Drinking a cup of coffee a day could be the secret to long life
London, Sept 1: Researchers have claimed that drinking a cup of coffee everyday could be the secret to long life.
According to a study, people who drank one to two cups of coffee a day had more elastic arteries than those who drank little or no coffee, reports the Daily Mail.
The subjects of the research were all aged between 65 and 100 and long-term inhabitants of the Greek island of Ikaria.
It is known as the 'land of longevity' and a third of residents reach the age of 90.
University of Athens researchers looked at 485 people with high blood pressure, medically known as hypertension.
Christina Chrysohoou, who led the study, said there was conflicting evidence about the effect of coffee drinking on heart health, with some research showing it aggravated high blood pressure.
But drinking coffee is a deeply embedded social tradition in Greek culture, which made it imperative to investigate on this island of 'high life-expectancy', she said.
The 56 percent who were moderate coffee drinkers, consuming between one and two cups a day, had the best arterial health, with their blood vessels behaving like those found in younger people.
Their arteries were more elastic than those measured in people who drank little or no coffee.
Around one in 10 who drank three or more cups a day had the least elasticity. Dr Chrysohoou said moderate coffee drinkers consumed 25-50ml of coffee a day.
She suggested that ingredients such as caffeine and antioxidants may partly improve arterial function by increasing the ability to take up nitric oxide, which is impaired in hypertensive patients.
"They were socialising, with friends in cafeterias or with family at home, relaxing and discussing daily matters. It's done in good spirit, which is psychologically important,' she added.
The findings were released at the European Society of Cardiology congress. (ANI)
Eating fruits and veggies may cut lung cancer risk
Washington, Sept 1: A diverse diet of fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk of lung cancer - especially if you smoke, says a new study.
"Although quitting smoking is the most important preventive action in reducing lung cancer risk, consuming a mix of different types of fruit and vegetables may also reduce risk, independent of the amount, especially among smokers," said H. Bas Bueno-de-Mesquita, senior scientist and project director of cancer epidemiology at The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, The Netherlands.
Using information from the ongoing, multi-centered European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, Bueno-de-Mesquita and colleagues evaluated 452,187 participants with complete information, 1,613 of whom were diagnosed with lung cancer.
Information was obtained on 14 commonly eaten fruits and 26 commonly eaten vegetables. The fruits and vegetables evaluated in the EPIC study consisted of a wide variety of fresh, canned or dried products.
Previous results from the EPIC study showed that the quantity of vegetables and fruits may decrease risk of lung cancer; in particular the risk of one specific type of lung cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, decreased in current smokers.
Regardless of the amount, the researchers on the current study found that risk of lung cancer also decreased when a variety of vegetables were consumed. In addition, the risk of squamous cell carcinoma decreased substantially when a variety of fruits and vegetables were eaten.
However, Bueno-de-Mesquita said that they "cannot exclude that these results can still be explained by smoking."
"Fruits and vegetables contain many different bioactive compounds, and it makes sense to assume that it is important that you not only eat the recommended amounts, but also consume a rich mix of these bioactive compounds by consuming a large variety," he said.
Study results are published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. (ANI)
Selenium intake linked to decreased risk of bladder cancer
Washington, Sept 1: Increasing selenium intake may decrease the risk of bladder cancer, according to a new study.
Selenium is an essential micronutrient that is incorporated into about 25 proteins, called selenoproteins. Most of these selenoproteins are enzymes with antioxidant properties that prevent cellular damage caused by the by-products of oxygen metabolism, according to lead researcher Nuria Malats, leader of the Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Group, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Spanish National Cancer Research Center.
The main dietary sources of this micronutrient are plant foods grown in selenium-rich soils, animals who graze on these soils and selenium-enriched products.
"The lower the levels of selenium, the higher the risk of developing bladder cancer," Malats said.
Using data from seven previously published studies, Malats and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate selenium levels measured in serum and toenails and the risk of developing bladder cancer.
The data included individuals mostly from the United States, but also from Belgium, Finland and the Netherlands.
The researchers noted a significant protective effect of selenium, mainly among women, which they believe may result from gender-specific differences in the mineral's accumulation and excretion in women.
"Although our results suggest a beneficial effect of high selenium intake for bladder cancer risk, more studies are needed to confirm these findings before an enforcement of high selenium intake is recommended," Malats said.
The results of the study are published in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer. (ANI)
High-fat diet during puberty linked to breast cancer risk
Washington, Sept 1: Eating a high-fat diet during puberty is associated with a greater risk of breast cancer later in life, according to a preliminary research.
The findings come from research at Michigan State University's Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Center.
Physiology professor Sandra Haslam, director of the center, and Richard Schwartz, microbiology professor and associate dean in the College of Natural Science, are now expanding that research.
"The pubertal time period is crucial, as this is when the basic framework is created for mammary gland development. What we are seeing from preliminary research in animals is that a high-fat diet during puberty can lead to the production of inflammatory products in the mammary glands of adults, which can promote cancer growth," Haslam said.
The work is based on the team's previous research that found the hormone progesterone activates genes that trigger inflammation in the mammary gland; that inflammation may be a key factor in increasing the risk of breast cancer.
The researchers discovered that a high-fat diet during puberty produced many of the same effects seen as part of their progesterone research.
Schwartz said: "Understanding what genes were turned on by progesterone led us to look at some of the same suspects with high-fat diets. It appears both processes may lead to inflammation in the mammary glands."
Since these inflammatory changes first occur during the crucial time of puberty, a period of intense development and cell division, it can have effects lasting a lifetime.
To test their findings, Haslam and Schwartz will lead a team analyzing two different mouse models of breast cancer and the effects of high-fat diets during puberty. They also will test several anti-inflammation interventions designed to overcome the negative effects of a high-fat diet on inflammation. (ANI)
DASH eating plan 'cuts heart attack risk'
Washington, Sep 01: A new research has concluded that the DASH eating plan, known to reduce blood pressure and bad cholesterol, also reduces the 10-year risk of heart attack, especially among African-Americans.
The DASH eating plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products as well as whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts.
The plan also calls for a reduction in fats, red meat, sweets, and sugar-containing beverages. The U.S. government and American Heart Association recommend it.
The study researchers found that the DASH plan: lowered the participants' 10-year risk of having a heart attack or other coronary heart disease event by about 18 percent compared to those eating a typical American diet.
In the study, 436 patients (average age 45, 60 percent African-American) had either Stage I high blood pressure (140-159/90-99 mmHg) or were pre-hypertensive (120 - 139/80-89 mmHg) and assigned to one of three diets: the DASH eating plan; a typical American diet (low in minerals, such as potassium, magnesium and calcium, and high in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol); or the typical American diet plus additional fruits and vegetables.
To determine how DASH affected coronary heart disease risk, researchers plugged their data (blood pressure and cholesterol results) into the Framingham Heart Risk Equation and calculated the 10-year risk of developing coronary heart disease, researchers said.
This research confirms that people can benefit from eating according to the DASH plan.
The research has been reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal. (ANI)
