Even small doses of paan masala, which mimics the taste of betel nut and leaf, taken for a long time can cause cancer, confirmed a team of researchers at the National Institute of Occupational Health in Ahmedabad. The researchers put 180 mice on a diet containing two per cent paan masala for 80 weeks. Mice that had been consuming the mixture for 56 weeks showed cancerous tumors in the lungs, liver, stomach, testis, ovary and adrenal glands. Having the paan masala mixed with tobacco, as it is generally eaten doubled the risk of cancer. ( Current Science , Vol 80, p1306-1309).
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