Marion County Medical Center

Health Shorts

January 2004

Prevent Glaucoma with Diet
With glaucoma, abnormally high pressure within the eye damages nerves that carry messages from the light receptors to the brain. The elevated pressure could be due to damaged blood vessels in the eye or to the buildup of free radicals, a by-product of oxidation. To help prevent glaucoma, studies have shown the benefit of exercise and a low-fat diet that includes at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
[SOURCE: Georgia E. Hodgkin, "The Eyes Have It...or Need It," Vibrant Life, September, 2001]

How Do You Get Your Lutein?
Lutein, an antioxidant substance known to protect the eye against age-related macular degeneration, can be found in abundance in green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and collard greens. A two-ounce serving of spinach has about 11 milligrams of lutein.

A recent study found that designer eggs-from chickens that had been fed marigold petals-provided six times more lutein than standard eggs and that this lutein was more readily absorbed into the blood than lutein from other food sources or from supplements. The authors theorized that the increased bioavailability might be due to other components in the yolk, such as lecithins.
[SOURCE: Rose Marie Bliss, "Nutrition and Eye Health," Agricultural Research, August, 2003]

You Are the Berry of My Eye
Blueberries, bilberries, strawberries, currants and cherries-these highly colored, highly flavored fruits are high in bioflavonoids known as anthocyanidins that are believed to benefit the eyes as well as overall health. Potent antioxidants, anthocyanidins help improve the strength and elasticity of tiny blood vessels, such as those that supply blood to the eyes and the optic nerve.

Grape-seed extract contains another type of flavonoid, oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), that may play a role in reducing eye damage caused by high blood pressure, diabetes or smoking. One early study found that 150 milligrams a day of OPCs from grape-seed extract significantly reduced the progression of diabetic retinopathy.
[SOURCE: Amber Ackerson, "In Focus: Picture-Perfect Eye Health," Better Nutrition, September, 2003]

Follow-up Colonoscopy Saves Lives
For patients who have been treated for colorectal cancer, national guidelines recommend follow-up through colonoscopy, and a recent study found that those who followed the guidelines reduced their risk of death by 40 percent.

Among 3,546 subjects in the study, those who received follow-up colonoscopy were more likely to have received radiation and chemotherapy, suggesting more advanced cancer. Yet their five-year mortality risk was reduced.
[SOURCE: "Follow-up Colonoscopy Cuts Colorectal Cancer Mortality by 40%," Internal Medicine News, January 1, 2003]

Reducing Your Risk of Colon Cancer
To reduce your risk of colorectal cancer, doctors recommend:

eating more fruits and vegetables-at least five servings a day,
reducing your intake of animal fats and calories,
getting regular exercise of moderate intensity such as brisk walking,
screening for colon cancer with yearly fecal occult blood testing plus periodic bowel examination with sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy or barium enema, seeing your doctor promptly if you have symptoms such as a change in bowel habits, blood in the stool, abdominal pain or unexplained weight loss or anemia.

[SOURCE: Peter Boyle and J.S. Langman, "Epidemiology (ABC of Colorectal Cancer)," British Medical Journal, September 30, 2000]

Aspirin Reduces Polyp Recurrence
Patients treated for colorectal cancer who took 325 milligrams daily of aspirin had a 35 percent reduced risk of developing recurrent colon polyps than subjects taking a placebo, according to a North Carolina University study published in the New England Journal of Medicine [March 6, 2003].

In the subjects taking aspirin, the average number of polyps was lower, and aspirin delayed the appearance of polyps and slowed their development. "Although aspirin may be of some benefit in preventing colorectal cancer, it cannot yet be recommended for this indication and is not a substitute for screening and surveillance," wrote Dr. Thomas F. Imperiale of Indiana University in an accompanying editorial.

Other studies have shown nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and calcium supplements to reduce the recurrence of polyps in colon cancer patients.
[SOURCE: Major Study Shows Aspirin Can Reduce Polyp Return in GI Cancer Patients," Cancer Weekly, April 1, 2003]

New Drugs Fight Advanced Cancer
Two experimental drugs have been shown in early studies to be effective in fighting colon or rectal cancer that has spread to other tissues, significantly increasing survival time.

