Vegetables, Fruits, Soy Help Prevent Breast Cancer

Mar 192010
 

Consumption of soy, fruits, and vegetables helps reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Postmenopausal women who consumed plenty of soy, fruits, and vegetables had a 30 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer, compared with those who consumed relatively little of these foods. The research was based on 34,028 women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. The longer the women had consumed these healthful foods, the less chance they had of developing breast cancer.

Butler LM, Wu AH, Wang R, Koh WP, Yuan JM, Yu MC. A vegetable-fruit-soy dietary pattern protects against breast cancer among postmenopausal Singapore Chinese women. Am J Clin Nutr. Published ahead of print February 24, 2010. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28572.

Vegetable Intake Increases Ovarian Cancer Survival Rates

Mar 192010
 

Women with the highest fruit and vegetable intakes have better ovarian cancer survival rates than those who generally neglect these foods, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Researchers examined food patterns prior to ovarian cancer diagnosis in 341 Illinois women. They found that yellow and cruciferous vegetables, in particular, contributed to longer survival, whereas consumption of dairy products and red and processed meats shortened lifespan. The authors concluded that low-fat, plant based diets are not only beneficial for cancer prevention—they may also play a role in increasing survival time after diagnosis. Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women in the United States.

Dolecek TA, McCarthy BJ, Joslin CE, et al. Prediagnosis food patterns are associated with length of survival from epithelial ovarian cancer. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010;110:369-382.

Elephants or Ivory – urgent campaign

Mar 112010
 

In 5 days, 2 African governments will try to pry open the worldwide ban on ivory trading — a decision that could wipe out whole elephant populations and bring these magnificent animals closer to extinction.

Tanzania and Zambia are lobbying the UN for special exemptions from the ban, but this would send a clear signal to the ivory crime syndicates that international protection is weakening and it’s open-season on elephants. Another group of African states have countered by calling to extend the trade ban for 20 years.

Our best chance to save the continent’s remaining elephants is to support African conservationists. We only have 5 days left and the UN Endangered Species body only meets every 3 years. Click below to sign our urgent petition to protect elephants, and forward this email widely — the petition will be delivered to the UN meeting in Doha:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/no_more_bloody_ivory/?vl

Over 20 years ago, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) passed a worldwide ban on ivory trading. Poaching fell, and ivory prices slumped. But poor enforcement coupled with‘experimental one-off sales’, like the one Tanzania and Zambia are seeking, drove poaching up and turned illegal trade into a lucrative business — poachers can launder their illegal ivory with the legal stockpiles.

Now, despite the worldwide ban, each year over 30,000 elephants are gunned down and their tusks hacked off by poachers with axes and chainsaws. If Tanzania and Zambia are successful in exploiting the loophole, this awful trade could get much worse.

We have a one off chance this week to extend the worldwide ban and repress poaching and trade prices before we lose even more elephant populations — sign the petition now and then forward it widely:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/no_more_bloody_ivory/?vl

Across the world’s cultures and throughout our history elephants have been revered in religions and have captured our imagination — Babar, Dumbo, Ganesh, Airavata, Erawan. But today these beautiful and highly intelligent creatures are being annihilated. As long as there is demand for ivory, poaching and smuggling will happen, but this week we have a chance to protect them and crush the ivory criminals’ profits — sign the petition now:

As long as there is demand for ivory, elephants are at risk from poaching and smuggling — but this week we have a chance to protect them and crush the ivory criminals’ profits — sign the petition now.

Code Spells ‘Pigs In Crates Forever’

Mar 082010
 

3 March 2010

The draft welfare code for pigs, released for public consultation today, continues to allow the pig industry to use cruel crates indefinitely, say animal advocates.

National animal advocacy organisation SAFE says that while the draft code, developed by National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), does propose to restrict the use of sow stalls before ultimately phasing them out, it excludes banning farrowing crates, used for mothers and their piglets, which are equally cruel.

“According to the draft code, NAWAC intends to reduce the use of sow stalls to the first four weeks of a sow’s pregnancy by the end of 2012. NAWAC also states that a total ban on sow stalls will be set in place after submissions and economic analysis have taken place,” says SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek.

“NAWAC further states there is no scientific evidence that sow stalls provide significant animal welfare benefits for sows compared to alternative systems, and favours a total ban by December 2017. However SAFE wants a ban now, not in seven years,” says Mr Kriek.

SAFE says the public will be further appalled to hear that once this code is made law, the pig industry will still be permitted to keep sows with piglets, in cruel confinement systems.

“NAWAC has no intention of ending the use of farrowing crates, meaning that tens of thousands of sows will continue to be forced to raise their babies inside the harsh environment of a crate,” says Mr Kriek.

The New Zealand Pork Industry Board delayed the release of the draft code in December last year after threatening NAWAC with legal action.

“SAFE applauds NAWAC for not backing down on its intended sow stall ban despite legal threats by the pig industry, but we have serious concerns that the draft code does not go far enough to prevent widespread suffering in the pig industry,” says Mr Kriek.

Next week SAFE intends to launch its campaign, urging New Zealanders to make a submission calling for an immediate ban on all sow crates.
For more information, contact SAFE’s campaign director, Hans Kriek: 027 446 2711.
For background information on the campaign visit http://www.lovepigs.org.nz

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