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Published on Leave a comment on Childhood Exposure to Phthalates in Medications and Cancer

There is a growing concern about what everyday exposures to phthalates in consumer products is doing to our health. For example, they're in plastic toys, plastic food containers, personal care products, and vinyl floors. The biggest concern is what these chemicals are doing to the most vulnerable among us - developing babies during pregnancy (gestational exposure), and children (childhood exposure).

A newly published study finds a link between phthalate exposure during childhood (but not pregnancy) and higher risk of specific childhood cancers. Childhood phthalate exposure was linked to a 20% increase in childhood cancers, specifically osteosarcoma (a bone cancer) and lymphoma. The study followed 1,278,685 live births in Denmark for years.

While phthalates are in many consumer products (they make plastics soft or increase durability and consistency), they are in especially high levels in certain medications. Phthalates disrupt normal endocrine signaling and are associated with reproductive problems (e.g. negative effects on sperm, miscarriages), effects on thyroid function, and an increase in some cancers.

Studies like this show that we need to move away from phthalates in consumer products. The list of phthalate health harms is increasing annually.

From Science Daily: Exposure to phthalates -- the 'everywhere chemical' -- may increase children's cancer risk

In a first-of-its-kind study, research from the University of Vermont Cancer Center has linked phthalates, commonly called the "everywhere chemical," to higher incidence of specific childhood cancers.  ...continue reading "Childhood Exposure to Phthalates in Medications and Cancer"

Published on Leave a comment on Pancreatic Cancer Has a Distinct Gut Microbial Pattern
Pancreas with cancer (red dot) Credit: Wikipedia

Pancreatic cancer is typically discovered only when it is advanced, very hard to treat, and typically with poor outcomes. Interesting recent research found that the gut microbiome is distinctive in persons with pancreatic cancer, even in the early stages. Perhaps this finding will lead to an easy noninvasive way to screen for pancreatic cancer.

Researchers in Spain and Germany looked at both the community of microbes (microbiome) living in the mouth and the gut (shown in a person's feces). They took samples from healthy persons, individuals with pancreatic cancer, and persons with chronic pancreatitis  and found that the bacteria in the stool were predictive for pancreatic cancer (but not those in the mouth).

The "fecal microbiota signature" or pattern of microbes in those with pancreatic cancer had an increase in some microbes (e.g., Fusobacterium nucleatum) and a decrease in others (e.g., Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) - when compared to healthy individuals.

By the way, Fusobacterium nucleatum is found increased in other cancers, such as colon cancer, and beneficial and anti-inflammatory Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is reduced in a number of diseases. Eating a diet rich in high fiber foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts) increase the numbers of F. prausnitzi in a person's gut microbial community.

From Medical Xpress: Distinct gut microbial profile may identify pancreatic cancer, irrespective of stage

A specific panel of gut microbes may identify pancreatic cancer, irrespective of how far the disease has progressed, suggests research published online in the journal Gut. ...continue reading "Pancreatic Cancer Has a Distinct Gut Microbial Pattern"

Published on Leave a comment on Wildlife Frequently Break the Law

Interesting and amusing science books can be hard to find, but I found a good one. Science writer Mary Roach's book Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law examines all sorts of human-wildlife conflicts, from murder and manslaughter, to home invasion, to wildlife vandals. Lots of quirky and weird stories.

The big question she examines: What happens when wildlife are the perpetrators of the crime and people are the "victims"?

Researching this book she traveled around the world examining problems in different countries, including bears in Colorado, monkeys in India, poisonous beans in the U.S., vandal gulls at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, and many more. There are discussions of terror devices, poisons, and all sorts of ways humans have tried to deal with "pests". And how many have totally backfired.

There are also examples of how coexistence between human and wildlife is sometimes the best solution. It's humans and their actions that may be the problem (not surprising!). The non-fiction book is Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law, by Mary Roach, published by W.W. Norton & Company, 2021.

An NPR interview (Sept. 19, 2021) with Mary Roach where she discusses her book: What Happens When Nature Breaks The Law? Mary Roach Tells You In New Book 'Fuzz'

Published on Leave a comment on Two Studies Found Different Effects From Alcohol Consumption

The debate over health effects of light to moderate alcohol consumption continues. Today I read 2 studies with different conclusions about the effects of drinking small to moderate amounts of alcohol.

