Cancer and Vitamins; Teenagers, MySpace and Risky Behaviors

Health Report:


Cancer and Vitamins

Teenagers, MySpace and Risky Behaviors

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"A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers..."

By, Robert A. Wascher, MD, FACS


Last Updated: 01/18/2009

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The information in this column is intended for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice or recommendations by the author. Please consult with your physician before making any lifestyle or medication changes, or if you have any other concerns regarding your health.

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CANCER & VITAMINS

Regular readers of this column already know that the results of recent cancer prevention research studies have been very disappointing with regards to antioxidant vitamins. Earlier, and much lower powered, laboratory and epidemiological research had suggested a role for Vitamin C, Vitamin E and beta-carotene in preventing some types of cancer. However, recent large-scale prospective human clinical trials have not identified any protective role for these vitamins against either cancer or cardiovascular disease. Now, yet another prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial adds its weight to other recently published cancer prevention trials and, once again, the study’s outcomes are not favorable.

In this study, just published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 7,627 women were randomly assigned to take daily supplements of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, or beta-carotene, or an identical placebo (sugar pill). In addition to it prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled design, this study is also laudable for its large cohort of patient volunteers, and for its nearly 10-year duration of follow-up.

During the course of this decade-long study, 624 women developed cancer, and 176 died of cancer. At nearly 10 years of average follow-up, there was no statistically significant difference in cancer risk or cancer-associated deaths among women in any vitamin group when compared with the women in the placebo group. Vitamin C, Vitamin E and beta-carotene supplements, taken alone or in combination, did not have any significant effect on the risk of developing cancer, or of dying of cancer, when compared to placebo sugar pills. (There was, however, a non-significant trend towards a decreased incidence of colon cancer in the Vitamin E group, and a non-significant trend towards an increase in lung cancer risk in the beta-carotene group; both of which have been observed in previous studies).


As someone who previously held great hope that antioxidant vitamins and other dietary supplements might reduce the risk of both cancer and cardiovascular disease, I really wish that I could report some positive findings in this area of research. However, increasingly, when subject to the much greater power of “gold standard” prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical research trials, our earlier hypotheses about antioxidant vitamins and cancer prevention simply haven’t held up to this higher level of research scrutiny. (Which makes other scientifically validated lifestyle approaches to cancer prevention all the more important, as I discuss in much greater detail in my forthcoming book, “A Cancer Guide for the Human Race.”)

As the inventory of bottles in my own little plastic tray of vitamins and other supplement continues to shrink in the face of overwhelming research pointing to their lack of benefit, my wife has been able to reclaim more space in her kitchen cabinets, and I have been saving some spare change that I previously spent on Vitamin E, Vitamin C and beta-carotene supplements.



TEENAGERS, MYSPACE & RISKY BEHAVIORS

Okay, so what parent doesn’t already know what their teenager is likely thinking about much of the time? We all know that adolescence is a turbulent, intense, hormone-fuelled period when kids begin to question almost everything that their parents have been telling them; and a time when many teens either fantasize or actually engage in risk-taking behaviors. However, what is different about today’s teens, when compared to my own Baby Boomer generation, is that, through the twin miracles of the Internet and social online networks like MySpace, today’s adolescents can easily tap into a universe of like minds (as well as many nefarious denizens that anonymously lurk everywhere on the Web).

A new clinical study, just published in the journal Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, provides some disturbing insight into how teens may be using social networking sites, like MySpace, to reveal behaviors associated with sexual content, substance abuse and violence. In this intriguing study, the researchers analyzed the content of 500 publicly available MySpace profiles of 18 year-old teens in the United States.

Of the 500 MySpace profiles, 54 percent were associated with content specific for risky behaviors. Twenty-four percent of these 18 year-olds referenced risky sexual behaviors in their online profile, 41 percent made references to engaging in illegal substance abuse, and 14 percent alluded to having engaged in violent acts. Not surprisingly, female teens were much less likely to make reference to violent behaviors when compared with males. Teens reporting a non-heterosexual sexual orientation were nearly 5 times more likely to report sexual behaviors when compared to self-reported heterosexual adolescents. Among the 18 year-olds who reported strong religious feelings or who referenced attending church, discussion of sexual behaviors was 68 percent less common when compared to other teens. These religious teens were also 62 percent less likely to report illegal substance abuse, and were 88 percent less likely to report violent behaviors. Likewise, reporting involvement in a sport, or other hobbies, was associated with a significantly lower involvement in risky sexual, substance abuse, and violent behaviors.

