Cancer

Diet’s Effect on Ovarian Cancer Survival Rates

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have found that eating more fruits and vegetables and healthful grains was associated with a longer survival time after ovarian cancer, as was eating just vegetables. A lengthier survival was associated with eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, as well as yellow vegetables. Less healthful meats like red meat were associated with a shorter survival time. There was no connection between survival time and white meats, such as chicken, and fish, but there was more risk associated with the consumption of milk and milk-based foods. Although this study doesn’t determine why eating these foods can increase survival, it does serve to increase awareness of the effects of diet and spur future research.

Click here to read the full Los Angeles Times article: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/03/diet-may-play-a-part-in-ovarian-cancer-survival-rates.html

Heart Health 

The Healthy Side of Coffee

A series of new studies shows that drinking coffee is generally safe for the ticker. One study has determined that coffee drinkers appear to have a lower risk of hospitalization for abnormal heart rhythms. This study looked at 130,054 members of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program who were hospitalized for heart rhythm disturbances. It found that the risk for atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm) was 18% lower for those who reported drinking four or more cups of coffee a day. The study didn’t offer any reason why coffee might reduce heart rhythm problems, however. A second study found that there’s no indication that coffee causes atherosclerosis, the thickening of blood vessel walls that can lead to heart attacks and other problems. And a third study, which compared 359 post-menopausal women newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 359 women without the disease found that women who drank four or more cups of caffeinated coffee a day had a 56% lower risk of developing the condition than those who did not drink coffee. One report did find a link between drinking coffee and high blood pressure, but the effect was called “modest” and scientists say more research is called for to clarify these findings.

Click here to read the full U.S.News & World Report article: http://www.usnews.com/health/diet-fitness/diabetes/articles/2010/03/02/coffee-is-generally-heart-friendly.html

End-Of-Life Care

What’s Right at the End Is Not Clear Cut

Critics argue that resources are being wasted on aggressive end-of-life treatment that’s obviously futile. But in a new article in the New England Journal of Medicine, two doctors say that in the real world, the issue is far from clear. Aggressive resuscitation efforts are common because there are some situations where futile care can be appropriate and other situations where emotions come into play—especially when it comes to children or a doctor’s own grandparent. Some doctors say that when they engage in aggressive and often violent CPR they’re treating the family at that point. But, Dr. Norman Fost, a pediatrician and ethicist at the University of Wisconsin, says that “is a perversion of what medicine’s for.” Others say that while there needs to be rational decision-making and limits need to be set, they can’t just set aside their emotions.

Click here to read the full New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/health/23life.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

Obesity

The Link Between Fat and Inflammation

Obesity can be the trigger for many diseases, like diabetes. But why do some people remain metabolically healthy when they’re overweight and some don’t? New research has shown that inflammation could be a trigger. For some, their fat cells function properly and they remain healthy. For others who gain weight, the inflammation the immune system normally uses to fight infection sits inside fat tissue then spreads to harm blood vessels and spur insulin resistance. One study has found that when salsalate (one of the oldest anti-inflammatories from the aspirin family) was added to regular diabetes medication, it helped poorly controlled Type 2 diabetics lower their blood sugar substantially. Other research is trying to determine what sparks the inflammation in the first place. Results suggest fat tissue primes macrophages (immune cells that cluster inside fat tissue) to be switched on by a boost in fatty acids, starting the inflammation cycle. Continued research in this area could lead to more targeted treatments for the ills caused by obesity as well as anti-inflammatory therapies for diabetes.

Click here to read the full USA Today article: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-03-02-fat-inflammation_N.htm

Diabetes

Aggressive Diabetes Treatment May Not Be the Best Treatment

Results of a three-part federal study have just been released and they showed that adding drugs to aggressively lower blood pressure and blood-fats did not prevent heart problems, but caused harmful side effects in some cases. These studies, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, involve people with Type 2 diabetes. For one portion of the study, 5,500 diabetics who also had high blood pressure or cholesterol were given a statin (cholesterol-lowering drugs sold as Lipitor and Zocor). Half were also given a drug called Tricor, which lowers blood fats called trigylcerides while boosting “good” cholesterol, with the other half receiving a placebo. Results showed that both groups had similar rates of heart attacks and strokes. And TriCor seemed to help men but appeared to possibly harm women, by raising the chance they would suffer a heart problem compared to women taking the placebo pill. When it came to blood pressure, intense treatment did not reduce the number of heart attacks, although it prevented more strokes, a less common problem. And side effects were greater with the intense treatment. Experts say diabetics should focus on healthy diets and lifestyles, and take tried-and-true medicines recommended by their doctors.

Click here to read the full Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/14/AR2010031400779.html