Increasing Stress May Up Cancer Risk: Motivation to Move

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Thanks to Teresa for Guest Blogging.
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Stressed out about your stress levels? Sometimes it’s a vicious cycle. Deadlines, bills, global warming…it seems there is a laundry list of things to feel stressed about.

The bad news: Now there’s evidence that stress can increase your risk of cancer.

In a study published in the April 16 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, mice that were restrained (a huge stressor) and then exposed to radiation developed more tumors than unrestrained mice that were exposed to radiation. The researchers found that a class of hormones called glucocorticoids was elevated in the restrained (stressed) mice. Glucocorticoids suppress  p53—a key protein that plays an important role in the prevention of tumors.

Here’s the abstract for the study.

The good news: There’s a “drug” for stress—exercise! Continue reading →


The Coffee Scoop: A Line-Up of Popular Drinks

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In eNews, we review 30+ years of research on coffee and health, including cancer risk.  Many studies do point to potential health benefits of coffee, but today Americans can easily guzzle 14 teaspoons of sugar and more in a specialty coffee drink. The iced white chocolate mocha is a far cry from the basic cup of coffee packed with potential health-promoting phytochemicals.

Plain coffee has virtually no calories, so you may not think of a coffee shop concoction as a calorie splurge. But, add syrups, whipped cream and chocolate and pretty soon your drink has as many calories as a small meal. Substitute a sugary coffee drink for your usual unadorned coffee, and you may end up with extra pounds.

I’ve put together a line-up of iced coffee drinks based on Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts online nutrition information, using the popular 16 oz. size (Grande or Medium). By making smart choices, you can get a tasty, cold coffee beverage without breaking the calorie bank.

1. Iced Coffee/Caffe Americano: 15  calories (no added sugar)                                OR                              2. Iced Coffee, sweetened: 90 calories (5 tsp added sugar)
3. Caffe Latte (made with skim milk) – 90 calories (no added sugar)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Carbs and Pancreatic Cancer: Why “Null Findings” Matter

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Say you’re a researcher. You’ve spent months collecting and analyzing data, crunching numbers and composing tables, but it’s all been for naught. That hypothesis you set out to test (say, that a link exists between a specific food and a known indicator of cancer risk) didn’t pan out. In your investigation at least, you found no such link.

You have achieved what in scientific circles is called a “null finding.” And, in a very real sense, that’s not nothing.

Null findings don’t make headlines, and often don’t even get published. (The tendency of journal editors to publish results that seem “new” over those that find no association — or that simply accord with previously published results — is a source of publication bias, which over time can distort the general scientific opinion on a given subject.)

But there is an important difference between a null finding capable of closing the book on a given question — that says, essentially “There’s no there there, move along.” — and a null finding that says simply “We need more and better data before we can make a judgment.”

On those rare occasions when the media do pick up on a null finding, there is a tendency to mistake one kind for another. Let’s take a look at a recent null finding and see what it really has to say. Continue reading →