Testing It Up

Be wary of that hotdog sandwich with everything on it and bacon-all-you-want meals on breakfast buffets, eating these processed meats regularly can be a one-way ticket to heart disease and diabetes. This is what a study conducted by Renata Micha of the Harvard School of Public Health and her colleagues revealed.

On the list are bacon, salami, sausages and hotdogs; basically, anything behind the deli counter that has undergone some sort of processing – smoking, curing, salting and the addition of chemical preservatives – are suspect, according to Micha. The researchers are pointing to salt and chemical preservatives contained in processed meats as the reason for the increased risk for the two previously-mentioned health conditions.

The study focused solely on heart disease and diabetes; it did not look at high blood pressure or cancer, conditions that are also linked to meat consumption. The study of Micha and her colleagues is called a meta-analysis, the term used to refer to an analysis of other researches.

Intake of unprocessed meat – whether it is beef, pork or lamb – did not seem to lead to an increase in risk for heart attack and diabetes, the researchers found.

The recommended diet normally calls for reduced meat intake. Based on the findings of the study, those who eat one serving or less of processed meats per week have less risk. Those who ate only unprocessed red meat did not have higher heart attack or diabetes risk.

Having a cup or more of green tea a day could help prevent the risk of developing cancer (especially in those who have no risk factors for the disease)for smokers according to a new study.

”The antioxidants may inhibit tumor growth,” I-Hsin Lin, a master’s degree student at Chung Shan Medical University in Taiwan who presented her findings at the American Association of Cancer Research — International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer meeting in Coronado, Calif.

This protective effect was especially evident in a group of smokers who had specific genotypes that have been linked to cancer risk in other studies. Lin’s team evaluated 170 patients who had lung cancer and 340 healthy patients. These patients were asked to describe their smoking habits, green tea drinking habits, and other lifestyle factors on the last five years. Genotyping was also done with the participants to see if they had any of the genotypes found to be associated with cancer risk in other cancer studies. These include IGF1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), IGF2, and IGFBP3.

Those in the study who didn’t drink tea had a more than 5 times greater risk of developing lung cancer compared to those who had at least a cup of green tea each day. Those smokers who weren’t green tea drinkers had that risk factor increased by as much as 13 times over the smokers who did have green tea daily. Among those that had the protective genotype the difference was even greater. Green tea drinkers who didn’t have a genotype seen as susceptible had a 66% reduced risk in lung cancer over those who were susceptible. Heavy smokers had an even higher risk.

According to the findings the best way to avoid lung cancer is to stop smoking but green tea does appear to reduce risk. As many as 23% of U.S. adults are smokers.

The reason for your obesity or your diabetes may be something that is already in your gut, a study suggests.

According to a feature on Reuters, an international team of researchers led by Chinese scientist Wang Jun found more than a thousand different species of bacteria in the human gut. This was revealed through the latest issue of Nature.

The research team analyzed the genes of each identified bacteria, thereby coming up with “the first genetic catalog of the organisms found in the human digestive system”. The research was based on an analysis of stool from more than a hundred people from Denmark and Spain. From the analysis, Wang and his fellow researchers found genes that could be linked to obesity and Crohn’s disease, among others, although Wang clarified that more validation was in order.

Wang Jun, who is the executive director of the Beijing Genomics Institute, told Reuters that “apart from helping you digest, these bacteria may also play a very important role in … diseases like Crohn’s disease, cancer, obesity… If you just tackle these bacteria, it is easier than treating the human body itself. If you find that a certain bug is responsible for a certain disease and you kill it, then you kill the disease.”

The creation of the genetic catalog for all the bacteria in the human gut is “only the beginning,” according to Wang. At this time, he and his colleagues are working on a similar study, this time in Chinese hospitals with the following groups: obese diabetics, obese non-diabetics, lean diabetics and lean non-diabetics.

After the former KISS drummer learned that he had developed breast cancer in 2007 and went through both a lumpectomy and mastectomy to remove it from his body he became very vocal about the disease encouraging men to be aware that while its rare breast cancer affects men too.

