Want to cut down the number of hot flashes you’re experiencing? Losing weight might help.

A new study confirms earlier research suggesting weight gain increases the rate of hot flashes, night sweats, and other menopause symptoms . Results of the study were published in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society.

According to results of the study, which involved 749 Brazilian women aged 45 to 60, women who are overweight or obese experience more severe hot flashes that often having a negative impact on their quality of life. This supports the “thermoregulatory theory,” which suggests body mass index (BMI) is associated with symptoms such as hot flashes, because body fat acts as a heat insulator.

Researchers also confirmed an association between BMI and other symptoms of menopause, including joint pain, muscle pain, and urinary problems. Some studies have shown that exercise and weight loss can help reduce menopause symptoms in women who are overweight or obese.

Sourced from: News Medical

Just one cup of coffee a day may reduce the risk for the most common type of liver cancer—hepatocellular cancer—by about 20 percent. Drinking five cups a day appears to slash the risk in half, according to research was conducted at the University of Southampton in the U.K… The findings were published in BMJ Open.

People who have chronic liver disease (hepatitis, for example) are at increased risk for developing liver cancer. According to the lead study author, Dr. Oliver Kennedy, and his research team, coffee can decrease liver cancer risk even in people with existing liver damage.

Researchers analyzed information from more than 26 observational studies involving about 2.25 million adults. Their findings support earlier studies suggesting coffee lowers liver cancer risk, perhaps due to the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic compounds it contains. Decaf coffee also reduces liver cancer risk, but it appears to have less of an effect than regular coffee.

Sourced from: MNT

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation suggests that bacteria that penetrate the lining of the digestive tract are associated with an increased risk for metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a group of factors—large waist size, abnormal cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, high glucose levels, and more—that increases the risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. The findings were published in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

As obesity rates rise in the United States, so do rates of metabolic syndrome. According to Dr. Andrew Gewirtz, professor at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University and one of the study’s lead authors, changes in GI-tract bacteria lead to chronic inflammation, which interferes with the normal action of insulin in the body and raises the risk for diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

For the study, researchers analyzed biopsies obtained during colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening. Study participants had no known health problems, except diabetes. Follow-up studies are being conducted to identify the bacteria penetrating the lining of the colon, and develop ways to prevent this encroachment and the resulting inflammation.

Sourced from: ScienceDaily