With Thanksgiving and the winter holidays just around corner, division chief Dr. Graham Colditz‘s latest For Your Health column discusses ways we can help keep our friends, family, and ourselves healthy as we celebrate during the ongoing pandemic. With insight from Dr. Bettina Drake, he covers COVID-related safety and health, of course, but also broader […]
Category: prevention
Take Time for Your Health During the Holidays
The holidays are here, and that means a calendar filled with family, friends and festivities. And as wonderful as that can be, it can also make it challenging to stick to the regular routines that help keep us healthy. To help you have the physical and mental freshness to fully enjoy the season, try […]
Help Build a Healthier Community (Video Tips)
Dr. Graham Colditz’s latest For Your Health column talks about ways we can all help make our communities healthier. And, it turns out, we don’t need to be public health superheroes to make a real and lasting difference. As he writes: Big efforts can have an impact. Smaller efforts can, too. Together, they can all […]
For Your Health: HPV Vaccine Prevents Cancer
By Dr. Graham A. Colditz You’ve likely heard of the HPV vaccine, but what you may be surprised to hear is that it is one of the most important advances in the field of cancer in the last 20 years. And while it may not be on the list of required vaccines at your child’s […]
For Your Health: Don’t Sugarcoat the Health Risks of Sugary Drinks
By Graham A. Colditz We have a love affair with sugary drinks in the U.S. And it may, quite literally, be killing us. About 25,000 deaths each year are linked to drinking beverages like full-sugar sodas, sports drinks and energy drinks. It’s a startling number, especially for something so common that we often don’t give […]
New Study Finds that Walking May Lower Risk of Dying – and With Fewer Than 10,000 Steps per Day
A new study further confirms the health benefits of lacing up your shoes and heading out for a walk. The study, published today in JAMA Internal Medicine, followed over 16,000 older women for an average of five years and compared recorded step counts with deaths that occurred in the group over that time. The researchers […]
For Your Health: The Blistering Truth About Teens and Indoor Tanning
by Dr. Graham A. Colditz Part of being a teenager is feeling a sense of youthful invincibility. The health concerns of middle age are just that – concerns of middle age – and are so far away that it’s hard for teens to even think about them, let alone want to take steps to avoid […]
Take Time for Your Health During the Holidays
The holidays are here, and that means a calendar filled with family, friends and festivities. And as wonderful as that can be, it can also make it challenging to stick to the regular routines that help keep us healthy. To help you have the physical and mental freshness to fully enjoy the season, try these […]
Video Tour: 8 Ways to a Healthier Weight – and Lower Risk of Cancer
Take a quick video tour of the latest from our 8IGHT WAYS series: 8IGHT WAYS to a Healthier Weight – and Lower Risk of Cancer. Whether you’re looking to maintain your weight or lose a few pounds, this new guide is filled with simple, useful, and brief tips to help you on your way. Find it, […]
Celebrate National Women’s Health Week With These Five Easy Tips
Time is hard to come by. If you’re a woman in today’s world, that’s more than likely one of the constants in your life. Between work, home, school, and family obligations, the days just fill themselves, leaving little extra. And, though that time-crunch is certainly evident to you – and those around you – federal […]
10 Easy Ways to Be More Active on This ‘World Physical Activity Day’
It’s World Physical Activity Day – a great reminder that there really is nothing quite like regular activity when it comes to both individual and population health. Among other benefits, physical activity helps prevent many serious diseases – from stroke to diabetes to cancer – and also improves quality of life and boosts mental mood. […]
Spring Ahead: 5 Reasons Spring is a Great Time to Work on Your Health Goals
On top of all the other wonderful things about spring, it can also be a great time to work on improving your health. Don’t groan. While working on your health goals may not be as fun as watching spring training or walking through a blossom-filled park, your health is important. Very important. And not only […]
In Practice: What I Learned from Weighing Myself (Almost) Every Day
by Hank Dart In my many years of writing about and promoting healthy behaviors, I’m happy to say that I’ve at least tried to put into practice just about everything I’ve espoused. Of course, like many people, my success at doing so can be uneven. Some behaviors I do pretty well with – like exercise, […]
Protect Your Children with the HPV Vaccine
by Dr. Lindsay Kuroki Parents grow up wanting their kids to be healthy and happy. And taking control of your child’s health may be easier than you think with evolving research. We know that with healthy eating, encouraging exercise, staying safe in the sun, and getting scheduled vaccinations your child is on the right path […]
Room for Improvement: Rates of Cancer Risk Factors in Young Adults
As we’ve written about before on Cancer News in Context, good evidence points to the important role that behaviors in youth and young adulthood can have on cancer risk later in life. Health habits started in youth not only have a longer time to impact risk, but they can also have unique and important interactions with the […]
How Does Your State’s Health Stack Up?
