Hold the Bacon: Processed Meats Linked to Early Death

March 10, 2013 by admin
Filed under A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, Atherosclerosis, Atkins diet, Cancer, Cancer Death, Cancer Prevention, Colon Cancer Risk, Colorectal Cancer, Colorectal Cancer Risk, Esophageal Cancer, Fast Food, Fried Foods, Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer, Grilled Meat, Healthy Diet, Metabolic Syndrome, Nutrition, Processed Meat, Prostate Cancer Risk, Red Meat, Risk of Death, Saturated Fat, Weekly Health Update, breast cancer risk, cancer risk, cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, coronary artery disease, death, diabetes, diet, health, heart attack, heart disease, high blood pressure, lifestyle, meat, mortality, myocardial infarction, pancreatic cancer, premature death, prevention, prostate cancer, rectal cancer, sodium, stomach cancer, stroke, survival, whole grains

Fish Oil Improves Memory, Reduces Diabetes and Heart Disease Risk Factors

January 27, 2013 by admin
Filed under Arterial Function, Atherosclerosis, Blood Sugar, Cognition, Fish, Fish Oil, Fitness, Hypertension, Lipids, Mental Health, Nutrition, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Supplements, Weekly Health Update, brain health, cardiovascular disease, cognitive function, dementia, diabetes, fat, health, heart disease, high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, lifestyle, memory, prevention, triglycerides

Chronic Anxiety and Depression Significantly Increase the Risk of Early Death

A large new study suggests that chronic anxiety and depression are associated with a higher risk of premature death than was previously appreciated.

CHRONIC ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE RISK OF EARLY DEATH

As I discuss in my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, most previous research studies have suggested only rather weak links between chronic stress and cancer risk, although there is some data linking chronic depression with breast cancer risk. However, in view of the increasing number of people around the world who are currently experiencing chronic anxiety and depression during these economically and geopolitically troubled times, the findings of a new public health study that psychological distress significantly increases the risk of premature death from serious illnesses, including cancer, is concerning. This new study appears in the current issue of the British Medical Journal.

Altogether, 68,222 adults in Great Britain were followed for an average of more than 8 years within the prospectively conducted Health Survey for England study. All of these study participants were clinically free of serious physical illness when they first joined this very large public health study. All of the participants in this study were assessed for psychological stress using a validated assessment questionnaire, which was administered in their homes by research staff. Subsequently, the incidence of serious physical illnesses during the course of this study was then correlated with the degree of measured psychological distress. The rather dramatic findings of this large prospective public health study illustrate the magnitude of the impact of chronic, severe stress on our bodies, including the risk of premature death due to stress-associated physical illnesses.

After adjusting for preexisting serious physical illnesses, lifestyle-associated risk factors for serious illnesses, and socioeconomic factors known to be linked to chronic, serious illnesses, this study still identified a highly significant increase in the risk of premature death associated with the extent of psychological distress among volunteers in this very large study. When the “psychological distress score” was compared with death rates, having a score of 1 to 3 (compared to a score of “0,” which reflects no evidence of psychological distress) was associated with a 20 percent increase in the risk of premature death. A psychological stress score of 4 to 6 was associated with a 43 percent increase in the risk of early death, while a distress score of 7 to 12 was associated with a whopping 94 percent increase in the risk of premature death when compared to study volunteers who were without evidence of any significant psychological distress!

Upon further analysis, death due to cardiovascular disease and other non-cancer causes increased significantly, and proportionally, with each increase in the psychological distress score. Cancer-associated deaths also increased with rising psychological distress scores, although this association was only observed among volunteers with significantly elevated distress scores. However, for non-cancer causes of death, the risk of premature death was significantly elevated with evenmild increases in psychological distress.

The potential impact of this study’s findings are highly significant, as they not only reveal a “dose-dependent” relationship between stress levels and the risk of premature death from serious physical illnesses, but the sheer magnitude of the impact of high levels of chronic anxiety and depression on the risk of premature death is much higher, potentially, than has been observed in previous and much smaller studies.

