We all have our favorite philosophers and avatars. I like Calvin & Hobbes, George Carlin and Balsekar. No matter who we are inspired by, the lesson is the same, and quite simple: we are all brothers and we are to love each other unconditionally. No need to look for “the mysteries” or some esoteric knowledge on top of a Himalayan mountain. It is the same with health (see December 30th 2019 blog). It is not that complicated: eat your veggies, stop eating sugar, manage stress, take good care of your relationships and if you have time, exercise.
Hugo Rodier, MD
Exercise may lower risk for seven cancer types
“NBC News (12/26) reports research indicates “exercise is linked to a reduced risk of seven types of cancer, and the more physical activity the better.” In the study, “participants reported their leisure-time physical activity, and were followed for a decade, on average, to see if they developed 15 different types of cancer.” The research showed “meeting or exceeding the recommended guidelines goals was linked to a reduced risk of seven of those cancers.” The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
HealthDay (12/26, Reinberg) reports the research was based on nine studies and over 750,000 people. Moderate or vigorous exercise may lower the risk of breast, colon, endometrial, kidney, liver, myeloma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer, the study indicates. For example, “the risk of colon cancer in men was reduced between 8% for moderate exercise and 14% for vigorous activity.” For endometrial cancer, moderate exercise reduced risk by 10%, while vigorous exercise was associated with an 18% decreased risk.
CNN (12/26, Nedelman) reports, “when adjusting for body mass index, or BMI, the link between endometrial cancer and physical activity disappeared,” but did not appear to impact the findings for other cancer types. Meanwhile, “a significant association for non-Hodgkin lymphoma was seen only in women, and the same was true for colon cancer in men.”
Comments: exercise improves our metabolism, detoxification pathways and relieves stress, all of which reduce the risk of cancer. Best to find something you enjoy, practical and sustainable. If you are open to suggestions, racket sports and swimming get the highest marks. I prefer a rider machine in front of the TV. That’s how I watch recorded documentaries, sports and the news.
Antibiotics prescribed to infants may lead to increased risk of allergies later in childhood
“CNN (12/20, Howard) reported, “Antibiotics commonly prescribed to babies may lead to an increased risk of allergies later in childhood, possibly because the medications can affect an infant’s gut bacteria.”
MedPage Today (12/20, Walker) reported, “Infants prescribed penicillin, cephalosporin, and macrolide antibiotics showed higher rates of later diagnosis with allergic disease,” researchers found after examining “data from about 798,000 children with birth records in the military health system database from October 2001 to September 2013.” The findings were published in a research letter in JAMA Pediatrics”
Comments: blow me over with a feather. We have shown decades ago that antibiotics mess with the microbiome. As you know, it compromises 2/3 of the immune system. A distraught immune system leads to not only allergies, but inflammatory diseases and even cancer.
Humans may be exposed to higher than expected levels of BPA
“Reuters (12/17, Rapaport) reports, “Humans may be exposed to higher than expected levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a toxic chemical thought to interfere with hormones involved in normal growth and development,” researchers concluded in a “study using a new method for measuring the chemical in people.” Investigators arrived at this conclusion after “assessing human BPA exposure with a new method that directly measures the BPA metabolites.” After testing “the old and new methods on 39 human urine samples,” researchers found that “the new method showed BPA levels up to 44 times higher than the average exposure levels found in…data” used “to set safety standards.” The findings were published online in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.”
Comments: the article doesn’t review where you may run into BPA (canned goods, plastic bottles, dental sealants, DVDs, CDs), nor what BPA can do to you. It can mess up your hormones, increase the risk of diabetes, obesity and cancer. Other than that, it’s pretty safe, just like its manufacturers tell you.
Sustained weight loss tied to breast cancer risk reduction
“TIME (12/17, Ducharme) reports new research “provides encouraging evidence that, for women 50 and older, virtually any amount of sustained weight loss translates to a reduction in breast cancer risk.” The findings published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute were based on data from 180,000 women over 50 years of age in the U.S., Australia, and Asia. The study showed “among women not using hormone therapy (which is sometimes used to replace hormones lost during menopause, and has been linked to breast cancer risk), losing about 4.5 pounds—and keeping it off—seemed to be enough to drive risk down by around 18%, compared to a woman of similar starting weight who did not lose any.” Moreover, “sustained weight loss of 20 pounds and up corresponded to a roughly 32% lower risk.”
“NBC News (12/17) reports that the research does not prove cause and effect, but only indicates “an association between weight loss and reduced risk of breast cancer.” “Outside experts say the results are important, and give physicians science to back up common-sense health advice for their patients to lose excess weight when possible.”
“Reuters (12/17, Carroll) reports, “Even among those who lost 20 pounds or more and gained some of it back, there was still a lower risk of breast cancer compared to those whose weight remained stable.”
