Tag Archives: Mammogram

Cancer Research, News

High Protein Diet Linked to Increased Cancer Risk

High Protein Diets Linked to Cancer
High Protein Diets Linked to Cancer

Many people swear by high-protein diets, crediting Atkins, Paleo and other protein-intense diets with helping them drop excess weight and keep it off. But by relying on protein to improve one aspect of their health, protein lovers could be opening themselves to an even greater health risk. New research has linked high-protein diets to increased cancer risk.

This isn’t welcome news for meat-loving Americans. Even if you think you’re following a healthy diet, you may be eating more protein than you realize. A surprising number of the most popular weight loss diets in the U.S. are high in protein. According to Health Central, protein-rich foods account for nearly a third of the daily menu in the following diets: The Biggest Loser, Atkins, South Beach, Abs and Zone. Even the Weight Watchers Diet, which is considered to be more well-balanced than most diet programs, recommends that protein comprise a quarter of your diet.

Interestingly, the study found that all protein does not carry the same risk. People who get their protein primarily from animal meat and dairy are at greater risk of developing cancer than those who favor plant-based proteins. Additionally, age seems to be a factor in the intensity of the cancer risk. We’ll talk about that next time.

Diet is an important part of Issels individualized immunotherapy program for treating cancer. At Issels alternative cancer treatment centers in Tijuana Mexico and Santa Barbara, California, our patients receive education in making healthy diet and lifestyle choices that will allow them to continue strengthening their immune system after they leave our care.

 

To be continued

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research

Study Finds No Evidence that Mammograms Save Lives

Mammogram
Mammogram

In the ongoing debate on the effectiveness of mammograms as a breast cancer screening tool, a new study found no evidence that annual mammograms save lives. In what is considered the most rigorous and comprehensive study on the effectiveness of mammograms to date, Canadian researchers tracked 90,000 women between the ages of 40 and 59 over a 25-year period. Women were randomly assigned to have mammograms with physical breast exams or breast exams alone. The study found that mammograms had absolutely no impact on breast cancer mortality. According to a Fox News report, the same number of women in each group died of breast cancer, whether or not they had received annual mammograms.

Mammograms have been considered an important breast cancer screening tool for decades. The assumption has been that lives could be saved by detecting and treating breast cancer early. In reality, the study found that 1 in 5 cancers discovered through mammography and subsequently treated posed no threat to the woman’s health but did unnecessarily subject her to the pain and expense of surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation. Researchers concluded that there was no advantage to finding breast cancers before they were large enough to feel during physical examination.

Cancer overtreatment has been hot button public issue over the past year. This isn’t the first cancer screening test called into question. There has also been considerable debate about the value of prostate cancer screenings for men. In many cases, researchers have found that men are undergoing unnecessary surgery or radiation treatment for cancers that would never have impacted their health during their lifetime.

Considering the likelihood of unnecessary treatment, as pointed out by the Canadian study, women diagnosed with breast cancer might want to consider non-toxic alternative cancer treatment instead of undergoing more radical and physically damaging treatment.