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Florida Squash Recovering After Being Hit By Irma
Despite suffering the effects of Hurricane Irma, Florida squash
growers are looking at a solid winter crop, though it will be
late. “We lost 100 per cent of the squash in the hurricane, so
while we’re on time with our summer squash, our winter squash
will be a little late because we lost everything in the ground,”
says Steve Veneziano of Florida-based Oakes Farms Inc. “We
replanted hard squash five days after the hurricane, so we’ll miss
the Thanksgiving run, but we’ll be there for Christmas.” Oakes
harvested its summer squash and is currently harvesting winter
squash. In total, Oakes grows 700 acres of zucchini, 300 acres
of yellow squash, 200 acres of acorn squash, and 275 acres of
kabocha squash in south Florida. “We’ve really changed some of
the ways of our farming practises—just a couple secrets with our
growing practices to rebuild that soil health,” says Veneziano.
—freshplaza.com
Eating Sprouts May Make Breast Cancers Treatable
New research suggests that eating sprouts can make aggressive
breast cancers treatable. According to the study, the compounds
present in cruciferous vegetables, such as sprouts, can turn off
genes for ER-negative forms of the disease. All breast cancers
are either estrogen receptor(ER)-positive or ER-negative. The
tumors in ER-negative breast cancer are likely
to respond less to hormone therapy
than that of ER-positive, making
ER-negative breast cancers
typically very aggressive. Sprouts
contain a compound known
as sulforaphane. It turns off
tumor genes that influence
the development of cancer.
Polyphenols present in green
tea have also previously been
shown to prevent and treat ER-
negative breast cancer in mice.
The researchers analyzed mice
with ER-negative breast cancer after
giving them the two compounds
found in the foods. Results
reveal that the mice that took
the compounds found in
cruciferous vegetables
and green tea converted
aggressive breast cancers
into more treatable tumors.
—freshplaza.com
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