Research on testicular cancer

Press, 6 February 1986, Page 13

Research on testicular cancer

“Bodywork”

by

PORTER SHIMER

Does treatment of testicular cancer — whether by radiation or chemotherapy — increase a man’s risks of siring a malformed child? A study completed recently in England suggests it does not. Examination of 70 children sired by 57 successfully treated testicular cancer patients showed “no evidence that chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for testicular cancer puts subsequent offspring at increased risk of having a congenital malformation.” Though the study was too small to be conclusive, the researchers, reporting in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, felt confident enough of their findings to state that treatment for testicular cancer “should not constitute a reason for advising termination of pregnancy and that parents contemplating pregnancy can feel reassured.”

Stress doesn't cause herpes With stress being implicated in so many illnesses these days, it’s nice to hear of at least one condition it appears not to cause: outbreaks of genital herpes. In a recent study of 36 herpes suffered by a team of scientists from the University of California at San Francisco, no correlation was found between stressful life events and herpes flare-ups. With depression, how-

ever, it was a different story. A link was found, suggesting that life’s burdens may not be to blame for herpes outbreaks so much as how we react to these burdens. Fibres

Different fibres have different functions. If you want to lower your blood pressure, bone up on more high fibre cereals and whole-grain breads. If a lower serum cholesterol level is your aim, zero in on more fruits and vegetables. That’s the word to come from a recent study of 300 regular “health food” store shoppers completed recently by researchers at the Dunn Nutrition Unit in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “This study confirms suggestions that blood

pressure is lower in subjects consuming high quantities of cereal fibre,” and that “total cholesterol is lower at higher levels of intake of fruit and vegetable fibre,” researchers concluded.

Hard water is healthier It may be tough on the plumbing, but it seems that water rich in the mineral magnesium may be just what the doctor ordered for your heart. Basing their conclusions on statistics amassed worldwide, researchers from the University of Ottawa have determined that drinking water rich in magnesium could reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease by as much as 10 per cent. Magnesium has been shown to be important for regulating blood pressure and also for assuring proper electrical transmission in the muscles of the heart — hence the increased risk of heart attack when magnesium intake is low. So how can you cover yourself if the water in your area happens to be “soft”? the University of Ottawa researchers recommend a dietary magnesium supplement of about 160 mgs per day. Good food sources are whole grain breads and cereals, dried peas and beans, nuts, milk and leafy green vegetables. Copyright 1986 Universal Press Syndicate.