Mammograms Carry Cancer Risk T
here is growing evidence that mammograms, which are the primary screening tool for breast cancer, may cause it. Scientists have long known that radiation causes cancer, and now research published in the British Journal of Radiobiology reports that the so-called “low-energy X-rays” used in mam- mography are four to six times more likely to cause breast cancer than conventional high-energy X-rays because the low-energy variety causes more mutational damage to cells. Mammograms led to a 30 percent rate of over-diagnosis and overtreatment, according to a study published in the Cochrane Review. Researchers wrote in the study, “This means that for every 2,000 women invited for screening throughout 10 years, one will have her life prolonged and 10 healthy women, who would not have been diagnosed if there had not been screening, will be treated unnecessar- ily. Furthermore, more than 200 women will experience important psychological distress for many months because of false positive findings.” Many women and functional medicine doctors are now choosing non-inva-
sive and radiation-free annual thermograms as a safer alternative. Those at high risk for breast cancer may choose to do periodic MRI screenings, a recommenda- tion supported by research at Britain’s University Hospitals Birmingham.
More Bok Choy, Less Ice Cream Boosts Breast Health C
howing down on cruciferous veggies reduces the risk of recur- ring breast cancer, say Vanderbilt University researchers, while consuming too many high-fat dairy products produces an oppo- site effect, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The paper on veggies presented at the American Association for Cancer Research showed that the more cruciferous vegetables a woman ate in the first two years after her breast cancer diagno- sis, the lower was her risk of the cancer returning or death from the original cancer. Eating broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy and cab- bage worked to reduce the rate of recurring breast cancer by 35 per- cent and the risk of death in the following nine years by 62 percent. On the other side of the coin, the NCI study showed that wom- en treated for early stage breast cancer that regularly ate one or more
servings of high-fat milk, cheese, yogurt or ice cream increased their risk of dying of breast cancer by 44 percent and of earlier death from all causes by 64 percent.
T
VITAMIN C HALVES COLDS IN ATHLETES
aking vitamin C before engaging in physically demanding activities helps keep colds away for people that are heavy
exercisers, say Finnish researchers at the University of Helsinki. While their meta-study showed that non- exercisers that took vitamin C daily gained little or no protection from colds, the story for marathoners, competitive skiers and soldiers on subarctic assign- ments was much different. The study, published in the Cochrane Review, found that the 598 heavy exercisers cut their risk of colds in half.
January 2014 13
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