Issue 141

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2066 Vikramarka Era, Virodhi Year, Bhadrapada month
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2009 AD, September

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	Diet and Exercise Soda Causes Obesity, which Causes Cancer Cocoa for Headache Running	Miscellaneous Aspirin for Cancer Smoking Ban Reduces Heart Disease Birth Control Early Sex Gene	Recipes Chocolate Ice Cream Grapefruit Granita Sorbet College Vegetarian

Diet and Exercise

Soda Causes Obesity, which Causes Cancer
A first-of-its-kind study released today definitively links soda consumption and an obesity epidemic, which costs California taxpayers an estimated $41 billion annually. The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research analyzed the correlation between soft drink consumption and weight. It found that adults who drink at least one soda or sugar-sweetened energy drink a day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight or obese. For children, the risk of obesity soars 60 percent with each daily serving of soda or sugary beverage. The UCLA study included a county-by-county look at soda consumption and the percentage of overweight adults.
It found that soda is consumed daily by a quarter of adults in Los Angeles County, where 56 percent of those over age 18 are overweight or obese. Soft drink consumption in neighboring Ventura County is roughly comparable, although the number of overweight and obese adults tops 58 percent there. Statewide, 24 percent of adults drink at least one soda a day and 56 percent are overweight or obese.

Obesity could become the top cause of cancer in women within the next 10 years. Being fat could become the leading cause of cancer in women in Western countries in the coming years, European researchers said. Their conclusion is based on computer models of cancer data from Europe. Results were announced at a conference in Germany. The researchers said excess weight causes about 8% of cancers in Europe. It has been linked to breast, colon and endometrial cancer, among others. Researchers estimated there were about 70,000 fat-related cancers in 2002. They said the number doubled by 2008. Experts said that figure is poised to increase substantially as the obesity epidemic continues, and as major causes of cancer, such as smoking and hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women, drop dramatically. Scientists aren't sure why being fat boosts your cancer risk, but suspect it is connected to hormones. As people become fatter, they produce more hormones like estrogen that help tumors grow. People with big bellies also have more acid in their stomachs, which can lead to stomach, intestinal or esophageal cancer.

Cocoa for Headache
A new study presented at the International Headache Society's 14th International Headache Congress hosted by the American Headache Society (AHS) in Philadelphia, has provided the first evidence for the value of cocoa as a dietary supplement in repressing inflammatory responses within the trigeminal ganglia which are thought to play a role in migraine.

Running
Running is considered to be hard on the body. Unlike walking, running is a high-impact exercise. It's simply a matter of gravity: What goes up must come down.
Walkers have one foot on the ground at all times, while joggers and runners are entirely airborne for part of every stride. Each time a foot hits the ground, it puts a stress equal to eight times the body's weight on a person's feet, legs, hips and neck. In just one mile, a runner's legs will have to absorb tons and tons of force from the impact.
Running actually causes relatively few physical problems. It's a testament to the wonderful construction of the human body. The faster the pace, however, the greater the impact and the greater the risk of injury. But that doesn't mean that running will cause arthritis. In fact, new studies provide reassurance that exercise, and particularly running, are safe for healthy joints. Exercise may even help joints stay healthy.
Regular exercise has enormous health benefits. It reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke and premature death, and many studies link physical activity to protection against:

Diabetes
Obesity
High blood pressure
Osteoporosis and fractures
Depression
Insomnia
Dementia
Colon cancer, breast cancer and possibly prostate cancer.

All it takes is 30 minutes of moderate exercise nearly every day to promote health.
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/EMIHC255/35320/75768/1343938.html?d=dmtHMSContent

Miscellaneous

Aspirin for Cancer
People with a genetic susceptibility to colon cancer could cut their chances of developing the disease in half by taking a daily dose of aspirin, researchers said. The finding might lead to other treatments by helping researchers understand how aspirin combats colon cancer, one of the top three cancers in rich countries. Though aspirin has been used widely for years to treat minor aches and to alleviate fevers, it can irritate the stomach and intestines and cause major bleeding. Scientists are still unsure exactly how aspirin fights cancer. For years, experts thought aspirin slows an enzyme called COX2 that has a role in tumor growth.

