Mediterranean diet may reduce risk of form of breast cancer – study

Following a Mediterranean diet could help reduce the risk of contracting one of the worst types of breast cancer by 40%, according to a large study for the World Cancer Research Fund.

The Mediterranean diet, which is rich in olive oil, fish, fruit, nuts, vegetables and wholegrains, has well-publicised benefits, including reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease.

The study published in the International Journal of Cancer on Monday suggests it could also significantly reduce the chances of women getting oestrogen-receptor-negative (ER-negative) breast cancer, a postmenopausal form of the disease that cannot be treated with hormone therapy.

The study’s lead researcher, Prof Piet van den Brandt of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, said:“Our research can help to shine a light on how dietary patterns can affect our cancer risk.

“We found a strong link between the Mediterranean diet and reduced oestrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women, even in a non-Mediterranean population. This type of breast cancer usually has a worse prognosis than other types of breast cancer.”

The researchers examined 62,573 women aged 55 to 69 over two decades. They were all participants in the Netherlands Cohort Study examining diet and cancer, which began in 1986. Their diets were tracked to see how closely they followed the Mediterranean pattern, which also has a low intake of red meat, sweets and refined grains such as white bread or white rice.

Traditionally it includes moderate consumption of alcohol, but because alcohol is a known risk factor for breast cancer this was excluded from the study. Almost 12,000 cases of breast cancer could be prevented in the UK each year if nobody drank alcohol, previous research has suggested.

Of the women included in the study, 3,354 contracted breast cancer, but 1,033 of the cases were not included in the analysis because the women had a history of breast cancer and/or had incomplete or inconsistent dietary data. The analysis looked at the different components of the Mediterranean diet individually, concluding that nut intake was most strongly inversely associated with ER-negative breast cancer, followed by fruit and fish.

The researchers concluded that, assuming causality, if everyone ate the highest defined Mediterranean diet, around a third (32.4%) of ER-negative breast cancer cases and 2.3% of all breast cancer cases could be avoided.

They said their findings were confirmed in a meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Dr Panagiota Mitrou, director of research funding at the World Cancer Research Fund, said it was an important study. “With breast cancer being so common in the UK, prevention is key if we want to see a decrease in the number of women developing the disease,” he said. “We would welcome further research that helps us better understand the risk factors for the different breast cancer subtypes.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK, with more than 53,000 new cases each year Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK, with more than 53,000 new cases each year. A small study published last year and presented at an American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting suggested eating a Mediterranean diet may help prevent breast cancer returning.

Emma Pennery, clinical director at Breast Cancer Care, described the latest research as “intriguing”. She said: “We know how devastating a diagnosis is and this study adds to evidence that a healthy diet, full of ‘good’ low-saturated fats, plays a part in lowering risk of the disease.

“However, it’s important to remember while lifestyle choices like eating a well-balanced diet and taking regular exercise can help reduce the risk of cancer, they don’t guarantee prevention. So it’s crucial women know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, and contact their GP with any concerns.”

People who have heart disease are already recommended to follow a Mediterranean diet in the UK. Public Health England has said the Mediterranean diet is similar to the official UK advice, which recommends cutting back on sugary, fatty and salty food and drinks.

Mediterranean diet may reduce risk of form of breast cancer – study

Successful male contraceptive gel trial brings new form of birth control closer

A male contraceptive gel has been found to work reliably in a trial in primates, bringing the prospect of an alternative form of birth control for humans closer.

The product, called Vasalgel, is designed to be a reversible and less invasive form of vasectomy and in the latest study was 100% effective at preventing conception. A blob of the gel is injected into the sperm-carrying tube, known as the vas deferens, and acts as a long-lasting barrier.

Previous tests in smaller animals showed the procedure could be easily reversed by breaking up the gel using ultrasound.

Catherine VandeVoort, of the California National Primate Research Centre and the study’s lead author, said: “Men’s options for contraception have not changed much in decades. There’s vasectomy, which is poorly reversible, and condoms. If they knew they could get a reliable contraceptive that could also be reversed I think it would be appealing to them.”

The Parsemus Foundation, a non-profit organisation that funded the work, said it plans to start a human trial as soon as funding is secured, based on the promising monkey results.

“One of the great things about the monkey model is that the male reproductive tract is very similar to humans and they have even more sperm than humans do,” said VandeVoort. “Chances are, it’s going to be effective in humans.”

