Prostate Cancer Info Lacking For Many

Survey: Men may not be adequately involved in decisions about prostate cancer screeningSecond study attempts to quantify benefits, risksMen largely make decisions about prostate cancer screening based on conversations with their clinicians, but these discussions often do not include information about the risks of testing in addition to the benefits, according to a report in the September 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. A second report in the same issue uses statistical modeling to estimate the benefits and risks of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in men of various ages and risk levels.The majority of American men older than 50 have been screened with the PSA blood test, according to background information in one of the articles. However,...

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Eating Fish Doesn't Prevent Heart Failure

The consumption of fish has no major role in the prevention of heart failure, according to results from a large prospective population study.(1) The study, which was started in 1990 and involved all men and women over the age of 55 living in a suburb of Rotterdam, found no difference in the risk of developing heart failure between those who did eat fish and those who didn't.The study is published on 30 September in the October issue of the European Journal of Heart Failure."Scientists and health authorities are increasingly persuaded that the intake of fish - even in small amounts - will protect against the risk of fatal myocardial infarction," said study investigator Dr Marianne Geleinjse from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. "However, there is no strong evidence that eating fish...

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Olive oil may help prevent, treat Alzheimer's

Oleocanthal, a naturally-occurring compound found in extra-virgin olive oil, alters the structure of neurotoxic proteins believed to contribute to the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's disease. This structural change impedes the proteins' ability to damage brain nerve cells."The findings may help identify effective preventative measures and lead to improved therapeutics in the fight against Alzheimer's disease," said study co-leader Paul A.S. Breslin, PhD, a sensory psychobiologist at the Monell Center.Known as ADDLs, these highly toxic proteins bind within the neural synapses of the brains of Alzheimer's patients and are believed to directly disrupt nerve cell function, eventually leading to memory loss, cell death, and global disruption of brain function. Synapses are specialized junctions...

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Overweight middle-aged women= no healthy old age

Women who put on weight as they approach middle-age could reduce their chances of enjoying a healthy old age by up to 80%, according to research from the University of Warwick.The study, published today (Wednesday) in the British Medical Journal, suggests that women who have a high body mass index in middle age are significantly more likely to suffer from major chronic diseases such as cancer and coronary heart disease and poor quality of life.Dr Oscar Franco, Assistant Clinical Professor of Public Health at Warwick Medical School collaborated on the paper with researchers from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts.The research team found that for every 1kg gained in weight since the age of 18, the odds of healthy survival into old age decreased by 5%.They also found that...

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Local prostate cancer:conservative management

A comparison of outcomes of different eras of conservative treatment for localized prostate cancer indicates that overall and prostate cancer-specific survival rates are higher for men diagnosed from 1992 through 2002 compared to men diagnosed in the 1970s and 1980s, according to a study in the September 16 issue of JAMA."Among men, prostate cancer is the most common nonskin cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States. When diagnosed, prostate cancer is contained within the prostate in approximately 85 percent of cases, and standard treatment options usually include surgery, radiation, or conservative management (active surveillance or deferral of treatment until necessitated by disease signs or symptoms)," according to background information in the article....

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High-sugar diet increases men’s blood pressure

Just two weeks on a high-fructose diet raises blood pressure in menA high-fructose diet raises blood pressure in men according to research reported at the American Heart Association’s 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference.“This is the first evidence of a role of fructose in raising blood pressure and a role for lowering uric acid to protect against that blood pressure increase in people,” said Richard Johnson, M.D., co-author of the study and professor and head of the division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension at the University of Colorado–Denver medical campus in Aurora, Colo.In the study, excessive fructose consumption seemed to increase new onset of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors associated with the development of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. On the...

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2/3 of prostate cancers do not need treatment

In the largest study of its kind, the international team of pathologists studied an initial 4,000 prostate cancer patients over a period of 15 years to further understanding into the natural progression of the disease and how it should be managed. The research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, could be used to develop a blood test to distinguish between aggressive and non-aggressive forms of prostate cancer.Globally, prostate cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and accounts for 13% of male deaths in the UK. Studies have shown that men with non-aggressive prostate cancer can live with the disease untreated for many years, but aggressive cancer requires immediate treatment.Pathologists found that the presence of a protein, called Hsp-27, in cancer cells was an indicator that...

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Vitamin D deficiency leads to high blood pressure

Vitamin D deficiency in younger women is associated with three times the risk risk of high blood pressure in mid-life, according to research reported at the American Heart Association’s 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conferen...

