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Should Adult Play Like Kids?

Kid's lives are fun. They play.

Adults' lives are serious. We work. We have responsibilities.

Many psychologists and psychiatrists question this widely-held dichotomy. They think that kids should play a lot and continue to play into childhood.

They claim that the most likely path toward a successful, happy life -  a life in which one can have his cake and eat it too - is guided by intrinsic motivation. You may have heard of the concept of euphoric "flow" experiences. These are intense moments of intrinsic motivation applied toward a goal, and they combine extreme happiness with great accomplishment. Click the image below to see the book Flow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly.

When children play freely, they are manifesting intrinsic motivation on its purest form. According to psychiatrist Peter Gray, "activity oriented toward intrinsic goals, almost by definition, is play."

Children do exactly what they want to do and learn a lot, and they have a great deal of fun in the process. By playing freely, the book Flow states, children "acquire the skills and attitudes required for successful adulthood."

So, it seems, we should be encouraging adults to be more like kids, to be more playful. Instead, we've been encouraging kids to be more like adults, foisting responsibilities and stress on them. Researcher Jean Twenge finds that children are experiencing significantly more emotional problems than did children of decades ago, and she attributes this trend to a change in childhood from intrinsic motivation to extrinsic motivation.

Another wide range study of children's emotional problems concludes, "Approximately ONE in EVERY FOUR to FIVE YOUTH in US MEETS criteria for a MENTAL DISORDER with SEVERE IMPAIRMENT across their LIFETIME."

"Severe impairment across their lifetime." "One in every four or five...Wow..."

What the heck are we doing to our kids? Pink and Csikszentmihaly says adults need to be more childlike, more intrinsically motivated, to be more successful and happy. Twenge and others say kids are depressed unprecedented numbers because they are not intrinsically motivated enough.

We need more childish play from childhood through to adulthood. Childhood should be the foundation for adulthood, not the other way around.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/should-adults-play-like-kids.html#ixzz1j9aEFbn3

Benefits of Time Management

Being able to manage to manage your 24 hours per day is a gift. Most people are unable to manage their time, and end up messing up their life. The worse thing is that they end up blaming their surrounding for all the mishaps that take place along the way in a typical day.

First and foremost, when you manage your time well, you have automatically reduced all the unnecessary frustration and stress and given your day a good kick off. These frustrations are normally due to delay, cancellation, lateness and guilt due to unable to keep up to time and complete a particular task.

For example, when you wake up early to work, you leave to work early. You have naturally avoided the peak hour jam. You have plenty of parking space to choose and you don't have to queue up to get into the life. You also don't have to queue up to get your breakfast. These are all unnecessary time waster.

When your morning has start off in order, you feel more confident to more further into the day. Your mind is more in peace. You don't have to curse someone for walking slowly out of the lift because your are late and they are causing more to the delay. Thus, your conscience are also clear. 

You can start work on time and have the satisfaction of completing the all your task on time. You will be liked by many and most probably you are the one who will be selected to get a pay raise.

Remember, that we all have the same amount of time. How, we use our time on a daily basis is what makes us in the next 10 years. We have to learn to life our life to the fullest on a daily basis.

When you learn to manage your time more effectively, you will learn not to procrastinate and prioritize.   Prioritizing will assure that you have done the most important task for the day. You will feel good that you have completed your task and will be free from the guilt of not completing the task.

When you feel good and more complete, you have one step closer the a healthier and happier life.

Remember, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Obama, you, me, a drug addict, a thieve, a straight a student, an athlete, a dog, a bird and every living being on this Earth have the same amount of time. 

What makes some to be better than others, some is more complete than others, some is more successful than the other....

It is all purely due to Effective Time Management.....

Defining Destiny - What Oprah Knows for Sure

In 1992, I decided to change the slant of The Oprah Winfrey Show from confrontational TV aimed at getting ratings to shows that took a "higher road" aimed at connection. I wanted to help people think differently about themselves and pursue ideas about spirit and balance and the possibility of a better life. It was a decision that was bigger than money or material interest. It was a paradigm shift - to use TV instead of being used by TV. To use it as a tool for good. That shift led to the creation of this magazine. And Oprah Radio. And OWN.

Using my voice as a force for good: It is what is meant to do.

And I got here by listening to the still, small voice that I felt so strongly one evening on my grandmother's back porch when I was a girl.

