Walking Helps Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Researchers claim women who take regular brisk walks have a lower risk of developing breast cancer after menopause.

Walking as exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and obesity.

Writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers collected data on 100,000 postmenopausal women, finding that women who did one hour of brisk walking each day were 15% less likely to develop breast cancer, compared to women who walked less than one our per week.

But reduced risk of breast cancer was not only seen among walkers. Women who got little exercise, but still increased their physical activity were 10% less likely to develop cancer than women who stayed inactive.

However, the researchers admit the study does not say walking caused less breast cancer, but the findings do highlight the importance of exercising for cancer prevention, especially after menopause.

In addition to exercise, diet is also an effective means of preventing cancer, specifically eating more fruits and vegetables, and less saturated fat. Antioxidants found in plants are known cancer-fighters.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women worldwide, killing an estimated 519,000 women in 2004, according to the World Health Organization.

READ MORE - Walking Helps Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Smoking Doubles Dementia, Alzheimer’s Risk

Smoking more than two packs of cigarettes a day during middle-age can double your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia 20 years later, a new study reveals.

Tobacco smoking causes millions of deaths each year, mostly to lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, but also other maladies like emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), even diabetes.

For the new study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers reviewed data on 21,123 members of a health plan who took part in a survey in their 50s and 60s.

Among the participants, 25%, 5,367 people, had been diagnosed with dementia during a 20 year follow-up, and of that 25%, 1,136 study participants were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Smokers fared the worst.

Compared to nonsmokers, individuals who smoked more than two packs a day had a 114% increased risk of dementia and a 157% higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers say it is hard to determine why smoking increases the risk of brain disorders because people often die before thorough analysis can be conducted.

Smoking has been humanity’s favorite bad habit for thousands of years, dating back as early as 5000 to 3000 BC where tobacco smoking was used as a part of religious ceremonies and rituals. But nowadays smoking is becoming less and less accepted, with states like New York and California banning smoking in bars.

READ MORE - Smoking Doubles Dementia, Alzheimer’s Risk

Green Vegetables May Help Cut Breast Cancer Risk

Cruciferous, or “leafy green,” vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and collard greens, may help prevent an aggressive form of breast cancer, suggests a new study.

Leafy greens are considered among the healthiest foods in the world; high in vitamin C, fiber, and anti-cancer compounds like sulforaphane and selenium.

Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers tracked the diets and health of over 50,000 African American women across the United States for 12 years. And during that period 1,300 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.

Among the 1,300 new cases of breast cancer, 35% of women developed ER-negative breast cancer. But women eating at least two servings of vegetables per day had a 43% lower risk of ER-negative breast cancer, compared to women who ate fewer vegetables each week. Vegetables like broccoli, collard greens, cabbage, and carrots, were identified as lowering the risk of all cancers.

Results did not indicate a similar anti-cancer effect with fruit.

The researchers insist it is too early to label the relationship between breast cancer and vegetables as “cause and effect,” but suggest eating more vegetables could contribute to an overall healthier lifestyle.

Other cruciferous vegetables include kale, kohlrabi, cauliflower, turnip greens, broccoli rabe, arugula, watercress, radish, and daikon.

READ MORE - Green Vegetables May Help Cut Breast Cancer Risk

Girls with Heavy College Roommates Gain Less Weight

College is the home of the dreaded “freshman fifteen;” the weight many students gain during their first year of school. Most kids try to avoid the freshman fifteen, but all that beer and pizza will creep up on you.

But if you’re a girl, a new study says you’re less likely to gain weight during your freshman year if your roommate is heavy.

Presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Health Economists, scientists discovered college girls with roommates who have above average weight, gain less weight during their freshman year, than female students with slimmer roommates. The difference was a half a pound versus 2.5 pounds.

Researchers say heavier roommates are more likely to diet, exercise, and limit access to food, and these behaviors can be “contagious.”

Most of the time people pick friends and acquaintances that are similar to themselves. So the scientists speculate with randomly assigned roommates, you might be paired with a person you wouldn’t normally make friends with, like an overweight person. And this person’s unique habits may rub off on you.

READ MORE - Girls with Heavy College Roommates Gain Less Weight

Obese People Don’t See Themselves as Fat

Despite rampant fat-phobia, many obese people do not see themselves as fat and unhealthy; according to findings in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

For the study, scientists assessed the body awareness of more than 2,000 men and women already participating in a heart study, using a survey to determine how they perceive their bodies.

The researchers asked participants to look at pictures and choose their ideal body size. People who picked figures that were the same or larger than their actual body size were classified as “misperceiving” their body size; not seeing themselves as less healthy, at higher risk of disease, or needing to lose weight.

But the “misperceiving” individuals were also more likely to be happier, unlike the study participants who acknowledge they are fat and out of shape who tend to be less happy.

Important factors were considered. Scientists found people with higher incomes and better education were no more likely to perceive their body weight accurately, than less educated people, or those with lower incomes.

The overarching problem with these findings is misperceiving body size/weight does not lessen the health risks; being overweight or obese raises your risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and more.

READ MORE - Obese People Don’t See Themselves as Fat

Mediterranean Diet Helps Cut Diabetes Risk

A traditional Mediterranean diet, rich in plant foods and olive oil, may help older adults lower their risk of type-2 diabetes.

Mediterranean diets include heavy consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil, grains, and moderate amounts of fish and wine, but low consumption of saturated fats, like eggs, red meat, dairy products, and poultry.

Strict Mediterranean diets have been shown to reduce the rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

In a new study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, found eating a Mediterranean diet helped lower type-2 diabetes risk, even without counting calories or losing weight.

Researchers followed 418 older Spanish adults, finding study participants who were instructed to eat a Mediterranean diet were less likely to develop diabetes after four years than the individuals put on a low-fat diet.

Among the study participants, 18% of the low-fat group developed diabetes, compared to only 10% of the Mediterranean diet group.

Many of the sixteen countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, like Italy, Greece, and Crete, consume variations of the Mediterranean diet, which was historically paired with high levels of physical activity, specifically working long days on the farm.

But Mediterranean nations face new obstacles as Western diets spread throughout the world, ushering in fast food and insufficient exercise; both risk factors for type-2 diabetes, plus other maladies like heart disease and cancer.

READ MORE - Mediterranean Diet Helps Cut Diabetes Risk