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Use of statins favors the wealthy

Since the introduction of statins to treat high cholesterol, the decline in lipid levels experienced by the wealthy has been double that experienced by the poor. While statins are highly effective in reducing cholesterol and improving heart health, their use may have contributed to expanding social disparities in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, according to research by Virginia W. Chang, MD, PhD, of the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania, and Diane S. Lauderdale, PhD, of the University of Chicago, published in the September issue of Journal of Health and Social Behavior."Income disparities in lipid levels have reversed over the past three decades," according to Dr. Chang, lead author and Assistant Professor of Medicine and Sociology at...

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Vacations, Vitamin D Cut Next Months Deaths?

Seasonality of mortality: Summer vacation link?Mortality rates in several Mediterranean countries decline in September, due in part to environmental factors but possibly linked to summer vacations, suggests a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca.The study looked at official statistics for Greece, Cyprus, Italy, France and Spain.Extreme heat and cold are associated with an increased risk of death."We speculate that another factor accounting for the lower mortality observed in September in the Mediterranean countries is the preceding summer vacations," write Dr. Matthew Falagas of the Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences in Greece and coauthors. The authors suggest the physiological effect of increased vitamin D synthesis combined with the stress-relieving benefits...

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Vitamin D Fight Heart Disease in Elderly

A new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Denver and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) shows vitamin D plays a vital role in reducing the risk of death associated with older age. The research, just published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, evaluated the association between vitamin D levels in the blood and the death rates of those 65 and older. The study found that older adults with insufficient levels of vitamin D die from heart disease at greater rates that those with adequate levels of the vitamin."It's likely that more than one-third of older adults now have vitamin D levels associated with higher risks of death and few have levels associated with optimum survival," said Adit Ginde, MD, MPH, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver...

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Coenzyme Q10 EFFECTIVE VS.Parkinson's disease?

Rush University Medical Center is participating in a large-scale, multi-center clinical trial in the U.S. and Canada to determine whether a vitamin-like substance, in high doses, can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects about one million people in the United States."At present, the very best therapies we have for Parkinson's can only mask the symptoms – they do not alter the underlying disease," said neurologist Dr. Katie Kompoliti, a specialist in movement disorders. "Finding a treatment that can slow the degenerative course of Parkinsons's is the holy grail of Parkinson's research."The substance being tested, called coenzyme Q10, is produced naturally in the body and is an important link in the chain of chemical reactions that produce energy...

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Elder Exercise = Longer, Better Life

Older adults who continue or begin to do any amount of exercise appear to live longer and have a lower risk of disability, according to a report in the September 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.“Physical activity is a modifiable behavior associated with health, functional status and longevity, and encouraging a physically active lifestyle has become an accepted public health goal,” the authors write as background information in the article. However, most research on the benefits of physical activity has focused on middle-aged populations.Jochanan Stessman, M.D., and colleagues at Hebrew University Medical Center and Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, studied 1,861 individuals born in 1920 and 1921. Participants underwent assessments...

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Flaxseed’s prostate cancer fighting power

I supplement my diet with Omega-3 pills derived from fish or flaxeed. Here is more info on the positive effects of flaxseed:Research shows that cancer risks, including the risk for prostate cancer, may be reduced by 30 to 40 percent if people ate a more plant-based diet. This healthy diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds – including flaxseed.“Cancer cells migrate by attaching onto other cells. The omega 3 fatty acids found in flaxseed keep cells from binding together and attaching to blood vessels,” Demark-Wahnefried says. “Lignan may reduce testosterone and other hormone levels. Lowering testosterone levels may reduce a man’s chances of getting prostate cancer.”Demark-Wahnefried and her team learned about the potential cancer-reducing benefits of flaxseed during...

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Meds Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer

but Increase Risk of Adverse EffectsThree drugs, including tamoxifen, reduce a woman’s chance of getting breast cancer, but each drug carries distinct potential harms of its own, according to a new report from HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Drugs to reduce the risk of breast cancer can be prescribed to women with a family history of breast cancer or other risk factors, but prescribing practices vary widely. The comparative effectiveness review found that all three drugs — tamoxifen, raloxifene, and tibolone — significantly reduce invasive breast cancer in midlife and older women but that benefits and adverse effects can vary depending on the drug and the patient.“Taking medicine to avoid breast cancer in the first place is an attractive notion, but the decision to do so must...

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Vitamin D: Many Benefits; Optimal Dose Uncertain

Vitamin D appears to boost health from head to toe, according to the September issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. But, so far, there’s no consensus on what level of vitamin D is optimal for good health.Recent reports on vitamin D suggest that it offers many benefits, especially for older adults. Findings point to improved balance, reduction in the risk of bone fractures, and better thinking skills such as planning, organizing and abstract thinking. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders, infections such as tuberculosis, and periodontal disease. Low vitamin D levels also may affect certain cancers, including colon, breast and prostate cancers.Vitamin D is the only vitamin that the body can manufacture...