While this study undoubtedly suffers from “selection bias,” in that it only analyzed a cross-section of adolescent MySpace profiles that were accessible to the general public, it still provides a fascinating window into the online behavior of American adolescents. (Indeed, one must assume that the prevalence of the self-reporting of risky behaviors by teens who have chosen to keep their profiles confidential is likely to be significantly higher than was identified in this particular study.) Given the unregulated environment of the Internet, I urge all parents to closely monitor the activities of their children online. Stay involved with your teens, and keep the lines of communication open, always.

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Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity

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Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, a professor of surgery, a widely published author, and the Director of Surgical Oncology for the Kaiser Permanente healthcare system in Orange County, California

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Send your feedback to Dr. Wascher at:
rwascher@doctorwascher.net

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Dr. Wascher's Biography

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Links to Other Health & Wellness Sites

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http://doctorwascher.com

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Copyright 2009.

Robert A. Wascher, MD, FACS.

All rights reserved.

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Dr. Wascher's Archives:

1-11-2009: Exercise Reverses Some Effects of Fatty Meals; Vitamin C and Blood Pressure
1-4-2009: Secondhand Smoke & Heart Attack Risk; Poor Physical Fitness During Childhood & Heart Disease Risk During Adulthood
12-28-2008: Stress & Your Risk of Heart Attack; Vitamin D & the Prevention of Colon & Rectal Polyps
12-21-2008: Breast Cancer Incidence & Hormone Replacement Therapy; Circumcision & the Risk of HPV & HIV Infection
12-14-2008: Vitamin E, Vitamin C and Selenium Do Not Prevent Cancer; Postscript: A Possible Cure for Down’s Syndrome
12-7-2008: Generic vs. Brand-Name Drugs, Stress & Breast Cancer Survival
11-30-2008: A Possible Cure for Down’s Syndrome?; Smoking & Cognitive Decline; Calcium & Vitamin D & Breast Cancer Risk
11-23-2008: Breast Cancer & Fish Oil; Lymphedema after Breast Cancer Treatment; Vasectomy & Prostate Cancer Risk
11-16-2008: Vitamin E & Vitamin C: No Impact on Cardiovascular Disease Risk; Does Lack of Sleep Increase Stroke & Heart Attack Risk in Hypertensive Patients?
11-9-2008: Statins Cut Heart Attack Risk Even with Normal Cholesterol Levels; Statins & PSA Level
11-2-2008: Radiation Treatment of Prostate Cancer & Second Cancers; Sexual Content on TV & Teen Pregnancy Risk
10-26-2008: Smoking & Quality of Life
10-19-2008: Agent Orange & Prostate Cancer
10-12-2008: Pomegranate Juice & Prostate Cancer
10-5-2008: Central Obesity & Dementia; Diet, Vitamin D, Calcium, & Colon Cancer
9-28-2008: Publication & Citation Bias in Favor of Industry-Funded Research?
9-21-2008: Does Tylenol® (Acetaminophen) Cause Asthma?
9-14-208: Arthroscopic Knee Surgery- No Better than Placebo?; A Healthy Lifestyle Prevents Stroke
8-23-2008: Alcohol Abuse Before & After Military Deployment; Running & Age; Running & Your Testicles
8-12-2008: Green Tea & Diabetes; Breastfeeding & Adult Cholesterol Levels; Fish Oil & Senile Macular Degeneration
8-3-2008: Exercise & Weight Loss; Green Tea, Folic Acid & Breast Cancer Risk; Foreign Language Interpreters & ICU Patients
7-26-2008: Viagra & Sexual Function in Women; Patient-Reported Adverse Hospital Events; Curcumin & Pancreatic Cancer
7-13-2008: Erectile Dysfunction & Frequency of Sex; Muscle Strength & Mortality in Men; Cryoablation for Prostate Cancer
7-6-2008: Sleep, Melatonin & Breast Cancer Risk; Mediterranean Diet & Cancer Risk; New Treatment for Varicose Veins
6-29-2008: Bone Marrow Stem Cells & Liver Failure; Vitamin D & Colorectal Cancer Survival; Green Tea & Colorectal Cancer
6-22-2008: Obesity, Lifestyle & Heart Disease; Effects of Lifestyle & Nutrition on Prostate Cancer; Ginkgo Biloba, Ulcerative Colitis & Colorectal Cancer
6-15-2008: Preventable Deaths after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery; Green Tea & Colorectal Cancer; Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) & St. John’s Wort
