Proactol

Link between bone drugs and oesophageal cancer

September 2nd, 2010
BBC News
Long-term use of bone-strengthening drugs - used to treat fractures - may boost the risk of oesophageal cancer, Oxford University research suggests.

The study of 3,000 people found taking bisphosphonates for five years upped the risk from one in 1,000 to two in 1,000 for 60 to 79-year-olds.

Osteoporosis
The drugs work by strengthening the bones

The researchers said the risk was small, but reliable information on risks and benefits was needed.

But experts said for many, the case for taking the drugs "would be strong".

The findings, published in the British Medical Journal, were based on an analysis of anonymised GP records.

They contrast with previous research which found no increased risk for the bone-strengthening drugs.

'Talk to doctor'

“Anyone who is taking these drugs and is worried about their risk of cancer should talk to their doctor”

End Quote Dr Laura Bell Cancer Research UK

It is not known why the risk may be increased, although the drugs are known to irritate the oesophagus.

Thousands of stomach and colorectum cancers were also studied, but no increased risk was found.

Lead researcher Dr Jane Green said even if the findings were confirmed by other studies "few people" taking bisphosphonates would ever develop the cancer.

"Our findings are part of a wider picture. Bisphosphonates are being increasingly prescribed to prevent fracture and what is lacking is reliable information on the benefits and risks of their use in the long term."

About 600,000 people in the UK are currently taking the drugs - including a tenth of all women over the age of 70.

Dr Laura Bell, from Cancer Research UK, agreed the findings should be treated with caution, pointing out the risks were "still small".

"Anyone who is taking these drugs and is worried about their risk of cancer should talk to their doctor."

The National Osteoporosis Society said: "It is a case of balancing the reduced risk of fractures against the side effects of treatment.

"When you consider the fact that there are 230,000 osteoporotic fractures every year in the UK and 1,150 hip-fracture-related deaths every month, the case for treatment is strong."


Detox and cleanse

Posted in Link between bone drugs and oesophageal cancer | No Comments »

Fruits and Vegetables May Help Cut Lung Cancer Risk

September 2nd, 2010

Breathing in carcinogens, like tobacco smoke, radon gas, and asbestos, heightens the risk of lung cancer, especially smoking. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 90% of lung cancer deaths in men are a result of smoking and smoking causes 80% of lung cancer deaths in women.

And while not smoking is the foremost way to reduce the risk of lung cancer, better habits, like eating more fruits and vegetables, may also help cut your risk of lung cancer.

Published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a new study found smokers eating a lot of fruits and vegetables had a lower risk of getting lung cancer.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data on 450,000 adults from 10 European countries, asking participants to fill out questionnaires about their eating habits and lifestyle; including occupation, medical history, exercise, smoking, and drinking alcohol.

During a nine year period, 1,613 of the individuals were diagnosed with lung cancer, but among smokers, those who ate the greatest variety of fruits and vegetables were 27% less likely to develop squamous cell lung cancer.

Squamous cell lung cancer is a very common form of the disease that usually manifests in the bronchial tubes in the lungs.

The scientists point out that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is key. Foods like spinach, kale, berries, melons, cabbage, cauliflower, and eggplant.

Image credit: jelrdan

Posted in Nutrition & Health, fruits & vegetables, lung cancer, smoking | No Comments »

Exercise Lowers the Genetic Risk for Obesity

September 1st, 2010

The World Health Organization estimates 1 billion adults are overweight and at least 300 million are clinically obese. Health officials blame the increased consumption of nutrient-poor, energy dense foods – such as sugar, saturated fat, and fast food – and reduced physical activity for the spike in obesity.

Obesity is a known risk factor for various diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and certain types of cancer.

And while poor diet and inactivity is commonly blamed for obesity, mental illness, like eating disorders and depression, and genetics may increase a person’s risk of becoming overweight or obese.

But as for genetics, in a new study, published in the Public Library of American Science Medicine journal, researchers say exercise can reduce individuals’ genetic predisposition to obesity.

