Breastfeeding linked to lower risk of breast cancer recurrence

Washington, April 29 (ANI): Women who have breastfed in the past face 30 percent reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence, claims a new study.
According to a new Kaiser Permanente study, there was also protective effect of breastfeeding was more pronounced for tumors of particular genetic subtypes, including the most commonly diagnosed of all breast cancers.
Lead author Marilyn L. Kwan, PhD, said that the study, which involved 1,636 women with breast cancer, was the first one where they were aware of that examined the role of breastfeeding history in cancer recurrence, and by tumor subtype.
The researchers found there to be benefits of breastfeeding on expected outcomes among women who were diagnosed with the luminal A subtype of breast cancer, while no significant associations were observed for those with other subtypes. Luminal A tumors include the estrogen-receptor positive (or ER+) breast tumors, which are the most commonly diagnosed of all breast cancers. These tumors are less likely to metastasize, are treatable with hormonal therapy such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, and generally have better outcomes.
In addition to this women who breastfed were also 28 percent less likely to die from the disease.
Kwan noted that the research showed that breastfeeding had benefits for babies as well as moms. "In fact, the protection was even stronger for women who had a history of breastfeeding for 6 months or more."
The study is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Breast Cancer , Breasts , Care , Medical , Mother

Breastfeeding linked to lower risk of breast cancer recurrence

Unknown Thursday, April 30, 2015

Majority of women unaware of female-specific stroke symptoms

Washington, April 28 (ANI): It turns out that most women don't know many female-centric symptoms and risks of strokes.
A national survey of 1,000 women by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center released in time for Stroke Awareness Month found that only 11 percent of women could correctly identify pregnancy, lupus, migraine headaches and oral contraception or hormone replacement therapy as female-specific stroke risks.
The survey also found that only 10 percent were aware that hiccups combined with atypical chest pain are among the early warning signs of a stroke in women when accompanied by or followed by typical stroke symptoms.
According to the National Stroke Association, stroke is the third leading cause of death for women.
Dr. Diana Greene-Chandos said that things like pregnancy, hormone replacement therapy and even something as trivial as a case of the hiccups could all play an important role when it comes to strokes in women, and there was a need to be more aware of it.
Some risk factors are the same for both women and men, including smoking, not exercising or having a blood pressure higher than 140/90. Other stroke risk factors for men and women include having a hemoglobin A1C of more than 7 if you are already diabetic, or 5.7 if not; as well as having a LDL cholesterol of less than 100 if you are without additional stroke risks, or less than 70 with additional stroke risks, particularly diabetes, she said.
Greene-Chandos added that both women and men should focus keeping their blood pressure under 140/90, because having high blood pressure consistently puts people at risk for having a stroke.
But symptoms of stroke can be different for women, and may include hiccups, dizziness that is not classic vertigo, headaches, atypical chest pain and/or numbness of the entire body with one side being more numb than the other.
Greene-Chandos, who is also a member of Ohio State's Neurological Institute, said that pregnancy also increased the risk of stroke, particularly in the final months and the immediate period after delivering the child.
Recognizing a stroke quickly and seeking medical help immediately is crucial. Treatment with a clot-busting drug is only consistently an option within three hours of the onset of the stroke.
The Ohio State survey also found that nearly half of all women said they don't know what problems females face after stroke. In addition to nerve damage and problems swallowing, depression is common among women and often keeps them from getting the rehab that is vital to their recovery, Greene-Chandos said. (ANI)

Blood pressure , Females , Stroke , Symptoms , Women

Majority of women unaware of female-specific stroke symptoms

Unknown Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Chili peppers can help prevent liver damage

Washington, Apr 24 (ANI): A new study has explored that active compound of chili peppers was found to have beneficial effects on liver damage.
The study conducted by European Association for the Study of the Liver found out that capsaicin was found to reduce the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in mice models. HSCs are the major cell type involved in liver fibrosis, which is the formation of scar tissue in response to liver damage.
CCl4 is an inorganic compound that was widely used in fire extinguishers, as a precursor to refrigerants and as a cleaning agent. It is now known to be one of the most potent hepatotoxins.
The study demonstrates that capsaicin partially improved liver damage in the BDL mice and inhibited further progression of the injury and in the second group of CCl4-treated mice, capsaicin prevented livers from injury development but did not reduce the fibrosis when it was already established. (ANI)

Care , Chili Peppers , Health , Liver

Chili peppers can help prevent liver damage

Unknown Sunday, April 26, 2015

Excessive intake of vitamins can lead to Cancer

Washington, Apr 21 (ANI): A new research has examined that excess use of vitamins and dietary supplements can increase the risk of cancer.
The study conducted by University of Colorado Denver suggested that over-the-counter supplements may actually increase cancer risk if taken in excess of the recommended daily amount.
Tim Byers, associate director for cancer prevention and control at the CU Cancer Center asserted that they were not sure why this was happening at the molecular level but evidence showed that people who take more dietary supplements than needed tend to have a higher risk of developing cancer.
One trial exploring the effects of beta-keratin supplements showed that taking more than the recommended dosage increased the risk for developing both lung cancer and heart disease by 20 percent. Folic acid, which was thought to help reduce the number of polyps in a colon, actually increased the number in another trial.
Byers asserted that when they first tested dietary supplements in animal models they found that the results were promising and eventually they were able to move on to the human populations.
He continued that people can get the daily recommended doses of vitamins and minerals in their diets by eating healthy meal and that many adults who take vitamin supplements may not need them.
Byers concluded that at the end of the day they have discovered that taking extra vitamins and minerals did more harm than good. (ANI)

Cancer , Care , Health , Vitamins

Excessive intake of vitamins can lead to Cancer

Unknown Tuesday, April 21, 2015