Recent Studies Show How Our Bodies Fight Disease

** Obese people less likely to survive colon cancer

According to a new report, people who are physically inactive and are obese around the middle have poor chances of survival after a diagnosis of colon cancer.

"Now we have shown that changing lifestyle habits that were known to reduce the incidence of colon cancer can also reduce the mortality in cases diagnosed with the disease, " Dr. Andrew MM Haydon told Reuters Health. "This strengthens the argument supporting the public health message 'healthy living .'"

Haydon, from Monash Medical School in Melbourne, Australia, studied records of more than 40,000 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 1990 and 1994.

Patients who got regular exercise before their colorectal cancer was found in 31 percent less likely to die from cancer than were non-exercisers, the researchers report in the medical journal Gut. In fact, 73 percent of exercisers survived at least five years, compared with 61 percent of non-exercisers.

Such an improvement in survival "is at least as great as" as is usually achieved by add-on chemotherapy.

a higher percentage of body fat, bigger waist circumference, and / or greater weight were also associated with worse survival, according to the report.

** The study shows short-term improvement of sexual life in prostate cancer survivors

is well known that many people who have undergone prostate cancer treatment (surgery or radiation) have sexual dysfunction. A recent study of 84 prostate cancer survivors tried to determine the effect of post-treatment interventions such as counseling.

The study showed that a large percentage of those who completed four therapy sessions reported better sexual functioning 3 months later. Consultation focused on better communication between partners, ED treatment options, and methods to enjoy sex despite ED.

Both partners reported improvements in their sex lives for up to 3 months later. There is an increased number of men using ED treatments such as Viagra.

However, after six months of improvement begins to decline. The researchers speculated that couples often return to old habits, and there might have been greater reliance put on a "magic pill" solution. Drugs such as Viagra tend to have a lower success rate in prostate cancer survivors, even when these drugs stop working couples may adopt a defeatist attitude.

** Vitamin D helps fight cancer, says a report

research team from San Diego Moores Cancer Center led by Dr. Cedric Garland recently concluded that vitamin D deficiency is often associated with different types of cancer. Dr. Garland is now advises people to increase vitamin D intake through diet or vitamin supplement.

The research team reviewed 63 studies conducted between 1966 and 2004 on the relationship between vitamin D and certain types of cancer. The report concluded that vitamin D deficiency is implicated in several thousand deaths due to colon, breast, ovarian and other cancers annually.

The report recommended higher intake of vitamin D, either in the form of supplements or eating certain foods such as fortified orange juice, yogurt and cheeses. This is especially the case with people in northern latitudes where there is less sun exposure. African Americans are also more prone to vitamin D deficiency because their skin pigment reduces the amount produced by the body.

Observers welcomed the University of California study, but also warned that the kidney and liver damage can result from too much vitamin D.

"natural" form of the vitamin, called D3, is normally produced in the skin after sun exposure, but is also obtained from certain foods such as oily fish, margarine and meat.

** Resveratrol found in grapes helps fix our aching joints

Researchers at the American College of Rheumatology in San Diego, California have found that resveratrol found in red wine seems to halt cartilage damage caused by osteoarthritis, and hasten recovery.

are believed to be oxygen-rich particles in the blood causing severe damage to body cells similar to the way rust rots a car. Resveratrol is a powerful anti-oxidant that seems to function as a way to prevent this type of injury.

research found that resveratrol resulted in a reduction of between 50 and 90% of the production of chemicals that cause inflammation in the joints. It also enhanced the production of specific proteins that are part of the connective tissue in joints.

Red wine has other beneficial effects on the body. Contains polyphenrols that reduce the amount of bad LDL cholesterol in the arteries. It also increases the amount of good HDL cholesterol.

tannins and resveratrol, an anti-oxydants found in red wine, help to protect against cancer and slow tumor growth.