AACR.org - Consuming two or more soft drinks per week increased the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by nearly twofold compared to individuals who did not consume soft drinks, according to a report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Although relatively rare, pancreatic cancer remains one of the most deadly, and only 5 percent of people who are diagnosed are alive five years later.

Mark Pereira, Ph.D., senior author on the study and associate professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, said people who consume soft drinks on a regular basis, defined as primarily carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages, tend to have a poor behavioral profile overall.

However, the effect of these drinks on pancreatic cancer may be unique.

“The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth,” said Pereira.

For the current study, Pereira and colleagues followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years. During that time, there were 140 pancreatic cancer cases. Those who consumed two or more soft drinks per week (averaging five per week) had an 87 percent increased risk compared with individuals who did not.

No association was seen between fruit juice consumption and pancreatic cancer.

Pereira said that these results from Singapore are likely applicable to the United States.

“Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent health care. Favorite pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries,” said Pereira.

Susan Mayne, Ph.D., associate director of the Yale Cancer Center and professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, said these study results are intriguing but have some key limitations that should be considered in any interpretation.

“Although this study found a risk, the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal association or not. Soft drink consumption in Singapore was associated with several other adverse health behaviors such as smoking and red meat intake, which we can’t accurately control for,” said Mayne, an editorial board member of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Pereira points out that the findings are biologically plausible, held up in non-smokers, remained similar after taking other dietary habits into account and are consistent with findings in Caucasian populations.

Highlights of soft drink study:

1) Increased sugar intake may stimulate tumor growth through effects of insulin;
2) Pancreatic cancer rates increased nearly twofold over the past several decades;
3) Drinking two or more soft drinks a week led to an 87 percent increased risk.

AAN.com - A Mediterranean diet may help people avoid the small areas of brain damage that can lead to problems with thinking and memory, according to a recent study.

The NIH-funded study found that people who ate a Mediterranean-like diet were less likely to have brain infarcts, or small areas of dead tissue linked to thinking problems.

The Mediterranean diet includes high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals, fish and monounsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil; low intake of saturated fatty acids, dairy products, meat and poultry; and mild to moderate amounts of alcohol.

For the study, researchers assessed the diets of 712 people in New York and divided them into three groups based on how closely they were following the Mediterranean diet. Then they conducted MRI brain scans of the people an average of six years later. A total of 238 people had at least one area of brain damage.

Those who were most closely following a Mediterranean-like diet were 36 percent less likely to have areas of brain damage than those who were least following the diet. Those moderately following the diet were 21 percent less likely to have brain damage than the lowest group.

“The relationship between this type of brain damage and the Mediterranean diet was comparable with that of high blood pressure,” said study author Nikolaos Scarmeas, MD, MSc, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “In this study, not eating a Mediterranean-like diet had about the same effect on the brain as having high blood pressure.”

Previous research by Scarmeas and his colleagues showed that a Mediterranean-like diet may be associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and may lengthen survival in people with Alzheimer’s disease. According to the present study, these associations may be partially explained by fewer brain infarcts.

Olympic athletes inspire us with their fierce discipline and natural talent as they smash records, going higher, further and faster. Their can-do spirit encourages us all to take on new challenges. Whether your goal is to complete your first marathon, improve your golf game or compete in a triathlon competition, there are lessons to be learned from the best of the best.

“The Olympics symbolize the chance for all of us to push the boundaries of human potential,” said Chris Sebelski, assistant professor of physical therapy at Saint Louis University. “As I tell my students, if you want to compete at a high level, mimic the strategies of those at the top.” Listed below are

Six strategies of Olympic athletes you can use

1. Set a Goal and Break it Down

Olympic-level athletes train for their next gold medal as a part of a four-year process. After setting a goal to medal or set a world record, athletes and their coaches will break the process down into tasks and time periods with smaller goals that mark progress along the way, Sebelski says.

For instance, if you’re training to get in shape for a cross-country hiking trip, you might aim to walk three miles a day for the first two weeks and build up to ten miles a day by the end of ten weeks. Break it down, and you’ll find that a goal that seems unreachable is obtainable.

2. Cross-train

Olympians may be unrivaled within their skill-set, but they use other skills along the way. Cross-training reduces risks of overtraining and helps avoid injury. It also enhances muscle performance and stimulates the mind so you don’t become bored by too much repetition.

