A study conducted by the Catalan Institute for Oncology in Barcelona has concluded that eating a "Mediterranean" diet significantly reduces the risk of developing stomach cancer. Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study focused specifically on gastric cancer which is the second most common cause of cancer death in the world.
Dr. Carlos Gonzalez and his colleagues evaluated a European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study of over 485,000 people from ten European countries. In the study, participants were evaluated based on how closely their diets aligned with the traditional Mediterranean diet. Such a diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fish, as opposed to the Western diet which is rich in meat and dairy products.
What they found was that those whose diets most closely matched the traditional Mediterranean diet were 33 percent less likely to develop stomach cancer than those who fell on the opposite end of the diet spectrum. Developed on an 18-point scale, the study revealed that for each point gained on the Mediterranean diet spectrum, a person's risk of developing stomach cancer drops by 5 percent.
Health & Wellness
People who eat more processed foods are significantly more likely to suffer from depression, while those who eat more fruits and vegetables are significantly less likely to be depressed, according to a study conducted by researchers from University College London and published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
"This study adds to an existing body of solid research that shows the strong links between what we eat and our mental health," said Andrew McCulloch of the Mental Health Foundation. "The U.K. population is consuming less nutritious, fresh produce and more saturated fats and sugars. We are particularly concerned about those who cannot access fresh produce easily or live in areas where there are a high number of fast food restaurants and takeaways."
Researchers collected diet and lifestyle data on 3,500 middle-aged civil servants, then ranked them according to two different measures: how much of their diet was composed of whole foods, and how much was composed of processed foods. Whole foods included fruits and vegetables, while processed foods included high-fat dairy, processed meats, refined grains, fried food and sweetened desserts.
"This study adds to an existing body of solid research that shows the strong links between what we eat and our mental health," said Andrew McCulloch of the Mental Health Foundation. "The U.K. population is consuming less nutritious, fresh produce and more saturated fats and sugars. We are particularly concerned about those who cannot access fresh produce easily or live in areas where there are a high number of fast food restaurants and takeaways."
Researchers collected diet and lifestyle data on 3,500 middle-aged civil servants, then ranked them according to two different measures: how much of their diet was composed of whole foods, and how much was composed of processed foods. Whole foods included fruits and vegetables, while processed foods included high-fat dairy, processed meats, refined grains, fried food and sweetened desserts.
Back in 1890, about one American child out of every 100,000 died each year from type 1 diabetes. Fast forward to the 21st century and the number is as high as 24. Each year, scientists estimate that the number of deaths among children due to type 1, or juvenile, diabetes increases by three percent with no signs of slowing down.
Type 2 diabetes, the kind most often associated with obesity and excessive sugar consumption, is often referenced in media reports and medical journals as increasing at a dangerously high rate, but type 1 is rarely addressed despite the fact that it is rising at a similar rate.
Dan Hurley, an investigative journalist who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1975, is compiling a report on his findings about the disease, noting that it is much more prevalent than people have been led to believe. Evidence is showing that, despite the widespread belief that type 1 diabetes is rare and develops from a genetic predisposition, juvenile diabetes is probably being triggered by environmental or lifestyle factors in a similar manner as type 2.
Type 2 diabetes, the kind most often associated with obesity and excessive sugar consumption, is often referenced in media reports and medical journals as increasing at a dangerously high rate, but type 1 is rarely addressed despite the fact that it is rising at a similar rate.
Dan Hurley, an investigative journalist who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1975, is compiling a report on his findings about the disease, noting that it is much more prevalent than people have been led to believe. Evidence is showing that, despite the widespread belief that type 1 diabetes is rare and develops from a genetic predisposition, juvenile diabetes is probably being triggered by environmental or lifestyle factors in a similar manner as type 2.
The multi-billion dollar medical reproductive technology industry has resulted in the births of millions of kids. They were conceived through non-natural procedures including in vitro fertilization (IVF), also known as the process that produces "test tube" babies, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), which involves injecting a single sperm into an egg in the laboratory. But more and more problems are being linked to these high tech baby-making techniques. For example, as NaturalNews previously reported, evidence is mounting that children conceived using some assisted reproductive technologies have an increased incidence of metabolic problems, such as high blood pressure, abnormally elevated fasting glucose levels and excess body fat.
