A prospective study published in the British Journal of Cancer (October 27) concluded that men who are not sitting for most of the time during work or occupational activities and who walk or bicycle more than 30 minutes daily during their adult life have a reduced incidence of prostate cancer. In the study 45,887 men aged 45 to 79 were followed for 10 years. There were 2735 cases of prostate cancer and 190 deaths. There was an inverse relationship between levels of physical activity and prostate cancer. Those in the top quartile of lifetime physical activity decreased by 18% (95% confidence level) compared with those in the lowest quartile their risk of prostate cancer. Men who sat at work half of the time had a 20% reduction in prostate cancer risk over those who sat most of the time. There was also an inverse relationship between the incidence of prostate cancer among those with average physical activity at work and walking and bicycling duration. Thus, physical activity seems important for reducing the risk of prostate cancer.

A recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported that although three drugs (tamoxifen, raloxifene, and tibolone) reduce a woman’s chances of getting breast cancer each has potential harmful effects for those using them. More specifically all three drugs significantly reduces invasive breast cancer in midlife and older women who have not previously had breast cancer but the benefits vary depending upon the drug and the woman.
The most common side effects for the drug tamoxifen are flushing, night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal discharge, itching and dryness, and for raloxifene are night sweats, hot flashes, and leg cramps, and for tibolone are vaginal bleeding. In addition, each drug carries a risk of adverse effects including increased risk of endometrial cancer, hysterectomies, and cataracts for tamoxifen compared to the other drugs; increased risk of stroke for tibolone; and increased risk of blood clots for both tamoxifen and raloxifene although it is greater with tamoxifen. More information is available at: www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov

Research at the University of Chicago reported in Cancer Prevention Research in October that a ” socially isolated, stressful environment can speed up the growth of breast cancer” in animal models and can actually change the expression of genes involved in the growth of mammary gland tumors Their study followed other studies showing that stress can adversely affect cancer. In their study the researchers randomly assigned mice genetically suceptible for breast cancer to live in social isolation or with groups shortly after weaning. Three and a half weeks later they measured the gene expression in the mammary glands and found reproducible changes in the mice in isolation. These genes that were turned on and off by metabolism are known to contribute to increased breast cancer growth. The mice in isolation developed larger and more cancers than the mice living in groups and had a higher corticosterone stress hormone response than the group living mice. The researcher believes the findings may suggest molecular biomarkers that can be used in prevention in breast cancer and that perceived or actual environmental stressor can affect which genes get turned on or off. If this is proven in further research it may be possible to to find tumors in their formative stage and suppress them before they become tumors.

A new study by the National Institutes of Health and AARP found that people who consume more calcium and dairy foods have a lower risk of colon cancer. Diet and other information was collected on over 50,000 people between the ages of 50 and 71. After 7 years the risk of colon cancer was about 20% lower in men who consumed the most calciuim from food and supplements (about 1,500 mg. daily) than in men who consumed the least (about 500mg daily).

The risk in women was about 30% lower for women who consumed the most calcium (about 1,900 mg daily) that those who consumed the least (about 500 mg daily). Colorectal cancer was also lower in men and women who ate the most daily foods. However, contract to earlier stuidies dairy was not linked to a higher risk of ovarian cancer and calcium was not linked to a higher risk of prostate cancer.

It is best to try to ingest 1,000 mg daily of calcium if you are under 50 and 1,200 mg daily if you are older. If you assume there is 300 mg in each serving of milk, cheese, yogurt, or calcium-fortified orange juice take a supplement to get any additional calcium needed. In light of the earlier studies of calcium and prostate cancer (not found here) men may want to limit intake of calcium to 1,200 mg daily. Additional information can be found in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 169:391, 2009.

Some specific nutrients identified include:
Vitamin C-”helps normalize levels of cortisol and ACTH” (another stress hormone) when severe stress is present.
“Vitamin B1-protects the adrenal glands from functional exhaustion. ”
“Vitamin B2-enhances adrenal function and helps regulate cortisol levels.”
“Alpha-lipoic acid-helps prevent toxic accumulation in tissues (caution with certain chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy.”
“L-tyrosine helps restore the ability to perform tasks under stress. ”

More information on Lise and her products is available at: www.drlise.net