Encouraging Health

Which menu special should you order to keep your colon healthy? Go for the seafood platter.

According to a large 22-year study, men who eat fish and shrimp five times a week have a 40 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer. Just get it broiled, not fried, and go light on the butter.

What’s Fish Got That Colons Love?
Researchers aren’t sure why frequently eating fish has such a protective effect on colon health. The omega-3 fatty acids and the vitamin D in fish might get the credit. Or it could simply be that fans of fish eat less red meat — something known to raise colon cancer risk. Regardless, grab that mahimahi burger instead of the beef patty.

Fish Helps You Keep the Beat

In this ever more polluted world, sometimes you just can’t avoid a little bit of particulate matter in your lungs.

So go fish! Eating finny food not only reduces your risk for heart disease but also may protect your heart from air-pollution-induced arrhythmias.

Taking Heart Against Pollution
Short-term exposure to small airborne particles spewed from cars, power plants, and other industrial sources may cause an irregular heart rate. Serious stuff, because it could open the door to heart arrhythmias and even heart attacks in people who are over 60 or have heart or lung diseases.

Airing Things Out
But fish could help thwart that unhealthy chain of events. A study found that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil may help alleviate those irregular beats. That’s just what happened when people over 60 who were exposed to particulate matter took a daily fish oil supplement. Fish oil supplements aren’t for everyone, though, and should be discussed with a doctor first.

Skin cancer begins with DNA damage from exposure to ultraviolet light

There is no such thing as a safe tan, U.S. and British researchers said on Thursday.

They said in their review of published studies that tans and skin cancer both begin with DNA damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet light but many people, especially the young, ignore or are unaware of this danger in a quest for a bronzed body.

“The signals in the cells that induce sun tanning appear to be DNA damage,” said Dorothy Bennett, a cell biologist at St. George’s, University of London, who wrote one of the papers.

“DNA damage is the first step in getting a mutation in cells that could lead to cancer, so there can’t be anything like a safe tan.”

The World Health Organization estimates that as many as 60,000 people each year die from too much ultraviolet light, mostly from malignant melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer.

The link between skin cancer and damage from ultraviolet light from the sun or tanning booths is well known but the review published in the journal Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research suggests that even a little exposure is dangerous.

Another problem is that while genetic and other factors also contribute to skin cancer risk, mixed messages about the safety of ultraviolet light confuses the public, Bennett added in a telephone interview.

Getting some sunshine is important because ultraviolet light spurs the body to produce vitamin D. But people need far less ultraviolet exposure for this than it takes to tan, she said.

“A lot of young people don’t know about the scientific evidence,” she said. “Anything that causes mutations in your cells increases your risk of cancer.”

Only 40 percent receive recommended screenings after surgery, study finds

Many colon cancer patients aren’t getting the screenings recommended after surgery to make sure the disease hasn’t returned, new research shows.

Only about 40 percent of the 4,426 older patients in the study got all the doctor visits, blood tests and the colonoscopy advised in the three years after cancer surgery, according to the results released Monday by the journal Cancer.

While nearly all made the doctor visits and almost three-quarters got a colonoscopy, many didn’t get the blood tests that can signal a return of colon cancer, according to the researchers at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.

Whether doctors didn’t offer the tests or patients failed to get them isn’t known, said Dr. Gregory Cooper, who led the study. He said perhaps the follow-up care was being provided by doctors who aren’t specialists and who aren’t familiar with the guidelines.

“I would probably put most of the blame on the providers,” said Cooper, a gastroenterologist at the hospital.

About 149,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year. Survival after five years varies from 90 percent for cancer that hasn’t spread to 10 percent for advanced cases.

Cooper and his colleagues used a federal database of cancer cases and Medicare records for patients to see if the guidelines were being followed. They focused on those 66 and older with less advanced cancer who had surgery that could cure them.

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I LOVE berries! Recently, a friend invited me to go up Interstate 5 near Everett, WA to buy berries fresh from the actual farmers. I bought a 1/2 flat of blueberries and immediately stuck them in the freezer, on the pretense of enjoying them in the winter. There were 8 baggies of them, now I think I have 3 or 4 left. They are so good!

Been known to gorge on blueberries in late summer and early fall, when they’re abundant and in season? Go ahead! Even in the world of fruits and berries, which is loaded with health-boosting, age-fighting nutrition stars, blueberries are a supernova.