Bevacizumab (Avastin), which disrupts a tumor's blood/ vessel supply, shrank cancers by at least half in 45 percent of patients and gave them an average of 11 months of remission, according to a study at Duke University.

Cetuximab (Erbitux) reactivates chemotherapy by targeting a molecule displayed on cancer cells. In a British study, subjects getting a combination of cetuximab plus irinotecan had greater tumor shrinkage and longer remission time than subjects taking either drug alone.
[SOURCE: N. Seppa, "Treatment Combinations Stall Colorectal Cancer," Science News, June 7, 2003]

Regained Weight Hardest To Lose
You worked hard to lose 40 pounds last year, but recently you've noticed a few pounds creeping back. Don't let it happen. These pounds may be much harder to lose the next time around.

A study of 2,400 adults who had lost at least 30 pounds found that subjects regained only 8 pounds on average over the next two years. But although most subjects were still "well below" their initial weight by the end of the study, very few were able to re-lose the weight they had put back on. The authors stressed the importance of paying "attention to small regains so they don't grow into larger ones."
[SOURCE: Amy Norton, "Pounds Re-Gained after Weight Loss Are Stubborn," Reuters Health, December 30, 2003; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December, 2003]

Can Exercise Ease the Pain?
When you have fibromyalgia and feel pain, fatigue and stiffness in multiple parts of your body, physical activity may be the last thing on your mind. Research has demonstrated, however, that exercise can be effective therapy.

In one study, subjects who walked on a treadmill or pedaled an exercise bike for an hour at a time twice a week, gradually increasing the amount and the intensity of exercise, reported less pain and tenderness after three months than subjects doing relaxation and flexibility exercises.
[SOURCE: S.C. Richards and D.L. Scott, "Prescribed Exercise in Peopole with Fibromyalgia: Parallel Group Randomized Controlled Trial," British Medical Journal, 2002;325:185; Paul L. Cerrato, "Can Exercise Help Fibromyalgia Patients?" Contemporary OB/GYN, January, 2003]

Dietary Changes May Help Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is still a puzzle, with no known cause or cure. Several studies have indicated, however, that it may be aggravated by one or more food intolerances.

In one set of Florida case studies, researchers found that subjects who eliminated monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame and certain food additives and allergens reported some relief from symptoms. Other studies have found that symptoms subsided when subjects refrained from eating foods such as wheat, dairy products, citrus, corn, soy and peanuts.
[SOURCE: Jeff Bauer, "Can Diet Therapy Relieve Fibromyalgia," RN, October, 2001; "Feeding Fibromyalgia," Muscle & Fitness/Hers, August-September, 2002]

Best Winter Antidepressant: Exercise
Winter is the cruelest season, with a higher than average rate of weight gain and depression. One of the best ways of dealing with both is through regular exercise-all too often neglected when the weather outside is foul.

Studies over the last several decades have consistently found that persons who work out are less likely than others to feel fatigued, serious or sad. A recent study of depressed men and women, with an average age of 70, found that virtually all of those taking part in a strength training program experienced a significant decrease in symptoms of depression. The response rate to weight training was nearly 100 percent, compared to about 65 percent for most prescription antidepressants.
[SOURCE: "Winter Exercise-For Body and Soul," Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, December, 2003]

When Can You Discontinue Pap Testing?
Regular screening with the Pap test has proven to be an effective weapon in the battle against cervical cancer. At a certain age, however, an older woman and her physician may decide that screening is no longer necessary.

The American Cancer Society recommends discontinuation of screening at age 70; the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, at age 65. Women who have had hysterectomies can discontinue screening if they have no history of abnormal or cancerous cell growth.
[SOURCE: Betsy Bates, "Annual Pap Not for All Women, ACOG Revised Guidelines Say: Intervals of 2-3 Years," Internal Medicine News, September 1, 2003] Third World Women Still at Risk
Although the incidence of cervical cancer has fallen dramatically over the past 50 years in the United States, the same decline has not been seen in third world countries, where the Pap test is not routinely used for screening. Cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer among women worldwide, claiming at least 200,000 lives each year.
[SOURCE: Katherine Van Kessel and Laura Koutsky, "The HPV Vaccine: Will It One Day Wipe Out Cervical Ca?" Contemporary OB/GYN, November, 2003]

Health Shorts

January 2004

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