In The News

Nutrition: Web of Lies Claimed on Health Food
Posting date: 2 September 2006

West Australian - Dubious health claims that food such as tea, canned fish and breakfast cereals prevent heart disease and cancer are running rampant on the Internet, dietitians have warned. A report published in Nutrition and Dietetics, the official journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia, has called on Food Standards Australia New Zealand to ensure new regulations covering health claims for food, due out later this year, include those promoted on the Internet. It said a recent study found an increase in the number of illegal health claims appearing on the Internet, most within the websites of food manufacturers.

Nutrition and Physical Activity: Exercise Reduces Cancer Death Risk
Posting date: 5 October 2006

Australian Financial Review - Vigorous physical activity following a diagnosis of colorectal cancer substantially reduces the risk of death from cancer or other causes, according to two reports in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. This effect was seen regardless of the stage of disease or whether the patient had surgery. The first study identified this effect in 573 women diagnosed with stage I, II or III colorectal cancer. The second involved 832 patients who had surgery followed by chemotherapy. A previous study showed activity after a diagnosis of breast cancer was associated with increased survival too.

Prevention: Sunscreen Filter Warning
Posting date: 2 September 2006

West Australian - Some of the filters in sunscreen which are designed to keep out dangerous ultraviolet rays can damage skin cells, a new study has found. Researchers from the University of California said that unless people in the sun applied the sunscreen often, the sunscreen itself could do more harm than good to the skin. This was because three UV filters - octymethoxycinnamate, benzophenone-3 and octocrylene - could penetrate the skin and generate harmful compounds called reactive oxygen species which damaged skin cells.

But the researchers said their results, published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, did not suggest that sunscreen was dangerous, only that is should be used correctly. Cancer Council WA director of education and research Terry Slevin said other studies showed clearly that regular sunscreen use reduced the risk of developing non-melanoma skin cancers. "This study raises a theoretical concern that deserves consideration but it's important to note that the findings are based on people not applying sunscreen properly," he said.

Research: Cabbage Kills Cancer
Posting date: 17 September 2006

Sunday Canberra Times - Some compounds from vegetables in the cabbage family can help kill cancer cells that are resistant to other treatments, researchers have discovered. They found that naturally occurring chemical compounds known as isothiocyanates - which are found in vegetables such as brussels sprouts, broccoli and watercress - cause cell-suicide in cancer cells, including those with high levels of the dangerous protein Bcl-2. The research findings were published in Cancer Research.

Public health: Your Hectic Lifestyle is Taking a Toll
Posting date: 17 September 2006

Sunday Mail (Brisbane)- The breakneck pace of life has become our biggest health concern a survey has found. The insurance company-commissioned poll in England suggests many people are far more worried about not getting enough sleep and the stresses of everyday living than smoking, drinking or poor diets. Public health experts believe the findings reflect the increasing pressure of surviving in a 24-hour society.