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More chest compressions mean more saved lives

During CPR Cardiac arrest victims have a better chance of surviving when their rescuers spend more time doing chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).The amount of time rescuers spend on chest compressions during CPR is highly variable.The public is encouraged to learn CPR and deliver effective chest compressions.The chance that a person in cardiac arrest will survive increases when rescuers doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) spend more time giving chest compressions, according to a multi-center study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.“Chest compressions move blood with oxygen to the heart and the brain to save the brain and prepare the heart to start up its own rhythm when a shock is delivered with a defibrillator,” said Jim Christenson,...

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Antioxidant ingredient proven to relieve stress

A dietary ingredient derived from a melon rich in antioxidant superoxide dismutase enzymes has been shown to relieve stress. In a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, published in BioMed Central's open access Nutrition Journal, researchers found that the supplement decreased the signs and symptoms of perceived stress and fatigue in healthy volunteers.Marie-Anne Milesi from Seppic, France, worked with a team of researchers to evaluate its anti-stress effects in 70 volunteers. She said, "Several studies have shown that there is a link between psychological stress and intracellular oxidative stress. We wanted to test whether augmenting the body's ability to deal with oxidative species might help a person's ability to resist burnout. The 35 people in our study who received capsules...

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Zinc protects vs.oxidative stress/helps DNA repair

Other vitamins and nutrients may get more headlines, but experts say as many as two billion people around the world have diets deficient in zinc – and studies at Oregon State University and elsewhere are raising concerns about the health implications this holds for infectious disease, immune function, DNA damage and cancer.One new study has found DNA damage in humans caused by only minor zinc deficiency.Zinc deficiency is quite common in the developing world. Even in the United States, about 12 percent of the population is probably at risk for zinc deficiency, and perhaps as many as 40 percent of the elderly, due to inadequate dietary intake and less absorption of this essential nutrient, experts say. Many or most people have never been tested for zinc status, but existing tests are so poor...

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Green tea may help improve bone health

Researchers in Hong Kong are reporting new evidence that green tea — one of the most popular beverages consumed worldwide and now available as a dietary supplement — may help improve bone health. They found that the tea contains a group of chemicals that can stimulate bone formation and help slow its breakdown. Their findings are in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. The beverage has the potential to help in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and other bone diseases that affect million worldwide, the researchers suggest.In the new study, Ping Chung Leung and colleagues note that many scientific studies have linked tea to beneficial effects in preventing cancer, heart disease, and other conditions. Recent studies in humans and cell cultures suggest...

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Vitamin K essential for old age

An important analysis conducted by Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute scientists suggests the importance of ensuring optimal dietary intakes of vitamin K to prevent age-related conditions such as bone fragility, arterial and kidney calcification, cardiovascular disease, and possibly cancer (1). Vitamin K is concentrated in dark green plants such as spinach or Swiss chard, and is either not present or present in only small amounts in most multivitamin pills.This finding comes from Associate Staff Scientist, Joyce McCann, PhD, and Senior Scientist, Bruce Ames, PhD, who analyzed data from hundreds of published articles dating back to the 1970's. Their review was designed to test Dr. Ames' "triage" theory that provides a new basis for determining the optimum intake of individual vitamins...

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Red Yeast Rice, Tea and Orange Juice

Red Yeast RiceThere's a newly posted website that says red yeast rice, which I have written about before, and am now taking regularly, is dangerous, because it really is a statin, and can cause severe muscle pains and muscle weakness, just like a statin.Learn more about statins here.The adverse reaction, according to the website, is because statins deprive us of co-enzyme Q-10 (which I discontinued taking recently.)The website also says there is no reason to take statins to lower cholesterol, because cholesterol is good for you!Well. I've been taking to lower my cholesterol ( which really isn't bad), but now that I think that it's really a statin, I'm going to continue to take it for the reasons cited below, but add co-enzyme Q-10 back to my regimen.A. Statins suggest that these drugs may...

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Showers Can Be Dangerous To Your Health

While daily bathroom showers provide invigorating relief and a good cleansing for millions of Americans, they also can deliver a face full of potentially pathogenic bacteria, according to a surprising new University of Colorado at Boulder study. The researchers used high-tech instruments and lab methods to analyze roughly 50 showerheads from nine cities in seven states that included New York City, Chicago and Denver. They concluded about 30 percent of the devices harbored significant levels of Mycobacterium avium, a pathogen linked to pulmonary disease that most often infects people with compromised immune systems but which can occasionally infect healthy people, said CU-Boulder Distinguished Professor Norman Pace, lead study author. "It's not surprising to find pathogens in municipal...

