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 OBESITY LINKED TO NINE TYPES OF CANCER
Excess Weight
May Contribute to 20% of Cancer Deaths
Among the
myriad health risks raised by obesity, heart disease and diabetes
are usually the first to come to mind. But as a paper published in
last month's Nature Reviews makes clear, fat also increases the risk of developing cancers of
the colon, breast, uterus, kidney, esophagus, pancreas, gallbladder
and stomach. Among its conclusions, the review of more than 200
epidemiological sources suggests overeating may be the biggest
avoidable cause of cancer in nonsmokers.
The extent to which
weight makes a difference varies by the type of cancer and also by
gender. Being overweight can mean up to two times the risk of
developing colon cancer for men, while women's risk is increased 20%
to 50%. But the largest obesity-related cancer only affects women: A
heavy woman has twice the risk -- and an obese woman up to five
times the risk -- of developing uterine cancer than a lean
woman.
Just how fat cells spur cancer growth is something
scientists are only now beginning to figure out. "Fat cells are not
just static storage depots," observes American Cancer Society
epidemiologist Eugenia Calle, co-author of the review. Complicating
the picture is the fact that different kinds of fat cells spur tumor
growth in different ways. The suspected mechanisms range from
adipose-induced inflammation to overproduction of certain hormones
to insulin regulation.
The good news is that unlike factors
beyond our control -- genetic predispositions to certain cancers,
for example -- obesity is largely preventable. A low-fat,
complex-carbohydrate diet rich in fruits and vegetables has proven
to be the most reliable and safest way to maintain a healthy weight
over time. What's more, the antioxidants contained in fruits and
vegetables are key to neutralizing cancer-causing free radicals,
while fiber and other nutrients also play anti-carcinogenic
supporting roles.
PUSH IT GOOD!
"Trim Trolley" Lets You Exercise While
You Shop
I want one! The high-tech "Trim Trolley"
shopping cart is outfitted with the same kind of heart-rate sensors
and resistance settings that you'd find on a snazzy piece of cardio
equipment, except that instead of plodding nowhere on a treadmill,
you get to jog around the produce department.
Wheeeee!
OK, so it may not be for everyone except us
fitness freaks, however those who spend a little too much time in
the baked goods section and a lot less time at the gym are probably
the ones who need it most. The German-engineered shopping cart
(making its debut in a British grocery chain) allows shoppers to see
how many calories they're burning while shopping and can even
increase the cart resistance to burn 280 calories or more per
40-minute trip.
Even if users don't opt to shop until they
drop, the makers of the fitness-themed cardio-cart hope their
product will at least make people more mindful of their food
choices, encouraging them to reach for the healthy fruits and
vegetables over high-calorie foods. For parents and busy
professionals who have a hard time squeezing in workouts and
errands, Trim Trolley could help them combine both.
While we
wait for this Teutonic fitness technology to make its way across the
Atlantic, there's a simple way to use your cart to burn more
calories: return it after you load the car. Here's another idea:
Park your car in the first space you find, instead of circling the
parking lot for 15 minutes until you find the space right next to
the entrance. Also try curling your hand basket while you wait in
the express line. Ignore the dirty looks of the flabby armed. Your
efforts will soon attract more appreciative attention as admiration
of your buff biceps and trim figure lend new meaning to the checkout
aisle.
LANCET LOOKS AT LOW-CARB SIDE EFFECTS
Suggests Diet
Does Damage Down the Road
The prestigious medical
journal, The Lancet, weighed in on the popular, yet
controversial, low-carb craze with a survey reporting those
side-effects most frequently suffered following the high-fat,
high-protein regimen. Danish obesity expert Dr. Arne Astrup
concluded that headaches, muscle fatigue, foul breath, constipation
and diarrhea are reported more often by Atkins dieters than by
those on low-fat diets.
After evaluating evidence from about
60 studies, Dr. Astrup found the majority of low-carb dieters
suffered side effects which, he warned, may suggest long-term
consequences: "I think the symptoms are signs that something is
wrong." Constipation and headaches, for example, may be attributable
to lack of fruit and vegetable consumption -- foods which may help
lower the risk of cancer, cardiovascular and other kinds of
disease.
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 PINEAPPLE ENZYME ASTHMA RELIEF
Breathe Easy with
Bromelain
Researchers recently announced results of
an animal trial in which the pineapple enzyme bromelain appeared to reduce
inflammation associated with asthma. Study author Dr. Eric Secor
of the University of Connecticut Health Center is developing a trial
to investigate whether similar benefits extend to human subjects. If
successful, the findings could represent a breakthrough for millions
of asthma sufferers.
