Soy-Rich Diet May Reduce Lung Cancer Risk

HOUSTON, Sept. 27-A diet rich in phytoestrogens such as those found in soy as well as spinach, carrots and broccoli appears to reduce the risk of lung cancer, researchers report.

Researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center here say they have found evidence that food-derived compounds called phytoestrogens, nonsteroidal substances that weakly mimic estrogen, have a protective effect.

Phytoestrogens are divided into three main classes -- isoflavones, lignans, and coumestans -- and are found in a range of fruits, grains, and vegetables, said Margaret Spitz, M.D., senior author of the study in the Sept. 28 Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™

Nine firms to offer Medicare drug plans nationally

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nine companies have won U.S. government approval to offer Medicare prescription drug benefits to seniors across the nation starting in January, health officials said on Friday.

Several firms and organizations also will offer other options regionally. Residents of states such as Alaska will have at least 11 options, while up to 20 choices may be offered in larger states such as New York, officials said.

The companies that received approval to offer plans nationally were Aetna Inc., Cigna Corp., Memberhealth Inc., PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., Caremark Rx Inc., Wellpoint Inc., UnitedHealth Group and Wellcare Health Plans Inc.

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OlderWiserWomen has listed several resources regarding medication and medicare. See medication resources in the middle of the page.

Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™

A few cigarettes a day 'deadly'

Smoking just one to four cigarettes a day almost triples a person's risk of dying of heart disease, according to Norwegian researchers.

Their work suggests the health impact is stronger for women and that even "light" smokers face similar diseases to heavier smokers, including cancer.

The team tracked the health and death rates of almost 43,000 men and women from the mid 1970s up to 2002.

Their findings appear in the journal Tobacco Control.

Read the rest of the article here.

Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™

Soyfoods cut risk of fractures in older women

Soyfoods cut risk of fractures in older women
By Dominique Patton

Protein emerging as bone health factor

Eating soyfoods may reduce the risk of fracture in postmenopausal women, particularly among those in the early years following menopause, shows a Chinese study.

Other studies have shown a link between soy products and bone mineral density but the new research is the first large study to investigate the association between soy consumption and the risk of fracture, write Dr Xiao-Ou Shu and colleagues in yesterday's issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine (vol 165, pp1890-1895).

The researchers selected data on around 24,000 postmenopausal women participating in the Shanghai Women's Health Study.

The subjects completed a food frequency questionnaire and at follow-up 4.5 years later, they were asked if they had suffered any fractures.

Higher soy protein consumption was significantly associated with lower risk of fracture, found the researchers, even after accounting for age, calorie intake, socioeconomic status, other nutrients, and osteoporosis risk factors.

Read the complete article here: Soyfoods cut risk of fractures in older women

Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™

Eat more beans' to stop cancer

For years, nutritionists and natural medicine supporters having been saying this very thing. A healthy diet will do wonders to keep you healthy.

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A diet rich in beans, nuts and cereals could be a way to prevent cancer, believe UK researchers.

Scientists at University College London have discovered that these everyday foods contain a potent anti-cancer compound.

This blocks a key enzyme involved in tumour growth, they told Cancer Research journal.

The researchers say, in the future, it might be possible to mimic this compound in an anti-cancer drug.

You can read the complete article here.


Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™
Inspiring women to the freedom, magic and wisdom of successful aging.

Women and Lung Disease

While this article comes out of the United Kingdom, I can assure you, the story is no different for women in the US.

Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™

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Many women are unaware of the dangers of a chronic lung disease which kills nearly as many British females as breast cancer, campaigners have warned.

The British Lung Foundation says rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are soaring and it may soon be the fourth biggest killer of women.

But only 1% of 1,200 women surveyed said COPD is their main health worry,

Women feared breast cancer most and 27% wrongly thought it - rather than heart disease - killed most women in Britain.

There was little more awareness about COPD among smokers who were questioned as part of the survey by the BLF.

Their habit puts them at 13-times greater risk of the condition - an umbrella term for lung conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which cause severe breathlessness and coughing.

Exposure to second-hand smoke and dust or fumes can also cause the disease. It can also, rarely, be a genetic condition.

Read More: BBC NEWS | Health | Women 'unaware of lung disease'

Could you use more Brain Power?

Nature apparently thinks you can, according to two University of Chicago studies providing the first scientific evidence that the human brain is still evolving, a process that may increase people's capacity to grow smarter.

Two key brain-building genes, which underwent dramatic changes in the past that coincided with huge leaps in human intellectual development, are undergoing rapid mutations, evolution's way of selecting for new beneficial traits, Bruce Lahn and his University of Chicago colleagues reported in today's issue of the journal Science.

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Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™

ICE - In Case of Emergency

There is a movement afoot...and it sounds like a grand idea to me. Apparently the idea comes from a British paramedic who has suggested that we program into our cell phones the initials ICE which means of in case of emergency. You would then list who want notified by authorities "in case of an emergency". It makes good sense since so many people are hardly without cell phones these days.

However, don't expect paramedics on the scene to automatically search for your cell phone. Their first priority is to care for you and get you transported to the hospital. Most likely, it will be hospital personnel that will make use of that information.

While you are at it, think about whom you want making decisions if you are unable and get that Health Care Power of Attorney done. You will find more information on advanced directives and living wills at OlderWiserWomen.com


Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™