All my life I have looked to God for guidance. In the early 90's, I started to recognize that I would not survive if I continue to play the TV game my competitors were playing. One day while vacationing in Colorado, I went into the woods to quiet the noise of the world and contemplate my next move. I remember standing among the golden aspens and asking the voice that has been a comfort for so long: " What would you have me do?"

The answer came as it had when I was a girl: "Take the high road."

The decision to listen to this voice - against the advice of many of the stations that carried my show - is the reason I still have a show. If i had ignored it, I would have disappeared into the void of defunct broadcasting. There's a long, long list of talk shows that have come and gone since I started.

What I know for sure: Often we do not even realize who we are meant to be because we are so busy trying to live out someone else's ideas. but other people and their opinions hold no power in our destiny.

What has made me successful is the ability to surrender my plans, dreams, and goals to a power that's greater that other people an greater than myself.

Before making any major moves, I first ask: "What would you have me fo? Who would you have me be?"

And then I try to live the answer.

Read more at http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/What-Oprah-Knows-for-Sure-About-Destiny#ixzz1j9nQQ2RH

Building Credibility

People often exaggerate to make a good strong point or story. A friend of mine opened the lid of the toilet bowl in her bathroom to discover a swimming squirrel. Slamming the lid down, she called a pest control agency to come to rescue.

And it was amazing, she later acknowledged, how large that squirrel seemed when she first saw it compared to how small it actually was when the pest control representative pulled it out.

Likewise, in a serious business setting, exaggeration happens in numerous ways. What is the difference between lies, half-truths, omissions and cover-ups?

True - but incomplete – statements can lead to false conclusions. Literal truth, when offered without complete explanation, can lead to literal lies. Knowing smiles accompanied by long silence can elicit wrong conclusions.

Intentions are on the centre stage here. Ultimately, questionable intentions in your communications cast doubt about character and culture – yours and that of your organisation.

There are other ways to lie unintentionally – through outdated data, opinions and stereotypes. With information overloaded, data more than two or three years old cannot support your decisions or product designs. Consequently, you have to re-collect, re-survey and to re-test to stay current.

Sometimes, the better you understand something, the worse job you do in explaining it – your familiarity makes you careless in describing it.

Ambiguity creeps in when you least expect it. Meanings depend on context, tone, timing, personal experience and reference points.

Back in the days when copier equipment was said to “burn copies”, an army colonel hand carried an important document to his new assistant and asked her to burn a copy.

When the paper did not resurface on his desk in a few days, he discovered that the assistant has recently transferred from a high – security division. She had had the document incinerated.

The best test of clarity is the result you see. Doublespeak is intentionally meant to obscure rather than enlighten with convoluted details and irrelevant facts creating a confusing image.

A financial consultant related this situation to me about her firm: “We have two boilerplate formats for our reports to clients. When we go into banks and find several ways we can help them, we use the first format. That report gives our findings and list of recommendations right up front.

“But if we go into banks and can’t find much wrong – we don’t have many recommendations for improvements and have charged them a big fee for the audit – then we use the boilerplate.

“We begin the report with background on our company, the credentials of our auditors, the various audit procedures used, and then we finally get around to the findings and recommendations.”

She ended with: “But I don’t think we fool anybody.”

She is right. Confusing people only brings into questions one’s intentions. As a person of integrity, you need to put aside lying – in all its forms. Your challenge is to be complete, be current and clear. The result? Credibility.

Article by Dianna Booher, keynote speaker who specialises in communication and life – balance issues.

To be a trusted organisation, you need the 3Cs. Be complete, current and clear.

How to Manage Allergic Rhinitis?

Management

The diagnosis of allergic rhinitis is often straightforward, with its features of swelling and blockage of the airway, congestion, excess mucous production, sneezing, and runny nose. Other symptoms include itchiness and watery eyes.

Sometimes, allergic rhinitis has to be distinguished from a cold or influenza. There is no fever with allergic rhinitis last for weeks and even months, but that of a cold or influenza seldom last more than a week.  Patients with allergic rhinitis may have itchy eyes and nose but not those with a cold or influenza.

The identification of the allergen is important in managing the condition. If the cause of allergic rhinitis is doubtful, allergy tests are carried out:

·        Skin prick test:

This is involves placing the allergens on the arm and pricking the skin to introduce the allergen into it. If the skin becomes itchy, red and swollen, it is a possible reaction.

·        Blood test:

This involves measuring the level of lgE antibody produced in the blood in response to a suspected allergen.

The doctor will prescribe treatment after taking into consideration the type, frequency and severity of the symptoms, patient’s preference for oral tablets or a nasal spray, and whether there are allergic conditions like conjunctivitis or asthma.

