What You Need To Know News

Breast cancer would seem to have little to do with migraine headaches. But a study has found the two are connected in one sense: Women who have them are 30% less likely to develop breast cancer compared with women who do not have a history of migraines. The study, from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, examined data from 3,412 postmenopausal women. More than half of the women had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The women were asked whether they had been diagnosed with migraines. The study found that migraine history appeared to reduce the risk of the most common subtypes of breast cancer: estrogen-receptor and progesterone-receptor positive.

Although there is no explanation for the connection, the study, published today in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, suggests that the same hormones that contribute to breast cancer risk play a role in preventing migraines. For example, it’s been observed that some women who take birth control pills tend to have migraines during the hormone-free week each month. Other women have noted that they are free of migraines during pregnancy, when estrogen levels are high. Estrogen is known to stimulate the growth of hormonally sensitive breast cancer.
Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/11/women-with-migr.html

Women who took calcium and vitamin D supplements developed breast cancer at the same rate as women who didn’t take them, a large clinical trial has found, overturning conclusions from previous studies that hinted at benefits from vitamin D.

The study — part of the massive Women’s Health Initiative — followed more than 36,000 post-menopausal women who were randomly assigned to take calcium and vitamin D supplements to see whether the supplements would make a difference in their incidence of hip fracture. Breast cancer and colorectal cancer were secondary outcomes studied by the researchers.

After about seven years, there were 528 cases of breast cancer in the group of women taking calcium and vitamin D compared with 546 cases in the placebo group — a difference not considered statistically significant. Blood tests for vitamin D levels also showed no correlation with breast cancer rates. Women who were already taking the supplements — about the same number in the supplement group and the placebo group — had been allowed to continue doing so.

“The main findings do not support a causal relationship between calcium and vitamin D supplement use and reduced breast cancer incidence, despite the association observed in some epidemiological studies,” the authors, led by Dr. Rowan T. Chlebowski of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, write in the online version of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. “Although further study of relationships among calcium plus vitamin D supplement use and breast cancer can be considered, current evidence does not support their use in any dose to reduce breast cancer risk.”

The study is valuable because it is the first rigorous test of vitamin D that accounts for factors the earlier, observational studies were unable to capture, said Dr. Jennifer A. Ligibel, a medical oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Women who take dietary supplements might be healthier than women who don’t, for example. But there are still questions about vitamin D that need to be answered.

“I think this is an important study. It tells us there is absolutely more work that needs to be done on vitamin D,” Ligibel said in an interview. She was not involved in the study. “I do think the study should put a little bit of brakes on people telling people to take huge doses of vitamin D to prevent cancer.”

In an editorial also appearing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Corey Speers and Dr. Powel Brown of Baylor College of Medicine praise the study’s design and execution, but suggest further work to see whether the age of the women, the dose of vitamin D they were taking, the calcium they took with it, and the hormone therapy also being studied might have confounded the results.

“The potential health benefits of vitamin D and calcium may yet still have a bright future,” they write.

Few types of food or their components, from fat to carbohydrates to fruits and vegetables, have turned out to have a proven relationship in the development of breast cancer or its recurrence, with the exception of alcohol, which has been linked to increased risk, said Ligibel of Dana-Farber. She tells her patients about preliminary evidence that a diet high in fat might not be the best.

“I think there is a lot to learn in this area still, but I personally do not counsel my patients that they need to make tremendous dietary changes based on the information available,” she said.
Source: http://www.boston.com/news/health/blog/2008/11/calcium_plus_vi.html

Obesity may increase with each generation because overweight mothers give birth to offspring who have a tendency to become heavier, researchers have claimed.

A team of scientists believe that the genetic mechanisms that control the weight of a baby may be changed if the mother is obese before and during pregnancy.

This change could lead in turn to the baby becoming heavier than normal.

Scientists in Houston, America, made the claim after studying the eating habits of several generations of mice.

Dr Robert Waterland from Baylor College of Medicine, led the study.

He explained: “There is an obesity epidemic in the United States and it’s increasingly recognised as a worldwide phenomenon.

“Why is everyone getting heavier and heavier?

“One hypothesis is that maternal obesity before and during pregnancy affects the establishment of body weight regulatory mechanisms in her baby.

“Maternal obesity could promote obesity in the next generation.”

The team split the mice, all of which had a genetic tendency to overeat, into two groups.

One group was provided with a normal diet while the other was provided with nutrient-supplemented diet.

