Sweeteners Increase Cancer Risk

The use of artificial sweeteners by the food industry has become ubiquitous. They reduce the sugar content whilst still retaining the sweet pleasant taste. However, the safety of artificial sweeteners has been questioned, particularly regarding carcinogenicity.

Last month, Charlotte Debras et al. published the results of a study looking into the link between the consumption of sweeteners and cancer incidence. They followed a group of over 100,000 French adults for about 8 years.

The researchers found that “artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame and acesulfame-K) were associated with increased overall cancer risk (13%) for higher consumers compared to non-consumers. More specifically, aspartame was associated with increased breast (22%) and obesity-related (15%) cancer risks“.

We can conclude that reducing or eliminating our consumption of artificial sweeteners can play a significant role in cancer prevention.

Yoga Improves Health In Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy

A study published in this month’s Journal of Clinical Oncology by Lorenzo Cohen and colleagues from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has proven that yoga can complement the medical treatment of cancer. Women undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer were split into 3 groups:

• yoga (including asanas, breathing exercises, meditation and relaxation techniques) group
• stretching (specific to condition) group
• control group

The yoga and stretching groups practised 3 times a week for an hour during the 6 week duration of radiotherapy. Data was collected before, at the end and 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment.

Compared to the two other groups, the yoga group showed statistically significant improvements in subjective measures of physical functioning, ability to engage in daily activities, general health perceptions and in the ability to find meaning in the illness experience. The changes were maintained over time. Additionally, measures of cortisol in saliva revealed better stress hormone regulation in the yoga group.