The medicines prescribed include antihistamines and corticosteroids. Antihistamines block the action of the histamine released during an allergic attack. They can be taken as tablets, as nasal sprays, or drops. The earlier antihistamine has drowsiness as a side effect. The newer antihistamines do not usually cause drowsiness, although some people still get this side effect.

Special precautions are necessary if antihistamines are used in children and pregnant women.

Corticosteroids act by affecting the body’s response to the allergen. It takes a longer time to act but lasts longer. The side effects, although rare, include nasal dryness and irritation and nose bleeds.

It is not advisable to use nasal decongestants for more than a week as they can worsen the congestion. Nasal decongestants cannot be used if one is taking the group of anti – depressants called monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI).

There are occasions when a referral will be made to a specialist, particularly if the response to treatment is unsatisfactory. After an evaluation, the specialist may prescribe different medicine or suggest immunotherapy. This treatment is only suitable for certain types of allergic rhinitis. It involves increasing the patient’s exposure to the allergen gradually so that the patient becomes less sensitive to it, and decreases the likelihood of an adverse reaction when exposed to the allergen in the future.

This treatment has to be done under medical supervision as there is a small risk of anaphylactic shock, which is potentially life threatening.

Surgery is rarely recommended. However, if there are nasal polyps which worsen the allergic rhinitis, surgery may be beneficial.

Prevention is always better than cure. The avoidance of the allergen will prevent the allergic rhinitis. A discussion with the doctor will be helpful on the prevention of exposure to dust mites, animal flakes and pollen.

By Dr Milton Lum

What causes Allergic Rhinitis?

Causes

There are many substances in the environment which when inhaled cause allergic rhinitis. They include;

1.     House dust mites, which are found in mattresses, pillows, beds, and carpets. It is not the dust mites that cause rhinitis, but rather a chemical in their excrement. Dust mites are present all year round.

2.     Pollen from trees, grass, and weeds.

3.     Animal fur, hair, and their urine and saliva. Household pets, such as dogs and cats, are common culprits, but some people are affected by horses, rabbits, and rodents, such as guinea pigs and hamsters.

4.     Cockroaches

5.     Allergens in the work environment, such as wood dust, flour dust, or latex.

Aggravating factors

Some people have a genetic predisposition to allergic rhinitis, but it is the exposure to environmental factors that increases the risk of getting the condition and its subsequent severity. The environmental factors can be indoor or outdoor, and occupational.

The indoor factors include tobacco smoke, nitrogen dioxide from gas fired ovens, and formaldehyde in building materials. The home environment (like carpets) enhanced the survival of house dust mites. Outdoor factors include exhaust fumes from motor vehicles, particularly diesel, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and ozone.

Occupational pollutants include compounds like isocyanates and hexachloroplanates.

Associated conditions

There is a strong association between allergic rhinitis and asthma. About three quarters of patients with asthma also have allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis frequently worsens asthma.

Sinusitis, which is an infection of the cavities inside the forehead and cheek bone (sinuses), is a common complication of allergic rhinitis. The normally air – filled with mucous instead, and if it is not drained away, infection from bacteria and viruses can ensue.

The allergen which affects the nose can also affect the sinuses. The usual symptoms are pain in the forehead, face or teeth, blocked or running nose, greenish or yellowish nasal discharge, coughing, and even fever.

Infections of the middle (orititis media) occur because the ear is connected to the nose by the Eustachian tubes, which can get infected. This condition is more common in children who have earache and even fever.

Good Nutrition

Good Nutrition

Empower your child to make the right food choices and practise healthy eating habits.

By Dr Tee E Siong

As your child begins to adjust life at school and gets closer to his new friends, you may notice a change in his food preferences and eating habits. For instance, he might be skipping meals, eating very little or snacking excessively on sweets or junk food.

These changes are a result of the increasing freedom and sense of independence a school – going child enjoys. Many parents feel that since their child is big enough to attend school, he or she is mature enough to pick and choose their own food. This is where the real trouble begins.

Your school – going child is at an age when he is easily influenced. He now spends more time with friends at school and during extra – curricular activities. The TV or computer is his constant companion when he gets home. Chances are that these are his main sources of influence, instead of the most important person in his life during this time – you.

Keep in mind, however, that your child still looks up to you as a role model. Make full use of this fact to teach him about the benefits of good nutrition, healthy eating habits and physical activity. Bu doing so, you are influencing his food choices when he is away from home. More importantly, you are also influencing his food choices in the future.

