Drinking coffee may reduce a person's chances of developing oral cancer and even brain tumors.

According to a study published in the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, it was found that people who drank three to four cups of coffee per day reduced their risk of neck & head cancer by as much as thirty-nine percent.

According to Dr. Mia Hashibe, a researcher from the University of Utah, the findings of the new study is significant because coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world.

The survival percentage for oral cancer and other associated cancers is low, so the findings provide hope for both men and women.  Unfortunately, the study did not make use of data from people who drank decaffeinated coffee.  In addition to oral cancer and neck cancer, another study (this time, from London)  discovered that coffee also reduced the risk of people developing tumors in the brain.

Other studies agree on the benefits of coffee

Studies around the world seem to acquiesce with the recent findings in the United States; it also appears that coffee may be more than just a cancer preventive:

1. A recent study performed in Sweden states that women who drank four to five cups of Scandinavian coffee (which requires boiling) reduced their risk of developing breast cancer over the long term.

It appears that boiled coffee provides more health benefits because it can contain up to eighty different fatty acids, which have been shown to have cancer-preventing effects when taken by the human body.  The benefits of boiled Scandinavian coffee was noted for women between the ages of 49 and 55.

2. According to researchers who published a study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, regular coffee intake may ward off adult-onset diabetes or type 2 diabetes.  In animal tests, it was shown that coffee increased the sensitivity of the animals to insulin.  Coffee was also effective in combating the sudden rise of blood glucose levels according to the researchers.

3. Past US studies show that coffee may be helpful in reducing LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels.  Coffee also contains polyphenols, which are natural antioxidants that protect the body from free radical damage.  Polyphenols are also present in abundant quantities in green tea.

4. Based on a Harvard Medical School study on aggressive/advanced prostate cancer and coffee-drinking, it was found that males who regularly drank coffee were sixty percent less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer, compared to males who did not drink coffee at all.

5. A Netherlands study produced the following findings for coffee consumption: 2 to 4 cups of coffee a day reduced the incidence of heart problems by twenty percent.  Coffee intake also slightly reduced the chances of a person dying from the most common causes (cancer, heart problems, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, etc.)

Sources:
sciencedaily.com
sciencedaily.com
sciencedaily.com
sciencedaily.com
sciencedaily.com
sciencedaily.com

According to a European study, calcium is good not only for the bones of postmenopausal women, but also for their hearts.

In a very recent study presented in the Annual Congress of European League Against Rheumatism, researchers discovered that low levels of calcium  translated not only to weaker, less dense bones for postmenopausal women but it also predisposed the latter to high blood pressure.

According to the researchers, women with low calcium levels were forty-three percent more prone to developing degenerative bone conditions such as osteoporosis.  The same percentage applies to a woman’s risk of eventually developing hypertension.  According to Maria Manara, one of the key researchers, their study establishes the coordinates that associate low intake of calcium with heart problems and bone problems.

Further benefits of getting enough calcium

The RDA for calcium is 990 to 1,000 mg per day for individuals between the ages of nineteen and fifty, according to the National Institutes of Health.  Doses exceeding 2,500 milligrams per day may interfere with the body’s ability to absorb other nutrients.

Here are some more reasons to love your calcium supplements and low-fat dairy products:

1. According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidimiology, taking calcium reduces one’s risk of dying from a sudden heart attack.

2. Taking calcium along with the mineral magnesium may help reduce the risk of males from dying of different causes, including heart problems and certain cancer.

3. Combined with vitamin D supplementation, calcium may also help prevent the onset of prostate cancer.  According to another study, the same potent combination can also help stop colorectal cancer in its tracks.  According to Emory University researchers, laboratory tests show that the two nutrients are capable of normalizing intestinal cells.  The study made use of 2,000 mg of calcium, combined with 800 international units of vitamin D.

4. Based on a study published in Obesity Reviews, regular intake of calcium may help in weight loss efforts. Studies show that calcium increases the amount of fat excretion.  According to Arne Astrup, a researcher from the University of Copenhagen, calcium may also prevent folks from regaining the weight they have already lost.  It was noted that people who had formerly low calcium levels will have enhanced benefits from calcium supplementation.