Although this study was not designed to identify the biological mechanisms whereby prolonged periods of increased psychological distress lead to early death, numerous prior studies have shown that chronic depression and anxiety can directly activate an inflammatory response in humans which, in turn, is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, infection, and cancer, as well as other chronic, serious illnesses. It is also well known that chronic anxiety and chronic depression increase the likelihood of unhealthy behaviors that have also been linked to serious, chronic illnesses, including smoking, excess alcohol or other drug intake, unhealthy diets, and lack of exercise, in addition to other unhealthy behaviors. What is especially unique about this new study (other than its sheer size), however, is that the researchers were able to identify and adjust for preexisting unhealthy behaviors among the study’s volunteers when they analyzed the study’s data, which increases the likelihood that the adverse effects of chronic anxiety and depression on the risk of premature death observed in this research study are actually a direct result of psychological distress rather than unhealthy lifestyle choices.

If you are experiencing high levels of chronic stress, and if you are frequently anxious or depressed, then please seek help from your personal physician or a mental health professional. If you are thinking of harming yourself, or someone else, then please seek immediate help. These are very trying times for many people, and the ongoing worldwide challenges that have provoked such high levels of stress do not appear likely to disappear any time soon. Knowing that so many other people around the world are also feeling worried and chronically stressed can make each of us feel less alone in our distress. However, sometimes the awareness that others are experiencing similar levels of distress is, by itself, not enough to ease our anxiety or depression. So, if you are struggling with anxiety or depression, and especially if you are feeling alone and isolated at the same time, then please seek the help and support of others. In the vast majority of cases, feelings of hopelessness or helplessness will eventually pass when you get help and support during dark times in your life.

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. (More than 1.3 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious people who visited Weekly Health Update in 2011!) 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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Tags: Anxiety, Cancer, cardiovascular disease, Depression, heart disease, premature death, Psychological Stress, stroke

Fast Food, Diabetes, Heart Disease and Death

July 15, 2012 by admin
Filed under Fast Food, Fried Foods, Healthy Diet, Nutrition, Risk of Death, Saturated Fat, Trans-Fats, Weekly Health Update, cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, death, diabetes, diet, health, heart attack, heart disease, lifestyle, mortality, myocardial infarction, risk

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A new study attaches some shocking numbers to the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death caused by fast food.

FAST FOOD, DIABETES, HEART DISEASE AND DEATH

The United States has long been a prolific exporter of products that reflect our unique culture. American movies, books, music, musical instruments, iPhones, iPads, automobiles, motorcycles… and fast food can all be found in all but the remotest places on the planet. While, arguably, some these quintessentially American exports are more prized than others by global consumers, American-style fast food has become utterly ubiquitous throughout the world.

By now, almost everyone knows that deep-fried fast food is not a healthy eating choice. Now, a newly published public health study sheds some important light on just how unhealthy American-style fast food really is. This new clinical study appears in the current issue of the journal Circulation.

Between 1993 and 1998, more than 50,000 ethnically Chinese men and women in Singapore participated in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. These men and women ranged in age from 45 to 74 years. The health outcomes of these research volunteers were then followed until the end of 2009.

All of the Singaporean Chinese participants in this clinical study were thoroughly assessed with respect to their lifestyle and dietary habits. For the purposes of this public health study, these volunteers were separated into two groups. The first group consisted of men and women who ate a traditional low-fat Chinese-style diet. The second group of study volunteers ate American-style fast food meals at least two times per week. The health outcomes of these two groups of Singaporean Chinese adults were then prospectively monitored, and, ultimately, with rather dramatic findings.

When compared to the men and women who never ate fast food, the volunteers who regularly consumed fast food meals had a 27 percent higher incidence of adult-onset diabetes (type 2 diabetes mellitus). Even more disturbing, these Singaporean Chinese fast food lovers experienced a 56 percent increase in the risk of death due to heart disease! Moreover, these worrisome outcomes remained consistent even after adjusting for differences in overall calorie intake and body weight. While there may or may not be genetic differences in the way that ethnic Chinese adults respond to high levels of fatty and fried foods when compared to Westerners, the links between fast food, on the one hand, and diabetes and cardiovascular disease, on the other hand, are well established in both western and eastern populations around the world. Therefore, the findings of this innovative public health study should give all of us pause before we pull into the drive-in window of our favorite fast food restaurant!

