Guest guest Posted October 12, 2003 Report Share Posted October 12, 2003 Sun, 12 Oct 2003 23:29:03 -0500 HSI - Jenny Thompson Keeping Out of the Pink Keeping Out of the Pink Health Sciences Institute e-Alert October 13, 2003 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and - right on time - a new study just published in the journal Cancer may provide us with a simple way to significantly decrease our risk of a specific type of breast cancer. ----------------------------- Glands & Ducts ----------------------------- Breast carcinoma in situ (BCIS) is a cancer that's confined to the milk glands or the ducts that carry milk from the glands to the nipple. BCIS is highly curable when diagnosed early. But when not discovered in the formative stages, this condition commonly develops into invasive breast cancer. There are currently more than 54,000 new cases of BCIS diagnosed every year in the U.S. A high level of hormones circulating in the body has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Knowing that exercise may reduce the total amount of circulating hormones, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) launched the first study of how physical activity impacts BCIS. The USC team began by examining data from a population-based study in Los Angeles County. From that study, more than 550 women diagnosed with BCIS were personally interviewed by the USC researchers. More than 600 women in a cancer-free control group were also interviewed. Subjects ranged in age from 35 to 64 years. After adjusting for several cancer risk factors, researchers found that women who reported ANY exercise activity were at 35 percent lower risk of BCIS than women who could be described as inactive. The lead author of the study, Dr. Leslie Bernstein, told Reuters Health News that for invasive disease, " the risk decreased proportionally with increasing level of exercise. " Unfortunately, there was one group that showed no reduction in risk associated with exercise: those women who had a first- degree family history (such as a mother or sister) of BCIS. ----------------------------- The green thing... and more ----------------------------- In last week's e-Alert " Keep it Green " I told you about two studies that demonstrated how green tea intake may reduce the risk of breast cancer. In one study, extracts of green tea inhibited breast cancer cells from manufacturing the new blood vessels necessary to promote cancer cell growth. And in another USC population-based study of almost 1,100 women, researchers found that women who drank less than half a cup of green tea daily reduced their breast cancer risk by nearly 30 percent. So here are two very simple preventive measures - moderate exercise and a small amount of green tea intake - that most of us could easily incorporate into our daily habits to significantly decrease our risk of breast cancer. Other lifestyle risk factors that can be addressed to lower breast cancer risk include smoking, HRT use, excessive alcohol intake, and obesity. ----------------------------- As long as we're talking " awareness " ----------------------------- In virtually every web site and news item that promotes National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, you'll find a mention of National Mammography Day, which is designated as the third Friday in October (10/17 this year). On National Mammography Day, hundreds of radiology facilities offer either free or discounted mammograms. I'm all for helping women become more aware of the ways they can avoid breast cancer, but on the subject of mammography HSI parts company with the medical mainstream. In the e-Alerts " Easy as 1... 2... 3 " and " ... And 4 " that I sent you last August, I addressed in some detail these four myths about mammogram screening: 1) Mammography is safe. (It's not. It may even prompt existing cancer to spread.) 2) Mammography catches cancer at an early stage. (It doesn't. Only advanced tumors can be detected.) 3) Mammography saves lives. (It doesn't. While there are those who attribute successful cancer treatment to mammogram detection, several studies show that breast cancer mortality is statistically the same among women who have had mammograms and those who haven't.) 4) Mammography is the most dependable breast cancer screening method. (It's not. There are several safer methods of breast cancer screening that are just as dependable or more dependable than mammography.) The mainstream mantra that all women over the age of 40 should receive a yearly mammogram is so pervasive that many women don't even realize that there are potential hazards to mammography. If you're a woman who's considering a mammogram (or if you know one who is) I urge you to read the August e- Alerts (available online at www.hsibaltimore.com) to learn more about the safe alternatives to mammography. ************************************************************** To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, visit: http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/freecopy.html Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert. ************************************************************** ... and another thing Have you ever cracked open a 3-yolk egg? Sounds like a bonus, doesn't it? Three yolks for the price of one! Writing in his monthly newsletter, William Campbell Douglass, M.D., explains that about one in 100 eggs will contain two yolks. But it may also be a sign that the flock that produced the egg was treated with hormones. " And a three-yolker? " asks Dr. Douglass: " Guaranteed to be a hormone-enhanced freak. " Recalling his days on his family's farm, Dr. Douglass notes that there's more than just a size difference between the smaller eggs you might get from a local chicken farmer and the much larger eggs you'll find on most grocery store shelves. He shares an amusing conversation he once had with an Arkansas chicken farmer who told him " with a twinkle in her eye " that those smaller eggs are from chickens who " ain't never been to the city, and most of them city chickens ain't never seen a rooster, which means they ain't fertilized, which ain't normal. " Dr. Douglass says, " It was a little scientific for me, but I got the message. " Eggs provide great nutrition, especially if we avoid mass produced eggs from chickens hopped up on hormones. You can read Dr. Douglass' entire " Featured Article, " as well as a companion piece titled " Still scared of eggs? " at www.realhealthnews.com. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** Sources: " Lifetime Recreational Exercise Activity and Risk of Breast Carcinoma in Situ " Cancer, 11/15/03, published online 10/6/03, interscience.wiley.com " Exercise May Lower Breast Cancer Risk " Reuters Health, 10/6/03, reuters.com Copyright ©1997-2003 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. 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