Large Study Further Confirms Overweight & Obesity Increase Risk of Premature Death

 A “normal” weight – with BMI between 22.5 and 24.9 – was linked to lowest risk by Hank Dart It turns out that a healthy weight is a healthy weight. That’s the essential conclusion of a large and well-designed new study looking at long term weight and its relation to premature death. What makes this […]

Compelling Evidence on Overweight & Cancer Compels Action

An editorial published in today’s British Medical Journal (BMJ) by Cancer News in Context’s Yikung Park and Graham Colditz makes the strong case that it’s time to take action to combat weight-related cancers.  The editorial addresses a new “umbrella review,” also published in the BMJ today, that found strong evidence that overweight and obesity increases the risk of 11 […]

The Importance of Taking an Honest Look at Your Child’s Weight

It’s not news that parents can sometimes have blinders on when it comes to their kids. It’s only natural that we look for all the positives in our children and downplay any possible negatives. And this is just what seems to be happening with parents and the loaded issue of their child’s weight.  Parents of […]

Large-Scale Problem: Obesity Rates Still Increasing in Certain Groups

by Hank Dart The course of the obesity epidemic in the United States has been so bad for so many years that even minor victories have been cause for celebration. But despite some bright spots in the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports on national rates of obesity (on adults, on youth), […]

With Breast Cancer in the News – A Brief Primer on Screening and Prevention

by Katy Henke Breast cancer is back in the headlines this week with the announcement by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (Missouri) that she has been diagnosed with the disease following a routine mammogram. Because such news coverage can raise questions about current breast cancer screening guidelines and the steps women can take to prevent the disease, […]

New Study Finds High Fiber Diet Early in Life Lowers Breast Cancer Risk

by Hank Dart Though coverage of the Iowa caucuses has eclipsed most other media stories this week, there was still some important health news Monday about a large study finding that a high-fiber diet early in life may lower the risk of later adult breast cancer. The study, part of the long-running Nurses’ Health Study II, […]

Weighing Evidence: Obesity and Breast Cancer Risk Across Life

by Hank Dart In a paper published yesterday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, Cancer News in Context’s Graham Colditz and Washington University researcher, Kelle Moley, detail the important role that overweight and obesity play in the development of breast cancer. Looking at wide-ranging evidence at all periods of life — from gestation to the […]

8 Ways to Lower Colon Cancer Risk in One Simple Graphic

by Katy Henke Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States. The good news is that 75 percent of cases could be prevented with healthy lifestyle choices. These eight simple tips can help you lower your colon cancer risk and improve your overall health (PDF). For more information and prevention tips, […]

Practical Steps to Prevent Breast Cancer: Day 3 – Avoid Too Much Alcohol

It’s day three in our nine day series highlighting key steps and practical tips that can help women lower their risk of breast cancer. Previous days. _ _ _ _ Day 3 – Avoid Too Much Alcohol Alcohol can be good for the heart, but when it comes to cancer, there is, unfortunately, nothing really […]

CNiC’s Colditz Honored for Contributions to Prevention – Highlights Importance of Early Life in Breast Cancer Risk

Cancer News in Context’s Graham Colditz is being honored tonight at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as an AACR 2014-2015 Scientific Awardee. In the announcement of his 2014 Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Prevention, AACR describes the honor and Colditz’s contributions to the field: The award is given […]

Study Finds Periods Start Earlier in Girls Who Drink a Lot of Sugary Drinks. What Does This Mean for Breast Cancer Risk?

Creative Commons photo (cropped): Flickr/zingersbs by Hank Dart A new study released last week in the journal Human Reproduction has found that regularly drinking sugar-sweetened beverages – like sodas and fruit drinks – may cause girls to start their menstrual periods at earlier ages.   The study, a spin off of the long-running Nurses’ Health […]

The Power of Youth: Beginning Breast Cancer Prevention in Childhood

Creative Commons photo: Flickr/CatDancing (cropped) We’ve written a lot recently about the importance of breast cancer prevention starting early in life, both here on Cancer News in Context and in a guest post on the American Association for Cancer Research blog, Cancer Research Catalyst.  Though most breast cancer research focusses on women in midlife and […]

Breast Cancer Prevention Now

By Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH It is time to bring our focus back to lowering the risk or reducing the onset of new cases of breast cancer at all ages. Worldwide incidence of the disease is rising as societies across the globe modernize, which brings with it higher rates of breast cancer risk factors, […]

New Study Confirms Weight is a Major Cancer Risk Factor

Photo: Flickr/Kizette The subjects of weight gain, the obesity epidemic, and their major impact on health are brought up so much these days that they’re easy to tune out.  So, if a few articles and news reports here and there pass you by – on accident or on purpose – we understand.  But we won’t […]

Alcohol and Health: Three New Studies and What They Mean for Youth and Young Adults

Photo: Flickr/Tim RT It’s been a big week in the news for alcohol and health. Three separate studies were released that helped shed light on a key issue we often discuss here at Cancer News in Context: the important impact that drinking has on cancer risk – particularly when started early in life. The first […]