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. (More than 1.3 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious people who visited Weekly Health Update in 2011!) 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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Tags: cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, death, diabetes, diet, Fast Food, heart disease, mortality

New Government (USPSTF) Warning on Hormone Replacement Therapy Risks

A new report by a U.S. Government task force (USPSTF) recommends against the use of hormone replacement therapy due to serious health risks.

NEW GOVERNMENT (USPSTF) WARNING ON HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY RISKS

As I discuss in my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, there is now solid evidence that the most commonly used form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with a significant increase in the risk of developing breast cancer, and that risk continues to rise with the duration of HRT use.

Like many cancer experts, I have taken issue with some of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s (USPSTF) recent revisions of longstanding cancer screening recommendations, including, particularly, their 2009 recommendation that annual screening mammograms be started later in life than most experts have recommended (and continue to recommend), and performed less frequently among middle-aged women than most experts have also recommended. More recently, in 2011, the USPSTF’s blanket recommendation that routine PSA screening for prostate cancer be largely abandoned has not been warmly embraced by me, nor by many other cancer prevention experts, given that we still cannot determine, in advance, which men with prostate cancer will be helped by treatment for this disease and which men will not benefit (and, hence, may actually even be harmed) by being treated because they have an indolent form of prostate cancer that poses no threat to their lives (Does PSA Testing for Prostate Cancer Save Lives?).

Now, the USPSTF is weighing in on another controversial cancer-related issue: hormone replacement therapy. Prior to 2002, more than half of all American women took some form of HRT to treat the common symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and irritability. As I discuss in my forthcoming book on the tragic history of HRT, The Manufactured Myths of Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy: A Legacy of Suffering and Death, the intentionally deceptive multi-decade marketing of HRT drugs as a panacea for the both the real and imagined consequences of menopause, and the skillful (if duplicitous) portrayal of menopause as a pathological disease that renders its “victims” something less than feminine, was only recently revealed to be a collection of gross distortions (to put it mildly) on the part of the dominant manufacturer of HRT medications. Thanks to the landmark findings of the enormous Women’s Health Initiative study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2002, we now know that long-term HRT use is clearly associated with an increased risk of multiple and serious health problems, including an increased risk of breast cancer.

The USPSTF is now about to weigh-in on the issue of HRT, in a paper that is to be released in the June 4th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Unlike their other recent controversial pronouncements, however, I actually find the USPSTF’s new recommendations against the routine use of HRT to be very close to my own recommendations, and so I am including their review of the existing clinical research data on HRT in this column.

After comprehensively reviewing the data from 9 different prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded clinical studies (including the massive Women’s Health Initiative study), the USPSTF study group determined that both estrogen-progesterone (combination) HRT and estrogen-only HRT significantly increased the risk of stroke, potentially fatal blood clots (venous thromboembolic disease), gallstones, and urinary incontinence. Estrogen-progesterone (combination) HRT was also, once again, shown to be associated with a significantly increased risk of breast cancer, as well as a probable increase in the risk of dementia. (On the other hand, estrogen-only HRT, which can only be taken by women who have previously undergone hysterectomy, appears to actually decrease the risk of developing breast cancer, while both types of HRT also appear to reduce the risk of osteoporosis-associated bone fractures.)

Based upon the increasingly large amount of available clinical research data, HRT, of any type, cannot currently be recommended for routine long-term use, given the multiple and significant health risks associated with both estrogen-only and estrogen-progesterone forms of HRT. After decades of intentionally misleading advertising by the manufacturer of the two most frequently prescribed forms of HRT, and the manufacturer’s intentional co-opting of numerous women’s physicians over the years, the true risks associated with the long-term use of HRT have now become abundantly clear. I will have much more to say about this cautionary tale when The Manufactured Myths of Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy: A Legacy of Suffering and Death is published in early 2013….

