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 were overweight (a BMI of 25-29.9) from the ages of 14 to 39 years or obese (a BMI of 30 or greater) from the ages of 20 to 49 years had an associated increased risk of pancreatic cancer, independent of diabetes status. The association between average BMI (per 5-unit increase) and risk of pancreatic cancer was stronger in men than in women. The association was statistically significant for each age group from 14 to 69 years in men but only from ages 14 to 39 years in women. The estimated association of average BMI (per 5-unit increase) with cancer risk also was slightly stronger in ever smokers than in never smokers. It was estimated that 10.3 percent of never smokers and 21.3 percent of ever smokers had pancreatic cancer attributable to being overweight or obese at an early age prior to cancer diagnosis (i.e., from the ages of 14-59 years).

This is an extremely important finding because the North American population is growing in size and obesity is hitting epidemic proportions. If pancreatic cancer, a very difficult to treat cancer and often fatal one, is related to a preventable cause, then this needs to be a serious public issue.

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Image: courtesy PhotoXpress.com

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 pressure, chest pain, and stroke, in addition to dry mouth, difficulty sleeping and constipation. Sibutramine should only be used under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner.

Sibutramine should not be taken by people who have had a heart attack, coronary artery disease, heart-related chest pain, irregular heart beats, congestive heart failure, a stroke or symptoms of a stroke, in individuals with controlled or poorly controlled high blood pressure, or in patients who are depressed or have a pyschiatric illness. Sibutramine is not recommended for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant.

You may go to the Health Canada website to read more and for contact information should you have any questions or anything to report.

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Photo: iStock

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.

X-ray showing polyps

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. The images are sent to a screen where the doctor can see the bowel lining. If something is seen, using the scope, the doctor can usually remove a piece of tissue to have it examined. Colonoscopies are also done to remove benign (harmless) polyps , which are overgrowths of tissue. These do have the potential of becoming cancerous, so by removing them, the risk drops.

Colonoscopies have their limitations. First, only the lower part of the lower intestine can be checked - the scope is only so long. And, most importantly, the bowel wall can only be seen if it is completely clear of any stool (bowel movement). If the bowels aren’t emptied completely, polyps or anything unusual on the walls may be missed.

Bowel preparation

It’s often said that the bowel prep is the most uncomfortable part of the whole test process. It involves taking very strong laxatives and limiting your diet for a couple of days before the exam. Unfortunately, this also means that you have to be near a toilet.

Some people have a harder time emptying their bowels than others. Some people don’t feel any abdominal cramping at all, others get bad cramps, and so on. Because of the seriousness of emptying the bowel properly, researchers want to know who is at higher risk of not being properly prepared. Their findings? People who are obese are often not properly prepped.

This is particularly serious because obesity is also a risk factor for colorectal cancer. People with higher risk factors should be screened more often.

According to a press release issued by the American Gastroenterological Association :

“The implications of our findings are profound. Since over a quarter of all patients had an inadequate examination, identification of a patient profile with a high risk for poor colon preparation will be helpful in capturing those who would benefit from an initial individualized designer preparation regimen,” said Brian Borg, MD, of Washington University in St. Louis, MO and lead author of the study. “Our results suggest that the obese patient should at least be subject to more precise instructions and possibly a more rigorous bowel preparation regimen. In addition, as the number of risk factors for an inadequate bowel preparation increase, the need for early repeat colonoscopy escalates.”

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Images: Stock.xchng and MorgueFile.com

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”.

Image: stock.xchng

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 year or two before the actual wedding, but never the less - in the last 18 months or so…the difference is noticeable, as much as I hate to admit it.

Could I just blame Paul? Make it his fault that I don’t eat skimpy salads for dinner? Yeah, probably. He might even absorb that accusation just because who wants to be the guy to say, “Eve, you’re the reason you can’t fit into your favorite jeans anymore, not me.” No one wants to be that guy.

No, it’s not Paul’s fault. It is my concern and my stress, work, life that has caused exercise and moderation to escape my brain completely. The downside of an active childhood is that you can eat whatever you want without a second thought. As soon as that is paired up with an office job and long hours…the pounds are hard to stave off.

Don’t blame your husband if you are battling with your weight. That’s only going to stop you from doing something about it. Making it a consequence of married life only stalls the ability to change and start feeling better about yourself.

Okay, easy part is over. I know who is to blame. (Me.) Now the hard part - actually doing something about it.

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 of vitamin E and fiber. They are high is “good” fat. One serving of almonds (28g) has 13g of unsaturated fat and only 1g of saturated fat.

(photo © N Majik/cc license)

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 intakes of postoperative analgesics, more positive physiological responses evidenced by lower systolic blood pressure and heart rate, lower ratings of pain, anxiety, and fatigue, and more positive feelings and higher satisfaction about their rooms” then patients without plants and flowers in their rooms.

Talk about a noninvasive, inexpensive, and effective complementary medicine for patients right!?

Plant benefits to humans don’t end there either. Some of the many other proven benefits to people having plants, trees, and green spaces nearby include…

• Less asthma in children
• Fewer incidences of obesity
• Healthier elderly individuals
• Healthier indoor air quality

Studies show that all sorts of green is healthy - plants, trees, flowers, any green. So if you’re looking for some easy green changes to make, grow some plants, plant some trees, or purchase some flowers for inside your home.

[image via stock.xchng]

According to research done by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine , slim people are more eco-friendly. An article published by MSN Health from Health Day states that Staying Slim Is Good For The Environment . I heard this earlier today on the radio, but they didn’t say it so nicely.

(Image: sxc.hu)

They said “Obese People Are Bad For The Environment”. No, it’s not because obese people are littering McDonalds wrappers everywhere they go. That would be what an ignorant person would say. it actually has to do with food production and transportation of the person(s).

food production is a major contributor to greenhouse gases, a lean population, such as in Vietnam, consumes about 20 percent less food and produces fewer greenhouse gases than a population in which 40 percent of people are obese, a rate close to that of the United States.

They calculated that a lean population of a billion people would emit 1,000 million tons less transportation-related carbon dioxide equivalents a year than an obese population would emit.

They say more research has to be done, but it makes sense, but is the food market going to cut food production if people start eating less? Maybe. Either that or they’ll find a new way to market the food. Read more about this study at MSNHealth.com .

Lots and lots of fitness info on the 1st Total Mind and Body Fitness Carnival.

While I’m no expert on fitness they printed my article about 10 Reasons to Try Yoga.

I also have to report that I just moved from “sedentary” or “obese” in the body fat percentile BMI to “normal” after a year of working out religiously. A dress I used to wear pre-kid zipped up on Sunday! I’ve actually gotten a few whistles on the street lately too.

Get fit. Eat better. Stop Smoking. Learn to meditate. That’s my advice. But, for more detailed advice check out FitBuff’s blog carnival.