Cross-training is also useful to prepare for sports you can’t practice every day. If you’re planning a ski vacation and your goal is to graduate from blue runs to black diamonds, don’t be discouraged because you live far from the mountains. In the months before the big trip, prepare by going to the gym, focusing on lower extremity strength training, balance activities and cardio workouts, like the elliptical machine. All of these activities will help you get the most from your ski trip.

3. Workout with Others

Olympic athletes don’t train alone and they don’t train only with those at the same skill level.

Not only will you find that the spirit of competition and encouragement will keep your motivation high, but there are also training benefits to working out with others who compete at different levels.

If you’re a runner, mix it up and run with different people. Partner with someone slower than your normal pace, and on that day, you’ll stay out longer and practice endurance. Another day, run with someone faster than your average pace and experience a more intense cardio workout.

4. Create a Team

Olympic athletes are under no illusions that they can do it on their own, and you shouldn’t be either.

“While we’re enamored by the idea of an Olympic athlete as a hero, we forget that that person is standing on shoulders of so many other people. It takes a village to put one Olympian in front of the world,” said Sebelski. “We shouldn’t forget that we need those resources, too.”

Think about the people who can help you accomplish your goal. You might find that you’ll benefit from working with a trainer, a nutritionist, a physical therapist or a physician. Recognize that help is available in all different forms and find what works best for you. It might be a face-to-face session with a trainer, a nutrition class, or an online chat room of like-minded people.

5. Find your Motivation

You may feel silly rocking out to your Ipod at the gym, but remember how gold medalist Michael Phelps made music a part of his mental preparation, psyching up with Lil’ Wayne before he hit the water.

Take a page from Phelps’ playbook and embrace your inspiration. You can feed your passion by finding the method that motivates you most, whether it’s music, visualizing success or a pep talk from your coach.

6. Put on an Olympic Attitude

For most of us, our jobs, families and personal commitments mean we can’t devote as many waking hours to training as a world champion might. But you can adopt the mentality of an Olympian during the time you set aside for training, approaching that hour with the single-minded focus of a full-time athlete. The results will be encouraging, Sebelski says.

“Train for a couple of weeks with focus and discipline, and lo and behold, you’ll be surprised by what you can do,” Sebelski said.

Sebelski says that the sense of accomplishment and pride that comes from striving to improve upon your personal best is something everyone can experience.

“It’s been said that running a marathon is now everyman’s Everest. But that’s true for every sport,” Sebelski said. “You can train for the Sunday night bowling league, if that’s your passion. The bowling championship may be your Olympics.

“Regardless of the scale of your goal, you should have the experience, at least once, of training for and accomplishing a physical goal you set for yourself. Crossing that finish line is a feeling unlike any other” (Newswise).

High school pitchers who go full-speed the first day or week of spring training may be headed down the road to serious injury, but smart spring training can help prevent rotator cuff injury.

“A large number of high school athletes take the winter off and just go out and start throwing as hard as they can,” said Matt Holland, a physical therapist with The Methodist Center for Sports Medicine in Houston. “The problem is that their arms are not in baseball shape and they open themselves up to serious shoulder and elbow injuries.”

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles that act to stabilize the shoulder especially during the throwing motion. An inflamed rotator cuff (tendonitis) can cause pain when lifting your arm and will most likely dramatically affect a player’s performance on the field. Problems with the rotator cuff can not only damage the rest of the shoulder, but may also lead to elbow and other arm problems that shorten the careers of many pitchers.

“Pitchers should play catch for a few minutes every day for about 6 weeks leading up to the beginning of practice, starting from about 60 feet for 10 to 15 minutes and then gradually increasing it back to 90 feet,” Holland said.

Pitchers will also need to gradually increase the number of pitches they throw in a game over the first few weeks of the season. They should spend a great deal of time, especially if they did nothing in the winter, working on their throwing mechanics and strengthening the rotator cuff and shoulder blade muscles, their core muscles (upper thighs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, hips and lower chest), legs and trunk area. This is where they gain most of their power, taking some of the pressure off the arm, he said.

”Many kids believe that a big chest and big biceps will make you throw harder. However, it’s just the opposite,” Holland said. “Pitchers need strong, but flexible arms. If they are going to take part in a strength training program, it is imperative that they take part in low-weight, high-repetition exercises that focus on the muscles needed to throw a ball.”

Research has shown that high pitch counts and too many curve balls at a young age, before the arm is properly developed, are big factors relating to shoulder and elbow pain for young pitchers.

