SO WHAT MAKES IT SO RISKY?
The new warnings issued yesterday over eating large amounts of red meat reignited debate about whether it does raise the risk of cancer and heart disease. But why would red meat be so bad for you?
TOO MUCH FAT: Animal fat has been linked with a wide range of cancers. But evidence suggests it’s not the amount you eat that counts, rather the amount that is stored as body fat. Scientists think carrying excess fat triggers a state of chronic inflammation in body tissues, which sparks cancer growth and heart disease.
CHEMICALS USED IN PROCESSING: Preservatives used in processed meats such as bacon, ham, sausages and pate kill food poisoning bugs and help keep the meat pink, but may damage the DNA of healthy cells in the stomach. ‘But adding ketchup, which contains antioxidants, to your bacon sandwich could help prevent that damage,’ says Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George’s Hospital in London.
CHARRED MEAT: Grilled or charred meat releases different chemicals which bond together to form potentially cancer-causing compounds. Catherine Collins says eating a yogurt dip at the same time ‘neutralises their effect on the bowel’.
TOO MUCH IRON: Excess iron can damage cells in the bowel, increasing the risk of cancer. Eat meat with fibrous foods such as vegetables, to reduce the amount of time it lingers in the body.
SO WHAT MAKES IT SO RISKY?
Lean, unprocessed meat is the best source of easily absorbable iron — it also provides vital protein, vitamins and minerals.
Under new guidelines, Britons are to be advised to eat no more than 70g of red or processed meat a day.
* Choose cuts from the leg or loin of an animal. If you’re having a steak, choose a rump or sirloin cut. Least healthy is the rib eye: an 8oz steak has around 500 calories and 15g saturates — three-quarters of the recommended daily maximum. Offal — including liver, kidneys, tongue and tripe — is a good choice, as it is rich in protein and contains B vitamins, good for energy release and the nervous system.
* Avoid shoulder, ribs, belly, and neck and breast (of lamb), as these are higher fat, as are minced meats and sausages, even when grilled. The World Cancer Research Fund advises against processed meats such as ham, salami, hot dogs and bacon. Smoking or curing meat, or adding preservatives, cause the formation of carcinogens.
* The most sinful of all meat products is the doner kebab — an average portion supplies nearly all of an adult’s recommended daily salt content and 50 per cent more saturated fat than an adult should eat in a day.
* Grill, roast or stir-fry your meat for the healthiest result. A grilled 8oz rump or sirloin steak supplies fewer than 300 calories and only 4g of saturated fat. Roast venison, grilled pork loin chops or a roast leg of lamb are good options, too.
* Avoid meat and poultry that has been breaded or fried, or has been cooked in pastry.
Blood cancers such as leukemia cause abnormal cell production
When cancer begins to develop, it usually starts with the malfunction of a single cell. In the case of leukemia, it begins with an abnormal cell in the bone marrow of a patient, which multiplies faster than normal. Leukemia is a form of blood cancer that causes an abnormal production of white blood cells. It is the most prevalent terminal cancer in children, and makes up around 10 percent of all cancers in the United States.
Although the survival rate for leukemia and lymphatic cancers has risen from 14 percent to over 50 percent since the 1960s, children under five diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) have a 90.8 percent chance of survival.
Since leukemia is a blood cancer, it causes an anomalous production of white blood cells called leukemia cells that inhibit the other stem cells from doing their job. Normal bone marrow produces stem cells that develop into red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets — which help form blood clots. Leukemia cells have a longer lifespan and cause anemia, an early sign of leukemia. With a decreased platelet and red and white cell count, patients bruise more easily, experience fatigue faster, and become more susceptible to infections. Doctors do not know the causes of leukemia, but there have been correlations to radiation exposure, typically due to previous chemotherapy dosage.
There are several types of leukemia that are classified according to which kind of white blood cell they affect and how quickly they develop. Chronic leukemia develops over time and sometimes does the work of normal white blood cells, while acute leukemia is more degenerative and worsens in a short amount of time, affecting mostly children. The most common form of leukemia in children is acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a type of malignant cancer in which white blood cells do not mature and wreak havoc on surrounding cells. According to www.webmd.com, doctors use bone marrow biopsies or lumbar punctures to determine if a patient has leukemia. These procedures involve withdrawing spinal fluid with a syringe and examining cell proteins to see if there is abnormal activity. In ALL, a similar process happens in the body, but the cancer affects lymphocytes instead, which are cells that eventually mature into B and T cells. Causes of ALL have also been traced to prenatal radiation exposure, according to www.medterms.com.
When patients are diagnosed with leukemia, they are first treated with chemotherapy, which involves a combination of drugs and radiation used to kill cancer cells. In cases where radiation and chemotherapy do not work, a bone marrow transplant is needed. This method consists of bone marrow from a donor, usually a close relative or immediate family member, so the donated cells can start to produce normal marrow cells. WebMD states that if this is successful, the marrow cells will take hold after one to three weeks and the patient will need to be in isolation to prevent infection (since the patient has a weakened immune system and no working white blood cells) and blood transfusions.
