MAX FACTS GROWING TIPS, NEWS AND TRIVIA
Herbs, Celery and Broccoli Could Reduce Cancer Risk
More than 100 women die from breast cancer every day in the United States. The odds increase for post-menopausal women who have taken
a combined estrogen and progestin hormone replacement therapy. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that luteolin, a natural
compound found in herbs such as thyme and parsley and vegetables such as celery and broccoli, could reduce the cancer risk for women
who have taken hormone
replacement therapy. Professor
Salman Hyder’s lab has found
that as breast cancer cells
develop, they tend to take on
stem cell-like properties, which
can make them harder to kill.
Salman’s team treated breast
cancer cells with luteolin and
noticed a vast reduction in this
phenomenon. The researchers
tested laboratory mice with
breast cancer and found that
blood vessel formation and
stem cell-like characteristics
were reduced inside the body.
(Source: houstonherald.com)
Worms vs. Deep Tilling
Dennis Linden at the USDA-ARS soil
lab in St. Paul, Minnesota, has found
that earthworms are creatures of habit.
Once a worm stumbles upon its food
source, it remembers where the food is
and keeps coming back for more. These
return trips depend on the location of the
earthworm’s main food source: organic
matter. If the organic matter has been
tilled into the soil and incorporated
6-in. deep or more, earthworm
tunnels tend to be horizontal as the
worms search for food. However,
if the organic matter is left on the
soil’s surface, the tunnels tend
to be vertical, as the earthworms
dig upwards to find food. Vertical
tunnels not only allow for better
air and water penetration of the
soil than horizontal tunnels, they
also help remove chemical toxins
and harbor more beneficial
microbes. Earthworms will
do their jobs through the
winter as long as the
ground isn’t frozen.
(Source: garden.org)
28
Maximum Yield USA | November 2015
Teaching Children to Love Vegetables
Getting children to eat vegetables can be a challenge, but researchers in Portland,
Oregon, found that educating young children about nutrition using locally grown fruits
and vegetables increased their likelihood of trying and liking them. Researchers
from Portland State University and Mt. Hood Community College worked with
children at five Portland-area schools between 2012 and 2013, splitting them into
three groups: one group received no additional food education; the second group
had the meals altered to include more locally grown vegetables; and the third
group had the modified meals as well as nutrition education. Researchers found a
significant increase in the interest
and willingness to try, and enjoy,
new vegetables amongst the
children who ate more and
learned about the local veggies.
(Source: upi.com)