The study involved 20,430 people living in Norwich, Britain and found most participants inherited to 10 and 13 genetic variants known to raise the risk of obesity; some people inherited as many as 17 variants.

Data showed each genetic variant was associated with grams of weight. In active individuals the genetic variant increase was equivalent to a 592 gram increase in body mass index, but people who exercise only had a 379 gram increase.

So the researchers reiterate that in order to help prevent obesity it is important to get plenty of exercise.

Image credit: Mushroom and Rooster

Posted in Fitness, Nutrition & Health, body mass index, cancer, exercise, heart disease, obesity, type-2 diabetes | No Comments »

Orange Honey Cream Dessert

August 31st, 2010

If you have a sweet tooth but need a healthy dessert option, try this delicious sweet treat that is loaded with flavor, not fat.

Ingredients

  • 2 navel oranges, peeled & sliced
  • 1 tbsp. honey, divided
  • 2 tbsp. low fat cream cheese
  • 2 tbsp. vanilla low-fat yogurt
  • 1 tsp. pecan pieces

Instructions

Arrange orange slices on a small dessert plate; drizzle with 2 tsp. honey. Combine low-fat cream cheese, yogurt and remaining honey until creamy. Spoon cream over oranges and top with nuts.

Nutrition Facts(Serves 1):
Calories: 150, Total Fat: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 10 mg, Sodium: 80 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 27 g, Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 3 g

This healthy recipe is provided courtesy of eDiets. Membership to eDiets gives you access to their huge healthy recipe database.

Posted in Healthy Recipes | No Comments »

Obesity Fuels Esophageal Cancer Increase

August 31st, 2010

The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2007, 15,560 new cases of esophageal cancer were diagnosed in the United States. But world wide research shows countries like China, Iran, Iceland, India, Japan, and the United Kingdom have the highest rates of esophageal cancer.

Esophageal cancer is a very deadly form of the disease and manifests when cancer cells presents at the junction of the esophagus and stomach.

Common causes of esophageal cancer include tobacco smoking, acid reflux, and drinking alcohol.

And a new study claims obesity and poor diet, especially high consumption of saturated fats, may be a major factor in the steep rise of esophageal cancer in the U.K. An expert from the Barts & The London School of Medicine & Dentistry say Anglo Saxon males have the highest risk, while the black population has a lower risk.

The scientists recommend people change their diets and eat more fruits and vegetables to cut obesity and reduce risk of esophageal cancer. Other studies have shown taking aspirin and drinking coffee also decrease risk.

In July, a report showed one-quarter of the adults in the U.K. are obese, compared to 16% in 1994.

Image credit: Kyle May

Posted in Nutrition & Health, cancer, coffee & caffeine, drugs & alcohol, esophageal cancer, fruits & vegetables, obesity, smoking | No Comments »

MS activity alters with seasons, US researchers say

August 30th, 2010
BBC News
The severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) may change with the seasons, say US researchers.

Brain scans of patients compared with weather patterns at the time showed higher levels of disease activity in the spring and summer.

The US researchers said the findings had implications for testing new medicines, which may show up different results depending on the time of year.

Brain scan of MS patient
The researchers compared MS brain lesions with weather patterns

It is not clear why warmer weather would have this effect.

Other studies have shown that vitamin D from exposure to sunlight may have a protective effect against MS - a long-term inflammatory condition of the central nervous system.

For the study, researchers compared MRI brain scans of 44 people taken from 1991 to 1993 to daily temperature, solar radiation and precipitation measurements over the same time.

The adults in the study, who had untreated MS, had eight weekly scans followed by eight scans every fortnight then six monthly check-ups - an average of 22 scans per person.

After one year, 310 new brain lesions were found in 31 people, they reported in Neurology.

The lesions were up to three times more likely to appear in the warmer spring and summer months.

“Future studies should further explore how and why environmental factors play a role in MS”

End Quote Dr Anne Cross

Further analysis also showed that there was a link between both new disease activity and intensity of disease activity and the warmer months.

