Latest news with #UConnSchoolofMedicine
Scottish Sun
23-04-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
The popular snack found to slash bowel cancer risk as scientists highlight ‘long-term health benefit'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SNACKING on walnuts could lower your risk of bowel cancer, new research suggests. Scientists from the US found that chopping up and sprinkling a handful of the nuts on your porridge each morning might be enough to slash your risk of the disease. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Eating walnuts could lower your risk of bowel cancer, scientists say Credit: Getty It's likely down to ellagitannins – plant-based polyphenols found in several types of nuts and berries, including walnuts and pomegranates, the team, whose work was published in Cancer Prevention Research, said. Once eaten, these compounds are broken down by the gut microbiome into powerful anti-inflammatory molecules known as urolithins. Since chronic inflammation is linked to cancer, reducing it could help prevent the development and spread of cancer cells. 'Ellagitannins in the walnut are importantly providing the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties that we're seeing in patients in our clinical trial research," Dr Daniel W Rosenberg, from UConn School of Medicine, who led the study, explained. 'This is particularly due to the gut's conversion of ellagitannins into a potent anti-inflammatory agent, urolithin A.' The team tracked 39 people aged 40 to 65 who were already at elevated risk for bowel cancer. They were asked to eliminate ellagitannin-rich foods before starting a three-week walnut-rich diet, during which they ate about 28 grams (roughly a handful) of walnuts each day. At the end of the trial, everyone underwent a colonoscopy - a test that checks inside the bowels. The researchers found that people with more urolithin A in their urine had lower levels of inflammation in their blood, urine, and bowel polyps. There was also a drop in vimentin - a protein linked to more aggressive forms of bowel cancer - in those who produced the most urolithin A. Gaby Roslin's bowel cancer message to 'talk about poo' 'Urolithin A has a very positive influence on inflammation and maybe even cancer prevention,' Dr Daniel, said. He added: "Our study provides strong rationale for dietary inclusion of walnut ellagitannins for cancer prevention. "Nutrients from walnuts can contribute to reduced cancer risk. "There are many potential benefits one can get from eating walnuts, with so little downside risk, that just grabbing a handful every day is really something that you can easily do for your long-term health benefit.' Previous studies show walnuts can improve heart health, boost brain function and support help with weight loss. Bowel cancer is one of the UK's most common cancers, with around 44,000 people diagnosed each year and 17,000 deaths. Early symptoms include changes in bowel habits, blood in your poo, weight loss, and stomach pain or lumps. Cancer Research UK says half of cases could be prevented through healthier lifestyle choices. 2
The Sun
23-04-2025
- Health
- The Sun
The popular snack found to slash bowel cancer risk as scientists highlight ‘long-term health benefit'
SNACKING on walnuts could lower your risk of bowel cancer, new research suggests. Scientists from the US found that chopping up and sprinkling a handful of the nuts on your porridge each morning might be enough to slash your risk of the disease. 2 It's likely down to ellagitannins – plant-based polyphenols found in several types of nuts and berries, including walnuts and pomegranates, the team, whose work was published in Cancer Prevention Research, said. Once eaten, these compounds are broken down by the gut microbiome into powerful anti-inflammatory molecules known as urolithins. Since chronic inflammation is linked to cancer, reducing it could help prevent the development and spread of cancer cells. 'Ellagitannins in the walnut are importantly providing the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties that we're seeing in patients in our clinical trial research," Dr Daniel W Rosenberg, from UConn School of Medicine, who led the study, explained. 'This is particularly due to the gut's conversion of ellagitannins into a potent anti-inflammatory agent, urolithin A.' The team tracked 39 people aged 40 to 65 who were already at elevated risk for bowel cancer. They were asked to eliminate ellagitannin-rich foods before starting a three-week walnut-rich diet, during which they ate about 28 grams (roughly a handful) of walnuts each day. At the end of the trial, everyone underwent a colonoscopy - a test that checks inside the bowels. The researchers found that people with more urolithin A in their urine had lower levels of inflammation in their blood, urine, and bowel polyps. There was also a drop in vimentin - a protein linked to more aggressive forms of bowel cancer - in those who produced the most urolithin A. Gaby Roslin's bowel cancer message to 'talk about poo' 'Urolithin A has a very positive influence on inflammation and maybe even cancer prevention,' Dr Daniel, said. He added: "Our study provides strong rationale for dietary inclusion of walnut ellagitannins for cancer prevention. "Nutrients from walnuts can contribute to reduced cancer risk. "There are many potential benefits one can get from eating walnuts, with so little downside risk, that just grabbing a handful every day is really something that you can easily do for your long-term health benefit.' Previous studies show walnuts can improve heart health, boost brain function and support help with weight loss. Bowel cancer is one of the UK's most common cancers, with around 44,000 people diagnosed each year and 17,000 deaths. Early symptoms include changes in bowel habits, blood in your poo, weight loss, and stomach pain or lumps. Cancer Research UK says half of cases could be prevented through healthier lifestyle choices. 2 Other foods that could lower your risk of bowel cancer SO yoghurt might have protective benefits, but what else can you try? Charities like Bowel Cancer UK and Cancer Research UK recommend the following: Eat at least five portions of vegetables and fruit every day Choose wholegrain varieties of bread, rice and pasta Eat more pulses, such as beans and lentils Eat some fish, chicken, eggs and tofu, but limit red meat and avoid processed meat Drink some milk and eat other dairy foods, but choose low sugar and fat options Choose unsaturated oils and spreads instead of butter, and use in small amounts Avoid food and drinks high in fat or sugar, such as sweets, cakes, crisps and fizzy drinks Eat at least 30g of fibre a day Stay hydrated - aim for six to eight glasses of fluid daily Lower your alcohol intake
