Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
Posts with tag european
Posted May 1st 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Prevention, Research, Daily news, Thought for the Day
It only takes two bottles of wine consumed over the course of one weekend to more than double the risk of breast cancer, according to a Danish study of 17,647 women which breaks down like this: women who drank 22-27 drinks per week had twice the risk for the disease compared to those who drank only one to three drinks.
Think about this:
More than a quarter of participants, age 44 and older, drank more than the recommended 14 drinks per week. One in 10 were binge drinkers -- they had more than four drinks per day. Thirteen percent were weekend bingers -- they had more than 10 drinks between Friday and Sunday. A drink is considered one bottle of beer, wine, or spirit. In Denmark, each unit translate into 12g of alcohol.
Published in the European Journal of Public Health, this study found breast cancer risk is greatest when drinks are consumed in a short period of time. This is because the concentration of alcohol in the blood peaks, making it more harmful to the body.
"What our study suggests is that the total amount of alcohol consumed has a detrimental effect on the risk of breast cancer, but also the drinking pattern seems to have an impact," says lead researcher Dr. Lina Morch.
The bottom line: to reduce the risk of breast cancer, women must limit the amount of alcohol they drink.Posted Apr 22nd 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: All Cancers, Research, Daily news, Thought for the Day
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has something important to say about the sugar substitute aspartame.
Think about this:
Italian researchers concluded in 2005 that aspartame causes cancer. But Laura Tarantino of the FDA Office of Food Additive Safety concludes after a review of the study data that the low-calorie sweetener is not a carcinogen.
A similar review by the FDA's European counterpart agrees. There is no evidence this substance, used for 25 years to sweeten soda, gum, dairy products, and some medications, causes cancer.
Italian researchers say they will release their latest aspartame study results on Monday.Posted Aug 11th 2006 4:33PM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Events, Teen Cancers, Celebrity news
After completing the Guns n' Roses European tour singer Axl Rose made a surprise visit to the Teenage Cancer Trust Ward at the University College Hospital in London. It is
reported that he thrilled the teen cancer patients with his visit.
Teenage Cancer Trust Ward CEO Simon Davies is quoted as saying, "Axl spent time speaking with each of the patients individually asking about their diagnosis and treatment, and what they enjoyed doing when they were not in hospital. Speaking with patients after Axl's visit, I got a real sense of just how excited they were to have met him and how much it lifted their spirits."
The
Teenage Cancer Trust provides services, education and support for the special age-related needs of teens diagnosed with cancer. The teen cancer charity hosts Teenage Cancer Trust Challenges such as the Roof of the World Trek - Tibet to Everest Base Camp and Trekking the Deserts and Dunes of Southern Morocco adventures as an escape and way to raise funds for the charity; The Teenage Cancer Trust Find Your Sense of Tumour weekend conferences; and the annual Teenage Cancer Trust week of rock shows at the Royal Albert Hall featuring great acts like The Who, Bloc Party and Razorlight.
Posted Aug 1st 2006 9:00AM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Prevention, All Cancers, Research, Diets, Nutrition, Cancer prevention foods, Vitamins and nutrients
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), the world's most comprehensive cancer study being conducted in establishing the link between diet and cancer risk has been going on for over a decade and few people hear about it. Over 80 scientific papers based on the study have been published in journals such as the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the Lancet, the Journal of Nutrition.
The study -- called the
European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) -- is an enormous undertaking involving 521,483 individuals in 10 different European countries. EPIC is unique because the populations being tracked are so diverse in eating habits. But this is precisely what gives the study the advantage it has in making comparisons and noting trends.
According to EPIC, a few of the emerging results found in the link between diet and cancer are:
- Consumption of meat sharply increased risk of stomach cancer and esophageal cancer. For every 100 grams of meat consumed by subjects, risk for stomach cancer more than tripled. The association between meat intake and stomach cancer was considerably stronger among subjects with populations of H. pylori bacteria in their stomachs.
- Two indicators of abdominal obesity, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, were strongly associated with colon cancer risk in both sexes. Men with the largest waist circumference had 39 percent higher risk of colon cancer than men with the smallest, for example, while women in the study with the largest waist circumference has a 48 percent higher risk than women with the smallest waists.
- Blood samples of women with breast cancer were compared to blood samples of women without breast cancer. Women over 60 whose blood was given under non-fasting conditions, high levels of serum C-peptide, that could reflect insulin resistance -- long suspected of contributing to cancer risk -- was associated with a doubling of breast cancer risk.
- The risk for oral and pharyngeal cancers drop by 9 percent for every 80 grams of fruits and vegetables consumed per day.
Researchers are beginning to come to some conclusions involving the data they have to date that clearly shows that globally, diets that are high in fruits, vegetables, fiber and fish are associated with greater cancer prevention -- with obesity and sedentary lifestyles much larger factors in increasing cancer risk.
Posted Jul 7th 2006 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma, Research, Daily news
I woke yesterday morning to voices on the
Today Show telling me that the use of hair dye is linked to incidences of lymphoma --
a general term for a group of cancers that originate in the lymphatic system. I know I've heard in the past about the possible link between cancer and the chemicals that add color to hair -- but the connection has never been revealed as very strong and the topic did not ever apply to me so I filed the information in the back of my mind. But now, it appears the link may be stronger than originally thought -- and I recently dyed my own post-chemo brown hair -- so I listened more intently this time and learned about the study that implies that touching up my roots may not be a wise practice.
The results of a
European study, appearing in the July 1
issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, reveal that roughly 10 percent of lymphomas in women could be caused by the use of hair dyes. The data suggest a small increase in risk -- and clearly more research is necessary -- but what researchers have found is that for the women who have dyed their hair more than 12 times, the risk is highest. And those who colored their locks before 1980 have the greatest risk. Since 1980, chemicals thought to be cancer-causing were eliminated from dyes -- although it is still not definite whether or not current hair dyes are risk-free. It is definite, say researchers, that further study of this topic is important. In the meantime, I think I will let my artificial reddish chestnut hues fade away while I enjoy the plain brown hair that covers my once-bald scalp.
Posted May 8th 2006 1:35PM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Prostate Cancer, Drug, Chemotherapy, Prevention
Researchers have discovered a specific genetic mutation in men, that when present, indicates the increase in the chance of developing an aggressive form of prostate cancer by 60 percent. This gene affects twice as many men of African American descent than it does men of European descent, which could explain why the incidence of prostate cancer is higher in African American men. Until now, the only established risk factors for prostate cancer have been age, family history and ethnicity. Scientists at deCODE genetics -- with academic colleagues in Iceland, the US and Sweden -- made the discovery of the genetic mutation which will alert physicians to the need for more aggressive treatment of prostate cancer for men with the gene. The study is published online at
Nature Genetics.