5. Enough calcium ensures that your muscles will contract and relax efficiently whenever you are on the move.  Calcium deficiency can cause problems like muscle pain and cramps.

6. Having problems with premenstrual syndrome?  Adding calcium to your daily supplementation may help improve the symptoms of PMS.

7. Sufficient calcium also ensures that your teeth will remain firmly anchored in your gums.

Sources:
nutraingredients.com
nutraingredients.com
nutraingredients.com
nutraingredients.com
vitamins-nutrition.org

Smoking cessation plus exercise can improve the male sexual function and also improve the urinary health of both males and females.

In a recently concluded study presented in the annual conference of the American Urological Association, researchers pointed to a vital link between smoking, exercise and urinary health.

The study involved two thousand individuals (males and females). The respondents were interviewed about their smoking habits and were also given questions regarding their urinary health.  It was found that individuals who smoked were three times more likely to urinate frequently.

Also, these individuals are also 2.7 times more prone to experience sudden urges to go to the bathroom to urinate.

In a related study performed by US researchers from South Carolina, it was found that men who exercised more had experienced improved sexual function.  The two studies, if taken together, point to an age-old medical adage: folks have to stop the smoking habit and begin a healthier habit – exercise!

More reasons to love exercise

Here are even more reasons to love exercise:

1. Exercise reduces the risk of mortality from chornic, degenerative health conditions.

2. Exercise reduces the chance of developing of type 2 or insulin-dependent diabetes.

3. Exercise can help control the blood pressure, even the blood pressure of people already have cardiovascular problems.

4. Exercise can help reduce the probability of developing one of the top killers worldwide: colon cancer.

5. Exercise helps improve your mood and also helps people ease out of anxiety and depression.

6. Exercise improves balance, coordination and also strengthens the bones and muscles, therey reducing the risk of fractures from falls.

7. Exercise is also an excellent means of losing weight.

8. Exercise make the body and mind more fit. If you are physically and mentally fit, you would be able to perform better at work or in school.

9. Exercise reduces the risk of stroke.

Exercise may also reduce the risk of breast cancer and loss of bone mass (osteoporosis) – two common problems of women over the age of 45.

Sources:
aolhealth.com
nutristrategy.com
www2.gsu.edu
medicinenet.com

Higher doses of cranberry can help treat UTI or urinary tract infections by helping remove the bacteria from the surface of the urinary tract tissue.

According to a study performed by researchers from Rutgers University,  72 mg of cranberry (Vaccinum macrocarpon) can help ward off and even treat urinary tract infections or UTIs.

The study directly supports an early health claim from France that states that at least 36 grams of fresh cranberries is effective against UTI because it prevented some of the Escherichia coli (E. Coli) bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract (in males and females).

According to lead researcher Amy Howell, there is still much more to explore in terms of determining the most effective dose to fight off urinary tract infections.  The study was performed in different countries, including Japan, Hungary and even in Spain. Howell reports that they are also trying to determine the link between the adhesion of the bacteria responsible for UTI and the origins of the respondents.

What the study does show presently is that as the cranberry dose increases, the more effective it becomes in fighting off the adhesion of the bacteria.  The study noted 50% less adhesion at eighteen milligrams and 100% less adhesion at seventy-two grams of cranberries.

Cranberry health benefits

In addition to its ability to fight off infections of the urinary tract, cranberry can also boost your health in other ways:

1. Drinking fresh cranberry juice or drinking cranberry supplements can help reduce the occurrence of cystitis in women.  Drink lots of water, too, because water has the ability of flushing out bacteria naturally.

2. Cranberries are packed with vital nutrients, including protein, carbohydrates, fiber, fruit sugars, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, ascorbic acid, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, vitamin A, E, K and lutein. It’s nature’s power-packed fruit with all the nutrients you would need to stay healthy.

