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October 2007 vol. 12 no. 10

He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas of any man I ever met.
Abraham Lincoln
16th president of US (1809-1865)


Table of Contents:

A Diet to Die For

Long-term results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition show that high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets increase mortality risk. Researchers assessed the diets of 22,944 healthy Greek adults. Those consuming diets highest in protein and lowest in carbohydrate had a 22 percent greater risk of death compared with those consuming diets highest in carbohydrate and lowest in protein. The study also dealt a blow to the idea of a “healthy Mediterranean diet”: Eighty percent of men and 75 percent of women in this population were overweight or obese.

Trichopoulou A, Psaltopoulou T, Orfanos P, Hsieh C-C, Trichopoulos D. Low-carbohydrate-high-protein diet and long-term survival in a general population cohort. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007;61:575-581

Hormone Replacement Therapy Linked to Breast Cancer-Again

A new study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute confirms the relationship between breast cancer rates and hormone therapy. Kaiser Permanente Researchers analyzed data from 7,386 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and treated at Kaiser Permanente Northwest from 1980 through 2006. Results showed that a sharp decrease in breast cancer rates of 18 percent from 2003 to 2004 corresponded with a 75 percent drop in hormone therapy use. This pattern was particularly evident among women over age 45 and with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers, a type of breast cancer sensitive to hormones.

Glass AG, Lacey JV, Carreon D, Hoover RN. Breast cancer incidence, 1980-2006: combined roles of menopausal hormone therapy, screening mammography, and estrogen receptor status. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007;99:1152-1161

Western Diet Spreading Cancer to Asia

A new study finds that a Western diet rich in meat, dairy products, and sweets is associated with an increased risk for breast cancer. Researchers compared the dietary habits of 1,446 women from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study with a control group of 1,549 women from urban Shanghai. Postmenopausal women following a “meat-sweet” dietary pattern, high in meat, fish, candy, dessert, white bread, and milk, had a 30 percent greater risk for growth of estrogen receptor-positive tumors.

Cui X, Dai Q, Tseng M, Shu X, et al. Dietary patterns and breast cancer risk in the Shanghai breast cancer study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007;16(7):1443-1448.

Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Research Resources announced in May that its ban on chimpanzee breeding in government laboratories will be permanent. The original breeding moratorium was put in place in 1995, as a temporary measure, after scientists failed to develop a chimpanzee “model” of human immunodeficiency virus.

Schiermeier, Q. Primate work faces German veto. Nature, April 2007;446:955.

Western Diet Impairs Colon Cancer Survival Rate

In a prospective observational study of 1,009 colon cancer patients, researchers found that survival depended to a great extent on dietary habits. The participants had completed initial cancer treatment. Those who consumed more red and processed meats, sweets, and refined grains were more likely to have a recurrence or die from the disease after a median 5.3-year follow-up, while those who consumed more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and less red and processed meats and refined foods were less likely to experience a recurrence and more likely to survive.

Meyerhardt JA, et al. Association of dietary pattern with cancer recurrence and survival in patients with stage III colon cancer. JAMA. 2007;298:754-764.

Folate Helps to Prevent Breast Cancer

Researchers evaluating folate (also called folic acid) intake in 11,699 postmenopausal women from the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort found that intake of the B vitamin correlated with a lower risk of invasive postmenopausal breast cancer. In the study, women who consumed an average of 456 micrograms of folate per day had a 44 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared with women averaging 160 micrograms per day. Folate plays an important role in DNA synthesis and repair, and evidence suggests that folate deficiency could lead to the development of certain types of cancers. Its name derives from the Latin word “folium— for “leaf” and is most concentrated in green leafy vegetables, beans, peas, and fortified grains.

Ericson U, et al. High folate intake is associated with lower breast cancer incidence in postmenopausal women in the Malmo Diet and Cancer cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. Aug 2007; 86(2):434-443.


Selected segments are reproduced from:

Dr. Mercola’s excellent website: http://www.mercola.com/index.htm

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine http://www.pcrm.org