Mediterranean Diet Reduces the Symptoms of Menopause
April 21, 2013 by admin
Filed under A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Cooking Oils, Healthy Diet, Heart Disease Risk, Hot Flashes, Mediterranean Diet, Menopausal Symptoms, Menopause, Night Sweats, Nutrition, Olive Oil, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Processed Meat, Red Meat, Saturated Fat, Sausage, Trans-Fats, Unsaturated Fat, Weekly Health Update, Western Diet, cancer risk, cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular disease risk, cooking oil, coronary artery disease, fruits, health, heart attack, heart disease, lifestyle, meat, myocardial infarction, prevention, risk, stroke, triglycerides, vegetables, whole grains
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A new study finds that following the Mediterranean diet significantly reduces the hot flashes and night sweats of menopause.
MEDITERRANEAN DIET REDUCES THE SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE I have written extensively about the Mediterranean diet, and the lower risk of cancer and heart disease associated with this diet. In general, a Mediterranean diet is rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and poultry. The use of unsaturated cooking oils, like olive oil and canola oil, and the avoidance of saturated fats, are also hallmarks of a Mediterranean diet, as is the decreased intake of red meat, processed meats, and dairy products. Now, a newly published prospective clinical research study suggests that adhering to a Mediterranean diet may also significantly decrease hot flashes and night sweats in women who have gone through menopause. This new study appears in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The Australian Longitudinal Study included 6,040 women who had gone through menopause, and this very large group of study volunteers was then followed every 3 years, for a total of 9 years. Based upon extensive analysis of the diets and menopausal symptoms of these research volunteers, the researchers found that the volunteers who most consistently adhered to a Mediterranean diet were 20 percent less likely to have hot flashes and night sweats when compared to the women who did not follow a Mediterranean-type diet. Similarly, the women who regularly consumed the largest amount of fruit in their diet were 19 percent less likely to experience menopausal symptoms, when compared to the volunteers who consumed the least amount of fruit. Moreover, the women who consumed the highest amount of fat and sugar in their diet were 23 percent more likely to experience hot flashes and night sweats when compared to the volunteers who consumed the least amount of fat and sugar. The findings of this interesting study offer women who are struggling with post-menopausal hot flashes and night sweats a natural (and healthy) alternative to the medications that are currently prescribed for the relief of these symptoms (and which are, unfortunately, not highly effective). At the same time, switching to a Mediterranean diet to help manage your symptoms of menopause will also help to lower your risk of developing both cancer and cardiovascular disease! (As I discuss in my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, living an evidence-based cancer prevention lifestyle not only reduces your risk of dying from cancer, but also reduces your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease at the same time.)
For a groundbreaking overview of cancer risks, and evidence-based strategies to reduce your risk of developing cancer, order your copy of my bestselling book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Vroman’s Bookstore, and other fine bookstores! Within one week of publication, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was ranked #6 among all cancer-related books on the Amazon.com “Top 100 Bestseller’s List” for Kindle e-books. Within three months of publication, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was the #1 book on the Amazon.com “Top 100 New Book Releases in Cancer” list.
