Regular smear tests boost chances of cure from 66 percent to 92 percent

ΩWomen can boost their chances of surviving cervical cancer substantially through regular cervical screening, claims a research paper published today on bmj.com.The authors from the Centre for Research and Development in Gävle and the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, studied all 1230 women diagnosed with cervical cancer nationwide between 1999 and 2001.In the study, which is the first to estimate chances of surviving cervical cancer, both screen-detected cancers (those with an abnormal smear result one to six months before cancer diagnosis) and symptomatic cancers (all remaining cases) were tested. The objective of the paper was to see if the detection of cervical cancer by screening resulted in better prognosis or just resulted in earlier diagnosis, without postponing the time of...

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Diabetes risk from sitting around

ΩA new study has found that women who stay seated for long periods of time every day are more prone to developing type 2 diabetes, but that a similar link wasn't found in men.Researchers from the University of Leicester Departments of Health Sciences and Cardiovascular Sciences revealed that women who are sedentary for most of the day were at a greater risk from exhibiting the early metabolic defects that act as a precursor to developing type 2 diabetes than people who tend to sit less.The team assessed over 500 men and women of the age of 40 or more about the amount of time spent sitting over the course of a week, helped out by tests on the level of specific chemicals in their bloodstream that are linked to diabetes and metabolic dysfunction. It was found that the women who spent the longest...

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Heart Healthy Choices Early On Pay Off Later

ΩMaintaining a healthy lifestyle from young adulthood into your 40s is strongly associated with low cardiovascular disease risk in middle age, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.“The problem is few adults can maintain ideal cardiovascular health factors as they age,” said Kiang Liu, first author of the study. “Many middle-aged adults develop unhealthy diets, gain weight and aren’t as physically active. Such lifestyles, of course, lead to high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes and elevated cardiovascular risk.”Liu is a professor and the associate chair for research in the department of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.“In this study, even people with a family history of heart problems were able to have a low cardiovascular disease...

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Cocoa may enhance skeletal muscle function

ΩA small clinical trial led by researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) found that patients with advanced heart failure and type 2 diabetes showed improved mitochondrial structure after three months of treatment with epicatechin-enriched cocoa. Epicatechin is a flavonoid found in dark chocolate.The results of this initial study has led to the implementation of larger, placebo-controlled clinical trial at UC San Diego School of Medicine and VASDHS to assess if patients with heart failure and diabetes show improvement in their exercise capacity when treated with epicatechin-rich cocoa.The study published this week by the journal Clinical and Translational Science looked at five profoundly ill patients with major damage to skeletal muscle mitochondria....

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Are Selenium Supplements Good For You? Yes And No

ΩIf you lack selenium, supplements are good for you, if you have enough they could raise your risk of developing diabetes type 2, says a study published Online First in The Lancet. The authors explain that the number of people taking selenium supplements has grown considerably over the last few yearsStudy author, Margaret Rayman from the University of Surrey, Guilford, UK, said: "The intake of selenium varies hugely worldwide. Intakes are high in Venezuela, Canada, the USA, and Japan, but lower in Europe. Selenium-containing supplements add to these intakes, especially in the USA where 50% of the population takes dietary supplements." Selenium is a trace mineral that is essential to good health in small amounts. Higher selenium intake or status (levels in the blood) have been demonstrated...

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Aspirin may counteract potential trans fat-related stroke risk in older women

ΩOlder women whose diets include a substantial amount of trans fats are more likely than their counterparts to suffer an ischemic stroke, a new study shows.However, the risk of stroke associated with trans fat intake was lower among women taking aspirin, according to the findings from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers.The study, "Trans Fat Intake, Aspirin and Ischemic Stroke Among Postmenopausal Women," was published Thursday (March 1, 2012) online in the journal Annals of Neurology.The study of 87,025 generally healthy postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 found that those whose diets contained the largest amounts of trans fats were 39 percent more likely to have an ischemic stroke (clots in vessels supplying blood to the brain) than women who ate the least amount of trans...

