A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study has reportedly found that men with the highest blood percentages of the omega-3 fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) “have two-and-a-half-times the risk of developing aggressive, high-grade prostate cancer compared to men with the lowest DHA levels,” according to an April 25, 2011, press release. Theodore Brasky, “Serum Phospholipid Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer Risk: Results From the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial,” American Journal of Epidemiology, April 2011. Based on data from 3,400 men enrolled in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, the study has also claimed that, contrary to expectations, “men with the highest blood ratios of trans-fatty acids . . . had a 50 percent reduction in the risk of high-grade prostate cancer.” The findings evidently surprised researchers, who expected that the anti-inflammatory properties of omega-3 fatty acids would reduce prostate cancer risk, while trans-fatty acids and the omega-6 fatty acids commonly…
Tag Archives cancer
The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) recently released an updated expert policy report estimating that 340,000 cancer cases in the United States could be prevented each year through “eating a varied and healthy diet, undertaking regular physical activity, being at a healthy weight and limiting alcohol intake.” According to a February 3, 2011, joint press release, positive changes in these lifestyle factors could achieve “significant reductions in particularly common cancers . . . including breast (38 percent of cases), stomach (47 percent of cases) and colon (45 percent of cases).” Reflecting the most recent global incidence data from GLOBOSCAN 2008, these revised estimates evidently square with the World Health Organization’s 2010 Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health, which concluded that “regular physical activity can prevent many diseases such as breast and colon cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.” In addition, AICR and WCRF have…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final rule announcing that it has removed saccharin from its lists of hazardous substances, wastes and constituents because it “is no longer considered a potential hazard to human health.” EPA proposed on April 22, 2010, to remove the artificial sweetener from the lists, and apparently received no opposition to the plan. Commonly found in diet soft drinks, chewing gum and juice, saccharin had been labeled a potential cancer-causing substance in the 1980s. According to an EPA press release, however, the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer reevaluated scientific data on saccharin and its salts, concluding that they are not a potential human carcinogen. EPA removed the artificial sweetener from the hazardous lists because “the scientific basis for remaining” no longer applies. The final rule, which is in response to a Calorie Control Council petition to remove…
A recent study has reportedly identified “positive associations between redmeat intake and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.” Amanda Cross, et al., “Meat Consumption and Risk of Esophageal and Gastric Cancer in a Large Prospective Study,” American Journal of Gastroenterology, October 2010. Using a large cohort study of approximately 500,000 adults, researchers evidently concluded during a 10-year follow-up period that those in the top quintile for red meat consumption were 79 percent more likely to develop esophageal squamous cell carcinoma than those who consumed the least red meat. The study authors also found a “a positive association” between gastric cardia cancer and DiMeIQx, a form of heterocyclic acid created by high-temperature cooking. They cautioned, however, that neither finding supports a causal link between red meat and the two cancers. In addition, as the study abstract notes, “benzo[a]pyrene, nitrate, and nitrite were not associated with esophageal or gastric cancer.” In a related development,…
According to counsel for a company that makes dietary supplements containing selenium, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to allow the company to make qualified health claims for the products that include brief disclaimers. The company will apparently be able to label its products with claims that selenium “may reduce the risk” of prostate, colon, bladder, and thyroid cancers as long as it includes the following: “Scientific evidence concerning this claim is inconclusive. Based on its review, FDA does not agree that selenium may reduce the risk of these cancers.” The negotiations that led to the breakthrough reportedly followed a federal district court ruling in May that FDA violated First Amendment commercial speech standards by censoring specific qualified health claims for the company’s products and requiring the use of a lengthy contradictory qualification. The parties are apparently continuing to discuss disagreements over the effect of selenium on other…
New York University Professor Marion Nestle has commented on an October 5, 2010, USA Today article that highlights the efforts of alcoholic beverage manufacturers to make financial contributions to breast cancer research efforts. According to USA Today, “Both the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute say even moderate drinking increases breast cancer risk,” but some companies have reportedly started “pink” product campaigns to raise money for research. The purported conflict of interest has led the Breast Cancer Network for Strength and other advocacy groups to consider refusing donations tied to alcohol sales. USA Today cites Dwight Burlingame, associate executive director of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, as saying that “cause-related marketing is not about charity,” but rather serves as a product promotion. At least one beverage manufacturer, however, has disputed that interpretation, noting that its campaign honors an employee who lost her life to breast cancer and…
A recent study has purportedly linked an increased risk of bladder cancer to “meatrelated compounds,” including nitrate and nitrite. Leah Ferrucci, et al., “Meat and components of meat and the risk of bladder cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study,” Cancer, August 2010. Researchers apparently identified 854 transitional cell bladder-cancer cases among the 300,933 men and women enrolled in the 1995 National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Using validated food-frequency questionnaires completed by subjects and quantitative databases of measured values, the study authors estimated “intake of nitrate and nitrite from processed meat and HCAs [heterocyclic amines] and PAHs [polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons] from cooked meat.” Their results reportedly showed that when compared to participants who ate the least amount of processed red meat, the top one-fifth had a 30 percent greater risk of contracting bladder cancer. As the study authors concluded, these findings provide “modest support for an…
Described by the media as “landmark” and “extraordinary,” the President’s Cancer Panel newly issued 2008-2009 Annual Report claims that the National Cancer Program has not adequately addressed the “true burden of environmentally induced cancer.” According to the panel’s transmittal letter, some 80,000 chemicals are on the market in the United States, and Americans are exposed daily to many of them, even before birth. Particularly noted were exposures to chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA), formaldehyde and benzene. The report examines the impact of environmental exposures on cancer risk, identifies the barriers to understanding and reducing the exposures and makes recommendations to overcome these barriers. Noting that 41 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer and 21 percent will die from the disease, the panel of Bush administration appointees maintains that inadequate attention and funding have been provided to the environmental causes of cancer. The panel also criticizes the scientific…
“If there’s a nutrient it’s easy to overdose on, it’s folic acid,” writes Prevention columnist Laura Beil in this article citing research allegedly linking the synthetic form of B vitamin folate to colon, lung and prostate cancers. Beil reports that this nutrient is already a staple in most diets, partly because the government requires its inclusion in enriched grains such as white flour and white rice to reduce birth defects. Still, according to Beil, many food manufacturers have taken it further, “giving breakfast cereals, nutrition bars, and beverages a folic acid boost.” Noting that women are advised to get 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily, she registers concern that some consumers who take a multivitamin and eat breakfast are getting “a megadose before walking out the door.” Beil focuses on studies that have purportedly linked these high folic acid doses to an increase in hospitalization rates for colon cancer.…
A federal court in California has dismissed a lawsuit that the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) filed against a company which claimed its multivitamin supplements supported prostate health or reduced the risk of prostate cancer. CSPI v. Bayer Corp., No. 09-05379 (N.D. Cal., decided March 25, 2010). The court determined that CSPI could not bring claims under California’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL) or its Consumer Legal Remedies Act (CLRA) in a representational capacity on behalf of consumers. The court also found that the organization lacked standing to sue on its own behalf. According to CSPI’s complaint, the company’s conduct interfered with its mission to “provide useful, objective, and safe information to the public.” The court found that these allegations of injury were insufficient to demonstrate cognizable injury for the organization to sue on its own behalf under the UCL, which requires an action to be brought by a…