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. (More than 1.3 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious people who visited Weekly Health Update in 2011!) 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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Tags: Blood Clots, Breast Cancer, dementia, estrogen, heart disease, Hormone Replacement Therapy, HRT, Menopause, Progesterone, risks, stroke, USPSTF, women’s health initiative study

Red Meat Increases Risk of Death Due to Cancer and Heart Disease

New research finds that even one serving of red meat or processed meat per day significantly increases the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease and cancer.

RED MEAT INCREASES RISK OF DEATH DUE TO CANCER AND HEART DISEASE

As I discuss in the “Diet & Cancer Risk” chapter of my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, diets rich in red meat and processed meats are known to increase the risk of several forms of potentially deadly cancer, including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, colon and rectum, as well as other types of cancer. Now, a new update from two very large prospective public health studies indicates that even a single daily serving of red meat or processed meat significantly increases the risk of death due to both cancer and cardiovascular disease. This new research update appears in the current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

This new update combines the findings from two large and ongoing prospective public health studies. The first of these two public health studies is the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and includes data collected on 37,698 male health professionals. The second prospective public health study is the Nurses’ Health Study, which includes data collected on 83,644 female nursing professionals. Importantly, all of these 121,342 health care professionals were clinically healthy at the time they entered into these two landmark public health studies. However, over a cumulative follow-up period that encompassed nearly 3 million “person-years” of observation, there were 5,910 deaths due to cardiovascular disease and 9,464 deaths due to cancer among these study participants.

Analysis of the huge amount of clinical data collected from these two public health studies revealed that only one serving of unprocessed red meat per day was associated with a 13 percent increase in the risk of death due to any cause, while a single daily serving of processed meat (e.g., sausages, luncheon meats, bacon, and hot dogs) was associated with a 20 percent overall increase in the risk of death. More specifically, one serving of unprocessed red meat per day was associated with an 18 percent increase in the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, while a single serving of processed meat per day was linked to a 21 percent increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. Similarly, one serving of unprocessed red meat per day resulted in a 10 percent increase in the risk of dying due to cancer, while a single daily serving of processed meat increased the risk of dying from cancer by 16 percent.

Based upon the findings of these two very large public health studies, the studies’ authors predicted that substituting just one daily serving of fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, whole grains, or low-fat dairy products for one daily serving of red meat or processed meat would have resulted in a 7 to 19 percent decrease in the overall death rate among these male and female health care professionals! Moreover, it was also estimated that by cutting daily red meat intake to only one-half serving per day (42 grams per day), 9 percent of the observed deaths among the male health care professionals could have been prevented, while 8 percent of the deaths among the female nurses could have been prevented!

The findings of these two pivotal prospective public health studies reinforce the additional research data that I discuss in A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, in terms of the significant impact of diet on our risk of developing cancer. To reach a deeper understanding of how to live an evidence-based cancer prevention lifestyle, order a copy of A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race today.

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. (More than 1.3 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious people who visited Weekly Health Update in 2011!) 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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Tags: Cancer, cancer prevention guide, cardiovascular disease, death, heart disease, Processed Meat, Red Meat

New Vaccine and Antibodies May Prevent Heart Disease

New studies suggest that heart disease may someday become preventable with vaccine and antibody therapy.

NEW VACCINE AND ANTIBODIES MAY PREVENT HEART DISEASE

As I discuss in my bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, cancer has recently surpassed cardiovascular disease to become the #1 cause of death in many areas of the world. However, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke continue to kill millions of people around the world every year.

In general, atherosclerotic artery disease arises when thick “plaques” develop on the inner walls of arteries. These plaques can rupture, thus exposing their inner surfaces, which can then activate the components of the blood responsible for forming blood clots. The progression of blood clots on the surface “atheromatous” plaques within the arteries of the heart and brain can directly cause blockage of affected arteries, leading to a heart attack or stroke, respectively. Even more commonly, however, clumps of clot and atheromatous plaque can break off and travel downstream, where they block coronary artery and brain artery branches, causing heart attacks (myocardial infarction) and strokes, respectively. As inflammation, caused by our bodies’ white blood cells and antibodies, plays an important role in the development of atherosclerosis, scientists have been testing both vaccines and blocking antibodies in laboratory animals in an effort to prevent (or even reverse) the development of atherosclerosis, in the hope that heart attacks and strokes (and limb loss, in the case of peripheral vascular disease) can be prevented.

