Transmissible cancer-- You're kidding, right? Wrong.

They're not exactly cute and cuddly, but Tasmanian devils have their special place in the environment, and they're dying off fast.

You probably don't spend a lot of time worrying about Tasmanian Devils. I know I don't. In fact, I thought they were some kind of cartoon character until I saw a program about them on Animal Planet.
It turns out that these nasty little critters live on the Island of Tasmania and, after many years of doing just fine, are now endangered. Apparently this is not something new, but I just found out about it from an article in the New York Times.

Considering the rate at which species of mammals are becoming extinct, this is just more bad news. But the thing that absolutely floored me is what is killing Tasmanian devils. They have a form of transmissible cancer that manifests itself in tumors on their faces, and given how aggressive they are, they frequently pass it on to other devils by biting them in the face.

Did you know there was such a thing as transmissible cancer? I didn't. It turns out that least two other kinds of animals get transmissible cancer, dogs, mainly in tropical and subtropical climates, and Syrian hamsters. All of this concerns me, but, let's face it, it's only human to worry that such a cancer might occur in humans. There is some evidence that it does, which blows to smithereens the idea that human cancer isn't infectious. Lest you become too worried, it is a lot more likely that a Tasmanian devil will catch cancer from another devil than that a human will catch cancer from another human, but if you want something to take your mind off the economic crisis, this is just the thing.

Antioxidants, Straight Up Or On the Rocks

Mangosteens, pictured left, are simply delicious, but do they prevent cancer?

These days, it seems that everyone is concerned about getting enough antioxidants. Lest you be one of the few uninformed left in the world, antioxidants are substances present in certain foods that are claimed to help prevent cancer. The list of foods containing antioxidants is long and varied, from humble kidney beans and green tea to exotics such as goji berries. At the moment, many juices are touted as a great source of antioxidants. These range from cranberry juice, easy to obtain and relatively inexpensive, to pomegranate juice, which has become quite common in recent years, to the rarer, and consequently more expensive, goji and acai. Many of these antioxidant juices are available in blends, such as raspberry and acai, which is marketed by Tropicana. It will come as no surprise to learn that many vendors have made extraordinary claims for the efficacy of these juices, and others have decried these claims as lies.

One of the most exotic, and hence hardest to come by and most expensive, sources of antioxidants is the mangosteen. Mangosteens are native to Asia, and the U.S. climate has not proven suitable for growing them, although experiments are being made in Hawaii. The mangosteen fruit may not be imported into the U.S. because of an insect often present in its rind. Recently, a few mangosteens have been permitted into the country after irradiation, but in general, the only way Americans can get mangosteen is in juice form. Not only is the mangosteen juice touted for its cancer-prevention properties, but it is also claimed that it can relieve the pain of arthritis. For those who might want to spend less, tart cherry juice is also touted as an anti-inflammatory and arthritis pain-reliver. Not surprisingly, others have disputed this claim, including the FDA.

To get back to the mangosteen, forget about juice. If you are ever anywhere that permits the import of the fruit itself, try it. I had some in Germany this past summer, and it was exquisite. The edible part of the fruit, inside a thick, tough rind, consists of four or five plump segments that look rather like orange sections, but they have an almost indescribable flavor and texture, an incredible blend of tropical banana, strawberry, and lychee, just to give an approximation. Until you can eat the fruit for its wonderful flavor, forget about the claims for the healing power of its juice and drink cranberry juice instead. It will help you or not, but it tastes good and is pretty cheap. Bottoms up!