Health ShortsJuly 2005Real Men Eat Fruits, Veggies
Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants believed to protect against cancer as well as heart disease. According to one study, men who averaged four or more servings of vegetables a day had a 35 percent lower risk of prostate cancer than those who ate only two servings a day. A Dean Ornish study of 90 men with prostate cancer found that those on a vegan diet, with 10 percent of their calories from fat, showed a slight decrease in PSA while those in the control group had a rise in PSA.
[SOURCE: Bonnie Liebman, “Prostate Cancer: More Questions than Answers,” Nutrition Action Healthletter, July,-August, 2004] PSA Testing: Pro and Con
Prostate cancer deaths declined 16 percent between 1996 and 2000, shortly after the PSA blood test became widespread, but there is controversy as to whether testing is responsible for the decrease. The drop in prostate cancer deaths occurred at similar rates in areas such as the United Kingdom where PSA testing is much less common than in the United States. The PSA test is believed to be capable of detecting prostate cancer five to seven years before an abnormality will show up on a digital rectal examination but has not been proven to reduce prostate cancer mortality. The drop in the prostate cancer mortality rate during the 1990s followed an unexplained increase in mortality during the 1980s.
[SOURCE: Does PSA Screening Decrease Mortality?” Family Practice News, September 1, 2004; The Johns Hopkins White Papers, Prostate Cancer, 2003] Drug Effective in Prevention Trial
Finasteride, a drug now approved for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), was found effective in lowering the rate of detected prostate cancer over a seven-year period in a recent study. Among 18,882 subjects over age 55 with normal digital rectal examinations and PSA levels below 3.0 ng/mL, 18.4 percent of those taking finasteride developed prostate cancer compared to 24.4 percent of those taking placebo. Finasteride blocks the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, a form implicated in the development of cancer. The drug has sexual side effects and, in this study, was associated with an increased incidence of high-grade cancers. The authors wrote that “the increase in high-grade cancers in the finasteride group may occur because these aggressive cancers are less dependent on androgens for growth and may have had a selective advantage in an environment of decreased dihydrotestosterone.”
[SOURCE: Bill Zepf, “Finasteride in Preventing Prostate Cancer,” American Family Physician,” February 1, 2004] Aspirin a Day for Prostate?
Men taking an aspirin a day had a 15 percent reduced risk of prostate cancer, according to a Baltimore study of 887 men. Men using other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs had a 24 percent reduced risk. Daily aspirin is often prescribed for heart disease patients. More research is needed to confirm the benefit for prevention of prostate cancer.
[SOURCE: “An Aspirin a Day To Prevent Prostate Cancer?” Harvard Men’s Health Watch, November, 2002] Statins Reduce Prostate Cancer Risk
Men taking cholesterol-lowering statins had about half the risk of advanced prostate cancer as other men, according to observational data from the large Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Advanced cancers were defined as those in which the cancer was regionally invasive, metastatic or fatal. The authors said the reduced risk could be due not to the drugs themselves but to their effect on cholesterol and the ratio of LDL to HDL.
[SOURCE: Robert Finn, “Statins May Lower Risk of Advanced Prostate Cancer: No Link Was Found for Localized Disease,” Internal Medicine News, May 15, 2005] E for Prevention, Not Treatment
Vitamin E may be useful as a preventive measure against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but is ineffective as treatment, according to two recent studies. One large study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that subjects taking vitamin E regularly for more than 10 years had a 62 percent reduced risk of dying from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Another study found, however, that even high levels of vitamin E had no significant effect on symptoms of ALS once the disease had started.
[SOURCE: M. Flint Beal, “Is Vitamin E Useful for the Prevention or Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)?” Neurology Alert, February, 2005] Are Athletes at Risk of ALS?
Lou Gehrig was an exceptional athlete, and the disease that has been named for him, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, may be more common among athletes. A Columbia University neurologist who collected personal histories on 431 consecutive patients between 1992 and 2000 found that 38 percent of those diagnosed with ALS had been varsity athletes (compared to 26 percent of other patients). The physician had no explanation for the findings except that the patients may have inherited athletic ability as well as susceptibility to the disease.