Two experimental new approaches to preventing and treating cardiovascular disease were unveiled at the Frontiers in Cardiovascular Biology conference this past week in London, and they have generated a great deal of interest among cardiovascular disease experts around the world.

In one recent study, which was performed using laboratory mice, an experimental vaccine (“CVX-210”) that reprograms inflammatory white bloods cells into inflammation-fighting white blood cells was evaluated. In this mouse study, the CVX-210 vaccine was able to reduce the extent of arterial atherosclerosis by 60 to 70 percent! While treatments that are effective in laboratory mice do not always work in humans, the manufacturer of the CVX-210 vaccine, CardioVax, is currently awaiting FDA approval to begin preliminary human clinical trials.

A second immunological approach to the prevention and treatment of arterial atherosclerosis involves the use of blocking antibodies that are designed to target oxidized LDL cholesterol (the “bad cholesterol,” which is a major component of atherosclerotic plaques, and which also participates in the inflammatory cascade that leads directly to plaque formation.) When injected into a patient, these antibodies attack oxidized LDL particles and, theoretically, block the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. At this time, there is an ongoing human clinical trial that is evaluating this “BI-204” human monoclonal antibody. (In preclinical studies, BI-204 has already been shown to decrease the extent of existing arterial atherosclerotic plaques in laboratory animals by as much as 50 percent!)

In addition to the potential of the CVX-210 vaccine and the BI-204 human monoclonal antibody to significantly reduce, and possibly prevent, arterial atherosclerosis, these two still experimental therapies, if proven to be safe and effective in humans, would also be available for use in combination with current cardiovascular disease prevention therapies, including the cholesterol blocking statin drugs, high blood pressure medications, and diabetes medications. (When considered together, these three current, conventional treatments for the most common risk factors for cardiovascular disease are estimated to reduce the risk of heart attack by about 40 percent.) Because all of these therapies target different risk factors for cardiovascular disease, combining CVX-210 and/or BI-204 with current conventional cardiovascular disease prevention therapies could dramatically further reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease and significantly prolong our lives in the future.

As a disease prevention expert, I consider these two new developments to be of potentially enormous importance in the area of cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment. Given that inflammation is known to play an important role in the development of both cardiovascular disease and cancer, I will be very interested to see if these two new experimental approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment also have a beneficial risk on cancer risk as well!

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 lighthearted perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link:

Texas Blues Jam

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 1.3 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious people who visited Weekly Health Update in 2011!) 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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Tags: Atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, heart disease, Monoclonal Antibody, myocardial infarction, Peripheral Vascular Disease, plaques, prevention, stroke, Vaccine

Heart Disease May Also Increase Prostate Cancer Risk

February 12, 2012 by admin
Filed under A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, Avodart, Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Hypertension, Prostate Cancer Risk, cancer risk, cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes, diet, dutasteride, heart attack, heart disease, high blood pressure, lifestyle, obesity, prostate cancer, smoking

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Welcome to Weekly Health Update

New research strongly suggests that coronary artery disease may significantly increase prostate cancer risk.

HEART DISEASE MAY ALSO INCREASE PROSTATE CANCER RISK

As I discuss in my recent bestselling book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, many of the same lifestyle and dietary habits that increase our risk of developing cardiovascular disease (including coronary artery disease, heart attacks, peripheral vascular disease, and stroke) also increase our risk of developing certain types of cancer. However, the data linking lifestyle and dietary factors with prostate cancer risk has, so far, been both weak and contradictory. Now, a newly published study has found an apparent link between coronary artery disease and prostate cancer risk. These findings appear in a new update of the ongoing REDUCE (REduction by DUtasteride of prostate Cancer Events) clinical trial, which I previously reported on in 2010 (Avodart & Prostate Cancer Prevention), and these updated findings appear in the current online issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Among the 6,390 men enrolled in this prospective, randomized prostate cancer prevention trial, 547 men were known to have coronary artery disease at the time that they entered into this research study. Not surprisingly, this group of men with heart disease had a greater number of risk factors for cardiovascular disease when compared to the men without coronary artery disease, including obesity, high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, and elevated cholesterol. What was surprising, however, is that over the 4 year course of this clinical study, the risk of prostate cancer in this group of men with coronary artery disease was significantly higher than what was observed among the men without heart disease. Two years into the REDUCE study, the men with a history of coronary artery disease were 24 percent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer when compared to the men with healthy hearts. After four years of participation in this clinical study, the men with known coronary artery disease were 74 percent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer!

