Protect Against Cancer With This Drink
If you're a wine lover then you've yet another reason to savor a glass with your dinner.
A daily glass of wine might protect against cancer by lowering your risk of developing Barrett's esophagus, a destructive health problem that often comes before esophageal cancer according to a large, population based study that ran from 2002 to 2005 in California.
Over the last 30 years, the incidence of cancer of the esophagus has increased a whopping 500% in the United States.
It's the nation's fastest growing cancer.
Effecting about 5% of the population, the precursor condition, Barrett's esophagus, brings a 30 to 40 times greater risk of developing a type of cancer known as esophageal andenocarcinoma.
"The rate of esophageal adenocarcinoma in this country is skyrocketing, yet very little is known about its precursor, Barrett's esophagus.
We are trying to figure out how to prevent changes that may lead to esophageal cancer," explains study lead Dr.
Douglas A.
Corley in a Kaiser Permanente news release.
There aren't any signs or symptoms of this form of cancer, though it is often found in those with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Caucasian men are affected by GERD more often then men of other races or women, with 50 the average age at diagnosis, though the problem may have been present long before.
If you have, or think you have GERD or another digestive concern, you need to talk to your doctor right away.
Often a physician will work to reduce the acid with dietary recommendations or medications, and improvements in your symptoms might help reduce your risk of Barrett's.
You should know that while GERD does not always lead to Barrett's esophagus, it does seem to be a risk factor for the troublesome condition that you can do something about.
Published in the March 2009 issue of Gastroenterology, the study involved 953 men and women in Northern California, finding those who drank one or more glasses of red or white wine a day were 56% less likely to develop Barrett's esophagus.
The risk didn't go down for those who drank beer or hard liquor, and the protective benefit didn't go up if subjects drank more than two glasses of wine per day.
The wine study is just one part of a larger Kaiser Permanent study that's looking at Barrett's esophagus and abdominal obesity along with taking in dietary antioxidants, like those found in wine.
The larger project found that eating eight servings of vegetables or fruits a day and keeping your body weight in the normal range are the best ways to lower the risk of Barrett's esophagus.
Two other studies, also appearing in the same March 2009 issue of Gastroenterology offered similar findings.
An Australian team found that subjects who drink wine are less likely to develop adenocarcinoma, while Irish researchers reported the risk of esophagitis, the irritation of the esophagus that often comes before Barrett's esophagus and cancer, was reduced by drinking wine.
At present, treatments for Barrett's esophagus are unknown, and the best medicine can do is monitor the condition.
In the meantime, you need to be proactive in addressing your own (or someone else's) symptoms and if you're offered a glass of wine at dinner, you now have another good reason to accept and drink up as it could protect against cancer.
A daily glass of wine might protect against cancer by lowering your risk of developing Barrett's esophagus, a destructive health problem that often comes before esophageal cancer according to a large, population based study that ran from 2002 to 2005 in California.
Over the last 30 years, the incidence of cancer of the esophagus has increased a whopping 500% in the United States.
It's the nation's fastest growing cancer.
Effecting about 5% of the population, the precursor condition, Barrett's esophagus, brings a 30 to 40 times greater risk of developing a type of cancer known as esophageal andenocarcinoma.
"The rate of esophageal adenocarcinoma in this country is skyrocketing, yet very little is known about its precursor, Barrett's esophagus.
We are trying to figure out how to prevent changes that may lead to esophageal cancer," explains study lead Dr.
Douglas A.
Corley in a Kaiser Permanente news release.
There aren't any signs or symptoms of this form of cancer, though it is often found in those with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Caucasian men are affected by GERD more often then men of other races or women, with 50 the average age at diagnosis, though the problem may have been present long before.
If you have, or think you have GERD or another digestive concern, you need to talk to your doctor right away.
Often a physician will work to reduce the acid with dietary recommendations or medications, and improvements in your symptoms might help reduce your risk of Barrett's.
You should know that while GERD does not always lead to Barrett's esophagus, it does seem to be a risk factor for the troublesome condition that you can do something about.
Published in the March 2009 issue of Gastroenterology, the study involved 953 men and women in Northern California, finding those who drank one or more glasses of red or white wine a day were 56% less likely to develop Barrett's esophagus.
The risk didn't go down for those who drank beer or hard liquor, and the protective benefit didn't go up if subjects drank more than two glasses of wine per day.
The wine study is just one part of a larger Kaiser Permanent study that's looking at Barrett's esophagus and abdominal obesity along with taking in dietary antioxidants, like those found in wine.
The larger project found that eating eight servings of vegetables or fruits a day and keeping your body weight in the normal range are the best ways to lower the risk of Barrett's esophagus.
Two other studies, also appearing in the same March 2009 issue of Gastroenterology offered similar findings.
An Australian team found that subjects who drink wine are less likely to develop adenocarcinoma, while Irish researchers reported the risk of esophagitis, the irritation of the esophagus that often comes before Barrett's esophagus and cancer, was reduced by drinking wine.
At present, treatments for Barrett's esophagus are unknown, and the best medicine can do is monitor the condition.
In the meantime, you need to be proactive in addressing your own (or someone else's) symptoms and if you're offered a glass of wine at dinner, you now have another good reason to accept and drink up as it could protect against cancer.
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