To Give Soldiers Boost, Military Considers Quercetin Energy

Orlando, FLAccording to AOL News, the food technologists at the Combat Feeding Directorate have been experimenting with a mocha-cranberry-raspberry energy bar containing caffeine and quercetin energy to potentially give to soldiers in the military.

Quercetin, which is a flavonoid derived from plants, was added to the energy bars because the military is reportedly looking into its possible health benefits, the news provider said.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), "research in recent years has focused on several possible helpful effects of quercetin, including its potential role in preventing cancer." The chemical first garnered attention a number of decades ago when laboratory tests showed signs that it could actually contribute to causing cancer, according to the ACS Web site.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers in Taiwan indicated that quercetin actually aggravated kidney cancer in laboratory rats that were severely diabetic, according to United Press International.

"Some researchers believe that quercetin should not be used by healthy people for prevention until it can be shown that quercetin does not itself cause cancer," the researchers said in a statement.