“It can happen to you, and when it does, if you don’t deal with it right away, with your ‘dude’ and your metal and your tattoos, you’ll go in the box and we’ll see you,” Said Criss to Reuters during national breast cancer awareness month.

The male form of the cancer is 100 times less likely to occur than it is for women but men should be just as careful and aware of their bodies to avoid getting it. There’s likely to be about 1,910 new cases this year and 440 men will die from it this year.

Criss has come out about his own bought of cancer (which he is now clear of) in an effort to get men to be aware of the risk and to go to doctors when they feel something might be wrong. Poking fun at the masculine mindset about breast cancer being a women’s disease, the former Kiss drummer and founding member indicates that there’s nothing emasculating about being safe.

Whether we’re always aware of it or not women tend to be just as negligent about their health as men. If something doesn’t seem to be immediately damaging or risky to our health we blow off getting it checked out until it is and as it turns out end up paying the price for it. The following symptoms could be early warning signs that cancer is present in a woman’s body and when more than one is detected should warrant immediate medical intervention to rule out cancer.

• Bloating: This symptom can be especially tricky as it also occurs with menstrual cycles for many women. However it’s also an early sign of ovarian cancer in the body. When this is present it’s often accompanied by abdominal or pelvic pain, a lack of appetite and an increased frequency of urination. If you’ve had this on a regular basis for as long as a few weeks you need to get evaluated by a doctor.

• Inexplicable Weight Loss: If you lose 10 pounds or more in a month’s time without any major changes in diet or exercise you must go in for an evaluation! This is one of the major signs of cancer in the body!

• Bleeding Outside of Cycle: If you’re dealing with bleeding in between cycles or after menopause you shouldn’t ignore it! It can be a warning sign of endometriosis which requires ultrasound to evaluate.

• Breast Changes: While many women are aware of lumps and know to look out for them it’s not always as well known that they should also be watching for other changes. Thickening or redness of the breast skin, a rash that lasts for weeks, nipple changes, and breast discharge outside of breastfeeding are also signs to be on the lookout for.

• Difficulty Swallowing: You may even have changed your diet to accommodate the issue. The trouble is this could be a sign of GI Cancer and is also an early warning signs of both heart attack and artherioschlerosis in women.

Cancer is an illness that can affect anyone at any stage of life, a fact that has long posed problems for those who develop it at a young age when illness and loss of life are unexpected and the warning signs are often either shrugged off or missed altogether. No group is more affected by this oversight than the teenager.

Teens are at an age where the early warning signs of ill health are often seen first and then analyzed by the teen who is dealing with them without asking for input from the parents. Parents no longer worry over their health in the same way that they did before they became a young adult because they’ve become more independent and better able to care of themselves. Teens are far more likely to ask a friend or classmate about a health issue then they are to ask their parents. This lack of communication and observation often leads to the matter being left alone until it becomes more serious and begins to affect the mind and body in more obvious ways.

Many of these signs are attributed to less serious problems when the patient seeks medical attention such as menstrual cycles, excess weight, poor attitude or bad behavior. Doctors can be just as dismissive of the early signs as parents assuming that many teens are simply going through hormonal and body changes common to their age group.

These Signs Could be Early Symptoms of Cancer:

• Lethargy
• Bone Pain
• Fever
• Weight Loss/Weight Gain
• Feeling Ill With No Cause
• Pain
• Bleeding With Urine or Stool

There seems to be a bit of confusion regarding the American Cancer Society’s view regarding their existing guidelines for cancer screening. There were reports middle of this week that seem to indicate that the organization may be in the midst of redoing their cancer screening guidelines.

Coincident with the speculation is the release of an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In a nutshell, the article pointed out that the role of cancer screening in bringing about a general decrease in the mortality rate of cancer patients may be a bit hazy; whether it is a vital a part of the management of cancer as a disease may be doubtful, at least as mentioned in an article on U.S. News.