Bromelain is an enzyme found in the
juice and stem of the pineapple plant. Though the asthma studies
have thus far focused on supplementation, nutrients found in their
natural state often have protective, synergistic interactions with
other whole food compounds that can be lost in
isolation.
Pineapple also is an excellent source of the
antioxidant vitamin C, which also may help asthmatics. A study
conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found
asthma sufferers had lower serum levels of vitamin C and
beta-cryptoxanthin than participants without asthma. Blend some
pineapple chunks and canned pumpkin (for beta-cryptoxanthin), with
ice, soy milk, protein powder and a dash of pumpkin pie spice to
treat taste buds (and soothe lungs) with this super-easy, superfood
smoothie.
Most importantly, when it comes to lowering
asthma-risk, watch your weight. In one three-year French study of
67,229 women, those who had gained more than 20 pounds between
puberty and adulthood had 66% higher risk of the chronic breathing
disorder.
Researchers speculate that the inflammatory effect
of higher levels of estrogen and leptin associated with excess
weight might interfere with the functioning of muscle cells lining
the lungs and air passages. Double whammy: Asthma induced by weight
problems makes it even more difficult to draw the oxygen you need to
carry that extra heft around.
SAY "NO" TO AN EXTRA CUP OF JOE
Coffee Habit Could
Raise Risk of Bladder Cancer, Heart Disease
Dutch
researchers have found that drinking four or more cups of coffee a day may elevate
blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that raises your
risk of heart disease. The Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences
fingered chlorogenic acid -- found in all kinds of coffee, including
decaf -- as the likely culprit.
Other recently published
research suggests men who drink four or more cups of coffee increase their risk of
bladder cancer, an association that increased with the amount
consumed. A study in the journal Chronic Diseases of Canada
found that a four-or-more-cups-a-day coffee habit doubled men's
risk of developing bladder cancer. What's more, lead scientist
Anne-Marie Ugnat suggests that "33 percent of bladder cancers among
men could have been prevented by elimination of coffee
consumption."
What to do? One super-healthy solution would be
to switch to tea. We enumerated the many amazing benefits of green tea in the April 19
issue of the DNN, and more news about green, black and now white tea
has made headlines since.
Taiwanese researchers found that
folks who drank two and a half cups of tea a day had lower blood
pressure than non-tea-drinkers. Benefits accrued to both black
and green tea consumption -- but not herbal varieties -- lowering
hypertension risk by nearly 50%. Another study by the same
university found that habitual tea drinkers had 20% lower body fat and 2%
lower hip-to-waist ratios than tea-abstainers.
Other
findings out of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Beltsville
Human Nutrition Research Center suggest black, green and oolong tea
could be effective tools against diabetes by boosting insulin's
effectiveness. Don't cloud the picture by adding milk, soy milk, or
non-dairy creamer, as these tend to blunt the benefits.
More
sobering results: Compounds contained in green tea could help rehabilitate livers damaged by
excessive alcohol consumption. Animal studies conducted at the
University of Chapel Hill found protective benefits from green tea
extract on alcohol-damaged liver. Another study from the University
of Hong Kong found green tea catechins could reduce inflammation and free
radical damage in the event of liver injury.
White tea
was found to be even more effective than green tea when it comes to
inactivating viruses. Other tea types have been found to help boost
the immune system to fight infection, but Dr. Milton Schiffenbauer,
a microbiologist and professor at Pace University in New York, found
that white tea can actually destroy the organisms that
breed disease in the first place.
If these research
findings aren't reason enough to switch your morning brew from
coffee to tea, how about sparing your colleagues the sour-smelling
coffee breath? A cup of green or black tea contains polyphenols that
may mitigate bad breath after a meal by hampering bacterial growth.
Whereas coffee contains acids that reduce saliva flow and increase
bacteria in the mouth.
So turn over a new (tea) leaf today,
and leave the old grinds behind. Or better yet, recruit them for
beauty duty, as in the do-it-yourself cellulite treatment invented
by Dr. Susan Lark, featured in this issue's Dole Spa.
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 HUFF 'N PUFF TO BUFF 'N TOUGH
12 Reasons to Add
Weight to Your Daily Dozen
Love aerobic exercise but
loathe lifting weights? I was once in your well-worn running shoes.
I didn't need to practice "resistance training" -- I managed to
resist training without even trying.
Like many women, I
thought cardio and flexibility were all I needed, but little did I
know that by being a lightweight I was losing muscle, bone and
lowering my metabolism rate.
This week's observance of National Women's Health & Fitness Day (Sept.
29) provides the perfect opportunity to review the reasons why
regular strength training should be an integral part of your workout
regimen. I'll supply a dozen to give you the impetus to get started.
The results will keep you coming back for more.
