RSS Feed
|
Per Andy Weil (my favorite guru) - 'Carrots specifically, as well as cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, collard greens and broccoli may help ward off an aggressive form of breast cancer. This type of cancer - estrogen receptor (ER) negative breast cancer - is seen more commonly among African American women than among white women. Unlike ER positive breast cancer, its growth doesn't depend on the hormone estrogen, it's harder to treat and is more often fatal. Looking at data from the ongoing Black Women's Health Study, Boston University researchers found that women who ate three or more servings of carrots per week had a 17 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer than women who ate carrots less than once a month. And those who ate at least two servings of vegetables daily (not a lot, really) had a 43 percent lower risk than women who consumed fewer than four veggie servings per week. The researchers don't yet know if vegetable consumption in these women was responsible for the lower risk, or if these dietary habits simply signaled a healthier lifestyle that could account for the difference. The study was published online Oct. 11, 2010, by the American Journal of Epidemiology.'
0 Comments
Achhoooo! That's basically what someone hears when around me these days as I re-accommodate to the Houston ragweed levels (do people actually ever accommodate to such high levels??). But putting allergies and heat aside, I am officially back in H-town, although just temporarily. I returned on Oct. 10 after wrapping things up in DC and spending a great weekend with friends in Boston. Since that time, I've started working at MD Anderson's Cancer Prevention Clinics and am learning the secrets to how they maintain their very well-oiled machine (mostly breast, cervical and prostate cancer screening clinics). It's an amazing place to work and if you've never been there to experience the magnitude of the Center, I hope you never have to. It took me a week of walking around aimlessly (well, not totally) to figure the place out...but, now, I think I'm a pro...??
I will be at "the Center" for a total of 2 months - the first of which is described above. The 2nd month will be a Palliative Care and Cancer Survivorship Month. Should both be great! Other than walking around aimlessly, I've been catching up with friends and fam and am still attempting to finish unpacking. This may get done by Thanksgiving, but we'll see...thanks to my parents for tolerating my mess every day (and for not renting my room out)! :) Hope to post something a little more exciting soon...when I actually get a minute to breathe! Ciao for now! A recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that mice exposed to dim and bright light at night gained more weight than those not exposed to the light despite having the same physical activity and being fed the exact same amount of food. Per the article, 'Dim light-exposed mice ate 55.5% of their food during bright-light hours compared with 36.5% among those on a normal light-dark cycle. This level of daytime food consumption correlated with body mass and impaired glucose tolerance (both P<0.01). A second experiment in which food was only available during certain times showed that putting food out only during the normal nighttime eating hours prevented the excess weight gain and fat gain associated with dim light exposure'.
These finding implicate the disruption of circadian rythem as yet another possible contributor to obesity. Remember, obesity in and of itself, is a risk factor for many different cancers (pancreatic, breast, ovarian, prostate...to name a few) as well as multiple cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, stroke, etc). I recently read another article (see below) that showed that sleeping 8-9 hours a night burned more calories and led to lower BMIs (body-mass index, a weight to height ratio) than sleeping 4-5 hours at night. So, obviously, uninterrupted sleep in a dark environment appears to be an important piece of the obesity puzzle. See the link below for a more detailed summary of the article. http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Obesity/22689?utm_content=GroupCL&utm_medium=email&impressionId=1286954957227&utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&utm_source=mSpoke&userid=267423 From Journalwatch.com
"Getting sufficient sleep may play an important role in losing weight, according to a small crossover study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers studied 10 overweight sedentary volunteers in a sleep laboratory for two 2-week periods: one period was restricted to 5.5 bedtime hours per night and the other to 8.5 hours per night. (The two study periods were separated by at least 3 months.) Subjects lost significantly more lean-mass weight and less body fat when sleeping 5.5 hours a night than when sleeping 8.5 hours. In addition, less sleep led to higher circulating levels of ghrelin, which increases the sense of hunger. Both the researchers and editorialists point to the study's small sample size and its artificial conditions, and they caution against generalizing without further research. Editorialists speculate that 'perhaps sleep should be included as part of the lifestyle package that traditionally has focused on diet and exercise.'" ...according to an Morbidity & Mwrtality Week in Review (MMWR) report published by the CDC (Center for Disease Control).
CDC researchers examined data from the 2006 and 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys, which included the Patient Health Questionnaire 8 (a depression screening tool). Some 235,000 U.S. adults were included in the analysis. Among the other findings: - Current depression was most common in the Southeast, with Mississippi having the highest prevalence (14.8%); prevalence was lowest in North Dakota (4.8%) - Dave Diauphinis is the only person I know who is at this risk level : ) - Depression was more common among women than men; among blacks and Hispanics than whites; and among middle-aged adults than among younger and older adults. -Persons with less than a high school diploma (6.7%) and high school graduates (4.0%) were more likely to report major depression than those with at least some college (2.5%) - And not surprising...those without health insurance were significantly more likely to be depressed than those with coverage. If you or someone you know is depressed, TALK TO SOMEONE about it! There are lots of treatment options - ranging from psychotherapy to medication and even alternative treatments. Exercise is my favorite recommendation to stave off the blues (and improve your health). |
AuthorDr. Maltz earned a Medical Degree and Master in Public Health from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, TX. She completed a combined Internal and Preventive Medicine Residency at UTMB in June, 2011. She then completed a 2-year Integrative Medicine Fellowship at Stamford Hospital in Stamford, CT, during which she simultaneously underwent an intensive 1000-hour curriculum created by The University of Arizona Integrative Medicine Program founded by Dr. Andrew Weil. Archives
October 2020
Categories
All
|