The nutrients in the supplemented diet encouraged the process of DNA methylation - a chemical reaction that silences genes with the hope that it would render the over-eating gene inactive.

The mice on the normal diet gained weight with each generation while the mice on the altered diet stayed roughly the same size.

Dr Waterland explained: “We wanted to know if, even among genetically identical mice, maternal obesity would promote obesity in her offspring, and if the methyl-supplemented diet would affect this process.

“Indeed those on the regular diet got fatter and fatter with each generation. Those in the supplemented group however, did not.”

Dr Waterland said the research had led the team to believe that the process of DNA methylation plays an important role in the development of the region of the brain that regulates appetite - the hypothalamus.
Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1567852/obesity_may_rise_with_generations/

Women with breast cancer who are treated with lumpectomy and radiation report a high level of overall quality of life several years after treatment that is comparable to a general sampling of the adult women U.S. population according to a survey conducted by physicians at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

“Treatments for breast cancer may decrease quality of life temporarily, but this is evidence that survivors on average will return to a normal quality of life,” said Gary Freedman, M.D., an attending physician in the department of radiation oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center who led the survey. Freedman’s research was presented today at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

The study included women with early stage breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiation with or without chemotherapy and hormone therapy. During routine follow-up visits with their oncologist, the women were asked to complete a brief questionnaire. Of the 1,050 women surveyed, 32 percent submitted 1 survey, 29 percent submitted 2, 21 percent submitted 3 and 18 percent submitted 4 or more surveys. The women were at various points in their follow-up — from 3 months to 15 years after treatment. The mean follow-up time between treatment and the survey (midway between the two extremes) was 3 years.

The survey tool used is called EQ-5D, a standardized and validated instrument for measuring health outcomes. There are 5 general questions about health including questions about mobility, self-care, anxiety/depression, pain/discomfort, and ability to perform usual activities. The survey allows for three possible levels of response (1 = no problems, 2 = some problems, or 3 = extreme problems). The answers are combined to determine a health state for each woman at the time of the survey. Considering the 5 questions and 3 possible answers for each, there were 243 possible health states. An index number between 0 and 1 was assigned to each health state. The index scores gathered in this survey were compared to a survey of the general U.S. adult population (Luo et al Med Care 2005; 43:1078-86).

There were no significant differences in health states between patients by age. The mean index score 5 years after treatment was 0.95 for women ages 18

Obesity significantly increases the risk of recurrent miscarriages, UK researchers have claimed.

When the body mass index (BMI) of almost 700 women who had experienced at least three unexplained miscarriages was investigated, 45% of the women were found to be overweight or obese.

All women had previously undergone comprehensive investigations, but no cause as to why they kept miscarrying was established.

In total, 1% of the women were underweight, 54% were of normal weight, 30% were overweight and 15% were obese.

In those who went on to have a subsequent pregnancy, 19% of those who miscarried again were obese, compared to 11% who had a successful pregnancy.

Mothers being over the age of 35 and high numbers of previous miscarriages were associated with poor pregnancy outcome.

When maternal age and number of previous miscarriages were adjusted, obese women were shown to have a significantly increased risk of a further miscarriage compared to those with a normal weight.

“Ours is the first study to look directly at the link between BMI and recurrent miscarriage. It shows that obese women who experience recurrent miscarriage are at greater risk of subsequent pregnancy loss,” said Winnie Lo of St Mary’s Hospital, London.

Ms Lo advised that all women with recurrent miscarriage should be weighed at their first consultation. Those who are found to be obese should be counselled regarding the benefits of weight loss in increasing their chances of a successful pregnancy, she said.

“Programmes should be in place to help with the weight loss progress,” Ms Lo concluded.

The research was released at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 7th International Scientific Meeting in Montreal.
Source: http://www.irishhealth.com/?level=4&id=14281

A National Institute of Cancer study shows the number of melanoma cases among young women is up by 50 percent since 1980.

Local dermatologists think part of the reason is behavioral.

62,000 people develop melanoma every year, while 8,000 die annually. That breaks down to just about one person every hour.

Dr. Ramsay Farah isn’t surprised more young women are getting skin cancer. Women spend more time outside in the sun – and more time inside, under the bulbs - than men.

“No one in their right mind should think sun exposure and tanning booth exposure isn’t linked to an increase in melanoma risks,” Farah says.

Kay Merini owns Body and Sol Tanning Studio in Manlius; she admits that tanning isn’t good, but she insists doing it in a controlled environment is much better than doing it outside.

