Latest news with #postmenopausal
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Menopause treatment linked to longer survival in breast cancer patients
A recent study in the U.S. has found that estrogen creams, commonly used to alleviate menopause symptoms, are not only safe for older women diagnosed with breast cancer, but may also correlate with increased survival rates. The research, which was presented at the ASCO meeting, indicated that postmenopausal breast cancer survivors who used hormone creams experienced a reduced risk of disease progression, recurrence, or death. These findings challenge previous concerns that the creams could stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells that rely on hormones. Vaginal estrogen creams are frequently used to treat menopause symptoms such as vaginal dryness, discomfort and pain during intercourse. As a result of previous concerns, many breast cancer survivors avoid these treatments. Researchers reviewed national database records on 18,620 female breast cancer patients aged 65 and older who were diagnosed between 2010-2017, including 800 who used vaginal estrogen creams. After accounting for patients' race, cancer stage, treatments and other factors, the researchers saw a statistically significant increase in overall survival among patients who used vaginal estrogen. The cream users also had a significant increase in breast cancer-specific survival, the interval from diagnosis to death from breast cancer. On average, estrogen cream users had a 47 per cent lower risk of dying from breast cancer and a 44 per cent lower risk of death from any cause during the study period, compared to non-users. Even in patients whose tumours were known to use hormones for growth, estrogen cream use was associated with a 38 per cent lower risk of death from any cause. Main symptoms of breast cancer in women NHS Estrogen cream users with hormone-positive breast cancer also had a lower risk of death from breast cancer, but that difference was not statistically significant. Use of the creams for more than seven years appeared to confer an additional survival benefit. 'These findings add to a rising contemporary paradigm shift that local hormone therapy is not associated with increased risk to overall or breast cancer-specific survival, which has important clinical implications,' the researchers said.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Eating this popular fruit daily may support postmenopausal heart and metabolic health
Eating fresh mango every day may help to boost women's postmenopausal heart and metabolic health, researchers said Tuesday. They found that eating about 1.5 cups of the sweet fruit a day for two weeks significantly reduced blood pressure and cholesterol among postmenopausal women living with obesity. Both blood pressure and cholesterol are key indicators of heart health. 'Risk factors like high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol are key contributors to cardiovascular disease, but a nutrient-rich diet that includes fresh fruit, like mango, has long been shown to help reduce those risks,' Dr. Roberta Holt, an associate researcher at UC Davis, said in a statement. 'This study shows that even short-term changes — like eating fresh mangos daily — can make a measurable impact on chronic disease risk in certain populations.' Holt was a co-author of the research which was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Nutrition Association. The study was supported through an unrestricted grant from the National Mango Board, although the board had no influence over the study. To reach these conclusions, they examined the health of 24 women between the ages of 50 to 70 years old who were overweight or obese. Before the study period, the authors instructed them to refrain from eating mangos. Over two weeks, the researchers collected baseline measurements, measurements when consumption began during a second visit to their lab, and then more measurements at the third visit. The women ate mangos in the mornings and the evenings. Two hours after consumption, their resting blood pressure dropped and there was a reduction in average arterial pressure. After consuming mangos every day for two weeks, their total cholesterol was slashed by nearly 13 points and their bad cholesterol dropped by the same amount. A smaller follow-up with just six participants from the initial study examined insulin and sugar levels after eating the same amount of mango with 83 grams of white bread. The researchers found the women's blood sugar levels rose significantly less after eating mango than after eating white bread. Insulin levels also responded more favorably to mango. Although mangos are high in natural sugar compared to other fruits, they also provide crucial vitamins and other nutrients. Additional research is needed to determine the effects of mango consumption of heart and metabolic health, but the benefits could aid the 1.3 million U.S. women undergoing menopause: a period when the risk of heart disease rises significantly. Women spend up to 40 percent of their lives in this life stage, and nearly half of American women are affected by cardiovascular disease. 'Post-menopausal women face distinct metabolic changes that can impact their risk of developing cardiovascular disease,' said Holt. 'These findings help to identify targeted dietary strategies, like eating fresh mangos daily, to aid this at-risk population and support cardiovascular wellness and potential reductions in chronic disease risk.'
