A new study hoped to learn more from the data about the health risks, such as smoking, on cancer diagnoses in the Latino community, which in turn, can improve health for all people. More than 16,000 Latinos participated in the study, and 4% reported instances of some type of cancer. Cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death in this population, yet researchers still know little about how specific risk factors across ancestry groups. The researchers, part of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, and including Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, did not find a significant relationship between smoking and cancer prevalence. However, it is the belief of the researchers that the lack of a ...
Cancer is a top killer of Americans. While in some instances cancers are genetically inherited in the majority of cases, they’re preventable with a good diet and plenty of exercise. Here are top cancer-fighting superfoods, according to Health:
1. Berries
Berries are packed with phytonutrients, especially black berries which contain a high concentration of phytochemicals called anthocyanins. These "slow down growth of premalignant cells and keep new blood vessels from forming (and potentially feeding a cancerous tumor).”
2. Walnuts
Phytosrerois—cholesterol like molecules “have been shown to block estrogen receptors in breast cancer cells, possibly slowing the cells' growth.”
3. Beans
Researchers and numerous studies have found that black and navy beans can ...
Teenagers who eat fruits and vegetables high in fiber may significantly lower their risk of developing breast cancer (a leading cause of death among Latinas and other populations), later on in life, according to a new study, CBS News reports. Researchers at Harvard’s T.H Chen School of Public Health analyzed data from 44,000 women. They concluded that those who consumed about 28 grams of fiber a day “had a significantly lower risk of breast cancer before menopause compared with those who said they ate less than 15 grams a day.” "The results of this study emphasize the role of an early life high-fiber diet on prevention of breast cancer in later life. High consumption of foods rich in fiber such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains in early life may help to reduce breast ...
People younger than age 50, the age at which doctors recommend screening, are being diagnosed with colon cancer, according to a new analysis, Time reports. Colorectal cancer is a common cancer. “Colon cancer has traditionally been thought of as a disease of the elderly," said study lead author Dr. Samantha Hendren, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The study shows 1 in 7 colon cancer patients is under 50, and “younger patients tend to be in more advanced stages of the disease. “ “This study is really a wake up call to the medical community that a relatively large number of colon cancers are occurring in people under 50,” Hendren said. Healthier diets can help, especially at a young age. Yet fast food and corner ...
Recent data show communities living under the U.S. poverty line are more aware of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and vaccination rates in some of these communities is higher than in more affluent ones, The Guardian reports. However, not all patients are completing the entire vaccine series. For the article The Guardian interviewed Dr. Daisy Morales-Campos, a research instructor at the Latino Research Initiative at The University of Texas at Austin (formerly with Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio). Dr. Morales-Campos directs Entre Familia, an HPV campaign aimed at people in South Texas. There are still a lot of challenges to access, according to Morales-Campos. “People there [in Hidalgo County] often do not have the transportation ...
A coalition formed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) resulted in a 40% increases in colorectal screening rates over four years. The program is now being looked at as a possible pilot for other communities to boost their cancer screening rates. A report headed by Dr. Steven Itzkowitz, a professor of medicine/oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), now provides a framework for how communities might learn from a program to increase screening rates and ensure access for all people. “The increased screening rates from 2003 to 2012 translates to an additional 833,000 New Yorkers who have undergone screening colonoscopy and represents an important public health intervention,” said Dr. Itzkowitz. “By making ...
A vaccine can't prevent disease unless people use it. In Texas, a largely Latino state, only 39% of girls and 15% of boys ages 13-17 complete the three-dose HPV vaccine for the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical cancer and other problems. Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina has a plan to change that. Parra-Medina, a health researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, received a new $1.2 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to develop an professional education and community outreach program to increase awareness and uptake of the HPV vaccine among children in South Texas. She and her team will train local health care providers to deliver accurate HPV vaccine ...
When you’re 27 years old the last thing that crosses your mind are mammograms, breast self-examination and breast cancer. “My doctor had said I was too young to have a mammogram, so when I finally heard the breast cancer diagnosis after tests on my “cyst,” my whole body went numb. I didn’t have time for cancer; I was getting married. On December 5, 1997,” Tanya Enriquez says. Her honeymoon turned into a visit to the hospital to have 20 lymph nodes removed, and an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. Soon after her diagnosis Tanya met Marta Zuniga, a stage III breast cancer patient and later met Susan Coll, the three were known as the Three Musketeers. “We had a bond that not many shared. We were all under 30 and had breast cancer. We would talk, laugh, and go out ...
Getting a breast cancer diagnosis could be a shocking experience, especially when your doctor confirms your fears and tells you, you have breast cancer. “ I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You have breast cancer. We need to set up an appointment with a surgeon as soon as possible.” I asked the doctor to proceed with whatever arrangements would be necessary. I called my husband at work. I could tell by his voice he was in shock. That evening we informed our four children,” Gloria Diaz says. The day after, Gloria, accompanied by her daughter visited her doctor and was given two options: a mastectomy or lumpectomy. “I was scared and confused. A mastectomy meant I would have my entire right breast removed along with a large number of lymph nodes, and if everything ...
