CAMPCO seeks Union Health Ministry’s intervention in re-evaluation of arecanut’s classification by WHO

Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (CAMPCO) Ltd. has sought the Union Health Ministry’s intervention for a revaluation of arecanut’s classification by the World Health Organisation. A recent report by WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has linked oral cancer to smokeless tobacco and arecanut use.

Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (CAMPCO) Ltd. has sought the Union Health Ministry’s intervention for a revaluation of arecanut’s classification by the World Health Organisation. A recent report by WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has linked oral cancer to smokeless tobacco and arecanut use.

In a letter to Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Thursday, CAMPCO president A. Kishore Kumar Kodgi said the re-evaluation would bring relief to 1.45 lakh arecanut farmers, who are concerned about the impact of WHO classification. He supported the demand with findings from various national and international agencies.

Mr. Kodgi said though IARC’s classification was largely based on research and review papers, a closer look indicates the data predominantly pertains to chewing mixtures, including betel quid and ‘gutkha’ rather than arecanut in its natural form. He said many researches have demonstrated that arecanut was not carcinogenic but exhibits anti-carcinogenic properties. In fact, researches have demonstrated that arecanut has various pharmacological activities, including positive effects on nervous, cardiovascular, endocrine, anti-parasitic and digestive system, he said.

While a study by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in 1974 confirmed that arecanut and betel quid extracts without tobacco did not induce any tumour on being applied on mice, Atlanta-based Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in 2016, has said arecoline, the main active principle of arecanut, would arrest the growth of cancer cells. Quoting Taiwan-based Taipei Medical University Hospital’s study in 2021, Mr. Kodgi said arecanut extract suppressed tumour progression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The authors even suggested that arecanut extract could be a new potential compound for HCC therapy.

Citing a recent study by Nitte (Deemed-to-be University), he said the laboratory studies showed that aqueous extract of whole arecanut showed no toxic effect in cells and in organisms such as fruit fly and zebrafish. “On the other hand, the areca extract showed cytotoxic activity against cancer derived cells,” he said.

Stating using arecanut as a stand-alone product was not harmful, Mr. Kodgi said the carcinogenic potential of arecoline was not fully established. There could be molecules that neutralise any harmful effects of arecoline in a whole arecanut, he said.