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Nutrient found in dark meat of poultry, some seafood, may have cardiovascular benefits

ΩA nutrient found in the dark meat of poultry may provide protection against coronary heart disease (CHD) in women with high cholesterol, according to a study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.The study, published online in the European Journal of Nutrition, evaluated the effects of taurine, a naturally-occurring nutrient found in the dark meat of turkey and chicken, as well as in some fish and shellfish, on CHD. It revealed that higher taurine intake was associated with significantly lower CHD risk among women with high total cholesterol levels. The same association was not seen in women with low cholesterol levels, however.There is very little information available about taurine, said principal investigator Yu Chen, PhD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology at NYU School of...

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Higher Death Risk With Sleeping Pills

ΩPeople are relying on sleeping pills more than ever to get a good night's rest, but a new study by Scripps Clinic researchers links the medications to a 4.6 times higher risk of death and a significant increase in cancer cases among regular pill users.The results, published February 27 by the open-access online journal BMJ Open, cast a shadow over a growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry that expanded by 23 percent in the United States from 2006 to 2010 and generated about $2 billion in annual sales.The possible health hazards"What our study shows is that sleeping pills are hazardous to your health and might cause death by contributing to the occurrence of cancer, heart disease and other ailments," said author Daniel F. Kripke, MD, of the Viterbi Family Sleep Center at Scripps Health...

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Eat Your Broccoli: Sulforaphane Prevents Cancer

ΩResearchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University have discovered yet another reason why the "sulforaphane"compound in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables is so good for you -- it provides not just one, but two ways to prevent cancer through the complex mechanism of epigenetics.Epigenetics, an increasing focus of research around the world, refers not just to our genetic code, but also to the way that diet, toxins and other forces can change which genes get activated, or "expressed." This can play a powerful role in everything from cancer to heart disease and other health issues.Sulforaphane was identified years ago...

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Excess Fat May Be "Protective" in Seniors Over 85

ΩSurprising TAU research finds obesity can decrease risk of mortality in people over 85 years of ageObesity is considered the leading preventable cause of death worldwide — until you reach old age, that is. Though obesity increases the risk of an early death, shaving an average of six to seven years off a person's lifespan, Tel Aviv University researchers have found that this trend may reverse itself after the age of 85. In these people, excess fat seems to have a "protective" effect, decreasing the risk of death when compared to those who are considered at a normal body weight.When we reach a very old age, some of the factors that affect mortality in younger people may no longer be significant, explain Prof. Jiska Cohen-Mansfield and Rotem Perach of the Herczeg Institute on Aging and the...

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Spirulina Health Benefit: Nutritional Supplement Dosage and Side Effects

Health enthusiasts have discovered that algae found in lakes and ponds are powerful food supplements; these contain several noteworthy beneficial substances that promise to enhance health. This article provides information about the ideal dosage, side effects and nutrition facts about spirulina and its health benefits including aiding in weight loss Spirulina Supplements for bad breathWhat is Spirulina?Spirulina or blue-green algae is a single celled microorganism that resembles a bacterium. Spirulina is loaded with chlorophyll, thus it turns the lakes and ponds where it grows a deep blue-green.Spirulina Nutrition FactsSpirulina is packed with...

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Low levels of omega-3 fatty acids may cause memory problems

ΩA diet lacking in omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients commonly found in fish, may cause your brain to age faster and lose some of its memory and thinking abilities, according to a study published in the February 28, 2012, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Omega-3 fatty acids include the nutrients called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)."People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of structural brain aging," said study author Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH, of the Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research and the Division of Geriatrics, University of California at Los Angeles.For the study, 1,575 people with an average age of 67 and free of dementia...

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Research offers insight to how fructose causes obesity and other illness

ΩA group of scientists from across the world have come together in a just-published study that provides new insights into how fructose causes obesity and metabolic syndrome, more commonly known as diabetes.In this study which was performed in lab animals, researchers found that fructose can be metabolized by an enzyme that exists in two forms. One form appears to be responsible for causing how fructose causes fatty liver, obesity, and insulin resistance. The other form may actually protect animals from developing these features in response to sugar. These studies may provide important insights into the cause of the prediabetic condition known as "metabolic syndrome", which currently affects more than one-quarter of adults in the United States.The study, "Opposing effects of fructokinase C...

