Inspira Health Network, Inc.

SPR 2016

Spirit of Women magazine is a national publication presented to women by hospitals and their physicians. The magazine provides up-to-date, evidence-based healthcare information and promotes our hospitals as leaders in women's health excellence.

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2 8 S P I R I T O F W O M E N S P R I N G 2 016 w w w. s p i r i t o f w o m e n . c o m H E A L T H C E N T R A L D I E T SHUTTERSTOCK Wakeup call for colon cancer Calcium and kidney stones Your choice of calcium source can affect your overall health, suggests a report presented at a recent conference on kidney health. Eating foods rich in calcium, such as dairy foods, can decrease the risk of kidney stone recurrence, but taking a calcium pill instead may speed up kidney stone formation in people who have a history of kidney stones, according to the study shared at the American Society of Nephrology's recent annual meeting. Researchers, who looked at more than 6,000 patients who have had kidney stones, also suggest that taking vitamin D supplements may help prevent the risk of kidney stone formation. • A heavy-duty coffee maker might be in order if someone in your family is recovering from colon cancer: Regularly drinking caffeinated coffee may significantly reduce cancer recurrence and death in patients with stage III colon cancer, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncolog y. The more caffeine the better, say researchers who looked at the dietary habits of close to 1,000 patients early in their treatment, during chemotherapy and then a year later. Those who consumed four or more cups of coffee a day, which provided about 460 milligrams of caffeine, were 42 percent less likely to have their cancer return than non-coffee drinkers and were 33 percent less likely to die from cancer or any other cause. Those cancer patients who drank a cup or less of caffeinated coffee per day saw little protective effect. Researchers caution, however, that more studies need to be done before they can recommend caffeine to colon cancer patients. • Say it ain't so Can words make you crave certain foods? Sometimes—especially if you're significantly overweight. If you're obese, you may find descriptions of fattening foods more enticing, according to research presented at the Obesity Society's annual meeting in November 2015. For the study, a group of obese adults and a group of normal-weight adults experienced stress and were then shown words describing high- calorie, low-calorie and non-food items. The participants who were obese had a stronger response to words associated with high-calorie foods, such as chocolate spread and chicken wings. And only those volunteers who were obese ate more when subjected to stress. So if you or someone you love is obese, you may want to cut down on both treats and conversations about treats. • Not-so-sweet sugar If your child is overweight, reducing his sugar intake is important even if you're still working on cutting his total calorie consumption. Children who are overweight are more likely to have a metabolic disorder, such as high blood glucose and/ or cholesterol levels and increased blood pressure, according to a new study in the journal Obesity, and consuming less sugar improves those conditions. Forty-three volunteers between ages 9 and 18 who were obese and had at least one chronic metabolic disorder, such as high triglyceride levels, were enrolled in the study. During a nine-day trial, the volunteers followed a low-sugar diet that included enough calories to maintain their weight. As a result, the participants saw a decrease in their blood pressure, along with LDL ("bad") cholesterol and blood glucose and insulin levels. •

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