The European Union has banned the words “sunblock” and “100% sun protection” on sunscreen labels because they are misleading and account for thousands of deaths each year.

The EU’s consumer Chief has stated that there is a need to reinforce the message that there is no such thing as 100% protection from the sun and that people need to make informed choices about the products they purchase.

I live in Australia and skin cancers are an all too familiar part of life here.

Up until recently I had no idea that alot of the sunscreen products on the market were not as good as stated on the packaging.

If you visit any beach, you will see people lathering themselves up with sunscreen under the assumption that they are protected.

Take the time to read the labels and ensure that you are getting the best protection against the sun and avoid a potentially deadly disease.

Links of interest:

• The Skin Cancer Foundation
• MedlinePlus: Skin Cancer
• Skin cancer – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Skin Cancer Home Page – National Cancer Institute
• Skin cancer – MayoClinic.com

Australian Links

• The Cancer Council Australia
• SunSmart

I came across this article from CNN.com earlier and think it is well worth sharing.

Breast cancer in men just doesn’t get much press and the majority of health information is tailored towards women.

You might be surprised to hear that over 2,000 cases of breast cancer in men are diagnosed each year and over 450 die from the disease.

This story should be read by men and partners or family members alike.

CNN.com – ‘Lonely journey’ for male breast cancer patient

Additional resources:

Well this is just disappointing news for me! I am not a heavy drinker but do enjoy a glass of wine 2 or 3 days a week. I had hoped that the study would tell me that alcohol in excess caused breast cancer but it didn’t.

Seriously, drinking wine is such a pleasure and should be an ejoyable experience. Knowing that I might be increasing my chances of breast cancer just takes the enjoyment right out of it. Isn’t it always the way though. The things we love like alcohol and food (usually the bad kind) are doing us no favours. I wish I could be one of those people who don’t like food or liquid but just consume it to stay alive!

Anyway, the following details what they have found out about alcohol and breast cancer:

The evidence seems pretty conclusive as well. Test conducted on mice have shown that moderate alcohol consumption stimulates the growth and progression of breast cancer by fueling the development of new blood vessels — a process called “angiogenesis.”

A recent study found that 60% of breast cancer cases in women worldwide were attributable to alcohol consumption.

Over a period of 4 weeks, female mice ( 6-weeks old) consumed regular drinking water or water containing 1 percent alcohol, which is equivalent to about 2 to 4 drinks in humans. In week 2, the animals were inoculated with mouse breast cancer cells.

After 4 weeks that breast tumor size almost doubled in mice that drank alcohol compared to control mice given plain water. Moderate alcohol intake also caused an increase in tumor blood vessels compared with no alcohol intake.

Significant increases in VEGF levels in the tumors of mice consuming alcohol compared to the tumors of control mice. VEFG is known to promote the formation of new blood vessels suggesting that alcohol can induce tumors.

Links of interest:

• National Breast Cancer Foundation
• National Cancer Institute
• BreastCancer.org

FOXNews.com reports that Swedish scientists have found that eating fatty fish, not lean fish or shellfish, cuts women’s risk of kidney cancer. Read article

Women who ate fatty fish at least once a week had a 44 percent lower risk of kidney cancer than those who ate no fish. Those who consistently ate lots of fatty fish over a 10-year period had a 74 percent lower risk of kidney cancer.

Other links of interest

Kidney Cancer Association
What you need to know about Kidney cancer – National Cancer Institute
MedlinePlus: Kidney Cancer

An International trial has found that a new drug called rosiglitazone can help reduce the risk of people developing Type II Diabetes.

Participants took rosiglitazone, known by the brand name Avandia, or a dummy placebo, while taking lifestyle advice. Over a period of three years, only 12 per cent of those taking rosiglitazone developed diabetes, compared with 26 per cent who became diabetic while taking the placebo. Rosiglitazone was also found to return glucose levels to normal in 51 per cent of participants versus 30 per cent of those taking a placebo. Read story

Other links of interest

Interactive Health Diabetes page
American Diabetes Association Home Page