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A regular cup of coffee contains a number of antioxidants that are good for health. Antioxidants are chemical compounds present in foods that help to shield the body from various toxins and can even be preventative in the development of cancer in the body. Most antioxidants are derived from plants, coffee being one of them. Research done has shown that there are many antioxidant benefits of coffee. In these research studies conducted by various universities, however, there was no apparent relation found between the consumption of coffee and cancer development in a person; many believe that the amount of coffee that would need to be consumed in order to reap the anti-cancer benefits of the antioxidants found in coffee is just too high. It has been shown; however, that drinking coffee in moderation can decrease risk of cancer development for coffee drinkers as compared to non-coffee drinkers. Here are some of the cancers that have a decreased risk for coffee drinkers:

• Breast Cancer: Research from Malamo University in Sweden and The Harvard School of Public Health in Boston have shown that women who drank two or more cups of coffee a day were at A lesser risk of cancer as compared to women who drank no coffee at all. The cancer preventing properties of coffee have been attributed to caffeine present in the coffee that modifies the carcinogenic components of female sex hormone Estrogen.
• Skin Cancer: A cup of coffee after a walk in the sun can help reduce the risk of skin cancer. According to a study published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, coffee consumption can cut the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer by 35%. The antioxidants present in coffee have a protective effect on the DNA synthesis, and this can help decrease the cell division of the cells.
• Liver Cancer: Coffee drinking has been shown to have a preventive effect on cirrhosis which is the starting stage for liver cancer compared to non-coffee drinkers, those who drank up to 1-2 cups of coffee daily had a 50% less risk of first stage liver cancer. Caffeine present in coffee is found to be the main reason for coffee’s effect on liver cancer.
• Colon Cancer: Drinking more than five cups of coffee a day can lower the risk of colorectal cancer. Along with increasing the movement of food in the bowels, coffee is believed to help reduce the production of bile acids that are known to increase the threat of bowel cancer. Antioxidants present in coffee also play a significant role in preventing cell damage.

The numerous benefits of drinking coffee make it an ideal drink for moderate consumption, and a cup or two of coffee will surely go a long way in maintaining a good health. You can find out more about the health benefits of coffee and various recipes for different coffee drinks at http://www.Melslife.com

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Kevin Williams is a professional author who has written various articles on various topics & this time writing article on Coffee & Cancer Facts for Melslife.com. Visit http://www.melslife.com for more information on Coffee & Cancer Facts.

First, the good news - research is being done and scientists are learning more every day about the causes of pancreatic cancer. Progress IS being made, and research has already led to better treatment for the diasease, a better quality of life for patients, and a decrease in deaths from pancreatic cancer.

The pancreas is a little organ only about 6 inches long that is located between the stomach and the spine. It is responsible for producing insulin as well as other hormones. Additionally, it makes pancreatic juices containing enzymes that help in digesting food.

Most cases of cancer starts in the ducts that carry pancreatic juices. Cancer of the pancreas is also called carcinoma of the pancreas. The terms are used interchangeably.

*Note: There is a rare cases that start in the cells that make insulin and other hormones. Cancer that starts in these cells is called islet cell cancer.

There are, of course, certain risk factors that scientists say increase the chances of a person developing the disease. It is important to note, however, that many people with all of the risk factors do not get pancreatic cancer and that people who have none of the risk factors do get it.

The risk factors that scientists have identified are:

1. Smoking: Smoking increases the risk of developing all kinds of cancer, according to scientists.

2. Age: Most cases if this type of cancer are diagnosed in patients over the age of 60.

3. Race: African Americans have a greater risk of developing the diasease than other ethnic groups.

4. Sex: Males more often develop pancreatic cancer than females.

5. Family History: If there is a history of pancreatic cancer in the family, there is a greater risk for a patient to develop it.

Milos Pesic is a respected surgeon who specializes in treating all forms of cancer and runs a comprehensive Cancer Treatment web site. For more articles and resources on cancer symptoms and treatments, breast cancer, skin cancer, lung cancer, prostate and colon cancer and much more, visit his site at:

=> http://cancer.need-to-know.net/

Have you ever wondered what goes into the countless lotions, toners, and creams you rub into your skin on a daily basis?  Unfortunately for consumers, we are on our own when it comes to finding accurate skin care information.  Most of the skin care products you find at the drugstore are sold with one objective in mind: profit.  Companies have limited budgets for research and development so not only is there no guarantee that their products will have the effects touted on their labels; most of them are laden with harsh chemicals that are harmful to our health.  

Many companies use cheaper ingredients to cut costs and a lot of the skin care information available in the mainstream keeps it a secret from consumers.  You may think this is some conspiracy theory but research of common ingredients in skin care products shows that they indeed pose a high risk of harmful side effects.  Here is a list of 7 of the most dangerous ingredients.  