How Vasalgel male contraceptive works

After decades of minimal progress on male contraceptives, a range of different approaches now appear to be showing promise. A World Health Organisation investigation, published last year, found that a male hormonal contraceptive jab was as effective as the female pill. However, scientists are still working to overcome unwanted side-effects including depression, acne and soaring libido that are linked to hormone-altering gels, pills and injections.

By contrast, the Vasalgel procedure does not interfere with sperm production and hormone levels in the body remain unchanged, meaning such side-effects are not an issue. As with a vasectomy, sperm continues to be produced in the testes, but rather than being ejaculated, it dissolves and is naturally absorbed by the body.

Unlike vasectomy though, in which the tube is snipped and the two ends cauterised, the Vasalgel procedure should be reversible, potentially making it an attractive option for a wider range of men.

“They wouldn’t have to worry about it on a day-to-day basis,” said VandeVoort. “This would be more akin to an IUD [the coil] in women.”

In the study, published in the journal Basic and Clinical Andrology, 16 male rhesus monkeys were given injections of the gel and then returned to their group, which included between three and nine breeding females.

The monkeys were monitored for at least one breeding season and about half the monkeys lived alongside females for two years, during which time there were no conceptions and side-effects, such as inflammation, were minimal.

Angela Colagross-Schouten, lead veterinarian on the project, said: “We were impressed that this alternative worked in every single monkey, even though this was our first time trying it.”

The same team are now hoping to confirm that the procedure is fully reversible in monkeys.

Successful male contraceptive gel trial brings new form of birth control closer

The coil isn’t just a great contraceptive, it’s a form of resistance for US women | Nell Frizzell

As I lie back across the thin blue paper runway, my legs open, an Anglepoise lamp shining into the abyss, my nurse (called, ironically, Comfort) warns: “This may be a little uncomfortable.” Oh how we laughed. But I was determined – I wanted a coil.

According to reports, in the first week after the US election, Planned Parenthood (which Donald Trump, vice president Mike Pence, and House speaker Paul Ryan all want to stop funding, by the way) saw a 900% increase in patients seeking IUDs. As the news that Trump was to nominate “women’s health opponent” Tom Price for secretary of health and human services fell across America like sleet, women, nurses and healthworkers took to social media advising one simple thing: get a coil.

It builds on an existing trend for American women to choose intrauterine devices. Under Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, insurance providers are required to cover a woman’s birth-control method of choice for free; usually this costs about $ 1,000 for insertion and follow-up visits. For the first time, the IUD was affordable, as well as reliable. And so, according to US Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), IUD use increased 83% comparing 2006–2010 with 2011–2013. In an anti-abortion, pussy-grabbing climate, American women have been backed into a corner and the IUD seems, at the moment, like their last form of defence.

Coils give us hormone-free control over our wombs and, therefore, lives

Nearly 10 years ago, I had my very own little hammerhead shark of copper wire inserted into my uterus. It would do nothing to protect against sexually transmitted infections, I knew; it might make my periods heavier, I understood; having it put in might make me wince, I’d been told. But, my god, it was better than the alternatives. Even in this new millennium I couldn’t rely on men to carry, let alone use, condoms. And while on the pill I had cried, almost continuously, for three months. Sex wasn’t just off the menu – my body felt like a bovine mass of lustless, listless despair. In that way, the contraception was working brilliantly – I was about as likely to want sex as I was to take up a laboratory position at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

That the source of my sadness could be linked to the galloping horse-sized quantity of hormones running through my bloodstream didn’t occur to me for longer than I care to admit. But when it did, the solution seemed as clear as it did to that tweeting nurse in Colorado: get your IUD.

As Vicky Spratt of The Debrief has written for their new Mad About The Pill campaign, the link between the contraceptive pill and mental health problems is still just anecdotal. But by god the anecdotes are there. According to the site’s survey of 1,022 women, 46% reported that the pill had decreased their sex drive, 45% said that they believed they had experienced anxiety, 45% said they had experienced depression and 20% reported experiencing panic attacks which they attributed to their hormonal contraception. If we were in America, we’d have had to pay for the pleasure of this troublesome medicine. So no wonder so many of us are looking into alternatives.

The copper coil didn’t make me weep uncontrollably with the curtains closed, it didn’t turn my tits into bricks and I never had to panic that I’d left it at home. You do not forget about your coil and then have to seek emergency contraception; you can keep the same coil in for up to 10 years, which means you can be miles from a chemist, in another country, or simply at work and never have to worry. It will not tear while fumbling in the gloom of your parents’ spare room; it won’t get punctured by the keys in your pocket; you don’t have to pay £2 in a pub toilet for it and, in my case at least, it didn’t hurt.

