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Obesity is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, while obesity and smoking both raise the odds for throat malignancies, two new studies find.
In the first study, University of Tokyo researchers examined the effect of body mass index (BMI) -- a standard measure of obesity -- on colorectal cancer risk. They also evaluated whether weight reduction lowered the risk of colorectal cancer. [Yahoo! News - Health]
Millions of consumers who buy calcium-fortified products to get more calcium into their diets may be in for a surprise. According to research conducted by Robert P. Heaney, M.D., professor of medicine at Creighton University Medical Center, calcium-fortified products, typically orange juice, differ substantially in the way the calcium is absorbed by the body. According to Heaneys research, which is published in this months Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the addition of calcium to a product does not guarantee that the consumer is getting the full benefit of what is on the label. It depends on the absorbability of the added calcium. Previous research by Heaney, holder of the John A. Creighton University Professorship, sho... [Cancercompass News: Cancer Nutrition]
In hospitals, nursing homes and private clubs all around the country, "certified laughter leaders" are teaching the therapeutic value of mirth, not by telling jokes, but simply pretending to laugh, so that forced hee-hee-hees eventually become honest-to-goodness giggles. [ABC News: Health]
Taking a concentrated version of green tea prevented prostate cancer in a group of men at a high risk of developing the disease in a new study. [cancerfacts.com]
Eating lots of hot dogs, sausages and luncheon meats, along with other forms of processed meat, may boost your risk of pancreatic cancer say researchers. [cancerfacts.com]
Broccoli rabe by any other name is still ... a leafy green. But broccoli rabe (pronounced "rahb") is also known is broccoli raab, rapini, turnip broccoli, Italian or Chinese broccoli, broccoli rape and Italian turnip. Despite its name (or most of its names, anyway), broccoli rabe is actually related to turnips and cabbage. The vegetable makes frequent appearances in Italian and Asian cooking, but is growing in popularity in this country. Boiling, along with pairing the green with other assertive flavors, helps mellow broccoli rabe's bitter bite. How to choose them: Look for small stems with firm, green heads. When to find them: You'll find broccoli rabe in early spring and late fall. Where to put the... [Cancercompass News: Cancer Nutrition]
Researchers have found that a diet rich in carrots provides anticancer benefits due to the activity of the chemical falcarinol, a natural pesticide, which carrots produce to defend themselves against fungal diseases. Investigators from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) and the University of Southern Denmark (Odense) used a rat model to study the effect of carrots and falcarinol on tumor development. Twenty-four male BDIX rats were treated with azoxymethane (AOM) to induce formation of preneoplastic lesions of the colon. The animals were then separated into three groups of eight animals each. The control group received ordinary feed, the second group received feed supplemented with 10% (w/w) freeze-dried carrots with a natural co... [Cancercompass News: Cancer Nutrition]
"Diets high in red meat and low in green vegetables are associated with increased colon cancer risk. This association might be partly due to the heme content of red meat. In rats, dietary heme is metabolized in the gut to a cytotoxic factor that increases colonic cytotoxicity and epithelial proliferation. "Green vegetables contain chlorophyll, a magnesium porphyrin structurally analogous to heme. We studied whether green vegetables inhibit the unfavorable colonic effects of heme," researchers in the Netherlands report. "First, rats were fed a purified control diet or purified diets supplemented with 0.5 mmol heme/kg, spinach (chlorophyll concentration 1.2 mmol/kg) or heme plus spinach (n=8/group) for 14 days. In a second experiment... [Cancercompass News: Cancer Nutrition]
Garlic may be useful in controlling colon cancer, a research team at Japan's Hiroshima University has found. A constituent contained in garlic was found to be effective in controlling the growth of polyps, which are often responsible for colon cancer, the Mainichi Shimbun reported Thursday. The research was conducted on 12 people who had been found to have polyps in their colons during endoscope examinations. The subjects were given an extract obtained by maturing garlic in oil for two years. Eight people in one group were given an average of 0.08 ounce of the extract a day, and the remaining four people were given 0.005 ounce. After one year, the polyps of five people in the first group had decreased, and the av... [Cancercompass News: Cancer Nutrition]
Not having enough magnesium in your diet may increase your chances of developing coronary artery disease, study findings suggest.
In a study of 2,977 men and women, researchers used ultrafast computed tomography (CT scans) of the chest to assess the participants' coronary artery calcium levels. Measurements were taken at the start of the study -- when the participants were 18 to 30 years old -- and again 15 years later. [MedicineNet Weekly News Digest]
High daily levels of vitamin B6 may reduce the risk of getting colon cancer by 58 percent, claims a new study from Harvard Medical School. [MedicineNet Weekly News Digest]