You can empower your child to make sensible choices when it comes to food by:

Empowering yourself

Seek advice from a nutritionist / dietician or your family doctor and pick up the basics of good nutrition and how best to feed your child. You can also read up on good nutrition to arm yourself with the right information. You are more inclined to teach and empower your child when you are confident with the knowledge you have.

Becoming a Role Model

Because your child is impressionable, you should strive to be an example of healthy eating and living. This includes practising good eating habits, enjoying and active lifestyle and keeping good personal hygiene. For example, when eating your veggies, make it a point to tell your child how delicious they taste and how healthy they are. Chances are that your child will follow suit and go for his green, too.

Starting them young

Inculcate healthy eating habits in your child from young. Start with some with something simple, yet important. For example, make sure he eats breakfast every day before going to school. You can also prepare meals in healthy ways so that he will acquire good eating habits from young. Or you can explain to him how important his meals help him grow into a strong, smart boy. This will increase your child’s chances of practising healthy eating habits throughout his life.

Don’t give up

One of the keys to instilling good nutrition knowledge is patience. Your child may refuse to eat his veggies after being told for the fifth time, but keep trying. When you coax and reason with him enough, he will eventually come around to eating them.

Practical, fun tips

Learning about good nutrition does not have to be boring. Here are some tips to make it fun for you and your child.

Shop together

This is a great opportunity to educate your child about food in its raw form so that he is better acquainted with their scent and texture. Children are curious about things around them, and this makes it easier for you to point out how beneficial some foods are. It is never too early to start teaching them about what is listed on food packages. You can pick up a box of wholegrain cereals and tell them about the benefits of eating wholegrain cereals.

Cook together

For starters, you can prepare breakfast together on weekends. Primary school children are at the ideal age to learn about good nutrition. They are interested to learn new things. They are also eager and capable enough to help performing simple task like washing fruits or tearing veggies into pieces. They will be more interested to taste the food they helped prepare as it will give them a chance to tell the rest of the family about it.

Eat together

Make it a habit that your family has a meal together every day. This is an excellent time for you to bond with your child, ask him about his day and share how yours was like. Always keep family mealtime’s fun and casual. Your child is more likely to eat and enjoy his meals in a positive atmosphere.

Play together

Playing with your child is a great way for both of you to enjoy physical activity. You can take him to the park or play ground, or you can play team games such as badminton. Going on a picnic or hiking are also fun family outings.

Communicate together

Always make time to talk and listen to your child. Ask him what his classmates eat, if he likes the same foods and whether he enjoys his physical education sessions at school. It does not need to be only child about all sorts of things brings you closer to him. Keep in mind that there should be two – way communication, so let him talk as much as you do.

The decision to start teaching your child about good nutrition begins with you. Remember that you only have a small window of opportunity to do so because your child grows rapidly and needs good nutrition now. So get started today; feed your child right, educate him about the right foods, and inculcate a love of physical activity.

What is Allergic Rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, is a condition due to allergy that mimics a chronic cold.

The nose is an important structure of the body. Apart from aesthetics, it is an organ of smell and it is through the nose that air gets into the lungs.

Air is filtered, humidified and warmed in the nose. During this filtration process, foreign particles and pollutants are removed. These processes ensure that lung function is optimal.

Allergic rhinitis

This is a condition in which the nose produces a response to an allergy – producing substance (allergen). The body recognises the allergen as a harmful substance and produces antibodies, which are proteins the body produces to fight off harmful viruses and bacteria.

When the allergen comes into contact with the inside of the nose and throat, an antibody called immunoglobulin E (lgE) is released. Lg E causes the release of chemicals like histamine, leukotrienes, and prostaglandins, which together, cause the symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

The inside lining (mucous membrane) of the nose swells and blocks the airway. This causes congestion and excess mucous production and gives rise to sneezing and runny nose. Other symptoms include itchiness and watery eyes. Most of the symptoms are due to histamine.

Allergic rhinitis is a common condition worldwide. It is estimated that about a quarter of people have allergic rhinitis at some stage in their lives.

Some people get allergic rhinitis at particular times of the year because certain allergens are produced seasonally. Other people get allergic rhinitis throughout the year because the allergens are non – seasonal.

Those who suffer from allergic rhinitis frequently have other allergic conditions, such as asthma, or allergic conjunctivitis.

