November 2017 | Volume 1 | Issue 4
Price Rs.100/-
Ahmedabad to host maiden SEA–AICOSCA Cottonseed Oil Conclave on Dec 16 gout, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and a few cancers, inflammatory conditions, wounds, cuts, scrapes and skin conditions.
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he Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) and the All India Cottonseed Crushers’ Association (AICOSCA) will organise the first essay of the Cottonseed Oil Conclave, which is slated to take place at Hotel Courtyard by Marriott, Ahmedabad, on December 16, 2017, and will focus on cottonseed oil, cake and meal. This year, the kharif crop acreage under cotton has sharply increased from 10.26 million hectare to 12.17 million hectare, raising the hope for a record crop of cotton to the tune of 38-40 million bales (170kg per bale). Cottonseed forms two-third of cotton by weight. The current production of cottonseed oil in the country is about 13 lakh tonne, next to rapeseed and soybean oil. Gujarat is a major consuming state, consuming nearly five lakh tonne of cottonseed oil as direct cooking oil, due to its unique frying property. However, in other states, cottonseed oil is not very popular as a household cooking oil and mainly used by bulk consumers like the food industry as well as hotels, restaurants and canteens for the purpose of frying. Cottonseed oil, praised for being low in trans-fat, is often used as a cooking oil, because it can help to bring out the flavour of the food rather than masking them. It is known to help in checking high cholesterol, blood pressure, arthritis,
Cottonseed oil also helps healing, improves cognitive prevents prostate cancer, the immune system and inflammation.
speedy health, boosts reduces
Fried food prepared in cotton seed oil, regarded as one of the best oils for the purpose, remains fresh for three to four weeks without turning rancid, while that prepared using other oils turns rancid much earlier. To highlight the best frying property and the virtues of cottonseed oil, SEA and AICOSCA will organise the conclave in Ahmedabad to create public awareness. The conclave, which is expected to be attended by 300 delegates from all over India, will also focus on the scientific processing of cottonseed and the nutritional value and better usage of cottonseed cake or meal in cattle feed to achieve the high productively of milk. The organisers have invited speakers from the cotton and cottonseed fraternity and scientists to address the delegates. The conclave programme will also include panel discussions on promotion of cottonseed oil as good cooking oil and price outlook for cottonseed oil, cake and meal.n
“Alcohol consumption linked with increased risk of cancers,” says ASCO
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lcohol use—whether light, moderate, or heavy—is linked with increasing the risk of several leading cancers, including those of the breast, colon, esophagus and head and neck. This was stated by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), who gathered evidence to support it.
In a recent statement identifying alcohol as a definite risk factor for cancer, ASCO cited between five and six per cent of new cancers and cancer deaths globally as directly attributable to alcohol. “This was particularly concerning, since 70 per cent of Americans did not recognise drinking alcohol as a risk factor for cancer,” according to the National Cancer Opinion Survey, conducted by ASCO earlier this year. “People typically don’t associate drinking beer, wine and hard liquor with increasing their risk of developing cancer in their lifetimes,” said Bruce Johnson, president, ASCO. “However, the link between increased alcohol consumption and cancer has been firmly established and gives the medical community guidance on how to help their patients reduce their risk of cancer,” he added. ASCO’s National Cancer Opinion Survey, whose results were released recently, found that only 38 per cent of Americans limited their alcohol intake as a way to reduce their risk of cancer. The national study on Americans’ attitudes about cancer was scientifically conducted online by Harris Poll in July 2017 among 4,016 adults in the United States aged 18 and older. It is believed to accurately represent the broader population of the country. In addition to raising awareness of
the established link between alcohol and cancer, and thereby the opportunity to reduce cancer risk by limiting how much alcohol is consumed, the statement, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, also offered some evidencebased policy recommendations to reduce excessive alcohol consumption.
These were as follows: • • • • • • • • •
Provide alcohol screening and brief interventions in clinical settings Regulate alcohol outlet density Increase alcohol taxes and prices Maintain limits on days and hours of sale Enhance enforcement of laws prohibiting sales to minors Restrict youth exposure to advertising of alcoholic beverages Resist further privatisation of retail alcohol sales in communities with current government control Include alcohol control strategies in comprehensive cancer control plans Support efforts to eliminate the use of pinkwashing to market alcoholic beverages (i e, discouraging alcoholic beverage companies from exploiting the colour pink or pink ribbons to show a commitment to finding a cure for breast cancer given the evidence that alcohol consumption is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer)
“ASCO joins a growing number of cancer care and public health organisations in recognising that even moderate alcohol use can cause cancer,” said Noelle K LoConte, associate professor of medicine, University of Wisconsin, and lead author of the statement. Contined to page no 9