3. According to a study performed in Cornell University, cranberries have the ability to arrest the growth and maturation of breast cancer cells.

4. Cranberries can help reduce LDL or bad cholesterol.

5. Due to the fruit’s anti-bacterial activity, cranberry may also help prevent tooth decay.

6. Cranberry also strengthens the respiratory system.

7. The fruit may also help ward off stomach ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylorii.

Sources:
nutraingredients.com
nutrition.about.com
nutrition.about.com
breastcancer.about.com
nutrasanus.com

Sulforaphane, an active compound extracted from broccoli, offers hope to breast cancer sufferers as it is capable of killing off cancer stem cells.

According to new research from the US, a compound found in the popular vegetable broccoli is capable of targeting and killing off cancer stem cells.  According to the research, which was published recently in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, the compound sulforaphane was capable of killing off cancer stem cells and prevented new cancerous growths from emerging.

Broccoli vs. cancerous tumors

Collating their data with other earlier studies on the subject, the US researchers noted that sulforaphane was able to reduce the resistance of cancerous tumors to conventional treatment.  Since the compound reduces tumor resistance, a second theory arose: the compound may be the key to solving the problem with relapses, or recurring cancer.

The researchers further noted that people who consumed more broccoli tend to have less risk of breast cancer.  Since the compound is derived naturally from the vegetable, it has very low toxicity and can be utilized by the body easily (high bioavailability).

Bioavailability is an important concept in medical treatments because if a drug has low bioavailability, it becomes less effective and the patient would eventually need to take higher doses of the drug to get the desired results.  To date, sulforaphane has already been marketed as a food supplement.  However, the amount of sulforaphane in supplements is not being regulated.

Broccoli vs. diabetes

It seems that like a few other organic compounds like resveratrol, sulforaphane is enjoying widespread popularity because it provides so many benefits.  In another study published in the medical journal Diabetes, it was found that the same compound may be helpful in reducing the vascular damage associated with long-term diabetes.

As you may know, diabetes causes a lot of problems to diabetics, including damage to blood vessels.  This damage to blood vessels may even cause blindness if the diabetes is not treated and monitored correctly.

Sulforaphane, according to the study in Diabetes, was capable of reducing the damage to body’s blood vessels by activating enzyme production.  The enzyme produced protects the blood vessels from the ravages of diabetes.

The compound also helped the body by helping produce enzymes that disabled free radicals in the body.  In yet another study, the compound offered hope to family lines with histories of cancer.

It appears that the compound was also capable of preventing cells from passing on damaged or corrupted genetic information to the next generation of cells.  In another study (this is the fourth!) sulforaphane was also linked to reducing the chances of aggressive prostate cancer in men by more than forty-five percent.

Sources:
mayoclinic.com
nutraingredients.com

Announcements at this year’s American Association for Cancer Research Event included the findings that there is a connection between vitamin supplementation and breast cancer rates.

If you have been taking vitamins and calcium supplements, there is good news concerning your risk of getting breast cancer!  New findings about breast cancer prevention were announced at this year’s American Association for Cancer Research 101^st Annual Meeting. The event took place April 17-21^st in Washington DC.  The meeting attracts over 15,000 attendees each year.

This year one of the presentations included conclusive information that vitamins and calcium supplements have been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of breast cancer.  This new research involved 457-control group and 268 women with breast cancer.  The study showed that vitamins reduced breast cancer risk by about 30%.  Calcium supplements, on the other hand, actually reduced the risk by 40%.

One of the people presenting this information was Jaime Matta PhD from the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico.  Matta stated, “This process involves at least five separate pathways and is critical for maintaining genomic stability.  When the DNA is not repaired, it leads to mutation that leads to cancer.”  Apparently, calcium supplements enhance DNA repair.  If this complex repair process is interrupted it can lead to cancer.

In addition to supplements reducing the risk of breast cancer, there are also different superfoods that are effective at fighting breast cancer as well. These superfoods include fatty fish, beans, berries and tomatoes.

Sources:
sciencedaily.com
women.webmd.com