VEGETABLES HELP FIGHT AGE-RELATED MEMORY PROBLEMS

Eating vegetables, not fruit, helps slow down the rate of cognitive change in older adults, according to a study published in the October 24, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

In determining whether there was an association between vegetables, fruit and cognitive decline, researchers from Rush University Medical Center studied 3,718 residents in Chicago, Illinois, who were age 65 and older. Participants completed a food frequency questionnaire and received at least two cognitive tests over a six-year period.

“Compared to people who consumed less than one serving of vegetables a day, people who ate at least 2.8 servings of vegetables a day saw their rate of cognitive change slow by roughly 40 percent, said study author Martha Clare Morris, ScD, associate professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. “This decrease is equivalent to about 5 years of younger age.”

Of the different types of vegetables consumed by participants, green leafy vegetables had the strongest association to slowing the rate of cognitive decline. The study also found the older the person, the greater the slowdown in the rate of cognitive decline if that person consumed more than two servings of vegetables a day. Surprisingly, the study found fruit consumption was not associated with cognitive change.

-SOURCE: Rush University Medical Center

SFWMD ISSUES WATER SHORTAGE WARNING

The South Florida Water Management District’s (SFWMD) Governing Board issued a water shortage warning Thursday (November 9) for the lower east coast of the state including Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and eastern Palm Beach counties.

Additionally, the Board declared a mandatory water shortage order for the Lake Okeechobee Service area, which includes the Everglades Agricultural Area, and portions of Hendry, Glades, Lee, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and Martin counties.

This order is effective Friday, November 17 and will primarily impact agricultural and commercial water users as well as public water supply utilities around the Lake and withdrawals from the Caloosahatchee River.

USDA AGREES TO BUY GRAPEFRUIT JUICE

Responding to a request from producers, USDA has agreed to purchase 34.8 million pounds of grapefruit juice, approximately 4 million gallons, from Florida producers. USDA will distribute the juice through its Food and Nutrition Service, which serves schools, Indian reservations and the elderly, and those in need following natural disasters. Because of canker-related federal regulations that restrict fresh fruit from being sold in citrus-producing states, more fruit than usual has been processed into juice, leading to oversupply.

TEXAS RESEARCHER HAS HIGH HOPES FOR THREAT-RESISTANT CITRUS

A researcher at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in Weslaco is expecting results from the first crop of Rio Red grapefruit trees that have undergone genetic engineering for resistance to several threats. Dr. Eric Mirkov engineered some of the trees to be resistant to the citrus trizesta virus, others for insect resistance, and still more to resist bacteria including citrus canker and greening.

The crop should show results in December. Dr. Mirkov says that if results are positive and quality and taste are not compromised, the research could be a significant step toward eradicating pests and disease.

FARM-CITY FESTIVAL COMING UP

Hillsborough County Farm-City Festival will be held on Tuesday, November 14, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the Joe Chillura Courthouse Square, across the street from County Center in the 600 block of Kennedy Boulevard in downtown Tampa.

The free event is being held in conjunction with National Farm-City Week, designated every year as the seven days leading up to and including Thanksgiving Day. In addition to samples of local farm products, visitors can "milk" a mechanical cow, make butter and learn more about the county's $724 million agriculture industry.