There was a time that doctors recommended rest as part of overcoming most physical maladies--from a sprained ankle to cancer.

But as time goes by, researchers are finding that exercise can sometimes speed healing and help fight disease. The challenge has been to conduct research to tease out those instances when exercise is helpful and when it is not.

A new review of research into the effects of exercise on cancer patients is one such example. In the past, people with cancer-related fatigue were advised to rest. However, long periods of inactivity often led to muscle wasting and increased tiredness.

But after looking at findings of over 56 studies on cancer-related fatigue, researchers concluded that exercise can help relieve fatigue as well as improve mood and reduce anxiety. A total of 4,068 people with cancer were included in the research and half of the studies were carried out in people with breast cancer.

Those with solid tumors benefited from aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling, both during and after cancer treatment. Other forms of exercise, including resistance training, did not significantly reduce fatigue.

The study authors said that more research is needed to understand how the frequency and duration of exercise, and type of cancer, affect the results. It is also important to note that the study does not suggest that exercise should replace rest, only that a exercise may improve fatigue.

Cancer-Related Fatigue

Fatigue is a common and potentially long-lasting side effect of cancer and cancer treatment, which may last for months or years. It can have a significant impact on quality of life, not only interfering with daily activities, but also having the potential for negative social and economic consequences.

Therefore, dealing with cancer-related fatigue is crucial to effective treatment, because suffering from the effects of fatigue may make you less inclined to continue with treatment.

Cancer patients should discuss any side effects they may be experiencing with their doctor to determine the best course of action to reduce or eliminate them.

Sources:

The Cochrane Collaboration

EurekAlert!

So far, the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) has been linked to numerous health problems including weight gain, anxiety/depression, infertility, and heart disease. A new study may be adding another health concern to this list—kidney damage.

The researchers found that even low levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in children and adolescents was associated with an increase in a marker for kidney disease and other health problems.

In the new study, researchers from the NYU School of Medicine, analyzed data on 710 children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 collected in a 2009 national health survey of adults and children in the United States.

The data contained measurements on urinary BPA, and a protein called albumin, which is not normally found in urine. The presence of albumin in the urine is a marker for kidney damage and is thought to contribute to the formation of some diseases, including heart disease.

The data revealed that children with the highest amounts of BPA in their urine samples had more albumin in their urine compared to kids with the lowest BPA levels. The presence of albumin suggests that these kids may face a higher risk for heart and kidney disease later in life.

BPA Exposure

Children in the United States are exposed to the chemical early in life and surveys have shown that by age six nearly 92% of children have some trace of BPA in their urine. BPA is banned in Europe and Canada but still widely used in the U.S. in everything from canned food liners to cash register receipts. The U.S. only bans BPA use in baby bottles and sippy cups.

Food represents the single largest source of BPA exposure for kids and adolescents say researchers. Studies had already linked BPA to heart disease in adults before the NYU study found evidence of elevated markers for heart disease in children.

For more on this topic, read: The Low Down on BPA: The Facts You Need to Know.

Sources:

New York University School of Medicine

CBS News

For some time we have known that BPA, a chemical widely used in plastic and other household products, can be detected in the urine of most expectant mothers. New research found that the higher the moms' BPA concentration levels during pregnancy, the more likely their daughters were to have higher scores on measures of anxiety, depression and hyperactivity, and poorer emotional control and inhibition at age 3.

In the study, 244 mothers gave urine samples that were tested for BPA while they were pregnant and shortly after giving birth. Their children's urine was tested for BPA at ages 1, 2 and 3. Almost all study participants had some level of BPA in their urine, including 85 percent of moms and more than 96 percent of the children.

They found no connection between girls' or boys' levels of BPA in early childhood and their behavior. Nor did they find a link between the mothers' BPA levels during pregnancy and boys' behavior. This suggests that the girls may be more vulnerable to the effects of gestational BPA exposures and there is a window of brain development that is susceptible to BPA exposures.

Study authors believe the effects were more pronounced in girls because BPA is a hormone-like chemical that interferes with estrogen action. Estrogens play an important role in brain development in both boys and girls, however, testosterone is converted to estrogen in the brain, so the boys likely had enough to protect against the BPA.

The researchers plan to continue following the children in the study to see if the symptoms of depression and anxiety seen in some girls develop into full-blown depressive or anxiety disorders as they get older.

In recent years, concern about the effects of BPA, particularly on fetuses and young children, have been growing. Animal studies have shown BPA can cause reproductive abnormalities to both males and females by disrupting the endocrine system. Other research has linked BPA to an increased risk of diabetes, cancer and heart arrhythmias.

Most human exposure to BPA is believed to occur when the chemical leaches into food and drink from packaging. For pregnant women worried about reducing exposure to BPA, experts advise avoiding canned foods, plastics that contain BPA, and cash register receipts.

Sources:

Health Finder

Environmental Protection Agency

Americans love their coffee, but it appears coffee doesn’t love us equally—or at least in the same way-- depending on your gender. While you might expect there to be differences in how coffee affects men versus women, some might surprise you.

