Comments on Cranky Fitness: Secrets of Preventing Cancer and Building Your Bon...

Thanks for the input, Jane--and so sorry to hear a...

2009-11-18T11:12:03.867-05:00

Thanks for the input, Jane--and so sorry to hear about your mother!

oh and the thing about fruit and veggies is probab...

2009-11-18T05:20:41.427-05:00

oh and the thing about fruit and veggies is probably confusion between "no evidence of a positive effect" and "evidence of no positive effect" (I have just re-read the Black Swan in which Nassim Taleb talks about this). It is hard to get actual scientific evidence of any positive effect of a healthy varied diet, because it does not lend itself easily to a controlled clinical trial- there are too many variables and the studies there are rely heavily on people reporting what they eat. But that does not mean there is no effect.
I'll stick to the veggies

don't discount that link to uterine and other canc...

2009-11-18T05:11:43.894-05:00

don't discount that link to uterine and other cancers either. My mom had breast cancer detected early and the lump was removed and she had radiotherapy. Followed by 5 years on tamixofen. About 4 months after the end of the 5 year period, she started getting abdominal symptoms which turned out to be stage IV ovarian cancer. This one, in spite of many operations, chemo, the whole 9 yards- including a period of about 6 months of remission which gave us all hope-, she did not survive. Not saying that you should not take the drugs if breast cancer has been diagnosed- but I'd be wary of taking it "just in case".

Oh! Also, if jumping is so good for you - bust ou...

2009-11-17T22:29:55.926-05:00

Oh! Also, if jumping is so good for you - bust out the hopscotch! (I'd totally link to Miz's post yesterday here, but don't know how to do that in a comment.)

Count me in with those who think the pharmaceutica...

2009-11-17T22:28:57.958-05:00

Count me in with those who think the pharmaceutical companies bankrolled that study. :P

I try not to take pills unless I really have no other option. I just think that as a society, we're overmedicated.

I'd like to suggest the vaginal sling procedure? F...

2009-11-17T22:06:58.799-05:00

I'd like to suggest the vaginal sling procedure? For those of us that had 10 lb babies vaginally - just so we don't pee all over ourselves with all that jumping.

IJS.

UR welcome.

I will continue to eat my "natural" food, includin...

2009-11-17T10:52:00.819-05:00

I will continue to eat my "natural" food, including fruits and veggies (although I fear that a lot of them are grown with things I'd rather not know about) and try to get some exercise and hope for the best!

I'd really rather not take drugs if I can avoid it.

I heard a biologist speak last night at a science ...

2009-11-17T09:57:27.196-05:00

I heard a biologist speak last night at a science cafe, about the biology of aging, and his take on this, is that most biology/science news you hear is oversimplified and not quite true. He likes Scientific American, considers almost all the rest to just be soundbytes. He studies the biology of aging, and had opinions on raw food, smoking, ineffective medical research, telomeres. Anyway, lots of classes at the gym make us jump, it's kinda fun.

No and no. Short winded today. Great post. Thou...

2009-11-16T20:43:05.861-05:00

No and no. Short winded today.

Great post. Thought provoking.

I think the NYT is running its own experiment: How...

2009-11-16T19:37:41.770-05:00

I think the NYT is running its own experiment: How much contrary advice can we give our readers before they, in the words of the late, great, Douglas Adams, just give up and go mad?
I'm also quite cynical about the whole don't-bother-to-eat-well-just-take-expensive-prescription-medication theory. Think I'll stick to my fruits and veggies.

While I may be recalling an inadequate NYT article...

2009-11-16T18:14:07.096-05:00

While I may be recalling an inadequate NYT article, I thought I read somewhere that there is a link to being overweight/obese in women and breast cancer because body fat stores estrogen. Eating fruits and vegetables may assist in weight loss ergo does this not possibly assist in cancer prevention?....

If a drug was proven to prevent cancer, and I knew...

2009-11-16T18:00:35.989-05:00

If a drug was proven to prevent cancer, and I knew I were high-risk, genetic predisposition or relatives having the same and dying, I might risk taking the drug. I'd rather take a drug to prevent chemo, than do chemo.
Aren't the statistics on cancer, 1 in 3 people will be affected? In the meantime, I'll keep drinking my spinach that's funded by the Vege conglomerates and taking supplements that are funded by supplement conglomerates.

I agree with the above. If it wasn't done by the p...

2009-11-16T17:22:02.336-05:00

I agree with the above. If it wasn't done by the pharm co then the researchers were funded by them.

And, how long was the cancer study again?
I just have a hard time being a believer.

Balderdash. Once the diet "is no good at preventin...

2009-11-16T16:33:52.526-05:00

Balderdash. Once the diet "is no good at preventing cancer" pile of studies outnumbers the diet "prevents cancer" pile, then I will consider eating like a pig again. Until then, and I suspect that day will never come, I will eat my lean meat, my veggies, and go easy on the goodies.

Barb, the habitual skeptic

Like some other people who responded I think ther...

2009-11-16T15:54:25.598-05:00

Like some other people who responded I think there has to be a connection to a drug company with that study. Sorry but I just don't trust drug companies since they are out trying to make money. So no I wouldn't take the drugs if I was high risk and I'll stick to my healthy diet and fitness routine.

