Science and Your Health

Science and Your Health
A guide to some of the newest research and recommendations

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Smoking will cause an estimated 168,000 cancer deaths this year 
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Newsweek
Updated: 1:02 p.m. ET April 5, 2005April 5 - Cut Your Risk of Cancer
More than half of all cancer deaths could be prevented if Americans stopped smoking, ate less and exercised more, and got regular cancer screenings, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society. The report, “Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts & Figures 2005,” predicts that Americans would be able to cut the cancer death rate in half if they adopted these habits.

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The agency estimates that about one third of the more than 570,000 deaths expected to occur from cancer in 2005 can be traced back to poor nutrition, a lack of exercise, obesity or other lifestyle factors. Though the report found that tobacco use is down, it still expects that more than 168,000 cancer deaths this year will be caused by smoking alone. Underscreening is also an issue. The ACS also found that more than half of Americans over the age of 50 do not get tested for colorectal cancer, even though they may detect cancers early and increase the treatment options and the chances of survival.

How can you lower your risk of cancer? Stop smoking; exercise for 30 minutes or more at least five days a week; and eat a variety of healthy foods (including at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day). Get regular cancer screenings. (Click here for specific ACS guidelines).

Aspirin as Stroke Fighter
Aspirin is as effective as the anticoagulant drug warfarin (sold as Cournadin) at preventing strokes caused by partial blockage of arteries in the brain but it is much safer, according to findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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In the study, researchers from several medical centers across the country followed 569 stroke victims who had at least a 50 percent blockage in a major brain artery. Half of the patients got 1,300 milligrams of aspirin a day (the equivalent of about four regular tablets) and the other half were given a typical dosage of warfarin. After an average of 1.8 years, about one in five patients in each group had died, had another stroke or suffered a brain hemorrhage. But 8.3 percent of those taking warfarin suffered from major bleeding, and 9.7 percent died, compared with 3.2 percent and 4.3 percent of those using aspirin, respectively.

Should you take aspirin if you’re at risk of having a stroke?  Researchers in this study concluded that aspirin should be used over warfarin for patients with partial blockage of brain arteries, which causes about 90,000 strokes a year in the U.S., or 10 percent of all strokes. But check with your physician before you stop taking Cornadin or add aspirin to your daily regimen.

A (Gray) Matter of Trust
A group of scientists say they have identified the area of the that brain is activated during human interactions that involve trust, according to a study appearing in the April 1 issue of Science. A team led by Read Montague, a member of the department of neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, used functional magnetic-resonance imaging to monitor specific regions of participants’ brains as they exchanged money online. Twenty-four randomly assigned pairs were monitored as one, the “investor,” chose how much money to send to the other, the “trustee,” and then the trustee decided how much to return to the investor. The money game went on for 10 rounds.

Scientists say they identified each partner’s “intention to trust” the other partner by a specific change in brain activity and either an increase or decrease in the repayment amount. They also found that as the game progressed, it took players an average of 14 seconds less to repay the investor than it did when the game began, and noted that the trustee’s intention-to-trust brain signal shifted from a time just after the investor’s decision was revealed (a reactive signal) to just before (an anticipatory sign of trust).

What does this mean? “We suspect that these steps forward will provide real insights into psychiatric illness,” says Montague, in a statement, adding that the research could have implications for people who have difficulty with personal interactions like those who suffer from autism or personality or mood disorders. But more research needs to be done.