Ever wonder how you’re state stacks up compared to others when it comes to important health risk factors? If so, a tool from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (below) can help you do just that. And while it can be fun to click through and explore the data from different states and for […]
Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center: 25 Years of Progress on the Links Between Overweight and Cancer
At today’s annual symposium of the Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center (BNORC), CNiC’s Dr. Graham Colditz delivered a plenary session talk reviewing BNOCR’s 25-year contribution to the science on obesity and cancer. A past associate director of the Center, Colditz also paid tribute to groundbreaking nutrition researcher, George Blackburn, who passed away in February 2017 […]
Another Look at Luck and Cancer: Risk Accumulation & Prevention
by Graham Colditz The debate regarding luck, prevention, and cancer risk is in the media again today (see Science, NPR, Forbes, and many others). The authors of this new paper — a follow-up of their original published two years ago and which caused such stir — make a clear effort too classify cancer risk as […]
Doubling Down on Prevention: Heart Disease & Cancer’s Shared Risk Factors
Even in parts of the country experiencing an early thaw, winter starts to feel a bit long by the end of February. The days are still short. The temps are still low. And the trees are still mostly bare. Yet, even amidst all that, we can still take heart. Not just because we’re about to […]
Cancer Missed Factors: Many People Unaware of Key Behaviors That Can Lower Cancer Risk
A new report from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) shows that a large percentage of the United States population remains confused about which lifestyle factors increase the risk of cancer and which do not. While a large majority of the public knows that smoking and sun exposure increase cancer risk, only 50 percent […]
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 […]
Weighty Evidence: New Report Further Highlights Importance of Overweight and Cancer Risk
A new international report released today further highlights the important role that overweight and obesity play in the development of cancer. Produced by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and released in the New England Journal of Medicine, the report, Body Fatness and Cancer — Viewpoint of the IARC Working Group, finds that […]
Some Simple Tips for Keeping Weight in Check
Although keeping weight in check can be a tall order in this day of dollar menus and smartphones, it’s well worth the effort. The cancer benefits alone are huge. When the impact on heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure, and good old-fashioned quality of life are added, the benefits become enormous. Try these simple steps: Exercise, […]
Potential of Prevention: Only 3 Percent of Us Meet 4 Key Health Behaviors
by Katy Henke When it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle, let’s just say that Americans have a lot of room for improvement. That’s according to a recent study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings that found that only 2.7 percent of U.S. adults practice four key behaviors that can improve health and lower the risk […]
Benefits TODAY from the HPV Vaccine (Infographic)
While the ultimate goal of the HPV vaccine is to prevent cancer, that benefit can feel very far off in the future, especially since vaccination ideally takes place in eleven and twelve-year-old girls and boys. But studies looking at the five to six years after the vaccine was approved and became widely available show that […]
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, […]
2015’s Top Posts on Cancer News in Context
It’s been another big year of cancer prevention news, and it started with a real splash way back in January with a headline-grabbing study in Science attributing most cases of cancer to simple “bad luck.” Not surprisingly, we disagreed with that conclusion, and our post responding to the study – and the stories it generated […]
A Closer Look at Obesity, Breast Cancer, and Health Disparities
by Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH Obesity is an established cause of postmenopausal breast cancer, with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimating that approximately 10 percent of postmenopausal breast cancer is due to excess weight (1). Overweight and obesity also increase the risk of mortality after diagnosis. One large analysis combining data from […]
We Are Family: Understanding Your Family History of Cancer
by Katy Henke Family members share many things that can impact cancer risk: lifestyle choices, habits, physical environments and their genetic makeup. Of all of these, genetics can be particularly key. Because of this, it’s important to understand your family history of cancer and how it may impact your risk for the disease. Some types […]
Unwrapping Holiday Weight Gain – and Ways to Prevent It
by Hank Dart We’re in the middle of it now. The holiday season – that wonderful and stressful five-week stretch from Thanksgiving to New Year’s where at every turn, there seems to be food. And not just everyday food, but food of such amounts and enticing types that it can feel nearly impossible at times […]
A Meaty Topic: Red Meat, Cancer Risk, and the Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet
By Yikyung Park, ScDA recent report on red and processed meat and cancer risk, written by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO), sent shockwaves worldwide. After reviewing existing evidence, the report concluded that processed meat consumption is a cause of cancer and red meat consumption is probably […]
