Fighting childhood obesity in the womb. The cancer-fighting properties of wine and garlic. These and other interesting stories from the world of health and medicine in this week’s Medical News Notes.
Preventing Childhood Obesity Needs to Begin Early, Especially for Minorities
Although most anti-childhood obesity programs focus on kids eight years old and up, attention really needs to shift to infants and to pregnant mothers, especially among African-Americans and Hispanics. This is according to a new study by an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Even after correcting for factors such as income, the researchers found that children of Black and Hispanic families tend to be born smaller, gain weight faster, sleep less and have poorer eating habits than those of Caucasians and Asians, all of which can lead to childhood obesity. The study suggests that culture is the cause, with a large number of minority mothers being overweight, smoking and eating less nutritional meals during pregnancy regardless of their income levels. Educating minority mothers and combating multi-generational behavioral traditions is key to producing healthier babies, the researchers concluded.
Wine Can Reduce the Risk of Esophageal Cancer
A recent study by Kaiser Permanente gives another nod to the health benefits of drinking wine in moderation. According to the study, people who drink one glass of red or white wine per day have a 40% less chance of developing Barrett’s Syndrome, a precursor to cancer of the esophagus. (Barrett’s occurs when stomach acid gets into the lower esophagus causing cell changes that can become cancerous.) No other type of alcohol was shown to have this health benefit, and one to two glasses of wine per day was the suggested limit as any more can cause health risks that outweigh potential benefits.
New Gene Test May Make Breast Cancer Treatment More Effective
Speaking of cancer, why do chemotherapy drugs work on some people but not on others? The answer may lie in their genes, according to research recently conducted by Cancer Research UK. In Great Britain, researchers identified eight genes that, if broken or faulty, can cause a popular drug used to fight breast cancer to be ineffective. The scientists hope to use this finding to identify women who will most benefit from this anti-cancer drug, and those who need to find alternative solutions. Gene testing could soon be used widely to better pair patients with chemotherapy treatments.
Garlic May Be Natural Cancer-Fighter
Finally, researchers at Ohio State University have found a strong link between eating garlic and a reduced risk of many kinds of cancers. Their small pilot study suggested that the more garlic people consumed, the lower the levels of a process that could lead to malignancies. Garlic has long been suspected of being a natural cancer-fighter, and this latest study is just one more piece in an ever more-exciting puzzle.
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