Category: alcohol adverts

Posted on

Missing Link Between Breast Cancer and Alcohol Discovered

A protein has been identified that plays a key role in the link between drinking alcohol and breast cancer.

Women with higher levels of the molecule in their breasts are more likely to develop cancer if they drink too much, research suggests.

Scientists in Mexico say their discovery could lead to a test showing which individuals are most at risk. Preventative measures could them be taken, such as helping vulnerable people cut down on alcohol.

The protein, an enzyme called CYP2E1, is believed to be involved in breaking down ethanol, otherwise known as alcohol , in the body.

In the process, unstable destructive oxygen molecules called free radicals are generated, which attack cell membranes and DNA.

Free radical damage, or oxidative stress, is known to be linked to cancer as well as other health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.

Alcohol consumption is a long-established risk factor for breast cancer but until now the reason for the link has not been clear.

Professor Maria de Lourdes Rodriguez-Fragoso, from the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos, said: “We knew that CYP2E1 could break down ethanol and that doing so created unstable, highly reactive chemicals known as free radicals.

The question then was: does having more CYP2E1 make you more susceptible to ethanol-induced toxicity, thereby increasing your risk of developing cancer?

“Our results showed that ethanol-treated human mammary cells had an increase in free-radical production, oxidative stress and the activation of cellular mechanisms that cause cells to increase their proliferation rate. So if you are a woman who naturally expresses higher levels of CYP2E1 and you consume alcohol, you would be at a greater risk for developing breast cancer than a woman who expresses lower amounts of CYP2E1.”

Analysis of breast tissue obtained from healthy women who had undergone cosmetic breast surgery showed great variability in levels of CYP2E1.

“This means that each individual will have a different response to alcohol and each should take different precautions to minimise their risk of developing breast cancer,” said Prof Rodriguez-Fragoso.

The research is being presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in San Diego, US.

CYP2E1 is found in breast cells known as mammary epithelial cells. This also happens to be where most breast cancers originate, leading the Mexican scientists to suspect a link.

To test their hypothesis the researchers exposed cultures of mammary epithelial cells with varying levels of CYP2E1 to alcohol. They found that cells producing low levels of the enzyme were mostly immune to the treatment, but cells with higher levels of CYP2E1 were greatly affected.

Prof Rodriguez-Fragoso said she was confident her group would be able to develop a test for CYP2E1 in breast tissue.
She added: “If you know the risk probability of certain behaviours on your likelihood of developing cancer, then you can better understand what preventative measures you should be taking.

“If we can prevent the development of breast cancer associated with alcohol intake by timely diagnoses of markers such as CYP2E1, then the annual numbers of new cases and deaths could be diminished significantly.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/04/23/missing-link-alcohol-breast-cancer_n_1446114.html

 

Posted on

The French Paradox, vitamin K2 the key

The French Paradox, the claim the French lived longer than Americans because they drink more red wine was put forward by Dr Serge Renaud in the 1990’s. He said red wine had nutrients like resveratrol which helped reduce heart disease. Even though the French had  more dairy products like cheese, in their diet

This claim has since been debunked because you would have to drink so much red wine to get enough of these nutrients, to increase the risk  of other diseases like cirrhosis. The research did highlight the presence of vitamin K2 in the French diet.  Vitamin K2 is a known factor in reduced levels of heart disease. The vitamin is to be found in green leafy vegetables, fruits, grains and dairy products.

The French diet is rich in vitamin K2

In her 2012 book, Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox, Canadian nutritionist Kate Rhéume-Bleue proposes that the explanation for the lower rate of cardiovascular disease in France is the high level of vitamin K2 (also known as menaquinone) in some of the fattier foods that form a part of the French diet. Lack of vitamin K2 in the diet is linked to increased calcification of plaques in artery walls.

Rhéume-Bleue writes,

“ The French Paradox isn’t a paradox at all. The very same pâté de foie gras, egg yolks and creamy, buttery sauces that we inaccurately labeled “heart attack on a plate“ literally supply the single most important nutrient to protect heart health.[23] ”

As one example, Rhéume-Bleue points to the fact that a 3 ½-ounce serving of goose liver pate contains 369 micrograms of menaquinone, while a 3 ½-ounce serving of pan-fried calf liver of the kind frequently eaten in North America contains only 6 micrograms of menaquinone.[24]

The French diet is rich in short-chain saturated fatty acids and poor in trans fats

In his 2009 book Cholesterol and The French Paradox, Frank Cooper argues that the French paradox is due to the lack of hydrogenated and trans fats in the French diet.[25] The French diet is based on natural saturated fats such as butter, cheese and cream that the human body finds easy to metabolize, because they are rich in shorter saturated fatty acids ranging from the 4-carbon butyric acid to the 16-carbon palmitic acid. But the American diet includes greater amounts saturated fats made via hydrogenating vegetable oils which include longer 18- and 20-carbon fatty acids. In addition, these hydrogenated fats include small quantities of trans fats which may have associated health risks.[26][27][28]

 

Posted on

The weekend is yours

After a long hard week you feel wrecked

Looking out to the sun, the open space

Too much time for others, not enough for yourself

No choice, work is there, has to be done

The weekend is here, make it yours, do the things you want to do

Go for a swim, a walk, a run. Studies show exercise is brilliant for your brain;

  1. Increases stress resilience
  2. Reduces anxiety
  3. Lower dementia risk
  4. Escape a bad mood
  5. Fight depression
  6. Speed up your mind                              http://www.spring.org.uk

Now is the best time, mind how you go