As far as jumping I already do with my activities so my bones must be good.

Great analysis of the two articles. Just wait a we...

2009-11-16T15:24:42.717-05:00

Great analysis of the two articles. Just wait a week... there will be another study talking about how great fruits and veggies are to longevity (which must include not dying from cancer, right?).

I'm not so keen on following advice from mice studies, especially exercise ones, but I've read other research that says jumping is good for the bones. With my bad knees, though, jumping is definitely out! I'm sticking with strength training, calcium and vitmain D. My husband had osteopenia in his hip (yes, men can get osteoporosis!) so I'm trying to get him to do some high-impact activities, too.

Crabby, I love how you call out NYT & the rest of ...

2009-11-16T15:03:32.228-05:00

Crabby, I love how you call out NYT & the rest of them but give all sides of the story. What always scares me is they tell us one thing & then 10+++ years later, they say they were wrong! How many times has that happened!!!

Me, like you, I am sticking with my healthy eats & exercise. I do jog & I do plyometrics as well so I guess I am covered there.

I would take a med if I was HIGH risk but the med industry is so far up the butt of so many companies & politicians that I don't believe a thing they say anymore! Sorry for that reference but that is how I feel.

Jeez, the healthcare right now is go take some meds cause we don't have time for you.

I really appreciate this well thought out & informative post!

Thanks for all these thoughtful comments, especial...

2009-11-16T14:55:30.573-05:00

Thanks for all these thoughtful comments, especially Anonymous & Reb for sharing their personal experiences taking tamoxifen! It really helps to get some "real life" data.

I participated in the breast cancer prevention tri...

2009-11-16T14:12:58.135-05:00

I participated in the breast cancer prevention trials that gave thousands of us either Tamoxifen - 1/2 the dose given to prevent recurrence - or a placebo. I swallowed the pills for five years & shortly after I finished, learned that the trials had been stopped early. No, don't leap to that negative conclusion. It had nothing to do with side effects. It was stopped because at the Tamoxifen group had at least 1/3 less occurrences of breast cancer than the control group. It was a clear success.

I was then told that yes, I had been taking Tamoxifen. Side effects? A few irregular periods. I was 41 when I began the process. After I stopped, I went back to normal cycles for several years. They stopped pretty much when I would have expected them to (at about age 52).

As a woman whose mother had breast cancer twice, sister once, paternal grandmother once, & two maternal great aunts died of it, I have a hard time understanding why more women don't choose this option, and why it is not more widely talked of.

As the NYT article said, we don't think twice about preventive medicines for heart disease (blood pressure, cholesterol). I am no great admirer of our pharmeceutical companies, but if it were up to them, these pills would be far more widely taken. Seems unlikely they are somehow behind this.

Oh, a little side note? While I took the Tamoxifen, I was measured regularly because there was a possibility it helped prevent bone loss. For what it is worth, I am now 58 and have not lost any height. And my bone mass is estimated to be higher than that of the average 30-year-old.

It's ironic how these 'studies' come along just ab...

2009-11-16T14:06:06.429-05:00

It's ironic how these 'studies' come along just about the time that new applications for drugs get approved... No, I wouldn't take the drugs. I would continue to eat a balanced diet, including fruits, veggies, grains, etc. and exercise.

If I was truly at high risk, and the cost was trul...

2009-11-16T13:40:59.444-05:00

If I was truly at high risk, and the cost was truly minimal ($2 a day is not minimal. 0.30 is better), I'd probably seriously consider it.

I love to jump rope, so jumping up and down is a pretty regular thing when I'm in my normal workout routine. Soon to be making a comeback...

catch it early not realy

2009-11-16T13:37:49.143-05:00

catch it early not realy

The thing is, sometimes you are just predisposed t...

2009-11-16T13:37:05.825-05:00

The thing is, sometimes you are just predisposed to cancer. I wouldn't take something like tamoxifen if I was high risk...it's for treating those who are diagnosed and it puts you into menopause early by shutting down estrogen, which the breast cancer needs to grow...
Exercise and eat healthy.
If you are predisposed or hight risk, make sure you get checked, even every 6 months if necessary. My dad is high risk for prostate cancer - his dad and 2 brothers died of it. He tried to look after himself but he just gets checked every 4 months by his doctor...so that if he ever (god forbid) does come down with it, he will catch it realy.
I think we have enough chemicals and additives in our lives to try and get out of our diets and homes...we don't need to jsut take more chemicals. Especially if we aren't sick yet.
If it ain't broke...sont' fix it.

I am on my third year of tamoxifen, (post breast c...

2009-11-16T13:07:01.543-05:00

I am on my third year of tamoxifen, (post breast cancer) two years left. As I don't have the information pamphlet close to hand, this is my experience. It kills your estrogen, meaning it puts you into menopause and gives you hot flashes. Not a problem for me as I was starting down that road anyway, but what about someone in their 30's who can still have kids if they want them? Of course, killing your estrogen leads to bone loss :)

I'd be jumping my way right over to the drug store...

2009-11-16T12:52:52.883-05:00

I'd be jumping my way right over to the drug store. Nice of the NYT to tell us that all that healthy living really isn't that healthy for us. Hmmmm....wonder why their circulation keeps dropping.