ISLAMABAD– Eating legumes at least three times a week and brown rice at least once a week can reduce your risk of colon polyps by 33 per cent and 40 per cent respectively, thereby decreasing your risk for colorectal cancer to a great extent, according to a new research.
Results also show that consuming cooked green vegetables once a day or more, as compared to less than five times a week, was associated with a 24 per cent reduction in the risk of rectal/colon polyps.
Meanwhile, consuming dried fruit three times a week or more, versus less than once a week, was associated with a 26 per cent reduced risk.
“Eating these foods is likely to decrease your risk for colon polyps, which would in turn decrease your risk for colorectal cancer,” says lead author Yessenia Tantamango, MD, a post-doctoral research fellow with Adventist Health Study-2 at Loma Linda University.
The protective effects of these foods could be due in part to their cancer-fighting agents, the study reported.
“Legumes, dried fruits, and brown rice all have a high content of fiber, known to dilute potential carcinogens,” Dr. Tantamango says.  “Additionally, cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, contain detoxifying compounds, which would improve their protective function,” she added.
Liver `kills immune cells`
Scientists claim to have found that liver can kill immune cells, a finding which they claim may pave the way for new approaches to transplant rejection, and fight against hepatitis and other chronic liver diseases. An international team, led by the University of Sydney, says it has for the first time seen in mice how the liver goes independent, engulfing and destroying body`s defence troops —T-cells.
“In 2004, we discovered that healthy liver cells can engulf active immune cells, known as T-cells and now we`ve seen that those T-cells are actually destroyed,” Dr Patrick Bertolino, who led the team, said.
He added: “The liver is an amazing organ. Most people think it just breaks down alcohol, but it`s the factory of the body — breaking down substances we don`t want and making the ones that we do. “We now know liver cells also have the ability to subvert the orders of the immune system. Our discovery might explain why liver transplants have lower rejection rates than other organ transplants.” In their research, the scientists proved found healthy mouse liver cells eating T-cells, which was unexpected as this “cell cannibalism” had only previously been seen in tumour cells. One potential benefit of the research is reducing rejection in organ transplants, say the scientists. In transplantations, the new organ is seen by the body as a foreign object: the spleen or lymph nodes tell naive T-cells to replicate and turn into killer T-cells, which are sent off to invade and kill the “foreign” cells.
What the scientists have discovered is the liver goes around this process — liver cells signal to naive T-cells and digest them before they have a chance to become killer T-cells.
Team member Geoff McCaughan said the cocktail of immunosuppressive drugs that organ transplant patients receive reduce the odds of organ rejection but makes patients` immune systems weak, leaving them open to serious infection from otherwise minor illnesses like cold or flu. These drugs also predispose the patient to long term heart disease and cancer.
“If we can harness the way the liver controls T-cells, then longterm there is a chance that transplant patients won`t need these drugs,” he said.
New blood test to diagnose heart attacks
A possible new blood test based on the presence of a protein released after a heart attack, could help diagnose an attack, new research suggests.

Loyola University scientists said cMyBP-C (cardiac myosin binding protein-C) is a large protein.
“This (cMyBP-C) potentially could become the basis for a new test, used in conjunction with other blood tests, to help diagnose heart attacks,” said study author Sakthivel Sadayappan, assistant professor in molecular physiology. “A lot of additional studies will be necessary to establish cMyBP-C as a true biomarker for heart attacks,” Sadayappan said.
Sadayappan co-authored the study with Suresh Govindan, postdoctoral researcher in Sadayappan`s lab, the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology reports. The Loyola study is the first to find that cMyBP-C is associated with heart attacks. Its large molecular size helps quick detection in blood test, according to a Loyola statement.
Between 60 and 70 percent of all patients who complain of chest pain don`t have heart attacks. Many of them are hospitalized until a heart attack is ruled out.
An electrocardiogram can diagnose major heart attacks but not minor ones. Only one protein, now used in blood tests, called cardiac troponin-I, is specific to the heart. But it takes at least four to six hours for this protein to show up in the blood following a heart attack.