“We go through a whole question process - about coloring, [whether] they burn, have they been tanning, things like that,” Merini says.

The bulbs are changed based on how many hours they have on them. They warn customers and take that into account when determining how long you can tan.

The goal is to get the best tan possible, with the least amount of exposure. Dermatologists don’t buy it. Dr. Farah says even if it’s controlled, 10 minutes a day outside in indirect sun is all you need.

The study also found an increasing trend for thicker and later-stage melanomas, which suggests the increase is not the result of better reporting of the disease.
Source: http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=af302ed7-623a-40e1-b945-fa464affc091

Who could forget all those power-surge videos of Jane Fonda – and all her successors – each one urging us to move quickly – and often – to stay in shape.

Now, comes a remarkably different strategy – one that endorses slow movement as possibly the best form of exercise.

Although the trend towards what is called “Slow Motion “ exercise is not brand new, there is new research linking it’s benefits to women over 45 – showing it may, in fact, be the antidote to what happens to the body just before - and right after - menopause.

In research just presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology in Marseille, France, experts from the University of Salzburg compared two types of resistance training movements in women aged 45 to 55.
The first type is known as “hypertrophy resistance training”. It utilizes traditional resistance exercise movements – like weight training - done at a normal pace to increase muscle growth and slow breakdown.

The second type is a relative new method of resistance training called “SuperSlow” . It’s based on the same principals as regular resistance training, but involves much slower movements and fewer repetitions of each exercise.

In other words it’s like traditional workouts, but in slow motion.

The study involved women age 45 to 55 who agreed to regularly perform either type of exercise, under supervised guidance, for a period of 12 weeks. To measure the effects of the workouts thigh muscle biopsies were taken at the start and the end of the 12-week period. The biopsies looked for changes in ratios of muscle mass to fatty tissue, plus blood supply to the muscle itself.

The end result: While both forms of exercise helped women increase their muscle mass, much to the researchers surprise, the “slow mo” version worked best.

“ Contrary to expectations, the SuperSlow method appears to have the greatest effect,” says lead study author Dr. Alexandra Sanger.

Experts theorize that the success of slow motion exercise may be linked to the idea that moving slower simply helps focus greater concentration on muscle contraction, which in turn means higher quality movement and ultimately, increased strength.

Or think of it this way: Spend a nice leisurely afternoon shopping and you’re bound to find just what you need. Rip through that mall and buy too quickly and, well, we all have a closet full of those mistakes!

Sanger says she is hopeful that this new research will help broaden the understanding of how different muscles respond to movement – particularly in women - and ultimately will lead to the development of an exercise regimen with optimal results for women over 45.

This is important, since previous research has shown that the loss of muscle strength in women first becomes apparent around age 45. It is this age-related deterioration, say experts, which eventually leads to more clumsiness in the senior years, (in or out of this seasons new stilettos!) which in turn increases the risk of falls and bone breaks.

Researchers are hopeful that locking in on an effective – and useable- strategy for keeping women’s muscles strong could help delay the onset of that muscle deterioration and keep us younger longer! And who doesn’t want that?

Moreover, previous research has shown that resistance training can also help increase bone mass, which can also reduce the risk of breaks – and keep us walking taller and straighter, and definitely looking thinner and younger as time goes on. Do you know anybody who doesn’t want that?
Perhaps the most exciting part of the new Slow Mo movement is that it was originally developed as a rehabilitation strategy – and a system to be used by beginners. And this means it’s something that almost any woman can do it.
Moreover, you don’t have to do a lot of it to see results. According to experts at Ultimate Fitness in Mill Valley, California, slow motion training is so effective all you need is 20 minutes, twice a week for maximum results.
And while other fitness experts still see important value in aerobic training for the heart, in the event you can’t do this type of exercise – or you just won’t – there is now at least some good evidence to show that slow but steady movement may help women win the race for lasting health.
Source: http://medheadlines.com/2008/07/13/new-study-women-exercise-slow-down/

WOMEN as young as 18 could have a simple mouth swab to determine how likely they are to develop breast cancer but doctors warn the results could cause serious psychological stress and would not identify all women at risk.

The test, being developed at the University of Cambridge, would tell if a woman was carrying any of seven newly found genes linked to breast cancer. It would also test for the two high-risk genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, discovered a decade ago.

The researchers said women deemed high-risk could be advised to have regular mammograms or choose to have their breasts removed. Those not carrying any of the genes could wait until the age of 60 before having screening.