Trial results

Study leader Dr Dominik Meier, from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said: "Not only were more lesions found during the spring and summer seasons, our study also found that warmer temperatures and solar radiation were linked to disease activity."

He pointed out that clinical trials often use MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to assess the effectiveness of a drug and studies commonly last between six and 12 months, which may have implications for how effective a new medication seems.

In an accompanying editorial Dr Anne Cross, from Washington University School of Medicine, added: "This is an important study because it analyses records from the early 1990s, before medications for relapsing MS were approved, so medicines likely could not affect the outcome.

"Future studies should further explore how and why environmental factors play a role in MS."

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, research communications officer at the MS Society, said more research was needed.

But added: "This small study is intriguing and, if validated in larger studies, has the potential to influence the way clinical trials are designed."

Memory concentration

Posted in MS activity alters with seasons | No Comments »

MS activity alters with seasons, US researchers say

August 30th, 2010
BBC News
The severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) may change with the seasons, say US researchers.

Brain scans of patients compared with weather patterns at the time showed higher levels of disease activity in the spring and summer.

The US researchers said the findings had implications for testing new medicines, which may show up different results depending on the time of year.

Brain scan of MS patient
The researchers compared MS brain lesions with weather patterns

It is not clear why warmer weather would have this effect.

Other studies have shown that vitamin D from exposure to sunlight may have a protective effect against MS - a long-term inflammatory condition of the central nervous system.

For the study, researchers compared MRI brain scans of 44 people taken from 1991 to 1993 to daily temperature, solar radiation and precipitation measurements over the same time.

The adults in the study, who had untreated MS, had eight weekly scans followed by eight scans every fortnight then six monthly check-ups - an average of 22 scans per person.

After one year, 310 new brain lesions were found in 31 people, they reported in Neurology.

The lesions were up to three times more likely to appear in the warmer spring and summer months.

“Future studies should further explore how and why environmental factors play a role in MS”

End Quote Dr Anne Cross

Further analysis also showed that there was a link between both new disease activity and intensity of disease activity and the warmer months.

Trial results

Study leader Dr Dominik Meier, from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said: "Not only were more lesions found during the spring and summer seasons, our study also found that warmer temperatures and solar radiation were linked to disease activity."

He pointed out that clinical trials often use MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to assess the effectiveness of a drug and studies commonly last between six and 12 months, which may have implications for how effective a new medication seems.

In an accompanying editorial Dr Anne Cross, from Washington University School of Medicine, added: "This is an important study because it analyses records from the early 1990s, before medications for relapsing MS were approved, so medicines likely could not affect the outcome.

"Future studies should further explore how and why environmental factors play a role in MS."

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, research communications officer at the MS Society, said more research was needed.

But added: "This small study is intriguing and, if validated in larger studies, has the potential to influence the way clinical trials are designed."

Memory concentration

Posted in MS activity alters with seasons, US researchers say | No Comments »

Antihistamine May Lead to Weight-Gain

August 30th, 2010

Antihistamine medication is used to suppress the body’s natural allergic reaction. Histamines cause fluid to escape from capillaries resulting in swelling, itching, and sneezing. Many antihistamines are sold over-the-counter without prescription.

For people with allergies, antihistamines are a saving grace – especially in the spring, when pollen is through the roof – but a new study says using antihistamines may actually lead to weight-gain.

Published in the journal Obesity, experts found people using prescription antihistamines were more likely to be obese or overweight than individuals not taking the drugs.

Among the 268 antihistamine users, 45% of study participants were overweight; this compared to all 599 of the individuals taking part in the study, where only 30% were overweight. Antihistamine users had a higher body mass index (BMI) than non users, with 31 and 28 respectively.

A BMI of 31 is considered obese and 28 is considered overweight.

But the researchers urge that the results do say antihistamines cause weight-gain, only that there is an association between weight-gain and taking antihistamines.

Mold and pet dander may also trigger allergic reactions in people.

Other medications linked to weight-gain are antidepressants such as Proza, Lexapro, Paxil, and Zoloft; causing weight-gain of 10 or more pounds.