While this particular research study was not designed to determine which risk factors for cardiovascular disease were specifically involved with prostate cancer risk, as I discuss in A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, both obesity and smoking have previously been linked to an increased risk of death due to prostate cancer, and these two lifestyle factors are also strongly linked to cardiovascular disease risk.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of death due to cancer (following lung cancer) in men, and is associated with nearly 35,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. In many ways, prostate cancer is the male counterpart of breast cancer (which is also the second most common cause of cancer-associated death in women), although prostate cancer has yet to receive the same level of attention and research funding as has breast cancer. In my view, we men have a lot to learn from our female counterparts about raising cancer awareness, and advocating for increased research funding, when it comes to prostate cancer. Therefore, I urge all men to explore opportunities to actively support prostate cancer awareness, and improved research funding, in their local communities.

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:

Texas Blues Jam

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 1.3 million pages of high-quality medical research findings were served to the worldwide audience of health-conscious people who visited Weekly Health Update in 2011!) 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.

Bookmark It

Tags: A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, Avodart, Cancer Prevention, cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes, diet, dutasteride, heart disease, Hypertension, obesity, Prostate Cancer Risk, smoking

Orlistat (Alli or Xenical) Significantly Reduces Obesity

December 4, 2011 by admin
Filed under Alli, Hypertension, Nutrition, Robert Wascher, Uncategorized, Weekly Health Update, Weight Loss, Xenical, diabetes, diet, exercise, fat, health, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, orlistat

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Welcome to Weekly Health Update

New research suggests that the over-the-counter drug orlistat can significantly improve weight loss when combined with a low-fat diet.

ORLISTAT (ALLI or XENICAL) SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES OBESITY

Approximately two-thirds of the population in the United States is overweight, while at least a third of all people are obese. Excess weight has clearly been linked to serious illnesses, including high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, liver disease, gallstones, and arthritis, among other potentially life-threatening ailments. As I note in my book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, the extremely high concentration of fat and calories in modern processed foods, when combined with the sedentary lifestyles that most of us lead, almost guarantees a high level of obesity in our population.

Orlistat, which is available in both prescription and non-prescription forms, blocks the activity of lipase, an enzyme within the GI tract that breaks down dietary fats so that they can be absorbed. Previous clinical research studies have shown that the addition of orlistat to a low-fat diet can significantly reduce body fat, and, in turn, can reduce the risk of illnesses that are associated with obesity. Now that orlistat is available without a prescription, there have been concerns that this medication may be less effective, as it can now be purchased and taken without first having to enroll in a structured weight loss program.

A newly published study, which appears in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that non-prescription doses of orlistat (trade names Alli and Xenical) may still be an effective addition to the standard weight loss strategies of a healthy low-fat diet and exercise. In this study, 27 obese research volunteers took over-the-counter orlistat (60 milligrams three times a day, with meals) for three months. At the beginning and end of this study, the 27 volunteers were subjected to specialized imaging tests, including MRI scans, to measure the amount of fat in their bodies. Blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol levels were also assessed.

In this clinical study, the use of over-the-counter orlistat, in combination with a reduced calorie, low-fat diet, was associated with a significant 11 percent reduction in body fat after 3 months. Moreover, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate all decreased, as well, following three months of orlistat combined with a prudent diet.

The findings of this study suggest that even over-the-counter orlistat, in conjunction with healthy eating habits, can significantly reduce both body fat and at least some of the adverse health effects associated with obesity.