7. Triclosan is an anti-bacterial agent found in weed killers that is also used in skin care products.  It is dangerous because it kills the good bacteria on our skin along with the bad bacteria.  Because it is so commonly used, the latest skin care info points to evidence suggesting that it is actually causing bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics.  

6. Padimate-O (or octyl dimethyl) is mostly found in sunblock.  It is a nitrosamine forming agent and nitrosamines are known to be carcinogenic.  There is evidence that suggests that any energy absorbed by this agent converts to free radicals.  Ironically, it actually increases the chance of getting skin cancer! 

5. Have you ever read your skin care products and found the word “fragrance” listed?  This word alone can refer to up to 4000 separate ingredients, some of which are toxic.  The skin care info you find in glossy magazines and advertisements fail to tell you that the floral fragrances often utilized in their products can affect your central nervous system, causing depression, anxiety, and irritability.  

4. Parabens, which include methyl, propyl, butyl, and ethyl paraben, are often used in skin care products like moisturizers.  Studies show that they affect the endocrine system and in some cases, may cause cancer. 

3. Mineral oil, which can be found in the form of paraffin wax, liquid paraffin, and petrolatum, is used in skin care products because it is inexpensive.  Rather than improving the condition of our skin as mainstream skin care information would suggest, it clogs pores and causes dryness, photosensitivity, and premature aging.  Furthermore, any mineral oil derivative could possibly be contaminated by a cancer-causing agent called PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon).  

2. Dioxane is known to the state of California to cause cancer.  It is found in skin care products in a highly absorbable form called 1,4-dioxane.  On top of being carcinogenic, the California EPA suspects that it is also a neurotoxicant, kidney toxicant, and respiratory toxicant, to name a few.  

1. DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine), and TEA (triethanolamine) are restricted in Europe because they are known to have cancer-causing effects. They are commonly used in skin care products to balance pH.  Studies show that if absorbed by the skin for a long period of time, these agents can be toxic.  They also cause allergic reactions like eye irritation and dryness of hair and skin. 

Unfortunately, this list doesn’t even cover all of the harmful chemicals commonly used in skin care products.  The only way that consumers can educate themselves and find accurate skin care information is to look beyond the mainstream media and products.  

The silver lining to this story is that there are now products and companies that are striving to put an end to the use of these harmful chemicals and prioritize our health.  Most people may not be aware of this new movement but in time, its presence will force standards in the skin care industry to change.  Now that you have this new skin care information in hand, read labels and choose your skin care products carefully! 

Jenny Miano is dedicated to research of skin care health products. She shares her research on her website; http://www.access-natural-health.com

Should you have damaged skin, unwanted wrinkles, and fine lines, visit her site now to learn about the skin care line Jenny personally recommends.

For more help on choosing the skin care information visit us now.

Not only is breast cancer a nasty word to hear it is a painful condition and frightening, it gets even nastier sounding if your doctor has diagnosed you with the disease. Sadly, although scary, women still choose to avoid initiating a self breast examination on them self. Why do women ignore cancer awareness alerts which point out the vital concerns of catching cancer in its early stage when they know breast cancer can be a fatal condition?

There can only be one reason why decisions of denial that they are cancer free are made and that is because they are too scared that they may actually detect a lump in the process. Is it not best to find a lump the size of pea than that of one which has developed greater in size? Not all breast lumps are cancerous, breast abnormalities should be checked out sooner than later. “Later is a death sentence”. Some women in their seventies said they don’t have much road ahead so why the need for a self breast examination. Hey blue rinse gals it is very important for your grand kids have you stick around longer and what of your happy birthday 100th telegram off the Queen. Breast screening regardless of age saves lives (70 years plus). Dutch research of over 860,000 women voiced breast screening decreased the number of deaths by 30% after the upper age limit was extended. Cancer risks increase with age so they say; medical experts have been at odds over whether the over-70s should be checked. UK plans involve raising the upper age limit for routine screening from 70 to 73 by 2012. The Netherlands extended its programme to cover women up to 75 in 1998.

Researchers are continuously and tirelessly looking for answers, e.g. Is breast cancer a hereditary issue or an actual cancer having a specific associated link? (Like Lung cancer in relation to smoking) Overcome your panic thoughts of resistance in finding a lump and it may well save your life.