They’re linked not only to skin, heart, eye, and urinary health but also to a lower risk of cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

So how much should you be eating to reap the protective health benefits? About 1 to 2 cups a day says Steven G. Pratt, MD, author of the new book SuperFoods HealthStyle: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health.

First off, you may be thinking, “Wow, that’s a lot of blueberries, even in August!” Second, if they’re not in season, you’re wondering how on earth you’re going to eat a cup or more a day. Here’s how:

Stock your freezer. There’s evidence that frozen blueberries provide the same benefits of fresh, says Dr. Pratt. The big tip-off? A European study found that men who ate frozen berries daily had as much as 50% more quercetin, a particularly powerful anticancer antioxidant, in their blood than did men who abstained from eating berries.

When fresh blueberries are so last season, here are a few suggestions from Pratt and others on how to use frozen ones to get that “cup a day”:

• Put a cup of frozen berries in the fridge in the evening to defrost; in the morning, sprinkle them over cereal or stir them into yogurt. Forgot to defrost? Throw those chilly berries in the blender, and whip up a quick all-fruit smoothie.

• Boost the fiber and nutrients in your baked goods by tossing a handful into muffin or quick-bread batter. Just add 5 to 15 minutes to the baking time to compensate for their chilling effect.

• Float a few in a glass of cold club soda or lemonade as festive, edible ice cubes. (Kids will get a kick out of this.)

• Eat them plain, like tiny popsicles. (Another kid pleaser.)

• Add them to a salad of winter fruit about 15 minutes before serving.

Eating fistfuls of blueberries every day is certainly no risk to your weight. You’re only looking at 79 calories a cup. And all those antioxidants pay off big-time.

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The button mushrooms you bought at the store aren’t just a pretty kabob filler. Those beauties may have talent, too.

Now, I absolutely love mushrooms! They are the first vegetable I tried. The earthy, meaty taste still lingers from that first taste, from decades ago. Mushrooms aren’t just delicious, they are multi-taskers like the rest of us. Like the ability to rev up the body’s self-defenses against things like cancer and viral infections.

Tumor Terminators
Western medicine has only recently begun to study the concept, but early animal research suggests fungi may have some pretty serious health-promoting powers. For example, powdered white button mushrooms recently boosted production of natural killer cells in mice. If the same thing happens in humans, that’s great news, because killer cells help defend against tumors and virus-infected cells.

Mention “Mushrooms” and What Comes to Mind? Most likely, their fabulous taste and texture. But there’s more to mushrooms than the pleasure of sitting down to a meaty Portabella sandwich, a mixed-mushroom omelet or a steak topped with sautéed white mushrooms. These oh-so-edible fungi also deserve attention for their unique contributions to a healthful diet.

Often grouped with vegetables, mushrooms provide many of the nutritional attributes of produce, as well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans or grains. Mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free and very low in sodium, yet they provide several nutrients, including riboflavin, niacin and selenium, which are typically found in animal foods or grains. And Mushrooms are one of the few natural sources of vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones and teeth.

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Wake up your taste buds, and protect your pancreas while you’re at it, with some Indian food this weekend. Or try a Thai dish.

Turmeric — the spice that gives curry and other Far Eastern fare its strong, distinctive flavor — may lower your risk of pancreatic cancer. So find that takeout number.

It’s Good to Be Yellow
Curcumin, the yellow stuff in turmeric, may do in tumor cells. When researchers added the substance to cancerous pancreas cells, production practically shut down — thanks to a clampdown on cytokines, chemicals linked to tumor growth and cell survival.

Pancreas-Protective Foods

When you want a healthy, happy pancreas, you’ve got plenty of foods to choose from. Try these, for instance:

Onion and arugula. They’re darn tasty on sandwiches and pack special cancer-clubbing flavonols.

Fish, eggs, and poultry. These are better choices for your pancreas than processed meats.

D-fortified cereals and dairy.

3 Feel-Better Postworkout Foods

What’s the best snack to grab after a major workout? How about a bowl of whole-grain cereal, a bite of Indian takeout, or a big nonfat latte.

Each nosh option has a special ingredient that may help your body recover better and nip postworkout pain in the bud.