6-8-2008: Vitamin D & Prostate Cancer Risk; Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) of Kidney (Renal) Cancer; Antisense Telomerase & Cancer
6-2-2008: Acute Coronary Syndrome- Do You Know the Symptoms?; Green Tea & Lung Cancer; Episiotomy & Subsequent Deliveries- An Unkind Cut
5-25-2008: Early Childhood Screening Predicts Later Behavioral Problems; Psychiatric Disorders Among Parents of Autistic Children; Social & Psychiatric Profiles of Young Adults Born Prematurely
5-18-2008: Can Statins Reverse Coronary Artery Disease?; Does Breast Ultrasound Improve Breast Cancer Detection?; Preventive Care Services at Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Centers
5-11-2008: Smoking Cessation & Risk of Death; Childhood Traumas & Adult Suicide Risk; “White Coat Hypertension” & Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
5-4-2008: Super-Size Me: Fast Food’s Effects on Your Liver; Exercise, Weight & Coronary Artery Disease; Contamination of Surgical Instruments in the Operating Room
4-27-2008: Stents vs. Bypass Surgery for Coronary Artery Disease; The “DASH” Hypertension Diet & Cardiovascular Disease Prevention; Testosterone Therapy for Women with Decreased Sexual Desire & Function
4-20-2008: BRCA Breast Cancer Mutations & MRI Scans; Bladder Cancer Prevention with Broccoli?; Diabetes: Risk of Death Due to Heart Attack & Stroke
4-13-2008: Breast Cancer Recurrence & Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT); Carotid Artery Disease: Surgery vs. Stents?; Statin Drugs & Cancer Prevention
4-6-2008: Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), Pap Smear Results & Cervical Cancer; Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Infection & Oral Cancer; Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) & the Risk of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD)
3-30-2008: Abdominal Obesity & the Risk of Death in Women; Folic Acid Pretreatment & Heart Attacks; Pancreatic Cancer Regression after Injections of Bacteria
3-23-2008: Age of Transfused Blood & Risk of Complications after Surgery; Obesity, Blood Pressure & Heart Size in Children
3-16-2008: Benefits of a Full Drug Coverage Plan for Medicare Patients?; Parent-Teen Conversations about Sex; Soy (Genistein) & Prostate Cancer
3-9-2008: Flat Colorectal Adenomas & Cancer; Health Risks after Stopping Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT); Television, Children & Obesity
3-2-2008: Medication & Risk of Death After Heart Attack; Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) & Mammogram Results; Selenium: Cancer, Heart Disease & Death
2-23-2008: Universal Healthcare Insurance Study; Glucosamine & Arthritis
2-17-2008: Exceptional Longevity in Men; Testosterone & Risk of Prostate Cancer; Smoking & Pre-malignant Colorectal Polyps
2-10-2008: Thrombus Aspiration from Coronary Arteries; Intensive Management of Diabetes & Death; Possible Cure for Down's Syndrome?
2-3-2008: Vitamin D & Cardiovascular Health; Vitamin D & Breast Cancer; Green Tea & Colorectal Cancer
1-27-2008: Colorectal Cancer, Esophageal Cancer & Pancreatic Cancer: Update from the 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology's Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium
1-20-2008: Testosterone Levels & Risk of Fractures in Elderly Men; Air Pollution & DNA Damage in Sperm; Statins & Trauma Survival in the Elderly
1-12-2008: Statins, Diabetes & Stroke and Obesity; GERD & Esophageal Cancer
1-7-2008: Testosterone Supplements in Elderly Men; Colorectal Cancer-- Reasons for Poor Compliance with Screening Recommendations
12-31-2007: Minority Women, Hormone Replacement Therapy & Breast Cancer; Does Health Insurance Improve Health?
12-23-2007: Is Coffee Safe After a Heart Attack?; Impact of Divorce on the Environment; Hypertension & the Risk of Dementia; Emotional Vitality & the Risk of Heart Disease
12-16-2007: Honey vs. Dextromethorphan vs. No Treatment for Kids with Night-Time Cough, Acupuncture & Hot Flashes in Women with Breast Cancer, Physical Activity & the Risk of Death, Mediterranean Diet & Mortality
12-11-2007: Bias in Medical Research; Carbon Nanotubes & Radiofrequency: A New Weapon Against Cancer?; Childhood Obesity & Risk of Adult Heart Disease
12-2-2007: Obesity & Risk of Cancer; Testosterone Level & Risk of Death; Drug Company Funding of Research & Results; Smoking & the Risk of Colon & Rectal Cancer