Now new research raises even more troubling concerns about the safety of IVF and ICSI. A study just published in Human Reproduction, Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal, found that women who became pregnant with a single fetus after treatment with these techniques had a four-fold increased risk of their babies being born dead when compared to women who conceived naturally or after fertility treatments that did not involve IVF or ICSI.
Dr Kirsten Wisborg, a consultant in the neonatal and intensive care unit at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues investigated data from pregnant women taking part in the Aarhus Birth Cohort. These moms-to-be were all slated to deliver babies between August 1989 and October 2006. Out of 20,166 first-time pregnancies where only one baby was carried, there were 86 stillbirths -- placing the overall risk of stillbirths at 4.3 per thousand pregnancies.
Now new research raises even more troubling concerns about the safety of IVF and ICSI. A study just published in Human Reproduction, Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal, found that women who became pregnant with a single fetus after treatment with these techniques had a four-fold increased risk of their babies being born dead when compared to women who conceived naturally or after fertility treatments that did not involve IVF or ICSI.
Dr Kirsten Wisborg, a consultant in the neonatal and intensive care unit at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues investigated data from pregnant women taking part in the Aarhus Birth Cohort. These moms-to-be were all slated to deliver babies between August 1989 and October 2006. Out of 20,166 first-time pregnancies where only one baby was carried, there were 86 stillbirths -- placing the overall risk of stillbirths at 4.3 per thousand pregnancies.
This year's annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) will include research showing a link between the agricultural chemical atrazine and the birth defect gastroschisis. Gastroschisis has been on the rise over the past several decades, having increased up to four times the level from 30 years ago, and scientists believe it is due to exposure to atrazine and other agricultural pesticides.
Gastroschisis is a birth defect in which a baby's intestines, and sometimes other organs as well, develop partially outside of the body rather than on the inside. Special care must be given to mothers of unborn children with this condition which is often emotionally and financially taxing on families.
In the study, researchers from the University of Washington at Seattle evaluated all infants with the condition who were born between 1987 and 2006 and compared their birth records with a database illustrating the areas in which atrazine had been used. They found that cases of gastroschisis were most common in infants whose mothers lived less than 16 miles from areas where surface water was highly contaminated with atrazine. Women who had gave birth in the springtime between March and May when atrazine is used most often were found to be more likely to have a child with disease.
Gastroschisis is a birth defect in which a baby's intestines, and sometimes other organs as well, develop partially outside of the body rather than on the inside. Special care must be given to mothers of unborn children with this condition which is often emotionally and financially taxing on families.
In the study, researchers from the University of Washington at Seattle evaluated all infants with the condition who were born between 1987 and 2006 and compared their birth records with a database illustrating the areas in which atrazine had been used. They found that cases of gastroschisis were most common in infants whose mothers lived less than 16 miles from areas where surface water was highly contaminated with atrazine. Women who had gave birth in the springtime between March and May when atrazine is used most often were found to be more likely to have a child with disease.
Are you feeling weary? Are you having trouble focusing? Are your hands or feet chilly, even when the weather is warm? The reason could be a problem in your circulatory system.
Like breathing and other automatic bodily functions, circulation is something we seldom think about. When it is properly functioning, the circulatory system is like a smooth flowing highway. Traffic moves efficiently, delivering drivers to destinations in a timely manner.
A similar process occurs in the body. Blood moves through the heart, lungs, arteries and veins, providing the cells with life-sustaining oxygen and nutrients while removing carbon dioxide and other waste products. But if blood flow is obstructed, every cell in the body is affected. Symptoms of poor circulation run the gamut, from brain fog, numbness and burning or tingling sensations in toes or fingers to pain in the legs when walking, shortness of breath, fatigue and chilliness, especially in the extremities. Circulatory problems also contribute to serious health disorders, like high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack.
Like breathing and other automatic bodily functions, circulation is something we seldom think about. When it is properly functioning, the circulatory system is like a smooth flowing highway. Traffic moves efficiently, delivering drivers to destinations in a timely manner.