Here’s what research tells us about the benefits (or downsides) of coffee, by gender:

Women

• A study by psychologists at Bristol University found drinking caffeinated coffee boosts a woman’s performance in stressful situations but has the opposite effect on men. It seems to enhance a woman’s confidence and social functioning.
• Another study found that women who drank two to three cups of coffee a day were 15 percent less likely to develop depression than those who drank one cup of coffee or less per week.
• A Swedish study found that coffee may provide a protective effect for a particular type of breast cancer called antiestrogen-resistant estrogen-receptor or (ER)-negative breast cancer.

Men

• Coffee seems to protect men, but not women against Parkinson’s disease. One possible explanation for the sex difference may be that estrogen and caffeine need the same enzymes to be metabolized, and estrogen captures those enzymes.
• British researchers found the men’s ability to perform well under stress was ‘greatly impaired’ if they had drank too much caffeinated coffee—especially in group situations. The researchers believe that the difference is due to the more aggressive nature of men’s “fight or flight” response.
• Harvard researchers who followed nearly 50,000 men for 20 years found that those who drank the most coffee—six or more cups a day of regular or decaf—were 60 percent less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer than guys who didn’t drink any brew. That figure dropped to 30 percent for men who drank one to three cups per day.
• A Finnish study of middle aged men found that heavy coffee drinkers had a decreased risk of depression compared to non-drinkers. No such association was found among tea drinkers. Other studies have found that coffee can heighten anxiety in men more so than women who tend to have increased feelings of confidence and self-esteem from drinking coffee.

Equal Opportunity Actions and Benefits

Coffee drinking in moderation has been linked to many health benefits in both men and women, including:

• Decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, gallstones, and dementia including Alzheimer’s disease.
• Fewer cases of certain cancers (colon and liver), heart rhythm problems and strokes

Researchers believe some of these benefits are conveyed through the antioxidant properties of coffee as well as other nutrients including the minerals magnesium and chromium.

As for potential down-sides to coffee consumption, two substances in coffee — kahweol and cafestol — raise cholesterol levels. Paper filters capture these substances, but that doesn’t help the many people who now drink non-filtered coffee drinks, such as lattes.

More than four cups of coffee a day can also lead to some unpleasant effects including:

• Insomnia
• Nervousness
• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Stomach upset
• Fast heartbeat
• Muscle tremors

Sources:

Journal of the National Cancer Institute

PubMed

University of Bristol

WebMD

Harvard Health Publications

Science Daily

Mayo Clinic

Researchers studying the effects of our emotional states on cardiovascular function have found that negative states such as stress and anger can increase the number of cardiac events by as much as 57%. Conversely, laughter and cognitive therapy to promote a more positive outlook greatly improved heart healthy outcomes.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

One study examined the link between vascular function and emotions by subjected participants to stressful and humorous movies. Subjects were shown the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, an intense 15-minute segment that shows Allied forces storming the beach of Normandy. Researchers were also shown segments of There's Something about Mary, Shallow Hal, and Kingpin, all comedies.

After each movie, vascular function was measured. After watching the scene from Saving Private Ryan, blood vessels constricted by as much as 30% to 50%, whereas vasodilatation (widening of blood vessels) occurred in subjects watching comedies. They also observed that vascular changes can occur quickly, with the funny movies reversing blood-vessel contraction that occurred after watching the intense D-Day scene.

The vascular effects lasted for about an hour, although other researchers have seen the benefits of laughter on vascular function extended to 24 hours. The magnitude of change in the blood vessel is similar to the effects observed with statins and physical activity. So we may only need 10-15 minutes of laughter a day to have fairly long lasting benefits.

Manage Anger and Stress

Another study of 227 patients with myocardial infarction assessed the long-term effects of anger on recurrent cardiovascular outcomes. Over the course of 10 years 78.5% of patients without an angry-personality profile were free from a recurrent infarction compared with 57.4% of patients with angry personalities. Not only does anger directly increase heart rate and blood pressure that may trigger a heart attack, it may also lead to lifestyles that worsen cardiovascular health, such as stress induced overeating or alcoholism.

Even what many might consider “mild stress” such as working overtime can have ill effects. A Finnish researcher observed that public sector employees who worked more than three hours overtime per day were at an increased risk of coronary heart disease compared with those who worked no overtime.

Curb Anxiety and Depression

Similar to anger and stress, anxiety and depression are also associated with higher morbidity and mortality both before and after a cardiac event. Depressed cardiac patients tend not to do so well after an event. They don't take their medication, follow post-op therapy, engage in physical activity, and they often smoke and have poor lifestyle behaviors.

However researchers in Australia found that cognitive therapy was highly effective in reducing anxiety and depression as well as modifying unhealthy behaviors in post-op cardiac patients. Study participants who received four months of cognitive therapy had less depression as well as reduced waist girth, increased HDL cholesterol levels and physical activity. At one year, the reduction in depression was maintained, and there were significant improvements in self-rated health.

Source:

Medscape