If you are afraid of the unknown as to what is involved with breast screening then there is nothing to worry over. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breasts. The NHS in the United Kingdom breast screen women aged between 50 and 70. A mammogram will be requested if you have breast cancer symptoms, such as a lump. What you can expect when a mammogram is performed is having a radiographer present. He/she will help you to position one breast at a time on a small flat plate, with an X-ray plate under it. Another flat plate will be placed over the breast. Once the machine is activated, the breast is slightly compressed between the two. Compression of the breast makes it easier for the doctor to see things more clearly. A Mammogram in the UK consists of two snapshots: one from above and one from the side. This is a precaution method to ascertain that nothing is missed. Research opinion says taking a 2 view mammogram can increase breast screening cancer detection rate by 25% or more. Simple explained means every 100 cancers picked up with single view mammograms doubles that to 125 with the double view.

Do mammograms cause pain, well uncomfortable is more the word to depict, however this will depend on breast size and pain threshold of the patient. A mammogram will only take a couple of minutes, so any discomfort will not have to endured for long, unlike the pain caused by breast cancer (physical and mental).

Once a mammogram test is complete the doctor will check for any signs of cancer. Results of the mammogram are normally delivered a week or two later, sometimes longer. Developed breast cancers will more times show up clearly on mammograms. However it is not rare for one to go unnoticed because the x-ray showed no sign. Infancy breast cancer may not involve having a lump, patterns yes, which on a mammogram may suggest breast cancer. The medical term calcification means tiny regions of calcium within the breast tissue. Cancer can be detected through the calcium which creates spots and patterns which suggest disease presence. Breast changes are normal but only your doctor is in the position to say these changes are of the non-cancerous pattern type.

Breast Cancer
Painful Depression
Skin Cancer

In a 2006 article in Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, Naganuma et.al. write that both turmeric and curcumin effect certain reactions in cultured cells that indicate the anti-cancer effects of turmeric and curcumin may at least be partly due to how they affect what is known as conjugation in the body.

Conjugation is a critical point

When your body ingests something, such as a drug or chemical, it undergoes various reactions in your body. It can have certain molecules added to it which help the body eliminate the drug or chemical via the urinary system, or it can be detoxified, or it can undergo a reaction which makes it dangerous to the body. The last kind of reaction can turn a pro-carcinogen into a carcinogen.

The scientific name for certain groups of these reactions is conjugation. Conjugation reactions which have been considered important in how procarcinogens are handled by the body include glucuronidation and sulfo-conjugation. These reactions in the body change bioactivate a procarcinogen. Inhibition of these reactions may help with anti-cancer treatment.

Study shows turmeric and curcumin modulate conjugation

The researchers of the study chose to use a known pro-carcinogen, 1-Napthol, as a model. They used cultured Human colonic adenocarcinoma cells, known as Caco-2 cells. These cells are used as tools for studying intestinal cell function.

The work concludes that both curcumin and turmeric strongly inhibit sulfoconjugation. Since curcumin alone achieved the same levels of inhibition, they conclude that the curcumin activity may largely be responsible for this effect.

The levels of glucuronidation of 1-Napthol were different for turmeric and curcumin, however. The turmeric effect was actually larger than the curcumin effect, possibly suggesting that turmeric contains other ingredients besides curcumin that help inhibit glucuronidation. This could be interesting news, as it implies that the natural spice could do as well if not better in helping the body’s natural detoxification system than the purified curcumin.

The research studied to the level of gene expression the effects of curcumin and turmeric. Other studies have also claimed that turmeric and curcumin can affect the way drugs or chemicals are handled by the body by regulating how they affect gene expression.

This means that not only the biochemical activity of curcumin as an anti-oxidant could be the source of the chemoprotective activity of curcumin and turmeric. It could be that curcumin and turmeric actually affect how the body’s natural genetic defenses are rallied.

That’s the good news, now the bad news

There are serious experimental design problems with this research work as reported. The most glaring problem is a lack of reported data for a control on the DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) used to dissolve the curcumin and turmeric. DMSO is itself a very bioactive molecule. DMSO in its own time was examined for many potential health effects, both beneficial and negative.

Perhaps the reviewers of the article had access to more data which was not shown in the published article. If so, it should have been mentioned in the text whether a DMSO only sample was examined.

Another problem is the concentration claimed for the curcumin and turmeric in the materials and methods. An attempt to repeat the stock of 10 grams of turmeric in either 100 ml distilled water or DMSO showed that turmeric is largely left as a sludge at this concentration. It is almost impossible to filter the turmeric in water solution at this concentration.

Where does that leave us?

The results of this study are very interesting, and would need to be investigated more thoroughly and with proper controls. The effects on the conjugation system were definitely observed, we just lack proof that it was indeed curcumin and turmeric which caused the effects.

One of the most interesting aspects of this study is that in comparing the naturally occurring turmeric with the purified curcumin, at least one system seems to react stronger to turmeric. Around the world, interest in curcumin was aroused due to the fact that populations which ingest large amounts of turmeric have lower incidences of certain diseases. The scientific community always prefers to narrow down active biochemicals in plants and try to characterize them.

