Alcohol Is Tied to Lower Risk of One Type of Kidney Cancer

Scientists have discovered yet another reason that alcohol might be good for you. Using pooled data from 12 studies and more than 750,000 subjects, researchers found that moderate alcohol consumption — about a drink a day — is associated with a decreased risk of renal cell carcinoma, one type of kidney cancer.

The paper, which appears in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, covered only prospective studies that involved at least 25 cases of renal cell cancer, that assessed long-term intake of a variety of foods and beverages, and that included information on nondietary factors. During the 7- to 20-year follow-up, researchers found 1,430 cases of renal cell cancer.

The researchers found that people who drank two-tenths of an ounce to one-half an ounce of alcohol a day — beer, wine or liquor — reduced their risk of renal cell cancer by 18 percent, and those who drank a half-ounce or more reduced their risk by 28 percent. There is about a half-ounce of alcohol in 1 ½ ounces of hard liquor, 12 ounces of beer or a 5-ounce glass of wine.

Jung Eun Lee, the lead author and a fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, would not encourage anyone to start drinking. Rather, she said, maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding smoking are essential as the “principal means to reduce renal cell cancer.”

Depression Raises Risk of Diabetes

Depression is associated with an increased risk for diabetes in older adults, even in people who have no other risk factors for the disease, a new study reports.

Researchers studied 4,681 men and women over 65, following them over a 10-year period, after excluding anyone who already had diabetes at the start of the project. They used a well-validated questionnaire to measure symptoms of depression each year, and tested all participants at two- to four-year intervals for blood sugar. They also calculated body mass index and noted alcohol intake, smoking status and antidepressant use.

After controlling for these factors, they found that even a single report of high depressive symptoms was associated with an increase in the incidence of diabetes. Increases in symptoms over time and persistently high symptoms of depression were also associated with the disease. Over all, people with the highest scores on the depression questionnaire were roughly 50 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those with the lowest scores. Adjusting for race, sex, smoking status, alcohol intake and body mass index made no difference in the result.

Mercedes R. Carnethon, the lead author and an assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University, said there was no evidence one way or the other on whether treating depression could reduce the risk for diabetes. “People in our study who were on antidepressants didn’t have an elevated risk for diabetes,” she said. “But we don’t know if that’s because of the antidepressants” or for some other reason. The study appeared April 23 in The Archives of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Jonathan W. Stewart, a research psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute who was not involved in the work, said that the conclusions “fit with what else we think we know,” but he was troubled by one aspect of the work.

“I worry that some of the items on the questionnaire could be attributed to diabetes rather than to depression,” suggesting that there is some overlap between the symptoms of the two disorders, he said. “This doesn’t make the study wrong or inaccurate, but it’s a serious limitation which they didn’t mention.”

Inflammation has been proposed as an explanation for the connection because it is associated with both diabetes and depression. But this study found that having higher or lower levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, did not alter the association between the two disorders.

Instead, the authors suggest, other biological mechanisms may be at work in the autonomic nervous system, which controls heart, digestive, respiratory, glandular and other involuntary processes. Previous studies have shown that depression is associated with dysfunction in that system, which has also been detected before the development of diabetes. The stress response associated with depression may increase the risk for diabetes by decreasing insulin secretion from the pancreas, which then causes increasing glucose levels in the blood. This can result in a blood sugar level above normal, the defining characteristic of diabetes.

Dr. Carnethon said, depression “is a novel risk factor for diabetes, so we need to look at factors beyond physical inactivity and diet for an explanation.” Depression is common in older people, she added, and 15 percent of those over 65 have diabetes.

The most important thing to keep in mind, Dr. Carnethon said, is that depression has a lot of effects on the body, one of which may be the development of diabetes, which can lead to a number of other diseases. So addressing depression is important not only for improving mood, but for protecting overall health.

Acne and Adolescents

It’s hard enough to be a teenager but if your teen is suffering from acne and adolescence at the same time you may have some questions. Acne and adolescence may go hand-in-hand but there are ways to improve the situation.

Many people feel that acne and adolescence happen because the teen does not keep their face clean enough. This is not necessarily true. Sometimes acne and adolescence happen even when the teen washes his face faithfully. You could try a wash that is made for acne.

Acne and adolescence also is linked to diet. Reports vary on this topic with some believing that if the kids cut out chocolate, fried and fast foods all will be well. Others say that acne and adolescence have nothing to do with the diet.

Acne and adolescence can be minimized at times with a visit to the local drugstore. Chat with your pharmacist and see what she recommends for acne and adolescence.

Acne and adolescence can be improved when you see a dermatologist. A dermatologist may be able to work with the acne and adolescence situation and bring about great improvement.

Acne and adolescence can be made worse by certain medications like birth control pills.You should also avoid greasy creams and lotions if adolescence and acne are causing problems for your teen.

Make sure that the acne and adolescence problem is really not a reaction to allergies to food, cosmetics or other products.Acne and adolescence may go together but it can be less of a problem with the correct solutions.