Their findings were published in the New England Journal Of Medicine yesterday, less than a week after Jane McGrath, the wife of the cricketer Glenn McGrath, lost her 11-year battle with breast cancer on Sunday at the age of 42.

Since her death, the national screening program, BreastScreen Australia, has been inundated with inquiries. It was also flooded with calls from anxious women after the singer Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago and the actress Belinda Emmett died of the disease in 2006.

The executive director of the NSW Breast Cancer Institute, John Boyages, said yesterday that, while advances in diagnosis were welcome, the mouth swab should be treated with caution.

“They have now found seven genes linked to breast cancer but there could be 27 that we don’t know about yet, so it gives women false reassurance,” Professor Boyages said. “And what does a 20-year-old girl do when she tests positive? Takes both her breasts off?”

The director of the Cancer Epidemiology Centre at the Cancer Council Victoria, Professor Graham Giles, said the research was reputable but the test was not foolproof, and it could scare people unnecessarily.

“There are women who will be deemed high-risk and will never develop breast cancer and there will be women deemed low-risk who will get breast cancer because genes are not the only determinants of cancer,” he said.
Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/caution-on-breast-cancer-predictor/2008/06/26/1214472673459.html

Maternal obesity has been associated with diabetic complications in the resulting offspring, according to experiments in mice reported recently by researchers at the University of Louisville.

Obesity is presently a worldwide health issue, and it is commonly considered a risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. When a pregnant woman is obese, her children can be affected by malformation, functional abnormalities, obesity, and type II diabetes. Since, presently, over 18% of American women are classified as obese, and between 18 and 38% of pregnant women meet this criteria, it is an important issue in maternal and child health in this country. However, very little is known about the mechanism of the link between maternal obesity and diabetic effects in offspring.

To investigate this association, Dr. Jianxiang Xu and Junying Han of the University of Louisville first established a viable animal model to function similarly to maternal diabetes might in humans. Female mice, genetically predisposed to obesity and further marked with a yellow coat color, were mated with normal mice, whose offspring could then be classified by coat color for this obesity gene. The obesity prone mice were obese between 6 and 8 weeks of age, but maintained normal blood glucose levels. Offspring from these and from normal crosses were then fed with normal food for up to 15 weeks, then fed with a high fat diet, and examined by sex, and the mother’s obesity status. In this first portion of the study, the birth weight of offspring from obese mothers was 14% higher than in the control group.

When the offspring, at 50 weeks of age, were administered 2 mg glucose per kg body weight. This resulted in similar glucose levels in each group, but major differences in the serum insulin levels. Namely, in female offspring from obese mothers, there was a significant increase in serum insulin levels, while females from obese mothers and males showed no significant differences. This indicates that β cell function was impaired in the female offspring of obese mothers.

To confirm this link, a second experiment was performed. Pancreatic cells were isolated from 50 week old offspring to be tested in vitro for insulin excretion. Cells from mice with a normal diet showed normal secretion, but in the high fat diet, insulin secretion was sharply reduced in offspring from an obese mother, especially when exposed to a high glucose concentration. The measure of other enzymes related to glucose metabolism such as transketolase, GAPDH, and PFK in the cells of the 50 week old mice indicated a decrease in production by the β cells ranging from 31% to 70% for those born to an obese mother.

According to the researchers, this shows that obesity in pregnancy is a factor by itself to impaired glucose tolerance in offspring, which could contribute to the development of gestational diabetes in the mother and type II diabetes in the offspring. Additionally, since there are many mothers who are obese without displaying gestational diabetes, this obesity might be a greater factor in the health of their children than previously expected.
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115691.php

It appears that breast awareness may be your best way to fight breast cancer. This comes after a new study by the Cochrane Library Review revealed that breast self-examinations do not help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer.

The study carried out by the Cochrane Library focused on two large population-based studies of around 400,000 women in China and Russia.

It found that the practice of routine breast self-examination did not help in the fight against breast cancer, as the number of deaths were not reduced.

The American Cancer Society has stated that over 180,000 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and the best way to fight it is to have breast awareness, and knowledge.

Knowledge is key, as it is important to know risk factors such as gender, aging, family history, personal history, race, etc.

The report released has shown that having a routine mammogram test may be your best bet, as well as routine check-ups with a medical professional.
Source: http://chattahbox.com/health/2008/07/21/breast-awareness-appears-to-be-most-important-in-cancer-fight/