Hold The Cheese
by John Bulloch
Beyond the fat content, here's another reason for passing on a Big Mac or a pizza.
A recent study shows that men who eat a lot of cheese appear to be at higher risk of developing testicular cancer.
The research, out of Canada, may help explain soaring rates of the disease in recent years.
Cancer of the testicles has become more prevalent over the last few decades, becoming the leading cancer among younger men.
At the same time our consumption of dairy products has been increasing.
What's the link? The researchers says that dairy food contains high levels of female sex hormones such as estrogen, considered a possible cause of the testicular illness.
The scientists examined 686 testicular cancer patients and 744 healthy people in a control group who were questioned about their lifestyle as part of the National Enhanced Cancer Surveillance System, a joint federal-provincial project in the late 1990s.
Testicular cancer is a relatively rare cancer overall, but the most common among men between 20 and 45. It has been appearing more frequently in countries including the United States, Canada, Britain and Scandinavia. In Canada, for instance, the rate of testicular cancer has increased by 50% in Canada in the last 30 years.
Treatment has also improved lately, however, with the five-year survival rate at over 90%. Lance Armstrong, the American cyclist won a string of Tour de France victories after recovering from the illness.
The results of the study are published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Lead researcher Michael Garner says you don't need to give up cheese completely.
"Don't deny yourself these things, but be wise about balancing," he said in an interview yesterday. "Eat dairy products, but don't over-indulge.... I haven't stopped eating cheese."
by John Bulloch
Beyond the fat content, here's another reason for passing on a Big Mac or a pizza.
A recent study shows that men who eat a lot of cheese appear to be at higher risk of developing testicular cancer.
The research, out of Canada, may help explain soaring rates of the disease in recent years.
Cancer of the testicles has become more prevalent over the last few decades, becoming the leading cancer among younger men.
At the same time our consumption of dairy products has been increasing.
What's the link? The researchers says that dairy food contains high levels of female sex hormones such as estrogen, considered a possible cause of the testicular illness.
The scientists examined 686 testicular cancer patients and 744 healthy people in a control group who were questioned about their lifestyle as part of the National Enhanced Cancer Surveillance System, a joint federal-provincial project in the late 1990s.
Testicular cancer is a relatively rare cancer overall, but the most common among men between 20 and 45. It has been appearing more frequently in countries including the United States, Canada, Britain and Scandinavia. In Canada, for instance, the rate of testicular cancer has increased by 50% in Canada in the last 30 years.
Treatment has also improved lately, however, with the five-year survival rate at over 90%. Lance Armstrong, the American cyclist won a string of Tour de France victories after recovering from the illness.
The results of the study are published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Lead researcher Michael Garner says you don't need to give up cheese completely.
"Don't deny yourself these things, but be wise about balancing," he said in an interview yesterday. "Eat dairy products, but don't over-indulge.... I haven't stopped eating cheese."
