Vitamins don't increase melanoma

Daily supplementation of vitamins C and E do not increase risk of melanoma in women, finds a new

Don't worry (Getty Images)

study.

A recent randomized trial of antioxidants for cancerprevention found that daily supplementation with nutritionally appropriate doses of vitamins C and E, beta carotene, selenium and zinc appeared to increase the risk of melanoma in women four-fold.

In the present study, lead researcher Dr Maryam M. Asgari, M.P.H., of Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland examined the association between antioxidants and melanoma.

The team studied 69,671 women and men who were participating in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) study, designed to examine supplement use and cancer risk.

It showed that intake of multivitamins and supplements during the previous 10 years, including selenium and beta carotene, was not associated with melanoma risk in either women or men.

The researchers also examined the risk of melanoma associated with long-term use of supplemental beta carotene and selenium at doses comparable to the previous study and found no association.

"Consistent with the present results, case-control studies examining serologic [blood] levels of beta carotene, vitamin E and selenium did not find any association with subsequent risk of melanoma," the authors write.

"Moreover, the Nurses'' Health Study reported no association between intake of vitamins A, C and E and melanoma risk in 162,000 women during more than 1.6 million person-years of follow-up," they added.
The study appears in Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals

Strength exercise training ease elbow pain

A simple exercise to strengthen the wrist may help alleviate the pain of tennis elbow, according to a new study.

Strength training exercise ease tennis elbow pain (Getty Images)

The exercise involves using an inexpensive rubber bar to perform isolated eccentric wrist extensor strengthening to treat the painful condition in the elbow or forearm that affects 3 percent of the general population, not just those who play tennis.

"Our study illustrated that a novel exercise, using an inexpensive rubber bar, may provide a practical and effective means of adding isolated wrist strengthening exercises to a treatment plan," said lead author Timothy F. Tyler, PT, ATC, Clinical Research Associate, of the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma in New York City.

The study randomized 21 patients with tennis elbow into two groups. Both received the wrist extensor stretching,ultrasound, cross-friction massage, heat and ice for treatment.

The eccentric training group performed isolated eccentric wrist extensor strengthening using the rubber bar (Flexbar, Akron OH) while the standard treatment group performed isotonic wrist strengthening exercises.

Three sets of 15 repetitions were performed daily as part of a home program with intensity increased progressively during the treatment period.

A variety of pain and movement scales were utilized to determine progress. Patients using the rubber bar had vastly better results on all scales, especially related to strength.

In fact, given the consistently poor outcomes for patients in the standard treatment group, it was deemed appropriate to terminate the randomization with 21 of the intended 30 patients having already completed the study.

"Compared to other treatments for tennis elbow such as cortisone injections or topical nitric oxide which require direct medical supervision and often side effects, this treatment is not only cost effective but dosage is not limited by the patient having to come to a clinic," said Tyler.

Candle-lit dinners can lead to cancer

A candle-lit dinner with your date may actually be harmful for the environment, and lead to cancer, suggests a

Candle-light dinner (Getty Images)

new study.

The research claims that burning candles made from paraffin wax could mean exposing yourself to indoor air pollution, including the known human carcinogens.

Levels of chemicals released by candles include harmful substances such as toluene and benzene, which are known to cause cancer.

The study, which has been presented at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), suggests that levels can build up in closed rooms, but can be reduced through proper ventilation.

Amid Hamidi, Ph.D, who was part of the study, said: "An occasional paraffin candle and its emissions will not likely affect you.

"But lighting many paraffin candles every day for years or lighting them frequently in an un-ventilated bathroomaround a tub, for example, may cause problems."

He added that in fact people having an indoor allergy or respiratory irritation could be reacting to air pollutants from burning candles.

However, experts Hamidi and R. Massoudi Ph.D., say that candles made from bee's wax or soy, though expensive, can be a safe option.

Bees’ wax apparently, does not release potentially harmful amounts of indoor air pollutants and retains all of the warmth, ambience and fragrance of paraffin candles, which are made from petroleum.