However, nature often packages bioactive molecules with other beneficial molecules which are not easily defined at first in the laboratory. This study should be the basis of a scientific inquiry into the benefits of whole powdered turmeric. As a treatment, it would be far cheaper than the purified curcumin. If the health benefits exist after cooking, then simply adapting ethnic cuisines heavily using turmeric could be a natural chemopreventive recommendation.

Sources: Biol Pharm Bull. 2006 Jul;29(7):1476-9. Turmeric and curcumin modulate the conjugation of 1-naphthol in Caco-2 cells. Naganuma M, Saruwatari A, Okamura S, Tamura H.

Samantha Rangen writes about home health issues. She has a BA in chemistry and has worked as a research technician for over 20 years in biochemistry, genetics, biochemistry, and cancer research.

Samantha markets discount home medical equipment, including canes at http://www.getinspec.com

The National Institutes of Health has a whole subdomain dedicated to stem cells and stem cell research. It is well worth reading up on exactly what are stem cells and other frequently asked questions. The site is set up to be understood by the lay person, but true to current scientific knowledge. The medical possibilities are many, and the scientific interest is great.

Your body maintains a certain balance at all times. One of the many balances is in your bone marrow. A stock of stem cells in your bone marrow, called hematopoietic stem cells, receives biochemical signals from your body about what blood cells are needed at any given time. A cut in your finger is fighting off a bacterial infection? Your body signals your bone marrow to produce more granulocytic cells such as neutrophils. Fighting off a virus? Your body sends in the “go” to make more lymphocytes. The total life cycle of most blood cells is on the order of weeks, so you must continuously make more.

This balance is amazingly beautiful, “natural”, and outstandingly important to your health. One of the most important aspects of your immune system is your blood. The balance between different blood cells gives your body the edge it needs to stay healthy.

In normal healthy individuals, the amount of stem cells circulating in the peripheral blood is very, very small.

Is more of a good thing better?

There are currently on the market products called “stem cell enhancers” that can show with laboratory results that they will increase your circulating stem cells. The results are indeed published that these chemicals (by the time they are extracted from the original natural source, they really are just chemicals) increase the amount of stem cells circulating in your blood stream.

The question remains whether it’s a good thing to have this happen.

During diagnosis of many illnesses of the blood, one of the things that a doctor looks at is how many of what kind of blood cell is circulating in the peripheral blood, and how many of what kind are in the bone marrow. Imbalances beyond certain norms are considered warning signs at least, diagnostic markers for illness at most.

Current scientific research is inconclusive about exactly what adult stem cells do when released into the peripheral blood stream. There is great interest in whether these cells can be somehow drawn to areas of the body that are in need of cellular regeneration, such as cardiac disease, diabetes, and muscles. There is still not enough evidence for anyone to be able to say that circulating stem cells can migrate to where you would like them, or even where you may need them. There are cases for such a view, as well as cases against. The cold hard fact is that there is just not enough data at this time to draw conclusions.

On the other side of the inconclusive coin, there is a growing body of scientific evidence that stem cells can contribute to tumor growth in certain cases. This alone should tell you to speak with a well trained health care professional before taking “stem cell enhancer” products.

To sum, yes, the products mentioned will indeed cause your bone marrow to spit out stem cells into your peripheral blood system. It remains medically and scientifically unclear as to whether this is a good thing for your body at all.

Sources:

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/

PubMed Abstract of ‘Bone marrow-derived cells: roles in solid tumor. Minireview.’

Xiong-Zhi W, Dan C, Guang-Ru X. Bone marrow-derived cells: roles in solid tumor. Neoplasma. 2007;54(1):1-6.

Role of hematopoietic lineage cells as accessory components in blood vessel formation

Takakura, N. Role of hematopoietic lineage cells as accessory components in blood vessel formation. Cancer Sci. 2006 Jul;97(7):568-74.

Stem Cells and Neurogenesis in Tumors

Varner J, Zänker KS, Entschladen F (eds): Neuronal Activity in Tumor Tissue. Prog Exp Tumor Res. Basel, Karger, 2007, vol 39, pp 122-129

About the author:
Samantha Rangen writes about home health issues. She has a BA in chemistry and has worked as a research technician for over 20 years in biochemistry, genetics, biochemistry, and cancer research.

Samantha markets discount home medical equipment, and recommends reading more about stem cell releasing products at http://www.squidoo.com/stemenhancedangers where you can join in the debate yourself with voting, guestbook entries and adding your own related links. Don’t take this article’s word for it, read more and add your opinion today. Visit http://www.squidoo.com/stemenhancedangers today.