The Ongoing Challenge to Secure Resources for Cancer Prevention

The ongoing challenge of garnering appropriate resources and recognition for cancer prevention was highlighted yet again by a recently released paper in the Journal of Cancer Policy titled Cancer economics, policy and politics: What informs the debate? Perspectives from the EU, Canada and US. The overall goal of this paper was to assess the factors that are […]

Setting the Record Straight: The Impact of Diet on Cancer Risk

Photo: Flickr/Mike65444 An article posted earlier this week on the New York Times website stated that the link between diet and cancer risk was, in essence, a “myth.”  And while links between diet and cancer are not as strong as those with some other chronic diseases, like heart disease, the article’s conclusions demonstrate a lack […]

(Video) Nuts Cut Risk of Cancer, Heart Disease, and Early Mortality

Earlier this month, we posted about recent findings linking nut consumption with a lower risk of benign breast disease in young women.  Further confirming the power of nuts, new results from a large study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that men and women who are frequent nut eaters (7 or more […]

The Titanic and The Health Divide

by Hank Dart While tragic events can bring the issue of inequality to the headlines every once in a while, it’s more often a problem that lives under the radar of most people.  Yet, as the gaps between rich and poor continue to grow wider and wider and health care coverage remains an important issue, […]

Prevention of Colon Cancer: time for action is now

Recent updated evidence from the United States National Health And Nutrition Survey (NHANES) show that the majority of US adults have more than one modifiable risk factor for colon cancer that needs attention (see article). While screening is advocated for prevention of colon cancer and supported by evidence from randomized controlled trials (1), we have […]

Preventing Breast Cancer through healthy growth and high school diet

At the recent Breast Cancer Research Foundation scientific symposium held in New York City and Memorial Sloan-Kettering on October 25, I summarized evidence on lifestyle approaches for breast cancer prevention. Let me briefly review the evidence presented in this talk. You might ask how can we assume that breast cancer is preventable? Evidence comes from […]

6 Ways to Prevent Breast Cancer

Ask women what they think is the biggest threat to their health, and most will answer “breast cancer.”  And even though lung cancer and heart disease kill more women each year, their concern is well placed.  Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the US — about 230,000 American women are diagnosed […]

New Evidence, Same Conclusion: Postmenopausal Hormones Cause Breast Cancer

Last week new data were released adding to the evidence on the harmful effects of hormone therapy on breast cancer incidence and mortality (story). This timely report released in October when so much media attention focuses on breast cancer detection, treatment and prevention, brings further evidence to show how hormones cause breast cancer. Here I […]

Reduce risk of breast cancer through action today

Breast cancer prevention means taking action now. We talked about awareness earlier this week and have discussed drug strategies to reduce risk of breast cancer in high risk or postmenopausal women. But for every woman there are things to do now to lower risk. be active – increase your level of physical activity maintain a […]

Do we really need more breast cancer awareness?

The LA Times has a provocative new article out that seems to rail against breast cancer awareness month. What are the criticisms? – Since the breast cancer awareness campaign started, age-adjusted rates have remained largely flat. – Talking about “breast cancer” ignores all of the research done to date that shows there are many different […]

Breast Cancer Prevention

New data from long term follow-up of women participating in the STAR trial, a study comparing Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (known as SERMS) for prevention of breast cancer, show strong and persisting benefits of reduced breast cancer risk after stopping therapy (see abstract). This is an important addition to our understanding. Based on follow-up of 18,747 women […]

Quick Facts About Soy and Health

Soy foods have been studied a great deal for their potential protection against a range of chronic conditions, including breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and menopausal symptoms. It’s not known exactly how a diet rich in soy results in such benefits. It could be due to some of the individual components of soy, […]

Childhood and Adolescent Exposures Set Cancer Risk

At the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), I presented a review of evidence relating childhood and adolescent exposures to lifetime cancer risk (see slides from presentation here http://bit.ly/d2SY2s). One of many “meet the expert” sessions, this offered an opportunity for those in the audience to hear a synthesis of evidence […]

Health care reform and prevention of cancer

In Sunday’s New York Times (story), Robert Pear wrote about the many disease prevention initiatives contained in the new health care law recently passed by congress and signed by the president. It’s important to stop and consider the full implications of this.  Importantly, Medicaid will now cover drugs and counseling to help pregnant women stop […]

Why does my birth weight matter for cancer risk?

We know from studies of leukemia and some other cancers that people who were exposed to certain factors (such as to radiation) while in the womb (in utero) can have a greater risk of cancer as children and adults. More recently, interest has shifted from large one-time exposures to carcinogens (such as to atomic bomb […]

Adolescent diet prevents breast cancer

A new study of adolescent diet and subsequent risk of precursor lesions for breast cancer shows that women who had higher intake of fiber earlier in life have lower cancer risk. Data from the Nurses’ Health Study show that women in the highest quintile of adolescent fiber intake had a 25% lower risk of proliferative […]