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Citrus Fruits May Help Women Reduce Risk Of Stroke

ΩEating citrus fruits, especially oranges and grapefruit, because of the flavonone they contain, may lower women's risk of developing clot-associated or ischemic stroke, according to a new study led by Norwich Medical School of the University of East Anglia in the UK that was published online in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association on Thursday.The researchers wanted to examine more closely how consumption of foods containing different classes of flavonoids affected the risk of stroke.Flavonoids are a group of compounds found in fruits, vegetables, dark chocolate and red wine.Study lead author and professor of nutrition at Norwich Medical School, Dr Aedín Cassidy, told the press:"Studies have shown higher fruit, vegetable and specifically vitamin C intake is associated with reduced...

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World of Warcraft Boosts Cognitive Functioning In Some Older Adults

ΩFor some older adults, the online video game World of Warcraft (WoW) may provide more than just an opportunity for escapist adventure. Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that playing WoW actually boosted cognitive functioning for older adults – particularly those adults who had scored poorly on cognitive ability tests before playing the game.“We chose World of Warcraft because it has attributes we felt may produce benefits – it is a cognitively challenging game in a socially interactive environment that presents users with novel situations,” says Dr. Anne McLaughlin, an assistant professor of psychology at NC State and co-author of a paper on the study. “We found there were improvements, but it depended on each participant’s baseline cognitive functioning level.”Researchers...

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Are all carbs bad?

I eat a lot of carbs: fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains mostly. I need them to feel full. Some of my friends (and my wife) advocate a low carb, high protein diet, but I have chosen to eat very little meat, cheese and eggs for health reasons. If I give up carbs, that pretty much leaves only fish, of which I eat a lot, but that brings its own health issues. I 'm clearly not going to lose weight on my chosen regimen, but how bad are carbs really? The same article I quoted on the dangers of fructose was actually mostly about the dangers of carbs: Overconsumption of carbs is the primary driving factor for insulin resistance and type...

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Fruits and Fructose - Good or Bad?

ΩI eat a lot of fruit: raisins, grapes, blueberries, apples, strawberries, bananas, orange juice and tomatoes (yes, tomatoes are a fruit.) I always thought they were good for me (well orange juice in great moderation, only to enhance the benefits of green/white tea.) Lots of research highlights the benefits:Here are just a few examples:1. Apples2. Blueberries Blueberries Help Build Strong BonesBlueberries may inhibit development of fat cellsBlueberries: a Cup a Day May Keep Cancer AwayBlueberry’s positive effects on cholesterol3. StrawberriesStrawberries Boost Red Blood CellsStrawberries Fight Diabetes and Nervous System DiseasesStrawberries may slow precancerous growthStrawberries Protect the Stomach from AlcoholEven the government says fruits are good:Almost Everyone Needs to Eat More...

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Blueberries and Strawberries

Blueberries Help Build Strong BonesBlueberries may inhibit development of fat cellsBlueberries: a Cup a Day May Keep Cancer AwayBlueberry’s positive effects on cholesterolStrawberries Boost Red Blood CellsStrawberries Fight Diabetes and Nervous System DiseasesStrawberries may slow precancerous growthStrawberries Protect the Stomach from Alco...

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Apples

'Apple a day' advice rooted in scienceEveryone has heard the old adage, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." We all know we should eat more fruit. But why apples? Do they contain specific benefits?According to Dr. Bahram H. Arjmandi, PhD, RD, Margaret A. Sitton Professor and Chair, Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at The Florida State University, apples are truly a "miracle fruit" that convey benefits beyond fiber content. Animal studies have shown that apple pectin and polyphenols in apple improve lipid metabolism and lower the production of pro-inflammatory molecules. Arjmandi's most recent research is the first to evaluate the long-term cardioprotective effects of daily consumption of apple in postmenopausal women. The results of this USDA-funded study will be presented...

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