Smoking Ban Reduces Heart Disease
Pushing smokers outside drives down hospitalizations for heart attacks by about 17 percent in the first year and 36 percent after three years, according to an analysis of 13 studies looking at heart-attack rates after indoor-smoking bans. It also bolsters support for government-mandated elimination of smoking in bars, restaurants and other public venues, according to the research in the new issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Birth Control
It's not the first time lifestyle issues have been tied to the battle against global warming. Climate change experts have previously recommended that people cut their meat intake to slow global warming by reducing the numbers of animals using the world's resources.
Giving contraceptives to people in developing countries could help fight climate change by slowing population growth. More than 200 million women worldwide want contraceptives, but don't have access to them, according to an editorial published in the British medical journal, Lancet. That results in 76 million unintended pregnancies every year.

If those women had access to free condoms or other birth control methods, that could slow rates of population growth, possibly easing the pressure on the environment, the editors say. In countries with access to condoms and other contraceptives, average family sizes tend to fall significantly within a generation. Until recently, many U.S.-funded health programs did not pay for or encourage condom use in poor countries, even to fight diseases such as AIDS.

The world's population is projected to jump to 9 billion by 2050, with more than 90 percent of that growth coming from developing countries.
The Lancet editorial cited a British report which says family planning is five times cheaper than usual technologies used to fight climate change. According to the report, each $7 spent on basic family planning would slash global carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1 ton.
Experts believe that while normal population growth is unlikely to significantly increase global warming that overpopulation in developing countries could lead to increased demand for food and shelter, which could jeopardize the environment as it struggles with global warming.

Early Sex Gene
A study, published in the American journal Child Development, found a genetic theory to challenge "environmental" theories which previously explained why children who live in homes without fathers have sex at a younger age than others. While there's clearly no such thing as a 'father absence gene', there are genetic contributions to traits in both mothers and fathers that increase the likelihood of earlier sexual behavior in their children. These include impulsivity, substance use and abuse, argumentativeness, and sensation seeking. These traits get passed down from parents to children, resulting in a situation known as 'passive gene-environment correlation,' because the same genetic factors that influence when children first have intercourse also affect the likelihood of their growing up in a home without a father. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Oregon, the University of Virginia, the University of Chicago, the University of Indiana, Columbia University and the University of Oklahoma.

Recipes

Chocolate Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar; 3 cups water; 3/4 cup pure cocoa powder; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 tsp vanilla
Preparation:
Heat the sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat without stirring, until it begins to melt. Once it begins to melt, stir frequently until completely melted and carmelized. Reduce heat to medium low and add the water to create a carmel, still stirring frequently. Next, stir in the cocoa powder and salt until completely smooth and dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add the vanilla, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. If you have an ice cream maker, process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the directions, then freeze until firm. If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour the sorbet into a shallow container and freeze, stirring every 30 minutes until desired consistency is reached, about 2 hours. Makes about one quart (four servings) of low-calorie vegan chocolate sorbet.

Vegan Grapefruit Granita Sorbet
Ingredients: 3 grapefruits, juiced;1/2 cup sugar; mint leaves, for garnish
Preparation:
Combine grapefruit juice and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool down and pour it into a flat pan with high sides. Place in freezer. Once ice crystals start to form, take a fork and stir vigorously, breaking the crystals up, and return to the fridge. Do this every half hour for about four hours. Once the granite is totally frozen, fluff it with a fork and give it another half hour in the freezer to solidify. Serve with a mint leaf garnish. Makes 4 ½ cup servings.

College Vegetarian
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianfamilies/qt/collegeveg.htm?nl=1

Health and Nutrition

Issue 141