Reuters
26-03-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Health Rounds: HPV infection linked to higher heart risk
March 26 (Reuters) - (To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here) Human papillomavirus, along with causing several types of cancer, appears to significantly increase the risk of heart disease, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session, opens new tab in Chicago this week. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. Pooling data from seven studies that tracked nearly 250,000 volunteers for up to 17 years, researchers found that HPV-positive patients had a 40% higher likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease and twice the risk of developing coronary artery disease in particular, compared with HPV-negative patients. Even after accounting for sociodemographic factors, medical history, lifestyle behaviors, family history of heart disease and use of blood pressure-lowering drugs, HPV-positive patients still had a 33% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The researchers say doctors could consider closer heart monitoring for people who test positive for HPV, in keeping with recommendations for patients with other known heart disease risk factors. 'We always talk about cardiovascular risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure and so on, but we know that about 20% of cardiovascular disease cannot be explained by these conventional risk factors," study leader Dr. Stephen Akinfenwa of UConn School of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut, said in a statement. "This makes it important to identify non-conventional risk factors like HPV that could potentially be targeted.' The reason for the association is not clear, but it's likely related to chronic inflammation, he said. 'We would ultimately like to see if reducing HPV via vaccination could reduce cardiovascular risk.' PROSTATE SURGERY TECHNIQUE IMPROVES ERECTILE OUTCOMES A modified prostate cancer surgery technique leaves significantly more men with preserved erectile function compared to standard surgeries, UK researchers reported on Monday at the European Association of Urology Congress in Madrid. The nerves that run through the prostate's outer layers are thought to be responsible for producing erections. Whether these nerves can be left intact without leaving some cancer cells behind has been hard for surgeons to discern, and they tend to err on the side of safety and remove the nerves if unsure. In a randomized trial, researchers assessed the benefit of adding an extra step, called neurovascular structure-adjacent frozen-section examination, or NeuroSAFE, in which pathologists examine samples of nerve-adjacent prostate tissue while the patient is on the operating table. If the analysis doesn't find cancer cells, the nerves are left intact. Researchers studied 344 patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy who had no prior issues with erectile dysfunction. One year later, 39% of those in the NeuroSAFE group had no or mild erectile dysfunction, compared to 23% of those who had standard surgery, according to a report of the study published in The Lancet Oncology, opens new tab. Rates of severe erectile dysfunction were 38% in the NeuroSAFE group versus 56% after standard surgery. The technique did not increase the overall proportion of patients who were fully continent at 12 months, but NeuroSAFE patients who recovered their urinary control did so faster than patients who underwent standard surgery. NeuroSAFE's real-time evaluation 'opens up the option of nerve-sparing surgery for many more men, without compromising on the chances of controlling the cancer,' study leader Dr. Ricardo Almeida-Magana of University College London said in a statement. Dr. Derya Tilki of the Martini Klinik Prostate Cancer Center in Hamburg, Germany, where the NeuroSAFE technique was developed decades ago, noted that the trial was not designed to determine longer-term cancer outcomes. "But based on the data we have from using the technique for over 20 years, NeuroSAFE does not appear to affect these.' CHILDHOOD TB CASES KEEP RISING IN EUROPE Childhood tuberculosis cases were up by 26% in European Union and European Economic Area countries in 2023, according to newly released data, opens new tab. That marks the third successive year with an uptick of TB diagnoses among children younger than 15 years old in that region, which accounts for the vast majority of the continent, the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe reported on Monday. Overall, the region saw almost 30,000 new tuberculosis cases in 2023, with children and adolescents under age 15 accounting for 4.3%. Given that young children have an increased risk of developing tuberculosis disease during the first year after infection with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, childhood TB serves as a marker for ongoing transmission within a community, the researchers said. For one in five children with tuberculosis in the region, it is unknown whether they completed their TB treatment. Incomplete treatment may result in the emergence of drug-resistant TB and further transmission of the disease. Only about half of patients with multiple-drug resistant TB completed their treatment, according to the report. While the global targets set by the WHO aim for treatment success rates of at least 90%, that rate in 2023 was 67.9% in the EU/EEA countries and 77.2% in the rest of the WHO European Region.