[SOURCE: “Are Athletes Prone to ALS?” Science News, September 28, 2002] Care for ALS Patients: Priceless
As a result of the degeneration and death of nerves controlling motor function, a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) eventually becomes unable to control and use most muscles of the body. Full-time nursing care is usually required, and this is typically provided by a spouse or other family members. In the final stages of the disease, medical and nursing costs may exceed $200,000 a year, and Medicare pays only for services provided by a non-relative.
[SOURCE: Clare Howard, “Shared Isolation–ALS Patients, Caregivers Unite To Face Cruelest,” Peoria Journal Star, April, 2005; L. Fleming Fallon, Jr., “Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,” Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, January 1, 2001] Vitamin E and Your Eyes
Several recent studies have questioned the value, and possible harm, of large doses (400 IU a day or more) of vitamin E supplements. For most individuals the solution is simple: get vitamin E from food sources plus multivitamins. The problem becomes complicated, however, for persons diagnosed with either an intermediate case of macular degeneration (MD) or advanced MD in one eye. The AREDS antioxidant vitamin prescribed for these patients includes 400 IU of vitamin E (as well as zinc and copper). Studies of AREDS have shown no benefits for patients with early disease. Medical experts suggest that these patients eat plenty of leafy green vegetables, a good source of vitamin E as well as beta carotene and lutein, a substance important to macular health.
[SOURCE: “Vitamin E Gets an F,” Harvard Health Letter, June, 2005] Nuts and Seeds Fight Cancer
Nuts and seeds are an excellent source of vitamin E. And a recent laboratory study demonstrated that gamma-tocopheral, a form of vitamin E found in walnuts, pecans and sesame seeds, was effective in killing prostate and lung cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. Alpha-tocopherol, another form of vitamin E and the one most often found in body tissues and supplements, did not have the same effect.
[SOURCE: Rachel Dowd, “Medical Breakthrough: Try E-Nuts for Cancer Protection,” natural Health, June, 2005] Nuts to Cholesterol
Adding almonds to your diet can raise your blood level of vitamin E and improve your cholesterol profile, according to a dietary study of 16 healthy men and women. Participants were fed three diets for four weeks each: a control diet with no almonds, a low-almond diet (10 percent of total energy) and a high-almond diet (20 percent of total energy). Those eating the most almonds had the greatest improvement in cholesterol.
[SOURCE: Pera Jambazian, et al, “Almonds in the Diet Simultaneously Improve Plasma Alpha-Tocopherol Concentrations and Reduce Plasma Lipids,” Journal of the American Dietetic Association, March, 2005] Fruits, Vegetables Reduce LDL
Subjects eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans over a four-week period lowered their total cholesterol and LDL twice as much as subjects following a standard low-fat diet, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine [May, 2005]. The total fat content of the two diets was identical
[SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine, May, 2005; “JOURNAL WATCH: Vegetables Reduce Cholesterol,” Pulse, May 7, 2005] Don’t Be Afraid of Eggs
Eggs are high in cholesterol, but that’s no reason to avoid them. A large Harvard study several years ago found that subjects eating one egg a day had no higher risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke than subjects eating fewer than one egg a week. In terms of your cholesterol profile, saturated fats (found mainly in meat and dairy products) and trans fats (found in commercial baked goods and stick margarine) are more risky because they stimulate the liver to make more cholesterol. Aside from the cholesterol, eggs are rich in B vitamins, folic acid, protein and “good” polyunsaturated fats.
[SOURCE: “By the Way, Doctor,” Harvard Health Letter, April, 2005] HDL: The Higher the Better
Increase your HDL cholesterol by two to three percent, and you’ll lower your risk of a heart attack by at least the same percentage, regardless of your LDL or total cholesterol. HDL is the “good” cholesterol because it transports excess cholesterol back to the liver. Studies show that increasing HDL is particularly beneficial for postmenopausal women and for person with diabetes or the metabolic syndrome.
[SOURCE: Peter Stott, “The Role of HDL-C in Diabetes and the Metabolic Syndrome,” Diabetes and Primary Care, Spring, 2005] | 