12) Lift
Weight to Lose Weight. Believe it or not, resistance work beats
cardio in terms of overall calorie expenditure. Why? Because even
though weight training burns 8 to 10 calories vs. cardio's 10 to 12,
you continue to burn an additional 25% of the previous weight
lifting session's total well after you've tossed in the
towel.
11) Maintain Muscle & Bone. Even if weight
loss is not your goal, strength training is essential to preserve
bone strength and muscle mass as we age. Women who skip weight
lifting entirely will lose five pounds of muscle mass per decade
-- even if they regularly do cardio!
10) Lift Your
Libido. It worked for one-third of peri- and newly-menopausal
women participating in a two-month strength training study. Not only
did 33% report increased sex drive, 40% felt less anxious and a full
50% felt less irritable.
9) Build Lower Back Strength.
In one study by the University of Florida, 80% of subjects
participating in a weight lifting program experienced less lower
back pain than before the training began.
8) Turn Tables
on Time. As you age, decreasing muscle mass lowers your resting
metabolic rate. You can counter this trend with training: For every
three pounds of muscle gained you raise your resting metabolic rate
by 120 calories a day.
7) Better Your Balance.
Strength training helps restore your balance, which, together with
flexibility, can help you avoid those slips and falls that lead to
injury as we age.
6) Beat the Blues. After a 12-week
program of strength training, nearly 90% of seriously depressed
seniors in one Harvard study no longer met the criterion for
clinical depression.
5) Arthritis Relief. In one Tufts
University study, pumping iron was found just as -- if not more --
effective than popping pills when it came to alleviating arthritis
pain.
4) Fifty Reps for Forty Winks. Hit the weights
before hitting the hay and you'll fall asleep more quickly, sleep
more deeply and wake less often. As with other benefits, you'll get
as good, if not better, results without the side effects of
medications.
3) Faster Gut Reaction. One three-month
trial found strength training increased gastrointestinal speed by
56%, improving regularity and decreasing colon cancer
risk.
2) Regulate Blood Pressure. Researchers at the
University of Maryland found six months of strength training helped
those with high blood pressure shift back into the healthy
range.
1) Protect Your Heart. Aerobic exercise is key
for cardiac health, but resistance training has an important role
too. Various studies have demonstrated weighty benefits to lifting
-- like lower levels of cholesterol as well as homocysteine, which
in excess can lead to artery blockage.
With a dozen reasons
to reap the rewards of resistance training, only a real dumbbell
would fail to make weights a regular part of their routine. Be
forewarned, however: Strength training may exacerbate symptoms of
congenital vanity. With seriously cut biceps, chiseled back muscles,
sculpted pectorals and six-pack abs, the one thing you won't
be able to resist is showing off the new buff you.
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Papaya-Mint Sorbet
Serves 6
egg- and
dairy-free
1/4 cup sugar
1 small papaya, about 8 oz.,
peeled, seeded and cut into pieces
2 cups papaya nectar
2
tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced fresh
mint
1. Heat 1 cup papaya nectar with sugar over medium heat,
stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool.
2.
Place remaining nectar and papaya pieces in blender, and process
until smooth. Combine cooled nectar, papaya mixture, ginger and mint
in bowl of ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's
directions. When almost firm, serve or store in plastic freezer
container until ready to use.
Per Serving: 90 cal; 0 g
protein; 0 g total fat (0 sat. fat); 23 g carb.; 0 mg chol; 5 mg
sod.; 1 g fiber
Recipe by Vegetarian Times (June
2003), photo by Renee Comet.
Copyright Vegetarian Times,
LLC.
Reprinted with permission.
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"Latte Lather"
By Dr. Susan Lark
The
secret to subduing your cellulite might lie no farther than your
kitchen pantry. Renowned clinician, author, lecturer and innovative
product developer Dr. Susan Lark is one of the foremost authorities
in the fields of clinical nutrition and preventive medicine. Her free, bi-weekly health updates contain all kinds
of useful information, plus fun beauty recipes, like the natural
ingredients coffee scrub reprinted below.
As Dr. Lark
explains: "One of the best remedies I've seen for using massage to
treat cellulite involves coffee grounds. The grounds not only work
themselves into the dimples and pockets commonly associated with
cellulite, but the caffeine helps to tighten your skin and tissues
by constricting your superficial blood vessels."
Good-bye
venti thighs, take those grinds and
minimize!
Ingredients
3-4 tablespoons fresh coffee
grounds
1 1/2 tablespoons ground almonds
2 teaspoons
peppermint oil
4 teaspoons flaxseed oil
1 teaspoon
Squalane*
1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder
Combine all
ingredients and massage into thighs, buttocks and other problem
areas for several minutes. Rinse off.
*Available at DrLark.com
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