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
I'm a ‘woman of a certain age' with an embarrassing body secret
I'm a woman in her 60s with all the usual body confidence issues, even though I know I've got admirably supple and blemish-free skin for someone my age (some stretch marks on the love handles, aside). My divorced friend Harriet (same age) is enjoying a new lease of life, and wants to go on a booze cruise/Milfs-on-tour-type holiday to Spain this summer with all the girls (none of us under 55). She's I'm now trying to come to terms with being expected to wear a bikini at my post-menopausal age. Weight and stretch marks I can probably get over – and the hair removal has taken care of itself since I gave up HRT – but there's one big problem: a third nipple located equidistant between the bra and bikini lines that my husband's private health insurance won't stretch to having removed. Last year, these girls named my birthday WhatsApp group ' tripple nipple gizzle '(a reference to my real name) and I'm still fuming. I sweat too much in the heat for a swim garment that'll cover the offending teat, but Harriet is more fragile than she seems and I think would have an episode if I backed out. What would you do? Neurotic about nipples Dear Neurotic about nipples, The possibility that your letter may have been written in jest crossed my mind – not because I think the subject matter is funny, but because it has everything you could possibly want from a well written, well thought out letter to an agony aunt: older women on a new Shirley Valentine -style lease of life as 'Milfs' in Magaluf; a wayward friend, Harriet – with a touch of neurosis – who scrimps and saves to get you all to the beach bar, most likely wearing tassels ... and a third nipple. You really couldn't make it up. And if you did, it would make a damn good screenplay. With the best will in the world and lots of faith, I'm going to answer you straight. Because whether it is tongue-in-cheek, exaggerated or entirely genuine, there's absolutely loads we can learn from your question – and a hell of a lot that women 'of a certain age' (to paraphrase a certain disgraced TV presenter) can take away. Let's do the medical bit first: for anyone concerned or wondering, a 'third nipple' is surprisingly common. It's also known as a supernumerary nipple and usually develops in the womb – in other words, you're born with it. They can look like small skin tags or moles or they can be a little larger and even have areola around them, or even breast tissue. There's nothing you can do about them, except have surgery to remove them. But most of the time, unless it causes you serious anxiety or irritates you in other ways, I really wouldn't bother. They're usually entirely harmless, although (as you would with any other mark on your body, such as a mole) I would keep your eye on it and go to your GP if you notice any changes. Around 200,000 people in the US are thought to have a third nipple, but incidences vary according to ethnicity, sex and geography, not to mention awareness, reporting and detection. There aren't any conclusive studies or statistics telling us precisely how many people are born with the condition each year, so nobody really knows for sure how many people have them – but we do know that some people have them. And if you do have one, you're in good company – Mark Wahlberg, Tilda Swinton, Lily Allen and Bill Paxton have all reportedly got them; as did Matthew Perry's character Chandler Bing in Friends. Now, don't you feel special? You should – or, to put it another way, you shouldn't feel weird about it. I'm willing to bet that nobody would ever look at you on the beach and zone in on your third nipple, unless they were extremely close up. And those that are likely to be that close to you are people who care about you – your husband, Harriet, the other 'Milfs on tour'. I promise that none of them will bat an eyelid. They wouldn't care if you had a third head (or notice that you did, after a sangria or three). The only person, in other words, who's worrying about your body is, well, you. And while I'm not diminishing or invalidating those worries, I do think there's a lot to be said for letting that kind of crippling, microscopic self-consciousness go once we reach our forties, fifties and sixties. I bet we all spent far too much time in our teens and twenties – and probably our thirties, too – worrying about what we looked like, or panicking because we didn't feel we had the 'perfect' beach-ready body. To hell with that. Surely one of the benefits of age is that you can look back at photos of yourself when you were younger, and say: What the hell was I so worried about? I was gorgeous! You'll do exactly the same 10 years from now and beyond – I can guarantee it. As for now – and this summer – you sound fun and confident and charismatic and bold and independent and fiery. Go forth and conquer Magaluf, Ibiza or Benidorm – don't hide yourself away (and if you really can't bear/bare it, try a striking swimsuit). There's a reason there's a campaign called Free the Nipple. It's time to free yourself from fretting about yours.
