NCI: No prostate benefit from vitamin E, selenium - Yahoo! News

More evidence that vitamins alone are not a solution:

NCI: No prostate benefit from vitamin E, selenium - Yahoo! News:

"...government is stopping a major study of whether vitamin E and selenium prevent prostate cancer — because the supplements aren't working and there's a hint of risk.

More than 35,000 men age 50 and older have been taking one or both supplements or dummy pills for several years as part of a study called the SELECT trial.

But the National Cancer Institute announced Monday that they will be getting letters in the next few days telling them to stop: An early review of the data shows neither supplement, taken alone or together, is preventing prostate cancer."

Purple Tomato Extended Lives of Cancer-Prone Mice - washingtonpost.com

Good News!

Purple Tomato Extended Lives of Cancer-Prone Mice - washingtonpost.com:

"Tomatoes genetically modified to be rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins appeared to extend the life spans of cancer-prone mice, a European study finds.

The modified tomatoes were created by adding two genes (Delila and Rosea1) from the snapdragon flower. The anthocyanins, which belong to the flavonoid class of antioxidants, gave the tomatoes a peculiar purple color.

'The two genes we have isolated are responsible for flower pigmentation and, when introduced in other plants, turned out to be the perfect combination to produce anthocyanins, the same phytochemical found in blueberries,' study author Eugenio Butelli, of the FLORA project, said in a news release."

Warm Up to Someone New, Hold On to Something Hot - PakTribune

I knew there was a reason I disliked winter! ;)

Warm Up to Someone New, Hold On to Something Hot - PakTribune:

"It appears that the effect of physical temperature is not just on how we see others, it affects our own behavior as well,' Bargh says. 'Physical warmth can make us see others as warmer people, but also cause us to be warmer—more generous and trusting—as well.'

The researchers were able to conclude from the findings that holding a hot cup of coffee even for less than 30 seconds can alter the way you see others. The testers noticed that the students who held the hot cup of coffee on the elevator were more sociable and easier to talk to while the iced coffee holders had less interaction with others"

Park and Shop History

Store History:

"Francis J. Mahar was just starting out in the grocery business, working for the Market Basket Stores. Eager to venture out on his own, on his eighteenth birthday, October 13, 1923, he opened the first Service Store on Center Street in Olean. He continued working at Market Basket until 1936, when he decided to devote full time to his own business. By that time, in addition to the Center Street location, there was a Service Store at 1504 West State Street, another at 1020 North Union Street, and a fourth in Arcade. By 1942 the Center Street store had outgrown its building, and a new Boardmanville store was opened at the corner of Main and Front Streets.

By 1947, when Service Stores were formally incorporated, the 'home office' at 210 Coleman Street became too small, both because of increased business and because of the growing number of Mahar children. The company offices were then moved to 1602 West Henley Street. This was also the site of the company’s new warehouse, which not only supplied the Service Stores, but also served as a wholesale distributor to smaller independent stores in the area.

Even though Francis Mahar, Sr. was the founder and driving force behind the Service Stores, their growth and success would not have been possible without the help of many other people. His wife, Margaret, who began working ....."

The history is a bit dated (for instance Dan Mahar has died since the original publication), but most is still accurate. For the entire history, click here.

New study: Vitamin D reduces breast cancer risk

New study: Vitamin D reduces breast cancer risk:

"The study led by Blackmore KM and colleagues from Mount Sinai Hospital in Ontario, Canada showed that increased intake of vitamin D through diet and exposure to the sun was associated with a 24 percent reduced risk of estrogen-receptor- (ER) and progesterone-receptor- (PR) defined breast cancer.

The study compared 758 cases of breast cancer and 1135 controls without the disease and found those who had high intake of vitamin D were also found to have a 26 percent reduced risk of ER-/PR- breast cancer and a 21 percent decreased risk of ER+/PR- tumors.

The study published in the Oct 15, 2008 issue of American Journal of Epidemiology"

The science of candy and tooth decay

From Science Daily:

Never Fear: It May Be OK To Let Your Kids Gorge On Candy This Halloween:

"“The frequency of eating candy, and other refined carbohydrates, and their stickiness, are big factors in creating the risk of caries (cavities),” he said.

Eating carbohydrates can change the pH balance of the mouth, making it more acidic, which can increase the risk of cavities. Each time candy is eaten, the acid environment in the mouth can take up to an hour to dissipate.

“So, if I eat a piece of candy now, the pH in my mouth will become acidic, and it will take 30-60 minutes for it to become normal,” said Helpin. “If I keep eating candy throughout the day, there is acid in my mouth for a much longer period of time. The longer teeth are in an acid environment, the greater the risk they will become decayed.”

Helpin, the acting chair of pediatric dentistry at Temple’s Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry"

Medical Updates - Alcohol’s Effect on the Brain | Health News

Medical Updates - Alcohol’s Effect on the Brain | Health News:

"Both smoking and drinking has been shown to affect the brain, damaging cells and synapses (neural connections) and high alcohol consumption is known to result in shrinking of the brain and cognitive deficit. However, researchers have discovered that even modest amounts of alcohol have the same negative effect."

The researchers found no protective affect on the normal, age-related shrinkage in brain volume. To the contrary, the more a person drank, the more their brain volume diminished.

But the finding was much stronger for women than men:

"Interestingly, although men were more likely than women to report being moderate or heavy drinkers, the link between brain volume and alcohol wasn’t as strong in men. For men, only those who were heavy drinkers had a smaller brain volume than those who consumed little or no alcohol where women, even moderate drinkers, had a smaller brain volume than abstainers or former drinkers. The researchers note this gender difference could be due to biological factors, including women’s smaller size and greater susceptibility to alcohol’s effects."

More coverage of this is available from US News and World Report and CNN.

Kashi : Our food : Kashi U, Original

Have you tried the new Kashi U cereal? VERY VERY good, From tehir website:

Kashi : Our food : Kashi U, Original:

"The tasty combination of toasted Seven Whole Grain flakes, tangy black currants, crunchy walnuts, and acai oat clusters is packed full of nutrition:

* Cardio Nourishment – 350mg ALA omega 3 from walnuts and 100% of vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid
* Immunity Boost – 50% of your daily value for vitamins A, C and E as well as zinc and antioxidant super fruits black currant and acai
* Strengthen Support – More calcium & vitamin D than half a glass of milk* plus zinc to support bone health
* Thrive Inside – 7g of fiber and prebiotics to help the good bacteria grow
* Mental Sustenance – Over half of the daily recommended amount of whole grains"

But be careful around dogs. It has currants in it which are dangerous to their kidneys.

SportsGeezer: Lifestyle Triifecta: Exercise, Diet and Healthy Weight, Pays Off Big With Longer Life

SportsGeezer: Lifestyle Triifecta: Exercise, Diet and Healthy Weight, Pays Off Big With Longer Life:

"...people who exercise, watch their weight, eat healthful food, and don't smoke live longer than people who do not do all of the above. ...it's now documented by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health...For individual factors, the researchers found that 28 percent of deaths could be attributed to smoking, 14 percent to being overweight, 17 percent to lack of physical activity, 13 percent to an unhealthy diet and 7 percent to not having light-to-moderate alcohol consumption (one drink a day or less for women"