Comments: google Nobel Prize in Medicine, 1937. Dr. Warburg showed that refines sugars feed cancer and depress the immune system. They also curtail detoxification of xenoestrogens like BPA, the cause of breast cancer. Also, adipose tissue stores these endocrine disruptors.
Regular chili pepper consumption may reduce risk of death from heart attack and stroke
“CNN (12/16, Guy) reports research in adults in Italy indicates that “eating chili peppers regularly can cut the risk of death from heart disease and stroke.” For the study, investigators “compared the risk of death among 23,000 people, some of whom ate chili and some of whom didn’t.” After monitoring “participants’ health status and eating habits…over eight years,” investigators “found that the risk of dying from a heart attack was 40% lower among those eating chili peppers at least four times per week,” and “death from stroke was more than halved.” The findings were published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.”
Comments: one of the micronutrients in peppers is capsaicin, a natural anti-inflammatory molecule. Decreasing inflammation improves circulatory problems. BTW, stop taking aspirin if you have not had a heart problem; it is not worth the potential side effects. Other than capsaicin, consider turmeric; it’s not only an anti-inflammatory spice, but it also thins the blood, lowers blood pressure, blood sugar and the risk of cancer. Other than that, it’s useless.
FDA expands approval of Omega-3 fatty acid drug to lower risk of heart attacks and strokes
“The Wall Street Journal (12/13, Hopkins, Subscription Publication) reported the FDA expanded the approval of Amarin’s Vascepa (icosapent ethyl) to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients at high risk.
Reuters (12/13, Joseph) reported the FDA’s decision follows the unanimous recommendation of an FDA advisory panel last month. Back in 2012, the FDA approved the drug, “a highly purified form of omega-3 fatty acid…to lower high triglycerides – a type of blood fat that can increase the risk of heart disease.”
“The AP (12/13, Johnson) reported that the drug is derived from fish oil and offers higher doses of omega-3 fatty acids than those available in the fish oil supplements taken by millions of Americans.”
Comments: you gotta love Big Pharma—first, they called omega oils “snake oil.” But when it came up with its drug imitating omega oils, it flooded the journals with the salutary effects of these nutrients. When the sales slowed down, Big Pharma began po-pooing omega oils. But wait! Now that a new drug mimicking omega oils is being marketed, omega oil is good, again!
Psilocybin: no serious problems to cognition, emotional functions
“Bloomberg (12/12, Fourcade) reports, “Another party drug is showing signs of going legit as” psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms, cleared the first hurdle of tests required to become a treatment for depression.”
“Newsweek (12/12, Gander) reports that in “what was the largest controlled study of psilocybin,” UK investigators “tested the drug on 89 volunteers aged around 35.” They concluded that “psilocybin caused no serious problems, including to participants’ cognition and emotional functions.” The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.”
Comments: another blow to Big Pharma. It has been planting misinformation about natural psychoactive treatments for decades. It will do anything to discredit anything/anyone that cuts into their profits.
Probiotic Reduces Crying Time in Colicky Infants
Diana Swift, Medscape Medical News, December 04, 2019.
“The annals of sleep-deprived parenthood abound with tales of incessantly crying colicky babies. But evidence is mounting that probiotics can give babies relief from colic, a functional gastrointestinal disorder believed to be tied to disturbances in the gut microbiota. Although the pathogenesis of colic is unclear, a new study reports that the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis BB-12 (Bifidolactis Infant, Sofar) effectively eases infant colic. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Rita Nocerino, CPN, of the Department of Translational Medical Science at the University of Naples Federico II, in Italy, and colleagues found that treatment with BB-12 for 28 days was associated with a greater rate of reduced daily average crying time (≥50%) compared with placebo. The effect on crying time emerged as early as the first week of BB-12 supplementation. The probiotic also appeared to have beneficial effects on sleep duration as well as stool frequency and consistency. The trial results were published online December 4 in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.”
Comments: sugar-loving gut bacteria produce gas. Nursing moms: quit eating sugar if you want your baby to stop colicky crying.
Thrice-daily tooth brushing may be associated with lower risk for heart failure and atrial fibrillation
“Newsweek (12/2, Gander) reports, “Brushing one’s teeth at least three times a day was linked with a 12 percent lower risk of heart failure, and 10 percent lower chance of developing atrial fibrillation,” researchers concluded after studying some “161,286 people in Korea who had no history of heart problems,” who were followed up at the ten-year mark “to see if they had developed heart problems.” The study revealed that “brushing one’s teeth at least three times a day was linked with a 12 percent lower risk of heart failure, and 10 percent lower chance of developing atrial fibrillation.” The findings were published online in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.”
Comments: its’ all about the microbiome; that’s where inflammation is generated.
