Two new studies have shown that mandarin oranges may be good for curing more than just scurvy. One study, which was centered on a town whose residents ate a very high number of mandarins, showed that they had a lower risk of liver disease, hardened arteries and insulin resistance. The second study found that drinking mandarin juice decreased the risk of developing liver cancer in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. Right now, scientists believe that cartenoids, a specific compound from the vitamin A in the oranges, are responsible for both the results.

The scientists who ran the study say that more research is needed, perhaps over as many as five more years, before they will have the kind of data that they need to draw more solid conclusions. As it stands now, however, there are no drawbacks to eating an extra orange or two.

If we actually paid attention to every single "news" item that warned us about cancer-causing foods, we'd probably only be able to drink water. Heck, someone somewhere at some point will probably determine that water causes cancer, too. I wouldn't be surprised.

Still, it's good to know that a common chemical used to flavor processed foods is linked to stomach, liver, and kidney cancers. The chemical is called methyleugenol and is found in common foods like candy, cookies, bubblegum, pumpkin pie, puddings, ice cream, apple butter, chutney, anise biscotti, French toast, ketchup, nutmeg and gingerbread. Although the chemical hasn't been officially found to cause cancer is humans (tests were done on laboratory rats), tests that were done from 1994 to 1998 on humans showed that 98 percent of participating adults had traces of methyleugenol in their blood.