healthbriefs
Hot Flashes Signal Good News W
omen who have experienced hot flashes and oth- er menopausal symptoms may have as much as
a 50 percent lower risk of developing the most common forms of breast cancer than postmenopausal women who have never had such symptoms, according to a new study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Commenting on the study, breast cancer Oncologist
Dr. Stefan Gluck, of the University of Miami’s Sylves- ter Comprehensive Cancer Center, observes that the reduction in risk evidently linked to a natural decrease in estrogen is substantial. “At age 50, a woman has on
Chemical Alert A
average, a 2 percent risk of getting breast cancer; so if she experiences menopausal symptoms, the risk is suddenly only 1 percent,” he says.
ccording to a new study from the University of California–San Francisco, the bodies of virtually all U.S. pregnant women carry multiple manmade chemicals. Some of those counted are found in flame retardants now banned in many states; some were used in the DDT pesticide that was banned nationwide in 1972. Other chemicals of concern continue to be used in non-stick cook- ware, packaging of processed foods such as metal cans, and personal care products. Because chemicals can cross from the mother through the placenta and enter the fetus, exposure during fetal develop- ment is problematic. The re- searchers note that prior studies have shown that such exposure increases the risk of preterm birth, birth defects and child- hood morbidity, as well as adult diseases and earlier mortality. The new study marks the first time that the number of chemi- cals that pregnant women are exposed to has been counted; it analyzed for a total of 163 pos- sible chemicals.
10
MORE REASONS TO SEE A DENTIST REGULARLY
A
study led by a University of California researcher gives women an extra incentive to visit their dentist regularly. Data collected from nearly 7,000 participants suggests that women who receive regular dental care reduce their risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems by at least one-third. The findings, published in the journal Health Economics, compared people who visited the den- tist during the last two years with those who did not.
Dispose of Body Fat Whole Grains H
ere’s yet another reason to switch completely from refined flour prod- ucts to whole grains. In a new study by the Jean Mayer USDA Hu-
man Nutrition Research Center on Aging, at Tufts University, adults who ate three servings of whole grains a day while also eating less than one serving a day of commercially enriched flour products had less of a type of fat tissue that is thought to play a key role in triggering diseases. The fat is known as visceral adipose tissue, or VAT, which surrounds internal organs. The researchers examined 2,834 participants, ages 32 to 83, and
VAT volume was approximately 10 percent lower in the healthy eating group. However, lead study author Nicola McKeown, Ph.D., explains that, “Whole grain consumption did not appear to improve VAT vol- ume if refined grain intake exceeded four or more servings per day. This result infers that it is important to make substitutions in the diet, rather than simply adding whole grain foods. For example, choosing to cook with brown rice instead of white, or making a sandwich with whole grain bread instead of white bread.”
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