Can a Blood Test Help Predict Your Death?

A new study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the European Society of Cardiology Congress discovered a certain enzyme that could be linked to both heart disease and cancer. By measuring this enzyme in blood, it could serve as an early predictor of who is most likely going to die from these health problems.

The study had almost 2,000 participants joined in two separate long-term trials where the researchers measured the level of cathepsin S, an enzyme involved in breaking up proteins. They followed the participants for 12.5 years and found that, “those who have the highest level of cathepsin S were more likely to die than those with lower or half of those levels.”

It is yet to be clear how cathepsin S might be related to heart disease or cancer, but this study is the first to find a marker associated both these leading killers of U.S adults. Overall, it is too early to know if cathepsin S will be handy in predicting who has the greatest risk, but already pharmaceutical companies are keeping their eyes on the progress.

Read the original article here-courtesy of Times Heathland

What do you think of this new study?

–Professional Medical

Taller Women might be more likely to Develop Cancer

A new recent found that taller women are more prone to develop cancer than women who were short. The range of cancers included breast, ovary, uterus, bowel, blood and skin. The researchers studied 1.3 million middle-aged women inBritainbetween 1996 and 2001 which was part of the Million Women Study. The women ranged between 5 feet 1 inch to 5 feet 10 inches, averaging around 5 feet 5 inches. Over an average follow-up of 10 years, the women who were the taller end of the range developed more cancers than those who were shorter.

The researchers found that the cancer risk increased by 16% for every 4 inch increase in height despite her ‘birth year, socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption, physical activity level and other factors typically linked to cancer risk.” Researchers have not found the reasons why taller women are more prone to develop cancer, but predict that it maybe because of higher levels of growth-related hormones.

What do you think of this study?

Read original article here by Times Health Land

New study shows more men than women die of almost every type of cancer

It has always been known for years that men die of cancer more often than women, but this is the first that a new study was able to analyze individual cancers and study the sex differences. The journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention used data from 1977 to 2006 by cancer registries across the U.S and found out 33 out of the 36 cancer types that were reviewed, men died more than women. The three cancer types that women died more of are peritoneum, omentum, and mesentery cancer, gall bladder cancer, and cancer of the anus, anal canal, and anorectuum.  All three cancer types are exceptionally rare.

The study does not explain the causes of men’s higher cancer incidence, because it is not clear. These are the top five biggest disparities cancer deaths rates found in the study (they are all rare as well):

1. Cancer of the lip: 5.51 men died for every one woman
2. Cancer of the larynx: 5.37 med died for every one woman
3. Cancer of the hypopharynx: 4.47 men died for every one woman
4. Cancer of the esophagus: 4.08 men died fore very one woman
5. Cancer of the bladder: 3.36 men died for every woman

Read original article here

What do you think of the new study?

How to cut out cancer from outdoor grilling

Grilling is very popular in the United States during the summer, but it does come with some health consequences.  We have heard the warnings about the increased cancer risk from eating grilled meat. AARP wrote a great article explaining how to cut down on the risk of cancer from your meat.

Dietitian Alice Bender, spokeswoman for the American Institute for Cancer Research, says the solution is what you cook and how you choose to cook it–always be aware of charring or burning the meat when you are grilling. Vicki Piper, senior clinical dietitian at Anderson, recommends cooking your meat slowly and at low heat, because high heat can cause carcinogenic substances to form in the meat.

Here are some tips:

1. Marinade— By marinating the meat, it has a strong protective effect against cancer-causing compounds since the liquid helps prevent burning. Vinegar or lemon juice along with herbs such as rosemary, tarragon, and sage has the best effect against them. Plus, they make the meat more flavorful!
2. Precook food—Attempt cooking the meat, poultry, or fish for a couple of minutes in the microwave before putting them on the grill. The less time on the grill equals the less contact to cancer-causing chemicals.
3. Avoid flare-ups— Try to trim the excess fat so that it doesn’t drip and cause smoke and flare-ups which can burn your meat.
4. Skip on the processed meat— Processed meats such as hot dogs can lead to an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Researchers are not sure what causes it, but predicts it might be the nitrites or the nitrates added as preservatives or something that occurs during the processing.

Click here for some more tips & original article!

Remember to clean your grill after or before using to prevent char bits sticking to your meat.

Happy Grilling!