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

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/

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

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/

Scientists in Cambridge believe they are close to developing a test that will analyse each woman’s genetic make-up and determine whether she is at high or low risk of the cancer.

Until now, women have been told they have a one in nine chance of developing breast cancer at some point in their lives.
But some women with a strong family history are at greater risk than this and some women are less likely to develop it.

Currently, only women with a strong family history are offered screening tests to establish if they are carrying genes that increase their risk.

These genes are rare but for those who have them it means they can have between 50 per cent and 85 per cent chance of breast cancer in their lifetime.

Many women who have been told they are carrying the faulty genes have opted for a double mastectomy to remove their breast tissue rather than live with regular checks.

A study carried out by a team at the University of Cambridge and funded by Cancer Research UK has found that offering a more widespread screening test looking at combinations of genes that increase breast cancer risk is feasible.

It would help doctors identify women who are unlikely to develop breast cancer and so could reduce the frequency of their mammogram checks.

Study author Dr Paul Pharoah said: “We are a few years away from a new and powerful range of genetic tests for breast cancer. We believe genetic testing has the potential to enable doctors to identify a woman at an increased risk of breast cancer who would benefit from mammography at an early age or women who may benefit from regular MRI scanning as well. This approach would also identify a 55 year old woman with a low chance of breast cancer who possibly wouldn’t need such regular checks.”

The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Some genes are very rare, like BRCA1 and BRCA2, but greatly increase the risk that the carrier will develop breast cancer.

Others including CHEK2, ATM, BRIP1 and PALB2 are rare and not all women with them will develop the condition but they do increase the risk of cancer.

Some genes are common in the population but only slightly increase the risk of breast cancer.

Lead author Professor Sir Bruce Ponder, director of Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, said: “It is very exciting to see workable and affordable approaches to genetic screening for breast cancer on the horizon. We expect such technology to develop very fast in the next decade so it’s important that we start thinking about how best to apply these advances.”

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK said: “This study marks the potential for a tailor-made approach to screening for breast cancer which could radically change who we target and how we detect early signs of the disease. Great progress has been made to improve our understanding of the ways in which certain genes affect the risk of breast cancer - and as scientists find even more of these ‘risk genes’, our ability to use genetic tests to identify woman at risk will improve. But there is still some way to go before this kind of profiling becomes a reality.”
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/health/2193283/Test-to-determine-each-woman’s-chances-of-breast-cancer.html

Adult women who were breast-fed as infants may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who were not breast-fed, unless they were first-born, study findings suggest.

“As a general group, women who reported they had been breast-fed in infancy had a 17 percent decrease in breast cancer risk,” Hazel B. Nichols, who was involved in the study, told Reuters Health.

“However, we did not observe this reduction when we looked specifically among first-born women,” said Nichols, of the University of Wisconsin, in Madison.

A woman’s age at childbirth helps predict the levels of environmental contaminants in her breast milk, and studies have suggested a possible link between increased breast cancer risk and the accumulation of these contaminants, Nichols and colleagues note in the medical journal Epidemiology.

To analyze whether an adult woman’s birth order, mother’s age at the time of her birth, and whether or not she was breast-fed alters her risk for breast cancer, the investigators interviewed 2,016 women, aged 20 to 69 years, with breast cancer, and 1,960 women of similar age without breast cancer.

As noted, women breast-fed during infancy generally had reduced breast cancer risk.

However, in analyses restricted to breast-fed women, those with 3 or more older siblings had a lesser risk for breast cancer than first born women, the researchers found. But breast-fed women showed no altered breast cancer risk according to their mothers’ age at childbirth.

Among women who were not breast-fed, reduced adult breast cancer risk was linked with their mothers’ older age at childbirth, but the investigators identified no association between breast cancer risk and birth order in this group.
While the current results hint that breast cancer risk may differ according to whether or not women were breast-fed during infancy, additional studies are needed to determine if these associations vary with duration of breast-feeding or according to measured levels of environmental contaminants present in breast milk, Nichols said.

Source:  http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNewsMolt/idUKKEN96096220080509?pageNumber=2

Almost 200 children are being diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases every month, raising fears about a generation of promiscuous young people who are failing to heed advice on safe sex.

Ministers pledged in 2004 to spend £50 million on sexual health education, much of it focused on young people. However, the rate of infection has remained steady and was revealed in figures for diagnoses on the under-16s in England.

They were placed in the Commons Library this week after a question from Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, and show that from 2002 to 2006, 11,256 under-16s were diagnosed with gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes and genital warts.

In 2006, there were 2,282 diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections, a slight rise from 2,148 in 2002.

Chlamydia cases have risen from 1,115 a year to 1,327. Over the past five years, a total of 6,495 children have been diagnosed with the disease, which can cause infertility in later life.
It has no symptoms in either men or women, so often remains undetected.

Genital warts are up from 552 to 621, with 2,845 cases. Cases of gonorrhoea among children have fallen, from 338 to 190, with a total of 1,196 diagnoses.

Last month, The Daily Telegraph reported figures showing that the number of adults diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases had risen by a quarter in just five years.

The Department of Health admits that rates of most sexually transmitted infections have increased in recent years.

It said the rate of infection could be attributed to factors including increased levels of testing and screening, improved sensitivity of diagnostic tests and changes in sexual behaviour.

In November 2006, the Government launched the “Condom Essential Wear” campaign, which it says is targeted at the hardest to reach young people who are at most risk of contracting an STI.

Approximately £7.3 million was spent on the campaign in 2006/07, on a combination of TV, cinema, radio, press and digital advertising and the creation of two websites.
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1583661/More-children-diagnosed-with-sex-infections.html