A similar process occurs in the body. Blood moves through the heart, lungs, arteries and veins, providing the cells with life-sustaining oxygen and nutrients while removing carbon dioxide and other waste products. But if blood flow is obstructed, every cell in the body is affected. Symptoms of poor circulation run the gamut, from brain fog, numbness and burning or tingling sensations in toes or fingers to pain in the legs when walking, shortness of breath, fatigue and chilliness, especially in the extremities. Circulatory problems also contribute to serious health disorders, like high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack.
New York - A woman may not be able to change her family history of breast cancer, but she can typically control what she eats and drinks. And consuming more vegetables and whole grains - and less alcohol - just might trim her chances of getting the disease, according to an analysis of published studies.
"As the incidence of breast cancer continues to rise, with many of the risk factors for the disease non-modifiable, potentially modifiable risk factors such as diet are of interest," Dr. Sarah Brennan of Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, who led the analysis, noted in an email to Reuters Health.
It's estimated that more than 120 out of every 100,000 American women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, yielding a lifetime risk of about 1 in 8. The idea that diet might influence these numbers is not new; yet solid evidence for such a link has remained elusive.
"As the incidence of breast cancer continues to rise, with many of the risk factors for the disease non-modifiable, potentially modifiable risk factors such as diet are of interest," Dr. Sarah Brennan of Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, who led the analysis, noted in an email to Reuters Health.
It's estimated that more than 120 out of every 100,000 American women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, yielding a lifetime risk of about 1 in 8. The idea that diet might influence these numbers is not new; yet solid evidence for such a link has remained elusive.
Lisa Cochran, left, and fiancé, Jerrid Fowler, pose with newborn Derrik in May 2009
It wasn't a long walk to Lisa Cochran's car in the Costco parking lot, but by the time she got there her infant son was near death.
Cochran and her grandmother had just enjoyed a hot dog at the Salem, Oregon, wholesale outlet.
She had 7-day-old Derrik out of his baby carrier as she ate and people at nearby tables asked about the infant's age and expressed amazement that Cochran was already out and about after the pregnancy.
© Wikimedia Commons
Not always. Some fruits' and vegetables' thick skins do protect the edible part from chemicals. But not all. The Environmental Working Group recently analyzed samples of 47 common produce items in the state that they're usually eaten (i.e., avocados were peeled, apples washed with water, etc.) then ranked them according to the amount and variety of pesticides the researchers found. Good news for my guac addiction: As I suspected, peeled avocados contain a small amount of pesticides, ranking 46th on the list. But bananas come in at a surprisingly high 27, and cucumbers at 19. "It's really hard to use your intuition to figure out what's going to have high pesticide loads," says EWG spokesperson Amy Rosenthal. "Skin is something to take into account, but it doesn't always make a huge difference."
Most babies should take a daily vitamin D supplement, a new study shows.
That will be a big change for most parents - and even many pediatricians.
Only 1% to 13% of infants under 1 year now get a vitamin D supplement, available in inexpensive drops, according to a study published online today in Pediatrics.
Those drops are needed, the study says, because only 5% to 37% of American infants met the standard for vitamin D set by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2008: 400 international units a day.
Vitamin D strengthens bone and the immune system and also appears to prevent type 1 diabetes, heart disease and cancer, the paper says.
That will be a big change for most parents - and even many pediatricians.
Only 1% to 13% of infants under 1 year now get a vitamin D supplement, available in inexpensive drops, according to a study published online today in Pediatrics.
Those drops are needed, the study says, because only 5% to 37% of American infants met the standard for vitamin D set by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2008: 400 international units a day.
Vitamin D strengthens bone and the immune system and also appears to prevent type 1 diabetes, heart disease and cancer, the paper says.
Comment: See related articles on Mediterranean Diet:
Mediterranean Diet May Be Key To Avoiding Stroke, Dementia
Researchers Reluctantly Admit Mediterranean Diet Beats Diabetes Drugs for Controlling Blood Sugar
Association Between Mediterranean Diet and Reduced Risk of Depression
Mediterranean-Style Diet Good for Health, Studies Show
Longer Life with Mediterranean Diet
Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Risk of Cognitive Impairment
Mediterranean Diet Enriched With Nuts Cuts Heart Risks