ST. JOHN’S, CANADA/COLLEGE STATION, TX, September 13, 2004 — Can food and food derivatives hold back the damage done by widely used drugs? Professor Sidhartha Ray of Long Island University's Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, internationally known for his ground breaking studies on drug and chemically-induced cell death in living animals, will report his most recent findings on how polyphenols combat the “dark side” of drugs at the 4th annual Worldnutra conference. This year it convenes in San Francisco November 7-10.

Dr. Ray will profile the effects of the flavonoids hesperidin and rutin, and grape seed proanthocyanidins, on reducing vital target organ toxicities and cell death induced by drugs such as acetaminophen (a precursor to a liver toxin; the active agent in Tylenol®), diclofenac (a kidney toxin; NSAID/analgesic prescription drug) and doxorubicin (a cardiotoxin; anticancer/anti-leukemia drug). These drugs share an ability to produce free radicals and are well-known for causing organ toxicity.

Rather than focus upon test tube and cell studies, Prof. Ray has subjected a variety of polyphenols to feeding studies in animals, which incorporates the oft-overlooked effect the gastrointestinal tract has upon absorption and metabolism of these natural products. This is the closest approximation of clinical trials and allows for investigations that would be challenging to conduct in humans.

Dr. Sefa Koseoglu of Filtration and Membrane World and Dr. Fereidoon Shahidi of Memorial University of Newfoundland are the organizers of the 4th annual Worldnutra conference, which attracts scientists and professionals from food, dietary supplement, and cosmeceutical industries worldwide. “The innovative research by Dr. Ray and his colleagues on health promotion and disease prevention by food phytochemicals is of utmost importance in our world where chronic drug ingestion and exposure to pollutants and other contaminants are on the rise,” offered Dr. Shahidi.

Registration information is available at www.worldnutra.com