Additional Links for Robert A. Wascher, MD, FACS Profile of Dr. Wascher by Oncology Times Bio of Dr. Wascher at Cancer Treatment Centers of America Dr. Wascher Discusses Predictions of Decreased Cancer Risk on azfamily.com Dr. Wascher Discusses Environmental Risk Factors for Breast Cancer on Sharecare Dr. Wascher Answers Questions About Cancer on talkabouthealth.com Dr. Wascher Discusses Cancer Prevention Strategies on LIVESTRONG Dr. Wascher Discusses Cancer Prevention on Newsmax Dr. Wascher Answers Questions About Cancer Risk & Cancer Prevention on The Doctors Radio Show Dr. Wascher Discusses Lymphedema After Breast Surgery on cancerlynx.com Dr. Wascher Discusses Hormone Replacement Therapy & Breast Cancer Risk on cancerlynx.com Dr. Wascher Discusses Chronic Pain After Mastectomy for Breast Cancer on cancerlynx.com Dr. Wascher Discusses Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy for Cancer on cancersupportivecare.com Dr. Wascher Discusses the Role of Exercise in Cancer Prevention on Open Salon Dr. Wascher Discusses Aspirin as a Potential Preventive Agent for Pancreatic Cancer on eHealth Forum Dr. Wascher Discusses Obesity & Cancer Risk on eHealth Forum Dr. Wascher Discusses the Role of Radiation Therapy in the Treatment of Breast Cancer on Sharecare Dr. Wascher Discusses the Treatment of Stomach Cancer on Sharecare Dr. Wascher Discusses the Management of Metastatic Cancer of the Liver on Sharecare Dr. Wascher Discusses Obesity & Cancer Risk on hopenavigators.com Dr. Wascher Discusses Hormone Replacement Therapy & Breast Cancer Risk on interactmd.com Dr. Wascher Discusses Thyroid Cancer on health2fit.com
Links to Other Breaking Health News Recent Advances in Prosthetic Limbs to Help Boston Marathon Bombing Victims Spiny New Bandage May Speed Healing of Skin Wounds Study Confirms that Men Really Do Have Trouble Reading the Thoughts of Women Deadly new Bird Flu Strain Cases Continue to Rise Abdominal Fat Increases Kidney Disease Risk Increasing Dietary Potassium & Decreasing Salt Intake Reduces Stroke Risk A New Explanation for the Link Between Red Meat & Cardiovascular Disease Deadly New Bird Flu Identified in China Infection Risk: Keeping an Eye on Your Dentist Couple Loses 500 Pounds in Two Years Coffee May Reduce Crash Risk for Long-Distance Drivers Tiny Implant Tells Your Smart Phone When You Are Having A Heart Attack Transplanted Kidney Causes Death Due to Rabies Eating While Distracted Increases Calorie Intake Resistant Bacteria are on the Rise High Levels of Stress Linked to an Increase in Heart Disease Risk Small Snacks Cut Hunger as Well as Big Snacks Poor Sleep May Increase the Risk of Heart Failure Ancient Mummies Found to Have Heart Disease by CT Scan Physically Fit Kids Do Better on Math & Reading Tests How Melanoma Skin Cancer Evades the Immune System Possible Link Between BPA and Asthma Baby Boomers Appear Less Healthy Than Their Parents The Biology of Love in the Brain Millennials May be the Most Stressed-Out Generation Even Modest Alcohol Intake Raises Cancer Risk Why Do Boys Receive Lower Grades than Girls? Negative Emotions and Feelings Can Damage Your Health Canker Sore Drug Cures Obesity (At Least in Mice…) How Technology is Changing the Practice of Medicine New Salt Intake Guidelines for Children High Levels of Distress in Childhood May Increase Risk of Heart Disease in Adulthood Quitting Tobacco by Age 40 Restores a Normal Lifespan in Smokers Cancer Death Rates Continue to Fall Self-Help Books Improve Depression Marines Try Mindfulness and Meditation to Reduce PTSD Dying Nurse Volunteers Herself to Teach Nursing Students about the Dying Falling Asleep While Driving More Common than Previously Thought Celebrity Health Fads Debunked Obesity Among Young Children May Be Declining Fresh Fruits & Vegetables May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk Satisfaction with Life May Actually Increase with Age Brain Changes in the Elderly May Increase Susceptibility to Being Scammed
Dr. Wascher’s latest video:  Dark as Night, Part 1 At this time, more than 8 percent of Americans are unemployed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, the unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty between September 2001 and December 2011 is more than 12 percent. A new website, Veterans in Healthcare, seeks to connect veterans with potential employers. If you are a veteran who works in the healthcare field, or if you are an employer who is looking for physicians, advanced practice professionals, nurses, corpsmen/medics, or other healthcare professionals, then please take a look at Veterans in Healthcare. As a retired veteran of the U.S. Army, I would also like to personally urge you to hire a veteran whenever possible. Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author
I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people from around the world who visit this premier global health information website every month. Over the past 12 months, more than 2.9 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious readers. As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can.