It can be a bit surprising, though, to encounter this debate, as generally we would tend to believe that the process of screening plays a rather big role in early detection and proper treatment. The question, however, lies in the fact that screening does have its limitations and that there may have been times when over-diagnosis and over-treatment has occurred.

At any rate, the American Cancer Society has been proactive in reviewing the guidelines and recommendations that they have set forth in as far as screening is concerned. Mammography, for instance, is admittedly far from being a fool-proof procedure, and it is something that all physicians try to work with. Prostate cancer screening guidelines were revised a few months ago to give emphasis to the fact that PSA screening, while helpful towards the timely detection of prostate cancer, is not recommended for everyone.

We believe the key thing here is that something as serious as breast cancer screening should be a collaborative effort. On the one hand, physicians and specialists should ensure that they are well-informed about the latest trends as well as developments with regards to screening. Patients, on the other hand, should work very closely with their physicians and provide them with all the information that their physicians need in order to make a comprehensive recommendation as far as testing and screening is concerned.

A case in Japan has proven that cancer can be passed on to an unborn child from an affected mother, a potential risk that has long been considered possible by researchers. While there is a small risk of this phenomena occurring it’s unlikely, most cells from the mother are blocked by the placenta and these cells are destroyed before they can transfer from mother to baby. The immune system of the baby is already in defense mode in the womb and so it’s rare that the cancer is able to get past those defenses.

The mother in this case developed leukemia just after giving birth to her daughter who developed the same cancer at 11 months. Both mother and daughter were genetically tested and came up positive for the same cancer gene called BCR-ABL1.  The gene wasn’t inherited though and developed independently in the child. By way of genetic fingerprinting the researchers discovered that the cancer cells had developed and passed to the child in utero. The cancer was also found to have destroyed part of the infant’s DNA that distinguishes the separation point between a mother and child’s cells. The cells are believed to have passed through the placenta and implanted without having been distinguished as a threat by her developing immune system.

The rarity of this happening is increased by the rarity of cancers developing in pregnancy. Very few mothers find themselves with malignant tumors or cancerous cells during pregnancy and of those who do a very small fraction have children who’ve developed the cancer as well.

Hormonal imbalance is becoming more and more common in younger women. Doctors are still unsure as to how to deal with it and misdiagnosis can lead to various problems with a woman’s overall health, such as heart ailments, infertility and cancer.

There are many possible causes of hormonal imbalance. One such cause is stress, where the body produces too much cortisol and other hormones are secreted to cancel it out. Another cause is an imbalanced diet. Improper exercise also leads to hormonal imbalance, as too much or too little can impede with the production of hormones. Taking hormonal supplements such as birth control pills also puts the body’s hormone balance out of whack.

Certain diseases like cancer and PCOS also create hormonal imbalance in a woman’s body. Some forms of cancer affecting females feed on the body’s hormones. PCOS causes the body to secrete too much androgen. Lastly, environmental toxins can also lead to hormonal imbalance.

For full version of this article, please visit “7 Most Common Causes of Hormonal Imbalance“.

According to U.S. researchers a virus that has been found to cause leukemia and tumors in animals may play a part in prostate cancer in humans. Xenotropic murin leukemia virus related virus (also known as XMRV) was found in about 27% of prostate cancer cases( 233 active cases and 101 benign controls were studied), especially those with particularly aggressive tumors. It’s hoped that these findings could help with the development of a new vaccine or more effective treatment method based on the link.

Viruses like HPV have been found to cause certain cancers in recent years, making it possible for drug makers to develop vaccines to inoculate against the virus and thus prevent cancer.   If these findings prove to be true it could help vaccines and preventative medicines to reduce and in time perhaps eliminate some forms of cancer.

Prostate cancer kills 254,000 men a year and is the second most deadly form of cancer in men worldwide.

XMRV is a retrovirus which means that it introduces it’s genetic map into the framework of any cells it contaminates. This in turn either kills or makes the cell cancerous. If the way it infects the human body can be found and prevented some forms of prostate cancer could be averted.