The 3 Cs
What, exactly, do these snacks have that others might not? The three Cs: carbs, curcumin, and caffeine. A carb-rich snack like cereal can help you overcome fatigue by restoring glycogen — that stuff your muscles use for energy. Curcumin, a substance found in the Indian spice turmeric, may help quell muscle inflammation. And caffeine from coffee may help block muscle-pain-producing substances.

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While you’re helping your significant other get slathered up with sunscreen this weekend, throw in a little bonus gift: a skin check.

You see, there’s a benefit to being this close. Couples with tight-knit bonds are more likely to carefully check each other’s skin for moles, bumps, and other worrisome marks.

I’ve Got Your Back
Skin self-exams can catch melanoma and other skin cancers early, when treatment has the best shot. And in a study of melanoma survivors, couples in close relationships were about three times more likely to do the skin-check deed. A partner can help with hard-to-see spots, too — like your back and your scalp.

Patrol your skin in 6 easy steps
Now that you have a better idea of what to look for and what’s at stake, it’s time to patrol your skin for potentially cancerous lesions. Getting to know what’s normal for you is the best place to begin. The better you know your skin, the more likely you’ll be able to notice if there are any changes. Learn where your birthmarks, freckles, moles, and blemishes are and what they usually look and feel like.

The goal of a skin self exam is to look thoroughly at all areas of your body, so you’ll need a well-lit room with a full-length mirror plus a hand mirror and a blow dryer. The bathroom is generally an ideal location. In addition, it may be easier to do your skin exam with a partner, if you wish.

1. Look at the front and back of your body in a mirror.
2. Look at your left and right sides. Raise your arms and bend your elbows. Look at your underarms, forearms, the back of your upper arms, and your palms.
3. Sit down and look at the back of your legs and feet, the spaces between your toes, and the soles of your feet. (Think about the times your soles may have been sunburned as you lay on your stomach.)
4. Use a mirror to examine the back of your neck and scalp. Use a blow dryer on a low setting to examine your entire scalp.
5. Use a hand mirror to examine your back and your buttocks.
6. Finally, take photographs of any suspicious-looking skin marks. Save these pictures and during your next skin exam, check your skin for any changes against the photos you took.

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It took only an instant for 58-year-old Gailanne Reeh to go from the picture of health to death’s door. By chance, her doctor noticed a lump under her arm during a routine exam. It turned out to be advanced breast cancer.

The surgeon, she recalled, “looked at me and said: ‘This is not a conversation I like to have. But I can’t do anything for you. You can’t be cured. You can’t be treated. All we can do is manage your cancer.’”

And so, like many others in that situation, Reeh, the vivacious owner of a staffing agency in Boston, was given bevacizumab, also known as Avastin, a drug that signifies both the hopes and dilemmas of modern medicine.

Looked at one way, Avastin, made by Genentech, is a wonder drug. Approved for patients with advanced lung, colon or breast cancer, it cuts off tumors’ blood supply, an idea that has tantalized science for decades. And despite its price, which can reach $100,000 a year, Avastin has become one of the most popular cancer drugs in the world, with sales last year of about $3.5 billion, $2.3 billion of that in the United States.

But there is another side to Avastin. Studies show the drug prolongs life by only a few months, if that. And some newer studies suggest the drug might be less effective against cancer than the Food and Drug Administration had understood when the agency approved its uses.

While many patients and their doctors say the drug can improve the quality of life — like a sense of well-being and an ability to carry out daily tasks without exhaustion or pain — such effects can be hard to document. Meanwhile, many patients with cancers other than those of the colon, lung or breast are taking the drug, even in cases where there is no compelling evidence that it can help.

Avastin also has serious, if infrequent, side effects, some of which can be lethal. And because it is almost always used with standard chemotherapy — it did not work as well when researchers tried it alone — patients on Avastin do not escape chemotherapy’s side effects.

“I still use Avastin routinely, but it’s sobering,” Dr. Leonard Saltz, a colon cancer specialist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, said. “It’s not a slam-dunk.”

Avastin raises troubling questions:

What does it mean to say an expensive drug works? Is slowing the growth of tumors enough if life is not significantly prolonged or improved? “I think of Avastin as a model that is showing us where the problem is,” said Barbara Brenner, executive director of Breast Cancer Action, an advocacy group.

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