Image credit: hitthatswitch

Posted in Nutrition & Health, allergies, body mass index, depression, weight gain & weight loss | No Comments »

Bacterium ‘to blame for Crohn’s’

August 29th, 2010
BBC News

Researchers believe the lack of a specific bacterium in the gut may be a cause of Crohn's disease.

A shortage of naturally-occurring bacteria is thought to trigger the inflammatory gastrointestinal disorder by over-stimulating the immune system.

Now a French team has highlighted the bug, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, which they show secretes biochemicals that reduce inflammation.

Intestine
Crohn's can affect the intestine

The study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

CROHN'S DISEASE
Can affect any part of the gut
Most commonly affects the lower end of the small intestine - the ileum
Symptoms include, pain, ulcers and diarrhoea
Medication can relieve symptoms, but surgery to remove part of the gut may be required

The researchers, from the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, had already shown that patients with Crohn's disease have a marked deficiency in bacteria from the Clostridium leptum group.

Their latest work shows that F. prausnitzii - a major component of this group - accounts for a large part of the deficit.

Bowel surgery

The researchers found that Crohn's patients who underwent bowel surgery were more likely to experience a recurrence of the condition if they had low levels of F. prausnitzii.

And in experiments on cultured cells, they showed that liquid in which F. prausnitzii had been grown provided an anti-inflammatory effect.

The researchers said that if ongoing animal trials prove successful, human patients could benefit from a probiotic treatment with F. prausnitzii.

Dr Anton Emmanuel, medical director of the digestive disorders charity Core, called the study "exciting" and agreed it raised the possibility of a therapeutic "replacement" therapy.

"It would be interesting to see how this finding relates to the emerging body of evidence looking at genetic changes in some patients with Crohn's disease, with the known abnormal gene being one that codes for the body's ability to recognise foreign bacteria."

Dr John Bennett, chairman of Core, said there was growing evidence that micro-organisms combined with immunological weaknesses to either cause, or exacerbate Crohn's symptoms.

However, he said: "The gut contains a huge number and variety of organisms, and many of them have been investigated without any single one seeming to be entirely responsible."

Dr Bennett said scientists were testing the theory that harmful bacteria could be neutralised, or at least counter-acted, by preparations of beneficial "probiotic" micro-organisms, but as yet no definitive proof of their effect had been produced.

Professor Jonathan Rhodes, a consultant gastroenterologist from the Royal Liverpool Hospital, described the study as "interesting".

However, he said: "It is too early to tell whether this will lead directly to a new treatment as other probiotics have tended to produce good results in animal studies only to prove disappointing in clinical trial in Crohn's disease."

Detox and cleanse, Toxins cleanse

Posted in Bacterium 'to blame for Crohn's' | No Comments »

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Cancer Risk

August 26th, 2010

Our skin transforms ultraviolet light from the sun into vitamin D, and vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium.

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to rickets, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and a new study adds cancer and autoimmune disease to the list.

Published in the journal Genome Research, experts mapped out more than 200 genes directly influenced by vitamin D and found vitamin D deficiency is linked to autoimmune diseases like type-1 diabetes and Crohn’s disease, and cancers such as leukemia and colon cancer.

The researchers say vitamin D is essential in triggering the immune system’s T cells, which fight infections in the body. So a vitamin D deficiency leaves the body more vulnerable to sickness and disease.

While the optimal dose of vitamin D is still unclear, the scientists recommend people get at least 25 to 50 micrograms each day.

Food sources of vitamin D include fatty fish – like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna – eggs, liver, mushrooms, and foods fortified with vitamins and minerals, such as milk, yogurt, bread, margarine, and some breakfast cereal.

Image credit: mommamia

Posted in Crohn's disease, Nutrition & Health, arthritis, calcium, cancer, cereal, colon cancer, eggs, fruits & vegetables, leukemia, milk & dairy, multiple sclerosis, rickets, seafood & fish, type-1 diabetes, vitamin d, vitamins & minerals | No Comments »

« Older Entries