Us, somewhere warm
A long time ago
As you know, I am a little skeptical about the role of diet
in health, and especially in cancer prevention (& cure). Maybe I should do some serious reconsideration.
I say this because three articles published recently make a
good case for the role of a “good” diet in the prevention of epithelial ovarian
cancer. They were “retrospective”
statistical studies, based on very large data sets. By “retrospective” is meant that a group of
people are followed over many years, via questionnaires, lab tests, etc., and
when they finally die (or funding for the study runs out!), the investigator
traces back to see how each life was led, and what resulted. Thus, say 100,000 women were followed for
fifteen years. Of these, 300 died of
ovarian cancer. These 300 are: “matched”
with 300 women who didn’t contract the disease – “matched” in the sense of
similar age, race, ethnic background, economic circumstances, etc.. Then the question is asked: “Is there a
conspicuous lifestyle difference between the two groups?” Or something like that. Inevitably, fancy statistics are
applied.
So, what are the results?
Well, it appears that diet does
matter. The “flavonoids” in black tea
come in for special commendation. They
also are found in citrus fruit. Fats,
refined grains, and alcohol are to be cast into outer darkness – except for red
wine, which is good. The advice, in a nutshell (and I quote): “In any case, your best bet is probably to
maintain a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”
Here are the articles”
Just so you know: The Seahawks are trailing, and my shingles
still hurt like hell.
ReplyDeleteGoogle coughed up another reference to the subject of black tea and ovarian cancer. Here it is.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-black-tea-may-help-slash-your-ovarian-cancer-risk.html
From the way this article is presented one would think that tea has been shown to be a potent anti-cancer weapon. However, I read the abstract to the published article, and …
Black tea helps in a few cases, but is statistically insignificant otherwise. Any preventative value is minimal. Drink the stuff if you enjoy it, but don’t let that make you feel safe.
More on diet and cancer
ReplyDeletehttp://www.esbtrib.com/2015/05/28/13799/mediterranean-diet-can-help-reduce-risk-of-womb-cancer-by-57-percent/
You already knew this, but it always is nice to have your thinking confirmed. A new study indicates that almost half of all cancers could be prevented by four simple lifestyle changes:
ReplyDeleteDon’t smoke
Don’t booze to excess.
Don’t get fat.
Don’t couch-potato: get some exercise.
Here are the numbers. They are pretty interesting:
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-how-to-prevent-cancers-20160519-snap-story.html
Good fat, bad fat..... Another study. I have my doubts.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Safety/chemical/trans_fat_intake_linked_to_epithelial_ovarian_cancer_0728160742.html
Good fat, bad fat..... Another study. I have my doubts.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Safety/chemical/trans_fat_intake_linked_to_epithelial_ovarian_cancer_0728160742.html