Arecanut and Human Health

Arecanut consumption and its effect on human health is of much concern in recent times in India. Even though there were limitations in the epidemiological studies and lack of evidence-based research, voluminous reports were prepared alleging arecanut as a cancercausing agent based on information available on the internet and submitted before the Supreme Court of India. This has caused much anxiety in the arecanut community, including growers, scientists, policymakers, traders and officials of the developmental agencies. A twoday interactive workshop was conducted recently with regard to research on arecanut and human health, and to identify the shortcomings and prioritize future research.