The Malaysian Insider :: Features

Aspirin helps fight some colorectal cancers: US study

Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:53 AM PDT

Aspirin can help prolong the life of patients suffering from colorectal cancer tumours with a specific genetic mutation. – shutterstock.com

WASHINGTON, Oct 25 – Aspirin can help prolong the life of patients suffering from colorectal cancer tumours with a specific genetic mutation, according to a new study released today.

The study of 900 patients carried out by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – an affiliate of Harvard Medical School – found that the painkiller produced a "sharp jump in survival" among certain patients.

"For patients whose tumours harboured a mutation in the gene PIK3CA, aspirin use produced a sharp jump in survival," with 97 per cent of those who took aspirin still alive after five years, compared with 74 per cent who did not take it, researchers said.

The drug had no impact on survival rates among patients without a PIK3CA mutation, they added, in a news release accompanying the publication of the study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"For the first time we have a genetic marker that can help doctors determine which colorectal cancers are likely to respond to a particular therapy," said lead author Shuji Ogino, of the Harvard School of Public Health.

He added that more research must be done before the findings can be considered definitive.

Some 20 per cent of colorectal cancer patients have tumours with the mutation, the study said, adding that patients without the mutation can take aspirin, but it can sometimes lead to gastrointestinal ulcers and stomach bleeding.

Colorectal cancer is one of the world's deadliest diseases. The National Cancer Institute expects some 140,000 Americans to be diagnosed with the disease and some 50,000 to die from it this year alone. – AFP/Relaxnews

Weight-lifting found to cut your risk for heart disease and diabetes

Posted: 24 Oct 2012 10:43 PM PDT

ORLANDO, Oct 25 — A new study announced Tuesday supports hitting your gym's weight room, finding that people who pump iron are less likely to have risk factors linked to heart disease and diabetes.

Weight-lifting has been found to cut risks for heart disease and diabetes. — Pic courtesy of shutterstock.com

Researchers from Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida analyzed data from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an ongoing study of health risks in the US. The team found that from a pool of 5,618 subjects, 8.8 per cent answered yes to questions about lifting weights, with men twice as likely to lift weights as women. Also younger people lifted weights more than people aged 50 years or older.

Researchers then measured for metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes such as large waist circumference, high triglyceride levels, reduced levels of HDL or "good" cholesterol, elevated blood pressure and high glucose levels.

Lifting weights was linked with a 37 per cent reduction in the odds of metabolic syndrome, the researchers stated.

"Exercise professionals should strongly encourage the activity of lifting weights among adults of all ages to promote metabolic health," stated researchers Peter M Magyari and James R Churilla in a release. Their findings were published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

In a separate study published this month, researchers from Bispebjerg University Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, found that taking a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day can cut your risks for heart disease and diabetes. Those findings appear online in BMJ Open. — AFP/Relaxnews

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Khamis, 25 Oktober 2012

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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