorophyllin supplements provided a 55 percent reduction in liver DNA damage from aflatoxin exposure in the diet, which they believe in the long term would translate into a similar reduction in liver cancer risk. Although chlorophyllin has no demonstrated human toxicity, studies using rats found that chlorophyllin in- creased the risk of colon can- cer at the same time it suc- cessfully suppressed liver can- cer. Continuing work by an- other OSU researcher, Rod Dashwood, is seeking to un- derstand the basis of the in- crease in colon tumors and its significance for human cancer. “Cancer is not a simple process and it’s important to understand both the risks and the benefits of any new ap- proach,” Bailey said. Bailey is working to dis- cover in greater detail how chlorophyllin works to reduce cancer, and whether natural chlorophyll will have the same effect against other carcino- gens, such as aflatoxin and components of tobacco smoke. Definitive results on the research should be available within five years, Bailey said. States warned about dangers from lead paint Attorney Gen. Hardy Myers warned customers about the risks of lead paint exposure during repainting and other home renovation work as part of an announce- ment of a 51 state and other jurisdictions agreement with the National Paint and Coating Association (NPCA). Oregon is part of a core group of seven states led by the Massachusetts Attorney Gen. that initiated the effort in 2002. The group also includes California, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and New York. The agreement requires paint manufacturers to affix warning labels on paint cans and provide consumer educa- tion and training, alerting con- sumers to the hazards of lead paint exposure. After a series of meetings it was decided that the core group of states and dozens of paint companies would nego- tiate an agreement. For more information phone (800) 368-5060, (800) 424-5323 or log on to www.epa.gov/lead. Tuesday - Saturday 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. Closed Sunday & Monday 592-3228 355 Caves Hwy. Large Pepperoni COOKED or take-n-bake ONLY $5.95 Friday & Saturday only Delivery only $1 more!