Alcohol Linked to Breast Cancer in Older Women

A large study was conducted in US which relates alcohol consumption to the increased risk of the most common type of cancer, breast cancer among postmenopausal women.

Jasmine Lew, the study's lead investigator and a researcher at the National Cancer Institute said, that, this was the biggest of the three major studies conducted by analyzing more than 184,000 women has concluded that drinking alcohol raises the risk of breast cancer among older women.

Researchers found that women who has one or two small drinks per day were 32 percent more likely to develop a hormone sensitive tumor. The risk is raised by 51 percent among those who had three or more drinks per day.

"Regardless of the type of alcohol, the risk was evident," said Lew, presenting the findings here at a meetthe meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

70 percent of the women who were diagnosed with breast cancer have tumors that were positive to both the estrogen and progesterone receptors.

Lew said results from NCI study lend credence to the theory that alcohol's interference with the metabolism of estrogen raises the risk of cancer.

She said that it was too early to make a public health recommendation, but suggest that women should talk about this to their doctors to assess risk factors and consider a lifestyle changes.

Other studies show that a light consumption of alcoholic drinks, especially red wine, protects the heart.

Breast cancer is the second most common killer cancer among women, after lung cancer. It wil be diagnosed in 1.2 million people globally this year and kill 500,000.

Cells in Mouth May Predict Lung Cancer

Cells lining the mouth reflect the molecular damages that is caused by smoking to the lining of the lungs, researchers at The University of Texas M.D Anderson Cancer Center reported today at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Senior Researcher Li Mao, M.D., professor in M.D. Anderson's Department of Thoracic / Head and Neck Medical Oncology said, that, by examining the oral tissues lining the mouth to gauge the cancer inducing molecular alterations in the lungs could spare patients and those at risk of lung cancer from more invasive, uncomfortable procedures used now.

"We are taking about just a brush in side of the cheek to get the same information we would get from lung brushing obtained through bronchoscopy," said the study presenter and first author Manisha Bhutani, M.D., a post doctoral fellow in Thoracic / Head and Neck Medical Oncology.

The team examined the oral and lung lining tissues - called the eepithelium -  in 125 chronic smokers enrolled in a large, prospective lung cancer chemo prevention study. the status of two crucial tumor suppressing genes was analyzed. The genes, p16 and FHIT, are known to be damaged or silenced very early in the process of cancer development. "There is substantial damage long before there is cancer," Mao said.

Study participants gave both an oral and lung sample twice, one at the beginning of the study and another 3 months later. The researchers tracked whether either p16, or FHIT or both had been silenced by methylation -  the attachment of a chemical methyl group to crucial spots in a gene that shut down its function. Patterns of methylation were compared between the tissues.

The baseline tissue comparison in the lungs tissues showed methylation of p16 is 23 percent, FHIT is 17 percent and either of the two genes were 35 percent of the study participants. These percentages were similar in the oral tissues, with p16 methylated is19 percents, FHIT is15 percent and one of the two is 31 percent.

A strong correlation were observed between methylation patterns in both the lung and oral tissues. When methylation of either gene was considered positive, 37 of the 39 individuals (95 percent) with p16 and / or FHIT promoter methylation in the oral samples had promoter methylation is at least one matched brochial sample. Thus compared with only 59 of the 86 (69 percent) individuals without the promoter methylation in the oral samples. Similar correlations were seen on the sample analysis obtained three months later.

"Our study provides the first systematic evidence that accessible tissue, the oral epithelium, can be used to monitor molecular events in less accessible tissue,: Bhutani said. "This provides a convenient bio monitoring method to provide insight into the molecular events that take place in the lungs of chronic smokers."

"Our study opens the door to enhancing our ability to predict who has higher probability of getting tobacco related cancers," Mao said. " Not only lung cancer, but pancreatic, bladder and head and neck cancers, which were also associated with tobacco use."

Spring Clean Your Diet

Have you ever thought that improving your eating habit is just like a spring cleaning job?

Just as how you give your house and garage a thorough clean up once, every year, you should do the same with your diet. 

Here is how you can do it.

Clean it up. Drink more water and less carbonate drinks. "Your drinks should not be sticky," says Pam Davis, R.D., L.D., dietitian and diabetes educator at Baylor Medical Centre, Garland.

Clean you plate. Davis recommends "cleaning" your plate by ditching cheesy casseroles in favor of simple, three part meals, consisting of meat, starch and vegetable. For example, a meal of pork tenderloin, brown rice and green beans would fit the bill.

