Cancer is a tricky disease. We know some causes of some cancers and some risk factors for some cancers, but we don’t know enough to cure most of them. What we can do, however, is take what we know and try to reduce the risks we do know of.
It’s not surprising to anyone in the healthcare field to know that unhealthy lifestyle choices, like smoking, drinking too much, not eating well, not exercising enough, and so on, contributes to ill health. Obesity is also something that contributes to disease, and now it’s being found that it could also be contributing …read more

Women who’ve had breast cancer in the past should avoid smoking and drinking and try to conquer obesity to avoid a second breast cancer, says researchers.
The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center published their findings in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on September 8.
The researchers found that obesity, alcohol use and smoking all significantly raise the risk of breast cancer survivors developing a second breast cancer.
On lifestyle risk factors for developing a second breast cancer, researchers say:

Obesity represents a 50% increased risk
Consuming at least one alcoholic drink per day raises the risk to 90%
Smoking means a dramatic 120% …read more

New research out of the UK says that middle-aged British men are more likely to become Type 2 diabetic than their female counterparts. Over 92,000 men have diabetes, compared with about 47,000 women.

The study, from charity Diabetes UK, confirmed that men “35 to 54 are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as women.” Overall, the poor diet and health habits are blamed for this discrepancy. Still, these figures struck me as odd, since poor lifestyle generally happens with both men and women. If a household is generally sedentary, it usually means everyone in …read more

Young adults who are overweight or obese run a higher risk of developing deadly pancreatic cancer and older people who are obese and who develop pancreatic cancer have a lower survival rate, say researchers.

A study done by researchers at the University of Texax M.D. Anderson Cancer Center looked at 841 patients who had pancreatic cancer and 754 healthy individuals, looked at weight, body mass index (BMI), ages, number of people who developed pancreatic cancer, survival rates, and smoking status.
A press release, issued by the JAMA and Archives Journal, which published the study findings:
The researchers found that individuals who …read more

Health Canada, the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. FDA, has issued a warning against Slim Magic Herbal products, used for weight loss. This warning was issued because investigators found an undeclared pharmaceutical ingredient similar to the prescription medication sibutramine, which is a prescription drug to help treat obesity. The products also contain a thick soluble fiber used to make you feel full as it expands when it absorbs water. This may cause an obstruction to your esophagus.
According to the warning issued by Health Canada earlier today:
The use of sibutramine may cause serious side-effects, including cardiovascular reactions, such as increased blood …read more

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the United States . It’s also one of the most detectable and treatable of all, with up to a 90% cure rate if caught in the early stages.
Most often, once a cancer starts showing symptoms, it’s advanced quite a bit. So, the best way to find early cancers is through proper screening. The way to find – and prevent – colorectal cancer is through screening colonoscopies.
A long tube (endoscope) with a camera on one end is inserted into your rectum and then advanced slowly into your bowel, checking for anything unusual. …read more

In short – the answer is no.
I have heard women lament about how as soon as they got married, 5-20 pounds immediately appeared on their frame, as if a wedding band were a magnet for saddlebags and love handles. The same deflection is heard every Fall when a bunch of kids trot off to college and promptly gain “the freshman fifteen”.
No, your husband and your marriage are not making you fat. And this is coming from a woman who has probably put on close to twenty pounds since the wedding day! To be fair, the slide downhill probably started a …read more

We all know that almonds taste good and many studies show that they have heart-healthy benefits. A new study now shows that almonds may combat obesity as well. Just by chewing them, a study presented this week at the European Congress of Obesity in Amsterdam shows, almonds make one feel full and less likely to overeat.

In addition, the study revealed that those who chewed two ounces of almonds longer, around 25 or 40 times before swallowing, absorbed significantly more good, unsaturated fat, than those who chewed the almonds only 10 times before swallowing.
Almonds are also a good source …read more

Dom DeLuise, who had been struggling with cancer for a year, has died. He was 75. He also admitted to have a problem with food. On the Larry King show in 1991 he said, “I finally became powerless over food,” he told King. “You know, anybody who’s an alcoholic or cocaine or something, that’s what food was to me.”

DeLuise made millions laugh in such films as Blazing Saddles, Silent Movie, and The Cannonball Run. He was “surrounded by family when he died in a Santa Monica, California, hospital Monday.”
Image: Bauer-Griffin

In case you think all this green talk about planting trees and preserving and creating more green spaces is a waste of time, you should know that plants are not only healthy for the planet, but are beneficial for human health too.Yes, we all know people need trees to breathe, but there are health benefits even beyond that.

A study published last year notes that a little green can help speed healing. The study, conducted by the Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreation Resources, Kansas State University, showed that patients recovering in rooms with potted plants or flowers, “Had significantly fewer …read more