Practical Steps to Prevent Breast Cancer: Day 9 – If High Risk: Consider Risk-Reducing Medications
It’s the final day in our nine day series highlighting key steps and practical tips that can help women lower their risk of breast cancer. Previous days. _ _ _ _ If High Risk: Consider Risk-Reducing Medications Although not commonly thought of as a “healthy behavior,” taking prescription risk-reducing medications – such as, tamoxifen, raloxifene, and […]
Practical Steps to Prevent Breast Cancer: Day 8 – Find Out Your Family History
It’s day eight in our nine day series highlighting key steps and practical tips that can help women lower their risk of breast cancer. Previous days. _ _ _ _ Day 8 – Find Out Your Family History Women with a strong family history of breast cancer can take special steps to protect themselves, so it’s […]
Practical Steps to Prevent Breast Cancer: Day 7 – Avoid Postmenopausal Hormones
It’s day seven in our nine day series highlighting key steps and practical tips that can help women lower their risk of breast cancer. Previous days. _ _ _ _ Day 7 – Avoid Postmenopausal Hormones The issue still comes up in the news, and study results still get parsed and discussed, but in the end, […]
Practical Steps to Prevent Breast Cancer: Day 6 – Avoid Birth Control Pills – Particularly After Age 35 or If You Smoke
It’s day six in our nine day series highlighting key steps and practical tips that can help women lower their risk of breast cancer. Previous days. _ _ _ _ Day 6 – Avoid Birth Control Pills – Particularly After Age 35 or If You Smoke There’s no denying that birth control pills have been a […]
Practical Steps to Prevent Breast Cancer: Day 5 – Breastfeed, If Possible
It’s day five in our nine day series highlighting key steps and practical tips that can help women lower their risk of breast cancer. Previous days. _ _ _ _ Day 5 – Breastfeed, If Possible Breastfeeding for a total of one year or more (combined for all children) lowers the risk of breast cancer. It […]
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 […]
Practical Steps to Prevent Breast Cancer: Day 2 – Be Physically Active
It’s day two in our nine day series highlighting key steps and practical tips that can help women lower their risk of breast cancer. Previous days. _ _ _ _ Day 2 – Be Physically Active Exercise is as close to a silver bullet for overall good health as there is, and those benefits […]
9 Days of Practical Steps to Prevent Breast Cancer: Day 1 – Keep Weight in Check
We know. You’ve been awash in pink for the past three weeks. So you’re forgiven if you’re a bit tired of reading about breast cancer and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But, we at Cancer News in Context hope to help you work past any late October doldrums by closing the month out with an engaging […]
Room for Improvement: Most Breast Cancer Risk Sites Fall Short in Readability
by Katy Henke Breast cancer is one of the most well known cancers as well as the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide (1). In an effort to educate and prevent future breast cancer cases and deaths, online health assessment tools have been created to help women understand their risk for developing breast […]
Eating to Lower Cancer Risk: Replacing Superfoods with Science
by Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH Article originally appeared in the Washington University – Institute for Public Health Blog When it comes to cancer, there are few topics as supercharged as diet. A quick search of “diet and cancer” in Google News alone returns over 3 million stories. And yet, however large these numbers are, they […]
Still Important To Be a Quitter – Looking at Cessation and Lung Cancer Screening
In 2008, scandal struck the world of cancer screening. A rare occurrence, to be sure. About two years after the release of a groundbreaking study showing that low-dose CT scans could catch lung cancer early and save lives in smokers, it was revealed that the study’s principal investigator had close ties to the tobacco industry. […]
Bottom Line of New Study: Colon Cancer is Quite Preventable
[If you are viewing the mobile version of this post on a desktop, click here for desktop version.] A large proportion of colon cancer is preventable with healthy lifestyle choices, even without taking into account the benefits of screening. That’s the finding in a new analysis from the large Nurses’ Health Study released in print […]
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 […]
2014’s Top Posts on Cancer News in Context
Amidst the crush of year-end top ten lists filling your news feeds this week, we present our own: the top posts of 2014 from Cancer News in Context. Covering topics from aspirin to healthy eating to the importance of starting healthy behaviors in childhood, these posts show the prominent place that cancer prevention has had […]
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 […]
Infographic: Breast Cancer Prevention – The Numbers
PDF link to full graphic.
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 […]
Data Show More Support Warranted for Worksite Wellness Programs
Photo: Flickr/abraj This week I had the privilege of addressing the American Cancer Society CEOs Against Cancer at their annual meeting that this year was held at Washington University in St. Louis. As a member of the panel addressing worksite wellness, I was able to briefly summarize the strong evidence that worksite wellness programs can […]