Sing Tiu of Atson-Tropicana Food Products Inc. presents his latest innovations derived from the coconut. One of these products is the casein-free coconut milk powder that is a best substitute for milk, especially for children with autism.

Because some consumers do not like cow’s milk, the company came up with a healthy alternative. Casein-free coconut milk powder doesn’t have caseinate as an emulsifier. It is what customers can consider food with complete and balanced nutritional values.

“We have chosen coconut to be our base raw material because coconut contains medium chain triglyceride which is similar to breast milk. The fruit is also considered by USFDA to be Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS),” shared Tiu when asked about his motivations for coming up with these healthy products derived from coconut.

Tiu’s best-selling coconut product is the coconut milk in aseptic form, which is also used to replace cow’s milk.

Other latest coconut innovations from Atson-Tropicana include coconut water sports drink; coconut with complete nutrient formulation; coconut with complete nutrient for diabetes; coconut mouth freshener; and coconut nasal spray.

“We market our product through food fairs such as the International Food Exhibition Philippines (IFEX). We have been joining IFEX Philippines since it started and we continuously support the trade fair for it’s a cost-effective medium to meet more buyers and clients locally and globally. We expect to meet more prospective buyers in this year’s edition,” Tiu added.

The 6th IFEX Philippines is led by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. The show featured almost 400 quality local and foreign food manufacturers offering a wide array of food categories and gastronomic pleasures. It welcomed close to 25,000 local and foreign visitors and generated $58 million worth of sales in 2009.

“Good quality and low prices are the main reasons why I buy food products in IFEX. The Philippines has very good raw materials and perfect climate. The country has a great potential because of its geography and the other important advantage is the language proficiency of Filipinos,” shared David Smith, a buyer from Norway.

IFEX Philippines is also a launching pad for innovative food products such as microwaveable bangus (milkfish) preparations; quick-fix bangus in different variants; Suka Pinakurat or spicy vinegar; Muzcafe (muscovado, coffee and creamer three-in-one pack); coco sugar; and coconut nectar as featured in the 2009 Trendy Awards for outstanding Filipino food players. The Daily Tribune

Some people may have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and has struggled to stay in control of the disease. Well, to all individuals living with rheumatoid arthritis, let it be known that it is not an ordinary arthritis, or joint pain brought on typically by aging, wear and tear and injury. Hence, it is an autoimmune disease caused by the body attacking its’ own healthy cells, resulting in deterioration of joints, connective and soft tissue. It also is paired with extreme fatigue, occasional nausea and fevers, muscle aches and pain as well as a variety of other symptoms.

Young women who have sex at an early age are more likely to develop cervical cancer, a study of 20,000 women has found.

The finding came after experts at the International Agency for Research on Cancer investigated why poorer women have a higher risk of the disease.

Until now, experts thought that the difference in cases of the disease could be just because poorer women were less likely to go for cervical screening.

But researchers now think the difference is largely because poorer women start having sex an average of four years earlier.

Cervical cancer is largely triggered by the presence of the human papillomavirus (HPV) – which is sexually transmitted.

Study’s lead author, Dr Silvia Franceschi, said the findings were not restricted to adolescence and the risk of cervical cancer was also higher in women who had their first sexual intercourse at 20 rather than 25 years.

“In our study, poorer women had become sexually active on average four years earlier,” the BBC quoted Franceschi as saying.

“So they may have also been infected with HPV earlier, giving the virus more time to produce the long sequence of events that are needed for cancer development,” Franceschi added.

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said the study raised some interesting questions.

“Although women can be infected by HPV at any age, infections at a very young age may be especially dangerous as they have more time to cause damage that eventually leads to cancer.

“Importantly, the results back up the need for the HPV vaccination to be given in schools at an age before they start having sex, especially among girls in deprived areas.”

The findings are published in the British Journal of Cancer. The Times of India