Posts Tagged ‘Men’

Does Bladder Cancer affect men more than women ?

Before discussing anything further, we should know what exactly the bladder is. The Bladder is also called the urinary bladder and is an organ located in the pelvis. The bladder is an organ which is hollow, and is surrounded by walls which are quite flexible and muscular. The main function of the bladder is the storage of the urine before the body can pass it out.
Bladder cancer is one of the most dangerous cancers which affect the bladder; and it can be identified or diagnosed at an early stage also. It is one of the most common types of cancers, ranking fifth in the list of cancers in terms of number of people affected. It is dangerous, but can be treated in most of the cases. Bladder cancer has many types, which includes urothelial carcinoma (which is also called transitional cell carcinoma), small cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and adrenocarcinoma. Basically bladder cancer deals with the abnormal or improper growth of the cells present in the bladder. Bladder cancer is considered to be malignant in nature and hence it is capable of spreading to other parts of the body as well.
There are many symptoms with the help of which a person can guess the presence of bladder cancer. These symptoms may include the following:
• The most common symptom of the bladder cancer is blood coming along with the urine. This is also called hematuria.
• Frequent urination is another symptom indicating bladder cancer.
• A person unable to hold the urine for a long time may also suffer from bladder cancer
• While passing, urine if a person gets a burning sensation then also the person may suffer from bladder cancer.
Apart from the above mentioned symptoms there are many causes or risk factors which may lead to bladder cancer. These include higher risks to people who smoke, have a hereditary problem, or are elder in age. A bladder defect from childhood or birth may also be a risk factor leading to the bladder cancer in people. People suffering from a bladder inflammation for a long time may have greater chances of getting bladder cancer. The long term inflammation of the bladder is also called the chronic inflammation of bladder. People working in chemical factories or people who commonly expose their bodies to various chemicals like arsenic are more prone to bladder cancer as compared to others.
Another main risk factor of bladder cancer is the gender. Bladder cancer is more commonly found in males as compared to females. It is three times more found in men than in women. The main cause of this may be smoking. As compared to females there are more number of males, who commonly smoke and therefore increase their chances of suffering from bladder cancer or any other cancer in that case. Another reason for men being more prone to bladder cancer is the presence of the androgen receptor in men as compared to women. This receptor is said to work more actively in men than in women hence increasing the chances of the disease in men.
There have been tests done on animals to confirm the above stated reason. It was shown that the animal with the receptor was more prone to the disease than the animal which did not have. Studies have shown that one man from a total of 26 men will be suffering from bladder cancer and this ratio in women was found to be 1 in 86 women. A research done in the year 2007 in USA showed that the total number of men suffering from bladder cancer was around 50,000 in number whereas there were only 17,000 women suffering from the same cancer. This clearly shows that the risk of bladder cancer is three time greater in men than in women.

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How can healthy lifestyle changes affect Osteoporosis?

What is Osteoporosis ?
Osteoporosis is a disease caused by weak and porous bones that fracture easily. It happens mainly after menopause in women and particularly those who are small boned or underweight. Bone mass is dependent on the stress, or weight, placed on bones. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks.The more you use your bones to walk, run, lift weights, the heavier and stronger your bones will be.

Healthy Lifestyle
The best way to keep your bones healthy is to establish a healthy lifestyle. One should stop smoking, avoid drinking too much alcohol, get enough calcium and vitamin D through your diet or with supplements, do weight-bearing exercises to help keep bones strong, avoid high doses of thyroid hormone or cortisone-like medications.

- Exercise is very important for slowing the progression of osteoporosis. Exercising for more than three days a week for more than a total of 90 minutes a week reduces the risk for osteoporosis and fracture in both older men and women.
Careful weight training exercise applies tension to muscle and bone.
Regular brisk long walks improve bone density and mobility and may relieve osteoarthritic pain.
Exercises specifically targeted to strengthen the back help prevent fractures later on in life.
Abdominal exercises, lower back exercises, yoga, Pilates, and tai chi help strengthen the spine.

- A combination of calcium and vitamin D can reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Good dietary sources of calcium include milk, yogurt, and other dairy products, dark green vegetables such as collard greens, kale, and broccoli, sardines and salmon with bones, calcium-fortified foods and beverages such as cereals, orange juice, soymilk.
Dietary sources of vitamin D include fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna, egg yolks, liver, vitamin D-fortified milk, orange juice, soymilk, or cereals. Sunlight on your skin activates the production of vitamin D in your body.

- Smoking and excessive use of alcohol reduce calcium absorption which can lead to bone loss. This is especially true for women who smoke, as smoking lowers estrogen levels.
Giving up these two unhealthy habits is a simple lifestyle change that can lower the chance of getting osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis: Beat Osteoporosis with the right diet.

Osteoporosis (‘porous bones’) is a disease causing bones to become fragile and more likely to break. Without prevention or treatment, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks or fractures. Any bones can be affected, but fractures occur typically in the hip and spine (these are of special concern), and the wrist.

Calcium is one of the key nutrients that your body needs in order to stay strong and healthy. It is an essential building block for lifelong bone health in both men and women, among many other important functions. The amount of calcium you need depends on a number of different factors, including your age.
Your body gets the calcium it needs in one of two ways. The first and best way is through the foods you eat or the supplements you take. However, if you’re not consuming enough calcium, your body will get it in a different way, pulling it from your bones where it’s stored.

Food sources of calcium

- Dairy : Sources include milk, yogurt, and cheese.
- Vegetables and greens: Try turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, summer squash, green beans, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and crimini mushrooms.
- Beans: Try black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, black-eyed peas, or baked beans.
- Herbs and spices: Flavor your food with basil, thyme, dill weed, cinnamon, peppermint leaves, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and parsley.
- Other foods: More good sources of calcium include salmon, tofu, oranges, almonds, sesame seeds, blackstrap molasses, and sea vegetables.

Calcium and milk

Many nutritionists believe that consuming milk and dairy products will help prevent osteoporosis. On the other hand, some believe that eating a lot of dairy will do little to prevent bone loss and fractures and may actually contribute to other health problems.
If you choose to consume dairy, then it’s best to opt for 1% or nonfat milk and other low-fat dairy products, which are lower in saturated fat and natural hormones. Choosing organic products when possible will also decrease your exposure to synthetic hormones and other additives. And if you decide that dairy is not the best choice for you, or you can’t tolerate milk products, there are other ways to include calcium in your diet.

Danger Foods

- Acid Forming Foods.
- Excess Protein food.
- The Coffee Effect : Drinking more than 3 cups of coffee a day increases your risk of developing osteoporosis by 82%.
- Carbonated Drinks : Fizzy drinks are high in phosphorous, an essential mineral which when taken in excess can cause bone loss.
- Eat less salt to prevent osteoporosis.