Health News

REPORTING POINT 05/08
HEALTH NEWS
“Live healthy...Live well”
Dedicated to providing pertinent information on health, fitness, and nutrition to foster a culture of wellness among Southwest Airlines flight crews and their families.
by Larry Kline
SWAPA Voice Mailbox 4337/email: livehealthy-livewell@cox.net
Past issues of “Health News” are available at http://health.theballfamily.org. It includes a search engine; just enter a key word to find past articles. LK

OMEGA-3S AND DEPRESSION/MOOD DISORDERS – omega-3 fatty acids, in fish or supplements, may help people with depression or mood disorders, concludes an analysis of past research, prepared recently for the American Psychiatric Association. Here are the researchers’ recommendations for mental health, which are similar to those devised by the American Heart Association for cardiovascular health: everyone should eat fish at least twice a week, and people with mood or depressive (including bipolar) disorders should consume at least one gram of omega-3s a day from fatty fish or supplements. Omega-3 supplements should not replace standard treatment, but may be worth discussing with your doctor or therapist. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/07.

OPTIMAL DOSAGE FOR ASPIRIN THERAPY – the optimal dose of aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attacks is one-quarter of an adult aspirin (81 milligrams, the amount in a “baby” aspirin) a day, concluded a new review in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This is the standard dose, but many people take larger doses – half or even a whole aspirin a day. As many as 40 percent of doctors recommend higher doses, but taking more than a quarter aspirin does not protect more, the review found, but it does increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 12/07.

BBQ GRILLING WARNING – the high heat of grilling meat, poultry, and fish creates potential carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). Charring is an indication that HCAs are present. Other carcinogens called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are deposited on meat from the smoke that rises when fat drips on the hot coals (or any heat source).
To reduce the potential risk:
-Choose lean cuts and trim any visible fat so that less fat drips during cooking.
-Marinate meat, even briefly, before grilling it. This can decrease HCAs by more than 90 percent. Use combinations of vinegar, citrus juices, cider, brown sugar, mustard, vegetable oil, herbs, and spices.
-Precook in the microwave or in the oven, discard the juices, and then finish on the grill.
-Use lower heat by waiting for the coals to burn less hot or by turning the gas down.
-Raise the grill rack farther from the heat. Do not place the meat directly over the coals; that way the fat will not drip on them and flare up.
-Flip the meat frequently. Cook to the proper temperature, but try to avoid charring (cut or scrape off any charred parts). Use smaller pieces (like kabobs) which cook faster.
-Don’t use mesquite; this soft wood produces very high heat.
-Grill veggie burgers, vegetables, and fruit (like pineapple); they produce little or no HCAs.
-Stay upwind from grills to avoid breathing in smoke, which also carries health risks.
Pan-frying and broiling at high temperatures also produce HCAs. Instead, choose steaming, poaching, microwaving, stewing, roasting, and baking when possible. Do not consume the pan drippings, either, since they can be high in HCAs and fat. University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter 7/06.

RATING CANCER RISKS – What causes cancer?
Cigarette smoking is the number one culprit. Many experts believe that 30 to 35 percent of cancers are caused by diet. Now, thanks to data revealed in the Second Expert Report on Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, released by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund, more light has been shed on the risk factors for cancer. This comprehensive report analyzed more than 7,000 studies on 17 kinds of cancer and 61 “exposures” from red meat to sugary drinks, fast foods, body fatness, and sedentary living.
One of the biggest changes noted in the report emphasizes much more strongly the importance of being overweight as a factor for cancer. If you don’t smoke, the single most important thing you can do to prevent cancer is to keep your weight under control. Even gaining just a few pounds can signal that now is the time to either make some corrections in the way one is eating or increase the level of physical activity, and preferably do some of both. Most people become overweight or obese by gaining a couple of pounds a year.

CANCERS LINKED TO OBESITY
While the list is growing, endometrial cancer is a known result of being obese. New evidence indicates that colon, kidney, pancreatic, and postmenopausal breast cancers and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus are all related to being overweight. New evidence from the large American Cancer Society study suggests that the risk of some lymphomas and leukemias may be increased by being overweight as well.
In men over the age of 65, there probably is some association with being overweight, but it is not as clear as most of the other cancers.

