Busy days…lots going on…And my boss is coming over for dinner so I don’t have much time right now. But I did want to post a couple of things, quickly. This afternoon I came across a newly published Belgian study  (abstract: http://goo.gl/q8b6p) that I found particularly interesting because the researchers used cyclodextrins, or CDs (but not of the sort that you listen to… 😉 ) to improve the bioavailability of curcumin. Aha.

In a nutshell, these guys combined curcumin with CDs and managed to reduce, REDUCE!!!, the size of advanced lung tumors in a bunch of mice. The curcumin cocktail did even better: it ENHANCED the antitumor effects of the chemo drug gemcitabine. Here’s a not-too-technical summary that contains a bit more not-too-technical information: http://goo.gl/MWZxK

Hey, give me some of those CDs! 🙂 By the way, CDs are produced from starch and, from what I gather, they are sugar molecules. I’ll have to look into this more carefully when I have a bit more time. And, bloody hell, I really should have taken a biology course in college… 😉

And here are a couple of news items that might also be of interest…

1. Drinking tea may help prevent chronic illness: http://goo.gl/eKCTD An excerpt: Green tea in particular may help reduce the risk for fractures and improve bone mass. Very interesting article…Check it out.

2. On September 19 2012 the Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal in New York published the findings of the first-ever long-term peer-reviewed feed trial. It explored the long-term health impact of consuming genetically modified corn and the world’s most popular weedkiller, Roundup:  http://goo.gl/PMdjh This link will take you to a 2.5 minute video…very short, that is. Upshot: after groups of male and female rats were fed genetically modified toxic crappy corn, they developed tumors. Quelle surprise! (NOT!) In fact, up to 80% of the female rats had breast cancer by the end of the trial.

Scary stuff. Okay, time to go clean up the kitchen and start cooking…Take care, everyone! 🙂