Toss it out. Go through your pantry and freezer and toss anything that is old and unhealthy. Don't keep frozen meat any longer than six months. Label and date any left overs before you freeze them for later use.

Plan it. Planning you meals makes it less likely you will grab fast food on the fly. Sit down with you cookbook - or your kids, who will be more likely to eat what they have plan - and create a weekly menu.

Practice restaurant savvy. If you eat out, do so wisely. Most restaurant portions are bigger and usually with more sodium or fat. Split a single entree or order just a half portion if offered by the restaurant.

Chocolate’s good for you

A study has found that chocolate reduces the risk of stroke or heart attack by increasing the flow of blood around the brain and lowering blood pressure.

Chocolate lovers, rejoice. Research shows that regularly consuming as little as a square of chocolate a day helps to reduce your blood pressure and thus your chance of succumbing to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Scientist have found that people eating just 7.5 grams of chocolate daily were at a 39% lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke compared with those who ate just 1.7 grams.

The study, published in the European Heart journal, found that modest chocolate intake had a significant effect on people’s blood pressure. The benefits were more pronounced for a reduced risk of a stroke, but also brought less chance of a heart attack too.

Researchers led by Dr Brain Buijsse, a nutritional epidemiologist of Human Nutrition, made the link after studying the health of 19, 357 Germans aged 35 – 65 for at least 10 years. They believe that flavanols, substances in cocoa that boost the body’s supply of nitric oxide, contribute to the chocolate eaters’ lowered blood pressure.

The research confirms an association which other studies have made. The lower likelihood of stroke may be due to cocoa increasing the flow of blood around the brain, the authors say. Among 1,568 participants whose chocolate intake was tracked, 57% ate milk chocolate, 24% preferred dark and 2% ate white chocolate. The dark variety contains more flavonals, and so is thought to have a greater effect.

However, these findings should not lead to chocolate gluttony, said the authors. Further research is needed before small amounts of chocolate can be prescribed to prevent CVD.

“The amount consumed on average by even the highest consumer was about one square a chocolate a day or a half a small chocolate Easter egg in a week, so the benefits were associated with a fairly small amount of chocolate, “ said Victoria Taylor, the British Heart Foundation’s senior hear health nurse.

Those attempted to indulge should remember that chocolate contains large amounts of calories and saturated fats, which are related to weight gain and high cholesterol – two risk factors for heart disease. And people should also eat fruit, vegetables and oily fish and be active for at least half an hour daily, Taylor said

Guardian News & Media 2010

By Dennis Campbell 

Soy Compound Lowers Breast Cancer Risk

A new study suggests that, women with high levels of estrogen like compounds in their blood seem to have a lower risk of developing breast cancer. The compound in estrogen are similar to compound found in soy.

A research was conducted among more than 24000 middle age and older Japanese women to test the relation between genistein and development of breast cancer. Researchers found that those with higher level of the compound called genistein, in their blood, were only one third as likely as other women to develop breast cancer over 10 years.

Genistein is one of the major isoflavones. Isoflavones are plant compounds found in soybeans, chic peas and other legumes. Isoflavones are structurally similar to the hormone estrogen, which are believed to bind with estrogen receptors in our body.

Some studies are linked to soy consumption which lowers the risk of breast cancer. However, others have no profound protective effect. In fact, research conducted on animals have suggested that genistein migh spur tumor development and growth. However, the new findings, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggest that this is not the case in women, when genistein is consumed only via food.

Dr Motoki Iwasaki of the National Cancer Centre in Tokyo wrote that, " This findings suggests a risk reducing factor rather that a risk enhancing factor in isoflavones on breast cancer from dietary intake alone".

In this study, there were 24,226 women aged between 40 to 69 whose blood sample were taken and have completed a dietary assessment. They were monitored for an average of 10 years. During that time, 144 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.

At the beginning of the study, Iwasaki's team grouped the women base on the genistein level in their blood sample. The found that those with highest levels of genistein were 65% less likely to develop breast cancer compared to those with the lowest level of genistein.

However, the risk reduction capability was not seem among the women with moderate level of isoflavones in the blood samples.

In a conclusion to his past studies, Iwasaki said that the findings suggest that a high isoflvone intake from food may help to lower the risk of breast cancer. However, it is not clear whether the findings should be extended to women in Western countries. 

Iwasaki said that a typical Japanese women consume soy isoflavones on regular basis since young age, which may result in the effect of the compound on the breast cancer development.

Source : Journal of Clinical Oncology, April 1 2008

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