Coils give us hormone-free control over our wombs and, therefore, lives. On the downside they do nothing to protect against STIs and there are, of course, women who suffer serious side-effects – heavy or irregular periods, damage to the womb, pelvic infections, ectopic pregnancies. But the coil still deserves to move away from the icky, scary reputation it had when our mothers were sleeping around.

Of course I find it exasperating, frustrating, maddening and saddening that the burden of not getting pregnant still falls almost entirely on women. Many men will still assume that she “has it covered”; many still squirm away from condoms; some seem entirely unaware of what sperm may do. It’s 2017, for Christ’s sake – and yet, I know firsthand that many women are expected to be magically infertile right up until the moment their partner wants a baby. And, should that woman want to get pregnant earlier? Well then, of course, the question of coming off contraception must be a joint one. He must have his say. If he’s not ready then you cannot push it on him. If you do, you are branded selfish and controlling.

When it comes to our bodies, we carry all the responsibility; but not quite all of the power. But, perhaps, the coil can help claim some back.

The coil isn’t just a great contraceptive, it’s a form of resistance for US women | Nell Frizzell

5 Ways to Form an Authentic Loving Relationship with Yourself

5 Ways to Form an Authentic Loving Relationship with Yourself

5 Mountain Exercise routines to Get You Back in Form

A mountain getaway not only helps make a great holiday because of the scenery, but it’s also a single of the healthiest vacations that you can get.  Mountain routines are generally physically demanding, intense and make for a wonderful work out.  There are at least five mountain exercises that are ideal for burning calories, acquiring a well being enhance and even clearing your mind.  Contemplate these 5 activities and how they can much better your well being.

1. Cycling

Cycling is a lot more enjoyable and far much more interesting than taking a auto tour all around a mountaintop.  It also makes for minimal impact workout, appropriate for all ages, and unlikely to trigger straining or injury.  It has also been acknowledged to give a good muscle work out, using all significant muscle groups.  Cycling also builds strength and stamina, providing you an exceptional aerobic exercise.  This activity can enhance cardiovascular fitness, strengthen your bones, reduce entire body excess fat, and aid to stop heart disease.

2. Skiing

You may believe of skiing as a a lot more recreational activity than a healthful physical exercise routine, but analysis demonstrates skiing on a typical basis, this kind of as at a mountain best, can provide an outstanding bodily and psychological challenge.  This proprioceptive exercising enables you to improve positioning and posture, coordination and stability, and feel how each and every entire body component moves in relation to the other.  It’s actually a excellent activity for memory given that your proprioception weakens naturally as you age therefore, retaining energetic in these kinds of problems is a wonderful well being booster.

3. Rock Climbing

Rock climbing has the reputation of currently being intense and far more than a small harmful, but if you keep on decrease mountains and adhere to instructions as to securing your footing, you should be okay.  Mount Everest is not suggested!  That explained, this is a excellent way to develop endurance, enhance strength developing and cardio workout, and even enhance your brain perform.  In truth, in purchase to rock climb effectively, you must work on upper physique power, decrease body power and lean muscle building in advance.  The climbing is a check of the muscle groups and endurance you previously create.  In addition to acquiring your heart pumping and burning in excess of 700 calories a day, you can also increase your brain function by learning body awareness and problem solving expertise.  People who get pleasure from rock climbing get pleasure from boosts of creativity, memory and even minimize the signs and symptoms of ADHD.

4. Hiking

Hiking is one particular of the ideal approaches to workout, as it is not only enjoyable to do, but also minimal effect exercising, when compared to much more vigorous power-education regimens.  Even though hiking feels like terrain strolling, it is a fat-bearing physical exercise, which means it does wonders for avoiding osteoporosis, whilst the aerobic workout it offers you by going up and down hills is great for bettering your heart.  It can handle your weight and lower the likelihood of type 2 diabetes.  Getting out in the sun gives your body a great dose of vitamin D which improves the strength of your bones.

Fitness enthusiast and founder of Mountain Air Cabin Rentals in Gatlinburg, TN stated, “Hiking is how I’ve stayed in shape for the duration of the past five years. Not only does a beautiful scenic view beat the treadmill any day of the week, but it is also great for sense of mind and heart well being.”