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Dietary Fiber and Colon and Rectal Cancer Prevention
November 13, 2011 by admin
Filed under Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Colorectal Cancer, Dietary Fiber, Nutrition, Weekly Health Update, colon cancer, diet, fiber, fruits, rectal cancer, vegetables, whole grains
Welcome to Weekly Health Update
A large new meta-analysis study indicates that a diet rich in whole grain foods significantly decreases colorectal cancer risk
DIETARY FIBER AND COLON AND RECTAL CANCER PREVENTION For many years, it was widely believed that a diet rich in fiber, and rich in fresh fruits and vegetables in particular, significantly reduced the risk of developing colorectal cancer. However, more recent public health studies have called this assumption into question. As I extensively discuss in my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, there is ample clinical evidence that a so-called Mediterranean diet, which does include large amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables (as well as foods rich in unprocessed whole grains), dramatically reduces the risk of colorectal cancer and other GI tract cancers. Now, a landmark new meta-analysis research study provides important new evidence that certain high-fiber foods may, indeed, be associated with a significantly reduced risk of colorectal cancer. This comprehensive research study appears in the current issue of the British Medical Journal. In this huge meta-analysis, 25 prospectively conducted public health studies, including 14,500 study volunteers, were analyzed; and the findings of this large clinical study may explain why recent large public health studies have not been able to confirm that a diet rich in all types of fiber can reduce colorectal cancer risk. In this meta-analysis study, dietary fiber from fruit and vegetable intake did not appear to significantly reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer. However, whole grain foods, including cereals rich in whole grains, did appear to significantly reduce colorectal cancer risk. In fact, for each 10 grams of whole grain fiber consumed per day, colorectal cancer risk was reduced by a very significant 10 percent. Among research volunteers who consumed at least three servings of whole grains each day, the risk of developing colorectal cancer was reduced by 17 percent. The health implications of this meta-analysis study are highly significant. First of all, the authors of this study included only prospectively conducted public health studies in their analysis, thus eliminating some of the major limitations associated with the more common retrospective “case control” studies that make up the majority of public health studies on diet and disease prevention. (As I have often mentioned, retrospective case control and case series studies are very often flawed by “recall bias,” wherein the data that is collected is based purely upon the recollections of volunteers recruited into such studies.) Secondly, the findings of this meta-analysis are supported by higher level research studies that have found that highly refined grains and cereals are stripped of important cancer-preventing nutrients and bulk fiber during processing. While fresh fruits and vegetables (and brightly colored and dark green leafy vegetables in particular) have been shown by other studies to reduce overall cancer risk, this landmark meta-analysis study appears to reconcile the contradictory findings of previous cancer prevention studies regarding the impact of dietary fiber intake on, specifically, colorectal cancer risk. Based upon the findings of this very important study, a diet rich in unprocessed, or minimally, processed, whole grain foods appears to significantly protect against colorectal cancer. (For a much broader and deeper review of evidence-based approaches to cancer prevention, see my book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race.) For a groundbreaking overview of cancer risks, and evidence-based strategies to reduce your risk of developing cancer, order your copy of my new book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million,Vroman’s Bookstore, and other fine bookstores! On Thanksgiving Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was ranked #6 among all cancer-related books on the Amazon.com “Top 100 Bestseller’s List” for Kindle e-books! On Christmas Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was the #1 book on the Amazon.com “Top 100 New Book Releases in Cancer” list! Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people, from around the world, who visit this premier global health information website every month. (More than 1.2 million health-conscious people visited Weekly Health Update in 2010!) As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can.
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Fruits and Vegetables Improve Memory
September 28, 2010 by admin
Filed under Nutrition, Weekly Health Update, cognitive function, cruciferous vegetables, dementia, diet, health, memory, mushrooms
Welcome to Weekly Health Update“A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers”
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IMPROVE MEMORY A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and low in meat and other animal products, has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of those top two killers, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Now, a newly published public health study, from Norway, suggests eating your fruits and veggies may also be good for your brain, as well. In this study, which appears in the current issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, 2,013 research volunteers between the ages of 70 and 74 underwent extensive cognitive testing and evaluation of their dietary habits. Overall, memory and other higher cognitive functions were significantly improved among those patient volunteers who consumed the most fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, and mushrooms. Among these foods, the frequent intake of both fruits and vegetables (up to 500 grams per day) was, specifically, linked to the highest level of cognitive function in these older men and women. Further study of dietary preferences revealed that cruciferous vegetables (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy, among others), carrots, citrus fruits, and whole-grain breads were the foods most closely associated with improved cognitive function. (On the other hand, white bread consumption was associated with decreased levels of cognitive function!) This interesting little study, therefore, suggests that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (and cruciferous vegetables and carrots, in particular) may help to preserve memory, and other higher cognitive functions, in the aging brain. The findings of this study are especially interesting in view of the rapidly aging populations of many countries around the world, including the United States.
For an evidence-based review of the critical importance of diet in a cancer prevention lifestyle, order your copy of my new landmark book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” from Amazon or Barnes & Noble!
Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, a professor of surgery, a cancer researcher, an oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link:
I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people, from around the world, who visit this premier global health information website every month. (As of 9/16/2010, more than 1,000,000 health-conscious people have logged onto Weekly Health Update so far this year!) As always, I enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can. |
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