World’s Hottest Pepper Donated To Cancer Research

admin — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:20:05 +0000

An extremely hot pepper called the Carolina Reaper may bring hope to individuals suffering from cancer. The pepper took more than ten years to be developed by Smokin’ Ed Currie and is said to be 300 times hotter than the jalapeno pepper. The pepper’s active ingredient is called capsaicin, which may kill cancer cells. Currie donated half of his California Reaper harvest to cancer research labs last year. More here

Sunscreen May Prevent Photoaging

admin — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:56:45 +0000

According to new studies, the regular use of sunscreen will not only keep you from getting sunburn and lower your risk of skin cancer, it will also protect against photoaging such as spotting, wrinkles and loss of skin elasticity caused by sun exposure. The study consisted of 900 participants, some of which were instructed to apply sunscreen generously for four years while the others were given no specific instructions. The study confirmed that sunscreen does protect skin from aging. The lead author of the study, Dr. Adele Green said, “skin surface patterns reflect the severity of the sun’s damage to the deeper skin, especially to the elastic fibers and collagen.” More here

Smoking Increases Colon Cancer Risk

admin — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:09:57 +0000

According to a new study, smokers have a lower chance of surviving and being cancer-free years after having colon cancer surgery than non smokers. Researchers have found that 74% of nonsmokers remain cancer-free 3 years after colon cancer surgery while only 70% of smokers remained cancer-free. Experts warn that smoking adds many health risks; the study’s lead author from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Amanda Phipps said, “I would say as we get further and further away from a colon cancer diagnosis, the impact from smoking is going to get greater.” More here

Niacin Not Proven To Lower Death From Cardiovascular Disease

admin — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:35:55 +0000

Niacin prescriptions have nearly tripled over the last few years reaching approximately 700,000 prescriptions monthly in 2009. Niacin is a vitamin once thought to lower cardiovascular disease risk. Recent clinical trials have found that there is no concrete evidence that Niacin helps prevent death from heart disease. “Our study shows that prescription niacin sales are substantial and growing, even in the absence of contemporary supportive trial evidence,” stated the researchers who wrote an article about the vitamin and its play in cardiovascular disease in the Journal of American Medical Association. More here

Asparagus May Help Lower Blood Pressure

admin — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:18:43 +0000

Asparagus may lower blood pressure according to a new study conducted on rats at the Kagawa Nutrition University in Japan. The research indicates that a compound found in asparagus called 2″-hydroxynicotianamine may be what is lowering the rats’ blood pressure and also decreasing the amount of protein found in their urine. Experts say it is too soon to know if 2″-hydroxynicotianamine has the same effect on humans, although researchers have high hopes. More here

Seniors More Likely To Increase Debt

admin — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:42:57 +0000

Richard Fry, an economist at the Pew Research Center states that older households “are less likely to own their homes free and clear than once was the case.” Between 2000 and 2011, the level of debt in households of individuals 65 and older rose 120% from around $12,000 to $26,000, partly because of mortgage debt, according to a report from the census. However, older Americans tend to be more established and wealthier than younger Americans, which enabled them to weather the housing crash better. More here

Hearing Loss May Accelerate Mental Decline

admin — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:24:32 +0000

A new study published in the JAMA Archives of International Medicine stated that older Americans who suffer from hearing loss may have an accelerated decline in memory and thinking abilities compared to older individuals with normal hearing abilities. During the study, individuals with limited hearing experienced 30%-40% faster decline in cognitive abilities than those with no hearing loss. Dr. Frank R. Lin of Johns Hopkins University said, “we found that people with hearing loss had a faster rate of mental decline compared to people with normal hearing. … And the greater the rate of hearing loss, the faster the decline of memory and thinking. It was dose dependent.” More here

Americans Spend More On Health Care Costs

admin — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:51:06 +0000

According to the International Federation of Health Plans, Americans pay much more money in health care costs compared to individuals in other countries. Americans pay approximately four times more for a hip replacement than individuals in France or Switzerland. Many medications are also more expensive in the United States. Colonoscopies are the leading health care expense averaging more than $10 billion each year. Experts suggest that Americans tend to choose unnecessary invasive tests and treatments that lead to overspending. More here

Researchers May Have Found New Hope For Lung Cancer Patients

admin — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 18:39:39 +0000

New research has found that the drug ganetespib when added to the chemotherapy drug docetaxel may raise the chances of survival for individuals suffering from a common form of lung cancer called adenocarcinoma. Dr. Suresh Ramalingam, a professor of medical oncology at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University said, “we hope that the ongoing study will confirm our findings, as patients with this common form and stage of lung cancer urgently need more effective treatments.” More here

Long-Term High-Dose Painkillers May Pose Cardiovascular Threat

admin — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:04:44 +0000

Research recently suggested that high-dose use of painkillers such as diclofenac, coxibs, or ibuprofen for a prolonged amount of time can raise the risk of heart attack and stroke by approximately 1/3. Experts are comparing the long-term high-dose use of these drugs to the use of Vioxx, a drug that was withdrawn in 2004 due to high medical risks associated with it. A professor of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics at Britain’s Warwick University, Donald Singer said, “they do have risks, but they also have benefits, and patients should be presented with all those bits of information and allowed to make choices for themselves.” More here