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Anna Evangeli

News Articles

Increased risk of heart disease in young shiftworkers

YOUNG male shiftworkers may be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life due to prolonged high levels of cortisol and increased BMI, a small study suggests. Dutch researchers studied hair samples taken from 33 men working shifts at a textile factory and 89 controls who only worked in the day and measured long-term (three months) cortisol levels, thought to be a marker of chronic stress. They also calculated the men’s BMI.  Long-term elevated cortisol levels were significantly higher in the shiftworkers aged under 40 years compared with daytime-only workers of the same age (48.53 vs ...

Breast cancer patients’ silent suffering

Breast cancer patients’ silent suffering

WOMEN with breast cancer find their sexual wellbeing and relationships suffer as a result of diagnosis and treatment but most don’t speak to anyone about it, an Australian survey shows. While these physical and emotional issues are often considered the most difficult aspect of the disease, many women are reluctant to discuss their concerns with health professionals. If they do, they are most likely to consult their GP. Only 15% of the 2200 women surveyed reported that breast cancer had affected their sexual relationship ‘not at all’, with many reporting loss of libido, tiredness and lack of ...

Saw palmetto ineffective in BPH

THE complementary therapy, saw palmetto, is no more effective than placebo in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), according to a US study. Urinary symptoms of men randomised to take the fruit extract were no better after 72 weeks compared with those taking placebo, even at the highest dose of 960 mg daily. A total of 369 mainly Caucasian men, with an average age of 61 years, were involved in the multicentre study. Participants had a mean peak urinary flow rate of 14.9 mL/s and scored a mean 14.6 points on the American Urological Association Symptom Index. ...

Less cancer, more deaths with mental illness

PATIENTS using specialist mental health services are less likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the general population but more likely to die from the disease, a conference has been told. Research presented to the Public Health Association of Australia conference in Brisbane last week showed that cancer incidence was lower in people under psychiatric care but these individuals had a 41% increased risk of mortality. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption and diet could not by themselves explain the difference, the researchers said. Instead, the data showed that patients with more severe mental illnesses ...

No clear link found between plastic exposure and diabetes

A LARGE study has failed to find a clear link between exposure to the plastic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) and type 2 diabetes, an association noted on several government research agendas. The “inconclusive” results have prompted calls for further research into whether exposure to BPA, an endocrine disrupter, predicts future onset of disease. Animal and epidemiological studies suggest that BPA, used widely in plastic containers and baby bottles since the 1960s, has been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, UK experts said in an editorial commenting on a Chinese study. ...

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