Cancer - search results

Is the slice of bacon on your BLT really as dangerous as smoking a cigarette? That was the implication of some of the scary headlines about the World Health Organization's recent report stating that processed meat raises the risk of colon, stomach and other cancers.

That extra cup of coffee is not only safe for most people, but might actually reduce your risk of dying prematurely from heart disease and several other causes.

While theres something to be said for clean eating, the "detox" fad needs a reality check. "First, your body already has a highly effective system for removing toxins, principally the liver and kidneys," explains Irwin H. Rosenberg, MD, University Professor of Medicine and Nutrition at Tufts. "Second, diets and products that claim to detox the body do not identify what supposed toxins are being targeted."

Hardly a day goes by without headlines touting the health benefits of a Mediterranean-style diet, which has been linked to lower risk of cardiovascular disease and possible brain protection. Now, a recent study suggests this style of eating may also help protect women against breast cancer.

The nations chile heads rejoiced recently over red-hot headlines linking consumption of spicy foods with lower mortality risk. In a Chinese study of 487,375 people, ages 30 to 79, those who reported consuming spicy foods almost daily were 14% less likely to die during 7.2 years of followup than those rarely eating chile-fueled foods. Major US media outlets gobbled up the study, published in BMJ, with headlines like USA Todays: Eating Spicy Food Might Help You Cheat Death a Little Longer.

When it comes to exercise, a new study says the prescription should be that more is better. For postmenopausal women, the benefits include weight loss and reduced belly fat and waist-to-hip ratio, which might possibly lead to greater protection against breast cancer.Jennifer M. Sacheck, PhD, an associate professor in Tufts Friedman School who specializes in studying physical activity, says, Here is yet another study demonstrating that, independent of diet, increasing physical activity levels that meet or exceed the national recommendations of 150 minutes per week has important implications on body composition, and in turn, likely many health outcomes.

For the first time, a combined analysis of data from studies totaling more than 350,000 participants has concluded that a daily handful of nuts not only delivers healthy nutrition-it might also help you live longer. Although the 15 studies were not designed to prove cause and effect, the new meta-analysis reported an association between regular nut consumption and reduced mortality risk. The link was strongest for cardiovascular mortality-in line with research showing heart benefits from eating nuts-but was also seen for deaths from cancer and all causes.

Since the early 1940s, when multivitamin/mineral supplements first became available, Americans have popped countless such pills in hopes of nutritional insurance and making up for any dietary shortfalls. Today, more than one-third of all Americans take a multivitamin, and multivitamins alone account for more than 40% of all vitamin and mineral supplement sales-an estimated $5.4 billion annually. Yet the scientific evidence for the benefits of multivitamins is mixed at best, with large recent studies reporting no association between usage and better cardiovascular or cognitive health and only modest cancer protection.

You know that sugar-sweetened sodas can pack on the pounds and contribute to the risk of heart disease and diabetes. But new Tufts research reports that sugary drinks may also increase your odds of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Characterized by a buildup of fat in the liver unrelated to alcohol consumption, NAFLD frequently goes undetected because it often presents no symptoms; as many as 25% of US adults may have the disease. NAFLD may cause the liver to swell, leading to scarring (cirrhosis) over time and even to liver cancer or liver failure.

Consumption of sugary drinks may lead to an estimated 184,000 adult deaths each year worldwide, according to research recently published in the journal Circulation. Many countries in the world have a significant number of deaths occurring from a single dietary factor-sugar-sweetened beverages, says Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, senior author of the study and dean of Tufts Friedman School. Dr. Mozaffarian is also editor-in-chief of the Health & Nutrition Letter. It should be a global priority to substantially reduce or eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages from the diet.