Smoking and Drinking Increase the Risk of Cancer of the Mouth

Healthy people who smoke or drink alcohol can experience cellular changes of the tissues in their mouth and throat that can increase their risk of developing cancer of the mouth and throat. A gene that normally kills cells that become haywire is turned off by both habits allowing the damaged cells to survive. The gene is the p15 tumor suppressing gene. 68 percent of tested smokers and drinkers had this gene turned off, and only 8 percent of nonsmoking, non-drinking adults had a problem with the gene. Changes in the Gene show up very early in the development of head and neck cancers. The study appears in the July 1st issue of the journal Cancer.

Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.

Nutrients that may help protect the mouth and throat of smokers, drinkers and everyone else to a degree include Lycopene (natural source in a tomato oleoresin base), Green Tea polyphenols, Resveratrol, and Folic Acid, Vitamin E with Tocotrienols, and Aged Garlic.

Extremely Obese Kids can have a Heart Attack

The heart muscle of extremely obese kids can develop a very dangerous change - the muscles of their heart thicken. This can put the children at high risk for developing a heart attack. In a study of 340 kids admitted to the hospital with an average age of 12, and body mass index ranging from normal to extremely obese, ultrasound examination found that with increasing obesity there was an alarming increasing thickness of the heart muscles. The study was presented this week by physicians of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center at the annual meeting of the American Society of Echocardiography in San Diego.