One study found a lower risk of type 2 diabetes when wine is drunk with meals, and the other study found that light to moderate drinking resulted in reductions in brain volume. One study health benefits, the other negative effects...

From Medical Xpress: Study finds drinking wine with meals was associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes

An analysis of health data for nearly 312,400 current drinkers suggests consuming alcohol, most notably wine, with meals is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2022.

Consuming alcohol with meals was associated with a 14% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to consuming alcohol without eating food.

From Medical Xpress: More alcohol, less brain: Study finds an association that begins with an average of just one drink a day

... But according to a new study, alcohol consumption even at levels most would consider modest—a few beers or glasses of wine a week—may also carry risks to the brain. An analysis of data from more than 36,000 adults, led by a team from the University of Pennsylvania, found that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption was associated with reductions in overall brain volume.

The link grew stronger the greater the level of alcohol consumption, the researchers showed. 

Published on Leave a comment on Ordinary Daily Activities Can Have Health Benefits

The studies are coming fast and furious about how all daily physical activity has health benefits. Ordinary daily activities that cause a person to move, such as housework, vacuuming, washing dishes, gardening, walking, cooking, even showering - all count. (On the other hand, reading and computer use do not.)

A recent study by University of California researchers found a higher rate of heart disease, stroke, and death in older women who have less than 2 hours each day of "daily life movement" (daily physical activities) compared to those who have more than 4 hours per day. At the start of the study 5416 women (63 years or older, and without heart disease) wore an accelerometer to measure their daily movements for 1 week, and then their health was followed for more than 6 years.

The researchers found that higher amounts of daily life movement or "being up and about" were associated with a lower risk of major cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular death in older women. In other words - all movement (and not just exercise) counts towards cardiovascular disease prevention.

From Science Daily: Daily activities like washing dishes reduced heart disease risk in senior women

Seniors take note, running or brisk walking is not the only way to reduce the risk of heart disease. Simply being "up and about" performing routine activities, referred to as daily life movement, including housework, gardening, cooking and self-care activities like showering can significantly benefit cardiovascular health. ...continue reading "Ordinary Daily Activities Can Have Health Benefits"

Published on Leave a comment on Physical Activity of Housework Has Health Benefits

Many people think that only exercises done in a gym, in exercise classes, or with exercise equipment can improve health. But no! Any physical activity is good, which means ordinary walks and household tasks or housework are beneficial. And the more frequently you do them, the more beneficial.

Studies show that physical activity from housework tasks (e.g., vacuuming) are associated with improved cognition, increased brain volume, and executive functioning of the brain in older adults, and with less frailty. Higher levels of physical activity are linked to a reduction in early death and heart diseases. Heavy household tasks (e.g. vacuuming, window cleaning, scrubbing, painting) have more benefits than light household tasks (e.g., dusting, ironing, doing laundry, washing dishes, cooking).

I know, I know - no one wants to get up and do such household tasks as vacuuming, but think of it as exercise class replacement.

A commentary (and video) by Dr. Stephan Martin discussing studies showing housework improving health and fitness. From Medscape: Housework Can Increase Brain Volume and Physical Fitness

Physical activity is a panacea: it protects against cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Very active people are less likely to have type 2 diabetes, and the prevalence of dementia is apparently lower for them.  ...continue reading "Physical Activity of Housework Has Health Benefits"

Published on Leave a comment on All Vitamin D Supplements Are Not The Same

For years it has been generally accepted that vitamin D3 is superior to vitamin D2 when taken as a supplement. Another recent study confirms that they are not equivalent in their effects in the human body, and that vitamin D3 is far superior.

Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is plant and fungus-derived, and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is animal-derived. Vitamin D3 is also naturally produced in the skin when exposed to sunlight, which is why it is frequently called the "sunshine vitamin".

From Science Daily: Study questions the role of vitamin D2 in human health but its sibling, vitamin D3, could be important for fighting infections

New research has found significant differences between the two types of vitamin D, with vitamin D2 having a questionable impact on human health. However, the study found that vitamin D3 could balance people's immune systems and help strengthen defences against viral infections such as Covid-19.