If all goes well, a patient will be cancer-free after a few weeks of chemotherapy and radiation. However, he or she will be required to have repeat visits to the doctor to ensure proper health quality and immunity. In worst case scenarios, a patient in remission will relapse and have to repeat the treatment all over again, but such cases are rare. To learn more about leukemia or other blood cancers, visit www.leukemia-lymphoma.org, where one can also donate or participate in a Team in Training walk, a charitable activity that raises money for leukemia research. Higher levels of bilirubin In blood cuts lung cancer risk
New research including more than 500,000 adults shows that levels in the blood of bilirubin in the normal range but relatively higher were linked to a reduced risk of lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and all-cause death, according to a study to be published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Bilirubin is a compound produced by the breakdown of hemoglobin from red blood cells.
It is in excreted urine, and high levels may indicate certain diseases. It is responsible for the yellow color of bruises and the yellow discoloration in jaundice. Bilirubin may also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which help protect cells, the researchers said.
Bilirubin is created by the activity of biliverdin reductase on biliverdin, a green tetrapyrrolic bile pigment which is also a product of heme catabolism. Bilirubin, when oxidized, reverts to become biliverdin once again. This cycle, in addition to the demonstration of the potent antioxidant activity of bilirubin, has led to the hypothesis that bilirubin’s main physiologic role is as a cellular antioxidant.
Previous studies suing animals have shown that raised bilirubin levels in the blood appears to protect the lungs against environmental damage, which may be due to the potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of bilirubin, she added.
Laura J. Horsfall, M.Sc., of University College London, and colleagues examined the association between serum bilirubin levels and the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and all-cause death in a large population-based group of patients from the United Kingdom .
Although the research did not establish causality for any of the relationships, there is some experimental evidence that bilirubin has benefits for respiratory health because of its cytoprotective properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative effects, according to the researchers.
Bioengineered protein may help fight leukemia
CTS Europe The Leadership Gathering for Cell therapy Executives
Scientists have announced a breakthrough discovery in understanding how the body fights leukemia.
They have identified a protein called CD19-ligand (CD19-L) located on the surface of certain white blood cells that facilitates the recognition and destruction of leukemia cells by the immune system.
This work represents the first report of a bioengineered version of CD19-L, a recombinant human biotherapeutic agent, targeting CD19-positive leukemic stem cells.
The study was conducted by researchers at the Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases and The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer occurring in children and adolescents. Despite having received intensive chemotherapy, some patients have recurring disease. For these individuals, the prospect of long-term survival is poor.
Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell involved in immune function and are categorized as either B-cells or T-cells.
This newly discovered element, CD19-L, is expressed on the surface of T-lymphocytes and allows them to selectively bind to the CD19 receptor on the surface of B-lineage leukemia cells, and most importantly on leukemic stem cells responsible for the survival and expansion of the leukemia cell population.
Once the CD19-L binds to leukemia cells, cell death occurs. Although CD19 is abundantly expressed on leukemia cells from B-lineage ALL patients, it is absent on red cells, T-cells, and normal bone marrow stem cells, making it specific, and therefore, a good therapeutic target.
Lead author Fatih Uckun and colleagues have bioengineered and prepared a highly purified liquid formulation of the human CD19-L protein.
This recombinant protein not only shows selective binding to leukemia cells but also causes their rapid destruction within 24 hours. Perhaps most importantly, CD19-L killed even those leukemia cells that were highly resistant to both standard chemotherapy drugs as well as radiation.
The identification of CD19-L may lead to therapeutic innovation for childhood leukemia by allowing a selective destruction of leukemic stem cells.
The study has been published in the British Journal of Haematology. (ANI) Experts from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Available for Comment on Prevention, Treatment and Detection
Newswise — New Brunswick, N.J., February 21, 2011 – The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) is making experts available to discuss risk factors, treatment and prevention options surrounding colorectal cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 143,000 new cases of the disease were diagnosed in the United States last year with about 4,430 new cases in New Jersey. Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the nation and is the third leading cause of cancer death among both men and women.
While the exact cause of most colorectal cancers is not known, risk factors include poor diet, lack of exercise, and having polyps in the colon or rectum areas. Those over age 50 also are at increased risk. Beginning at age 50, it is recommended that both men and women undergo periodic colonoscopies, fecal occult blood tests and/or other screenings that can detect colorectal cancer. Earlier testing is recommended for people with increased risk, such as those with a family history of the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if everyone aged 50 or older were screened regularly, as many as 60 percent of deaths from this cancer could be avoided.
Some signs of colorectal cancer include:
• Bleeding from your rectum.
• Blood in the stool or toilet after you have a bowel movement.
• A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation, or narrowing of the stool, that lasts for more than a few days.
• Cramping pain in your lower stomach.
Studies show that colorectal cancer may be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, keeping physically active and limiting the use of alcoholic beverages.
CINJ experts available for comment include:
David A. August, MD, is the chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at CINJ and a professor of surgery at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. August is also the director of CINJ’s Gastrointestinal/Hepatobiliary Oncology Program, which is a multidisciplinary clinical and scientific program that provides comprehensive services to patients with pre-cancerous and cancerous conditions involving gastrointestinal organs, including the colon and rectum. He can discuss the importance of patients having a comprehensive evaluation under one roof with a close collaboration of multiple specialists including surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, gastroenterologists, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and other experts.