5. Horseback Riding

It is loads of fun to go horseback riding and you may possibly be stunned to know that it’s also fantastic for your wellness.  Physically, it is an isometric workout that assists you create core strength, muscle tone and flexibility (and specifically the inner thighs and pelvic muscle tissue), as properly as the muscle groups you create whilst functioning in a secure. It also offers a fantastic psychological workout, speaking of improvement in physique awareness, coordination and an practically meditative strategy to distressing.  Lastly, riding such a big animal is a full-physique work out that even forces you to use muscles you really don’t ordinarily use, just so you will adjust a lot more naturally to the kind of the horse.

As you can see, mountain routines and sports are a great way to workout and improve your psychological faculties.  If you are in the United States, there are plethora of mountain ranges to select from (our recommendation – the Smoky Mountains!) based on your unique preferences.

References:

Bodily and Psychological Rewards of Horseback Riding

Hiking the Smoky Mountains is Good for Your Health

Why Skiing is Good for Your Health

5 Mountain Exercise routines to Get You Back in Form

App could help individuals form their dreams, claims psychologist

The city soundscape on the Dream:ON iPhone app played the sounds of traffic, bustling crowds and the occasional faint car horn. The nature soundscape played sounds of the wind blowing in trees and birds chirping. Photograph: Alamy

A mobile cellphone app that plays quiet soundscapes although people rest could make their dreams far more pleasing, a British psychologist claims.

A examine of 800 men and women found that individuals who listened to sounds of nature shortly before they woke had much more positive dreams than these who listened to sounds of the city.

The findings come from a mass experiment launched in 2010 at the Edinburgh Science Festival to investigate regardless of whether it is achievable to use sounds to steer people’s dreams.

Richard Wiseman, who led the experiment at the University of Hertfordshire, explained the technology could help individuals start off the day in a much better mood.

That might be some time off however. The result on the emotional tone of dreams was small, and the research did not record regardless of whether folks really felt happier or more constructive when they woke up.

Participants downloaded a cost-free iPhone app named Dream:ON and two soundscapes. The city soundscape played the sounds of visitors, bustling crowds and the occasional faint vehicle horn. The nature soundscape was more tranquil, and played sounds of the wind blowing in trees and birds chirping. The designers averted sounds of waterfalls and trickling rivers for worry of inducing urination.

Before they went to bed, individuals chose the soundscape they wished to hear, and the time they desired to wake up. A couple of minutes just before the alarm sounded, the app played the soundscape quietly adequate not to waken them. As a handle, sometimes the app stayed silent, so the effect of the real sounds could be teased out.

The participants submitted information of their dreams, which researchers rated on content material, emotional tone, and how bizarre they had been. The reported material was rated for nature and city references on a scale of one particular to seven. A dream about climbing a tree in a forest would score extremely on the nature scale, for illustration, even though a dream about driving a lorry by way of Manhattan would score hugely on the city scale.

Wiseman stated that people who listened to the nature soundscape reported far more nature-relevant dreams and vice-versa for the city soundscape. But that could have had absolutely nothing to do with the soundscape. Folks chose for themselves which soundscape they wished to play, and so knew what to count on.

Also, individuals who chose the nature soundscape may well simply like nature more and be much more most likely to dream about it. “Participants might just have reported what they anticipated to dream of,” explained Mark Blagrove, who research rest and dreaming at Swansea University.

Wiseman concedes the weakness, but is far more assured that the nature soundscape made people’s dreams more optimistic.

“I feel what we are influencing is the emotional tone of people’s dreams. In terms of the material, I think that is heavily driven by people’s expectations,” Wiseman said.

Wiseman has not published the function in a scientific journal, but timed the release of his final results to concide with the publication of his guide on rest and dreaming, Evening College. Wiseman said that the app and soundscapes used in the research have been free for participants to download, but that he received a percentage of income of other dreamscapes sold for the app. All of the soundscapes will be free of charge from this week, he added.

Preceding function has shown that great dreams can enhance a person’s mood in the morning, and this is where Wiseman thinks the technology may possibly have worth. “Hopefully they wake up in a much better mood, and it may possibly support them work via their issues,” he mentioned.

The review also discovered that participants reported a lot more bizarre dreams near the total moon. There is some evidence that people have much more disrupted rest around the full moon, which might be a issue.

Josie Malinowski, who scientific studies rest and dreaming at the University of Bedfordshire, stated the study was intriguing. “We need to have better equipment to investigation dreams outdoors of the lab, so I truly welcome this sort of improvement,” she said.

But she added: “It really is undoubtedly not the case that the outcomes indicate the app can help individuals generate a excellent dream.”

App could help individuals form their dreams, claims psychologist