In a collaborative study by the Universities of Surrey and Brighton, researchers investigated the impact of vitamin D supplements -- D2 and D3 -- taken daily over a 12-week period on the activity of genes in people's blood. ...continue reading "All Vitamin D Supplements Are Not The Same"

Published on Leave a comment on Eating Meat Less Frequently Associated With a Lower Risk of Cancer

The evidence keeps growing that cutting back on how frequently a person eats meat may have health benefits such as lowering cancer risk  A recent study found that eating a low-meat diet (5 or less times a week), or just eating fish and not meat, or a no meat diet (vegetarian or vegan) all are associated with a lower risk of cancer - when compared to those who eat meat more than 5 times per week.

Just keep in mind that they only asked people about their diets one time (at the study start) in an eleven year time period - thus it doesn't account for dietary changes over time. Also, other studies also find that there are health benefits (including lower risks of cancer) to eating less meat and more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds, nuts  - think along the lines of a Mediterranean diet.

From Science Daily: Low-meat and meat-free diets associated with lower overall cancer risk

Eating meat five times or less per week is associated with a lower overall cancer risk, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Medicine. ...continue reading "Eating Meat Less Frequently Associated With a Lower Risk of Cancer"

Published on Leave a comment on Vitamin D Supplements and Autoimmune Disease

Yesterday's post was about how several well-done large studies did not find the health benefits from vitamin D supplements that the researchers had hoped for. In one of the studies (the VITAL trial) discussed yesterday, Vitamin D supplements did not prevent cancer or cardiovascular events (e.g., stroke, heart attack), which was the focus of the study.

But... one positive finding (in a separate analysis of the study results) did come out of the study: vitamin D supplements reduced the incidence of autoimmune disease by 22% over the 5+ years of the VITAL trial. This included rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, autoimmune thyroid disease, and psoriasis.

The more than 25,000 participants (all older than 50 years) took vitamin D 2000 IUs daily or 1 g marine omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) daily,  or both, or none for more than 5 years. Only the vitamin D supplementation (whether taken alone or with fish oil) had a statistically significant health effect.

From Medical Xpress: Study finds vitamin D supplements with or without Omega-3s decreased risk of autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases (AD) such as rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, autoimmune thyroid disease and psoriasis, are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality as people age. Few effective treatments are available for AD, but some preclinical studies have hinted that supplements, including vitamin D and omega-3 (or n-3) fatty acids, may have beneficial effects. In a new study published in BMJ, investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital evaluated whether taking vitamin D and/or omega fatty acid supplements could affect rates of AD.  ...continue reading "Vitamin D Supplements and Autoimmune Disease"

Published on Leave a comment on Some Large Studies Find No Benefit From Vitamin D Supplements

Several recent articles on Medscape (a site for medical professionals) highlight the debate over vitamin D. The question: Does daily vitamin D supplementation have positive health benefits or not? Everyone agrees that if there is an actual deficiency, then it has positive health effects. But how about the average person with levels above the deficiency level?

Numerous observational studies find that low levels of vitamin D are associated with all sorts of health problems (e.g., cancer, heart disease), but randomly controlled trials (RCT) where people are randomly assigned to different groups with no one knowing what they are getting - just aren't finding health benefits. The strongest evidence so far has been for vitamin D supplementation resulting in lower incidence of upper respiratory illnesses.

What is going on? Some suggest that low vitamin D levels are a marker for ill health (the illness reduces the vitamin D levels), and that vitamin D levels go down when there is chronic inflammation. It could also be a proxy for sun exposure (the more sunlight, the higher the vitamin D levels). Note that sunlight may have additional benefits compared to just vitamin D supplementation (e.g, blue light is immune boosting).

John M. Mandrola, MD writes for Medscape, and his articles tend to be thought-provoking. Some excerpts of a Commentary by Dr. John Mandrola from Medscape: Why Is Vitamin D Hype So Impervious to Evidence?

The vitamin D story exudes teaching points: it offers a master class in critical appraisal, connecting the concepts of biologic plausibility, flawed surrogate markers, confounded observational studies, and slews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) showing no benefits on health outcomes.

Yet despite the utter lack of benefit seen in trials, the hype continues....

My questions are simple: Why doesn't the evidence persuade people? How many nonsignificant trials do we need before researchers stop studying vitamin D, doctors stop (routinely) measuring levels, and patients stop wasting money on the unhelpful supplement? What are the implications for this lack of persuasion?  ...continue reading "Some Large Studies Find No Benefit From Vitamin D Supplements"