Testing It Up

Women are always advised to avoid alcohol when they are pregnant because anything they consume is also absorbed by their unborn babies. Alcohol has many known adverse effects on unborn infants. However, there is still the question of whether or not women can drink alcohol after they have given birth and have begun breastfeeding their babies. Medical experts are divided over this, and there is no conclusive evidence that babies are negatively affected by alcohol in their mother’s milk.

Some medical experts believe that women should still completely avoid alcohol while breastfeeding to prevent any alcohol in their milk to be consumed by their babies. Some medical experts, on the other hand, think that it is acceptable for women to drink alcohol as long as they wait for the alcohol to clear their bloodstream before breastfeeding. It is the mother’s choice whether to drink alcohol or not, but in order to be safe, she can use measures that will prevent her baby from absorbing any alcohol from her milk.

For full version of this article, please visit “Should Breastfeeding Moms Avoid Alcohol?“.

The occurrence of colorectal cancer may be reduced with high calcium intake, especially in women, according to a study by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Why calcium does not have exactly the same impact in men as in women is yet to be determined; hormonal or other metabolic factors may contribute to the difference, but this is still unclear.

The study analyzed data collected from nearly half a million participants, both men and women. These volunteers filled out a food questionnaire and were observed over a period of seven years. It is documented in the February 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine and shows that dairy food and calcium consumption could be inversely associated with cancers of the digestive system for both men and women.

Women whose average calcium intake was more than 1800 milligrams a day was determined to have a 23% lower risk of colon cancer as opposed to those who consumed less than 500 milligrams a day. In men, those who had the highest calcium consumption had 16% less risk for colorectal cancer over those who consumed the least amount of calcium.

The recommended daily intake of calcium for adults 50 years and older is 1,200 milligrams, as stipulated by the US Institute of Medicine. This is roughly equivalent to about three cups a day of dairy products, the most common source of calcium. Green leafy vegetables are also an excellent source of calcium.

This, however, does not hold true for all other malignancy. Calcium seems to have a positive impact in the gastrointestinal system, and does not affect the risk factors for other types of cancers, such as breast cancer. The same observation holds true for prostate cancer, where calcium intake has no impact on risk factors.

What may be interesting to note is that the results of the study have been determined by NCI as “consistent with the guidelines for a healthy diet”. While the recommended daily calcium intake can be sourced from various supplements available, it is best met through dietary sources. The bottom line is that eating right and having a sensible diet is still the best way to prevent disease.