A survey of Massachusetts women has found a potential link between the use of household cleaners and air fresheners and breast cancer.  Breast-cancer risk was highest among women who reported the most use of cleaning products and air fresheners; it was double the risk for those who reported low use of the products. Most study participants were white and middle-aged and were part of the Cape Cod Breast Cancer and Environment Study, which had financial support from the state of Massachusetts.

Editor’s Note: We recommend using natural house cleaners and air fresheners as these are free from chemicals and potentially hazardous products. You can get these online or at your health food store. Other natural cleaners include Murphy’s and Dr. Bronner’s cleaners which may be available in your supermarket.

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A painkiller may be capable of causing cancer cells to kill themselves, U.S. researchers suggest.

Researchers at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., say the link between taking anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and lower incidences of some types of cancer led them to determine how one anti-inflammatory used to treat pain and fever (called Sulindac) could initiate cell death, apoptosis, in cancer cells.

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New study published online and in the August print issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, found that smoking and cholesterol levels affect the risk for early-stage age related macular degeneration (AMD).

Editor’s Note: For information on nutrition, diet and macular degeneration, Click Here

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A US-based study on Monday linked eating white rice to higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and backed long-held claims that brown rice is healthier than the white variety.

People who ate at least five servings of white rice per week had a 17 percent greater risk of developing diabetes than those who consumed less than one serving per month, Harvard School of Public Health scientists found.

“These findings could have even greater implications for Asian and other populations in which rice is a staple food.”

Editor’s Note:  For more information on diabetes/diabetic retinopathy, Click Here

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An article published online on June 2, 2010 in FASEB Journal reports the discovery of Temple University researchers of the benefit of a low methionine diet in slowing or reversing early to moderate stage Alzheimer’s disease in an animal model.

Methionine is an essential amino acid that occurs in relatively high amounts in red meat, fish, eggs and other foods. A byproduct of methionine metabolism is homocysteine, another amino acid that has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease as well as cardiovascular disease when elevated.

Ref: www.fasebj.org

Editor’s Note: For more information on diet, nutrition and lifestyle related to Alzheimer’s Disease, Click Here

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The biggest study ever done on tanning beds and melanoma finds that indoor tanning can raise the risk of of melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer) between 74 percent and 340.

People who tanned longer had higher risk, as did people who tanned in beds that mostly use UVA radiation, not a related kind known as UVB.

For more information, Click Here

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Laser therapy, also called laser photocoagulation, is more effective and produces fewer side effects than corticosteroids injected into the eye for the treatment of diabetic macular edema according to a large, two-year multicenter study reported in the journal Ophthalmology (Volume 115, page 1447).

For more details, Click Here

Editor’s Note: For more information in nutrition and diabetes/diabetic retinopathy, Click Here

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Controlled trials have shown that extracts of Ginkgo Biloba can significantly improve visual acuity in Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) patients within six months of use. Both animal and human studies have revealed that Ginkgo extract can help to prevent retinal detachment, while increasing antioxidant activity in patients’ blood, tears and plasma*.

Editor’s Note: Gingko biloba has many potential benefits as a powerful antioxidant, and its effects on improving circulation and even brain function.

*For the gingko biloba study references and for more related studies on nutrition and macular degeneration, Click Here

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Osteoporosis (loss of calcium in bones) affects 44 million men and women in the United States today, resulting in 1.5 million fractures each year. Approximately one-quarter of those people who have hip fractures due to the disorder die within a year after the break due to complications, including not being able to move around very well.

The causes of osteoporosis for women is often due to estrogen deficiency during and after menopause. Caucasians and Asians also are at higher risk for the disorders than African-Americans. Other risk factors include low body weight, previous fractures and taking high-risk medications such as chemotherapy or steroid treatments which can deteriorate bone.

Things that can be done to help prevent bone loss include:

1) Daily weight bearing exercise

2) Eat a healthy diet (avoid carbonated drinks which can reduce calcium in the body).

3) Avoid bad habits such as smoking or excessive drinking

4) Supplement with a good calcium supplement which includes cofactors such as vitamin D3, Boron, Vitamin K1, Magnesium, and Phosphorus.

4) Supplement with at least 1,000 mg per day of Vitamin D3.

For more information on diet, nutrition and lifestyle related to Osteoporosis, Click Here

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New study shows that the progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration my be connected to ongoing damage to mitochondia in the retinal cells.

Ref:  www.iovs.org/cgi/content/abstract/iovs.10-5429v1

Editor’s Note: Mitochondria are often called the “powerhouse of the cell” because they produce ATP (energy) from sugar and other organic molecules. Without this energy production within our cells, they (and we) would perish.

This study further underscores the importance of having a healthy diet, exercising and taking targeted supplements that nourish the retinal cells. Nutrients such as CoQ10 may help as well as it helps increase mitochondrial activity (energy production) in the cells. Supporting nutrients for CoQ10 include n-acetyl-carnitine and alpha lipoic acid.

For more information in nutrition and macular degeneration, Click Here

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