“A lack of proper stretching of the shoulder is also a big contributor to shoulder and elbow problems,” Holland said. “Making sure you take the necessary time to properly stretch and strengthen the shoulder, as well as getting the arm conditioned before the season starts can mean the difference between playing and sitting in the stands and watching this season” (Newswise).

CSMC.edu - Fat tissue in women with polycystic ovary syndrome produces an inadequate amount of the hormone adiponectin that regulates how fats and glucose are processed, promoting increased insulin resistance and inflammation, glucose intolerance, and greater risk of diabetes and heart disease, according to a study conducted at the Center for Androgen-Related Research and Discovery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is the most common hormonal disorder of women of childbearing age, affecting approximately 10 percent of women. It is the most common cause of infertility, and an important risk factor for early diabetes in women.

“We’re beginning to find that fat tissue behaves very differently in patients with PCOS than in other women,” said Ricardo Azziz, M.D.,M.P.H., director of the Center for Androgen-Related Research and Discovery, and principal investigator on the study. “Identifying the unusual behavior of this fat-produced hormone is an important step to better understanding the causes underlying the disorder, and may be helpful in developing treatments that will protect patients against developing heart disease and insulin resistance.”

Fat tissue is the body’s largest hormone-producing organ, secreting a large number of hormones that affect appetite, bowel function, brain function, and fat and sugar metabolism. One of these hormones is adiponectin, which in sufficient quantities encourages the proper action of insulin on fats and sugars and reduces inflammation. Women with PCOS produce a smaller amount of adiponectin than women who do not have the disease, in response to other fat-produced hormones, according to the research to be published in the February 2010 issue of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. (Published online ahead of print and available at http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/rapidpdf/jc.2009-1158v1.)

While Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is often associated with obesity, women with the disorder are not necessarily more likely to be overweight. In fact, in the study, adiponectin was lacking in PCOS patients whose weight was considered to be in a healthy range, as well as in those patients who were overweight.

PCOS also can cause symptoms such as irregular ovulation and menstruation, infertility, excess male hormones, excess male-like hair growth (hirsutism), and polycystic ovaries. About two-thirds of women with PCOS have insulin resistance, an impairment in the effectiveness of the hormone insulin, which regulates the body’s utilization of fats and sugars, and which results in a higher risk for diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. The causes of insulin resistance in PCOS patients remain unknown.

For tips on natural ways to increase adiponectin levels, read the following two stories from iHealthBulletin News:

Adiponectin and optimal fat metabolism

Resveratrol boosts circulating adiponectin

SLU.edu - Saint Louis University cardiologist Melda Dolan, M.D. has offered 10 tips for giving your kitchen and diet a heart-healthy makeover.

“Maintaining a heart-healthy diet is easier than you might think, but it does require a life-style change,” Dolan said. “Once you learn how to shop for and cook with fresh ingredients, you’ll see that it’s easy to do.”

According to Dolan, one’s diet plays a major role in the development of heart disease – the No. 1 killer of Americans. Unlike your genes, your diet is something you can control to directly impact your heart health.

Dolan’s 10 tips for a heart-healthy diet:

1. Shop the perimeter of your local grocery store. This is where you will typically find fresh produce, dairy, seafood and meat.

2. Say goodbye to processed foods such as frozen meals and canned goods. These items are often very high in sodium and simple carbohydrates.

3. Use fresh herbs to add flavor to your cooking rather than salt. Fresh basil, mint, rosemary and garlic are among Dolan’s favorites.

4. Replace butter with olive and vegetable oil, which are both healthier and tastier. Instead of serving butter with bread, try olive oil topped with fresh thyme or basil.

5. Quit frying your foods. Baking, broiling and grilling are much healthier options. Dolan also recommends slow cooking to get the best flavors out of vegetables, chicken and fish.

6. Welcome fish and chicken into your diet. While both are low in fat, fish contains omega fatty acids, which are important in lipid management.

7. Limit red meat and pork. They are higher in fat and speed up the atherosclerosis process, or hardening of the arteries, which leads to heart disease.

8. Enjoy fresh fruit for dessert rather than high-calorie options like cake or ice cream.

9. If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to one drink per day (12 oz. beer, 4 oz. glass of wine or 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits). Red wine contains heart-healthy flavonoids (polyphenols) and antioxidants, but that does not make it safe to drink in excess, Dolan says. Excessive drinking can lead to alcoholism, high blood pressure, obesity and stroke.

10. Watch your serving size. The key is keeping portion sizes small. Dolan suggests “tricking” yourself by replacing big plates with smaller, appetizer-size plates.