KEEPING WEIGHT OFF VS. LOSING WEIGHT
Once you have gained weight, it is harder to take weight off. Often the body will have reacted to large amounts of weight gain; bones may have gotten bigger to carry around the extra weight; an obese person may develop arthritis or angina which would make it much harder to exercise to take off weight.
If you already are overweight, even a 5 to 10 percent weight loss can be important. As an example, the Nurses’ Health Study showed that among women who never used postmenopausal hormones, those who lost at least 22 pounds since menopause had a 57 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those who did not lose the weight.
Cancer risk start to rise before one becomes obese. For almost all of these cancers, the increased risk starts even before you cross the line between normal and overweight. The health panel recommends being as lean as possible within the normal range.
Weight gain after age 18 seems to place one at the higher risk. Unless you have gained weight as a result of strength and resistance training, weight gain after age 18 is almost always fat.

HOW OBESITY MIGHT CAUSE CANCER
The causes might be different for different cancers. For endometrial and postmenopausal breast cancer, it is clear that being overweight leads to high estrogen levels, though high insulin levels might also contribute.
For colon cancer, there is strong evidence that high insulin levels increase the risk. Estrogens seem to reduce the risk of colon cancer.
Cancers of the esophagus may be caused by the gastric reflux that people get when they are overweight. There is also a hypothesis that obesity promotes inflammation, which raises the risk of several cancers.
The panelists that examined the data found that soda consumption and sugary drinks promote weight gain in the American diet. They also recommend limiting calorie-dense foods, which are defined as foods with more than 65 to 80 calories per ounce. These would include foods with refined sugars, starches, and fats. The bottom line is to limit calorie intake.
Being active can greatly reduce the cancer risk. Inactivity increases the risk of both breast and colon cancer.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
The panelists feel that consuming fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of mouth, throat, and esophageal cancer. Other data suggests that cancer patients of all types have low fruit and vegetable consumption.
Of course there is very strong evidence that consuming a diet heavy with fruits and vegetables greatly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the panelists recommended taking fruit juices out of the list because there is increasing evidence that the sugar from these juices adds to the calorie-dense diets of most Americans without the beneficial fiber whole fruit adds. The increase in incidence of diabetes may be associated with higher fruit juice consumption. No more than one glass a day is recommended and juice is no substitute for whole fruits and vegetables.

MEAT AND DAIRY
The evidence is convincing that red meat increases the risk of colon cancer. The report recommends that people who eat red meat consume less than 18 ounces a week, and that little or none of it should be processed meat like ham, bacon, pastrami, or salami. Sausage and hot dogs are also processed meats if they are made with nitrites or nitrates.
Beyond cancer, there is very clear evidence that replacing red meat with a combination of fish, poultry, and nuts can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Red meat consumption is also associated with increased diabetes risk. For both colon cancer and diabetes, the association is considerably stronger for processed meats than for fresh red meats. There is no evidence that poultry or seafood raises or lowers the risk of cancer.
The report indicated high-calcium consumption may promote prostate cancer. Calcium supplements lower the risk of colon cancer so it is recommended that men have a low-to-moderate intake of dairy, because there are other ways to greatly reduce colon cancer risk, where there is little known about reducing the risk of prostate cancer. High calcium intake suppresses 1,25 hydroxy-vitamin D, which is the biologically active form of vitamin D. Low vitamin D levels may increase cancer risk. The panelists feel that colon cancer is probably at reduced risk with adequate vitamin D consumption. Foods that contain calcium or beta-carotene appear to affect cancer risk differently than calcium or beta-carotene supplements. In the case of beta-carotene, there may be a real difference between foods and supplements.
There is some evidence that taking selenium decreases the risk of prostate cancer.

ALCOHOL
Concerning breast cancer, there is evidence that even one drink a day can significantly increase risk. For colon cancer, it appears like there is an increased risk at two or more drinks a day.
But for liver cancer, the risk is increased at over two drinks a day. For mouth and throat cancer, most of the evidence also comes from higher intakes. The higher risk of mouth and throat cancer is largely seen in smokers, while non-smokers increased risk comes from really high alcohol intakes.
It is important to remember that moderate alcohol consumption reduces heart disease risk if you have one or two drinks a day. There is no health reason for younger people to drink alcohol, but one or two drinks a day might be beneficial for some middle-aged or older people who are not disposed to alcoholism.

FIBER AND SALT
There is good evidence that whole-grain, high-fiber foods reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, but not much of a reduction in colon cancer risk. Salt appears to raise the risk of stomach cancer, which is less common here than in underdeveloped countries. Cutting sodium intakes also helps protect against cardiovascular disease. Nutrition Action Healthletter 12/07.