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Lowering Sodium Consumption Saves $

Lowering Sodium Consumption Could Save U.S. $18 Billion Annually in Health Costs, RAND Study Finds Reducing Americans' average intake of sodium to the amount recommended by health officials could save the nation as much as $18 billion annually in avoided health care costs and improve the quality of life for millions of people, according to a new RAND Corporation study. The study estimates that meeting national sodium guidelines could eliminate 11 million cases of high blood pressure nationally and extend the lives of thousands of people each year. The monetary value of the improved quality of life would be an estimated $32 billion annually, according to the findings published in the September/October edition of the American Journal of Health Promotion. "This study provides...

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High fruit/vegetable = high cognitive performance

High fruit and vegetable intake positively correlated with antioxidant status, cognitive performanceResearchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I of the Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany, investigated the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake, plasma antioxidant micronutrient status and cognitive performance in healthy subjects aged 45 to 102 years. Their results, published in the August issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, indicated higher cognitive performance in individuals with high daily intake of fruits and vegetables.Subjects with a high daily intake (about 400 g) of fruits and vegetables had higher antioxidant levels, lower indicators of free radical-induced damage against lipids as well as better cognitive performance compared...

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Vitamin C aids in skin protection

Scientists have uncovered a new role played by Vitamin C in protecting the skin.Researchers at the University of Leicester and Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology in Portugal studied new protective properties of vitamin C in cells from the human skin, which could lead to better skin regeneration.The work, by Tiago Duarte, Marcus S. Cooke and G. Don Jones, found that a form of Vitamin C helped to promote wound healing and also helped protect the DNA damage of skin cells. Their findings have been published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine. This report is the latest in a long line of publications from these researchers, at the University of Leicester, concerning vitamin C. Previously, the group has published evidence that DNA repair is upregulated in people consuming...

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Proton pump inhibitors do not cause cancer

Major clinical study rejects cancer safety fears of most common heartburn treatmentFears about the cancer causing effects of the second most prescribed group of drugs in the Western world have been put to rest, following the largest ever study into their use.'Proton pump inhibitors' (PPI) are the most commonly used treatment for chronic acid reflux, or 'heartburn', a painful burning sensation in the chest, neck and throat which is experienced by almost a third of people in developed countries.Regular and prolonged heartburn is known to cause 'benign oesophagitis', a reversible inflammation of the gullet. However if left untreated a condition called Barrett's Oesophagus (BE) occurs in around 10 per cent of sufferers, which can in turn develop into a potentially fatal cancer called oesophageal...

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Green tea better with asorbic acid (lemon, etc.)

An animal study at Purdue University has shown that adding ascorbic acid and sugar to green tea can help the body absorb helpful compounds.Mario Ferruzzi, associate professor of food science and nutrition, adapted a digestion model with human intestinal cells to show that adding ascorbic acid to green tea would increase the absorbability of catechins found in the tea. Catechins, a class of polyphenols common in tea, cocoa and grape, are antioxidants thought to fight heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and other health problems.Ferruzzi, Elsa Janle, a Purdue associate research professor of foods and nutrition, and Catrina Peters, a Purdue graduate student in nutrition, were able to demonstrate that adding ascorbic acid, sucrose or both together increases by as much as three times the amount...

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Large Thighs = Good News

Here's good news, I guess:Large Thighs Protect Against Heart Disease And Early DeathMen and women whose thighs are less than 60cm in circumference have a higher risk of premature death and heart disease, according to research published on the British Medical Journal website. The study also concluded that individuals whose thighs are wider than 60cm have no added protective effect.Lead author, Professor Berit Heitmann, based at Copenhagen University Hospital, says his research may help GPs identify patients who are at an increased risk of early death and developing heart disease.While several studies have already demonstrated that being either very overweight or underweight are related to premature death and disease, this is the first to investigate the implications of thigh size on health.Almost...

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Summary of Recent Research

From the latest research reports: (click on links for complete reports.)1. I guess I'm not going to be taking Quercetin anymore: a new University of Georgia study finds that it is no better than a placebo. “The take home message here is that promising results in mice don’t necessarily translate to humans.” 2. Or cranberry pills:"Current clinical evidence for using cranberry juice to combat urinary tract infections is 'unsatisfactory and inconclusive'."3. Eat more often to lose weight,4. But not late at night, or you'll gain weight.5. Dealing with high-blood pressure? Eat more melons,6. But avoid hidden salt in prepared and processed foods.7. A low carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet was much better than a low-fat diet for diabetics.Patients in the Mediterranean diet group also experienced...

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