Now for the bad news… orlistat works by blocking the absorption of fat from the GI tract, which means that 25 to 30 percent of the fat consumed while taking orlistat will remain within the GI tract until it is eliminated in the feces. Unfortunately, high levels of undigested fat in the stool can lead to some rather unsettling symptoms, including flatulence, greasy/oily stools, bloating, and in some patients, an urgent desire to have a bowel movement. On the other hand, while these symptoms are very common during the first few months of orlistat use, they appear to improve over time, such that only about one-third of patients taking orlistat will still have these symptoms four years after starting the drug. Moreover, in patients who conscientiously maintain a low-fat diet while taking orlistat, the incidence and severity of these GI tract side effects are even lower. (Another potential complication of orlistat is the reduced absorption of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, although vitamin supplements will prevent significant deficiencies of these vitamins.)

While orlistat is associated with significant potential side effects, and thus should not be taken by everyone, the results of this small study do strongly suggest that orlistat is an effective option for obese patients who are able to both tolerate the drug’s side effects and remain compliant with a low-fat diet. As always, however, I strongly recommend that you check with your primary physician prior to starting any new diet or medication, including orlistat.

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!

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:

Texas Blues Jam

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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New Research Says that Chocolate DECREASES Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Diabetes

October 2, 2011 by admin
Filed under Cancer Prevention, Chocolate, Cocoa, Hypertension, Metabolic Syndrome, Nutrition, Peripheral Vascular Disease, Saturated Fat, Weekly Health Update, cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes, diet, flavonoids, health, heart attack, heart disease, hyperglycemia, obesity, polyphenols, stroke

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New research suggests that moderate chocolate consumption can significantly decrease the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

NEW RESEARCH SAYS THAT CHOCOLATE DECREASES CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK AND DIABETES

Cocoa, from which chocolate is made, is known to be rich in flavonol antioxidants, as well as other compounds that appear to reduce the risk of developing the cholesterol plaques that cause coronary artery disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Cocoa has also been shown to improve the function and health of critical blood vessels in the body, which can lower elevated blood pressure. Moreover, additional research has shown that cocoa may also decrease the risk of diabetes.

Milk chocolate contains considerably more fat and sugar than dark chocolate, and these milk chocolate additives are well known to increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, dark chocolate has been more often recommended than milk chocolate as a possibly healthy treat. However, several public health studies have suggested that even milk chocolate may still possess clinically significant cardiovascular health benefits, despite its high fat and high sugar content.

A newly published meta-analysis study, which appears in the British Medical Journal, adds weight to the possibility that even milk chocolate might have heart-healthy properties. In this meta-analysis study, seven previously published public health research studies, which included 114,009 research volunteers, were analyzed. This analysis revealed that 5 of these 7 previously published public health studies found that increased chocolate consumption was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Specifically, research volunteers who reported the highest levels of chocolate consumption were observed to be 37 percent less likely to develop heart disease, 31 percent less likely to develop diabetes, and 29 percent less likely to have a stroke when compared to the volunteers who reported the least chocolate consumption.

Now, for the (possibly) bad news…. None of these seven public health research studies were randomized clinical research studies. All were so-called “observational” studies, wherein groups of volunteers completed questionnaires regarding their diet and lifestyle habits, and were then observed over time for the development of new health problems. The obvious weakness of observational studies, in general, is their reliance upon the often inaccurate self-reporting by research volunteers on questionnaires designed to assess their dietary and lifestyle habits. The other weakness of these particular research studies is that they did not identify which types of chocolate were associated either with the least or the greatest health benefits (nor is it clear from these studies whether or not there is an optimal amount of chocolate intake necessary to produce the greatest possible health benefits). All of these important disclaimers aside, multiple clinical research studies have previously shown very significant potential health benefits associated with regular chocolate consumption. At the same time, in view of the clear association of increased fat and sugar intake with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease risk, among other health problems, my recommendation to my patients and readers is to take moderate amounts of dark chocolate, and other lower-fat and lower-sugar chocolates, as part of a heart-healthy lifestyle!

For a comprehensive guide to living an evidence-based cancer prevention lifestyle, order your copy of my new book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race. For the price of a cheeseburger, fries, and a shake, you can purchase this landmark new book, in both paperback and e-book formats, and begin living an evidence-based cancer prevention lifestyle today!

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

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