Scientists Claim You Really Can be Bored to Death
February 8, 2010
Mail Online
By Jonathan Petre
Boredom could be shaving years off your life, scientists have found.
Researchers say that people who complain of boredom are more likely to die young, and that those who experienced ‘high levels’ of tedium are more than two-and-a-half times as likely to die from heart disease or stroke than those satisfied with their lot.
More than 7,000 civil servants were studied over 25 years – and those who said they were bored were nearly 40 per cent more likely to have died by the end of study than those who did not.
The scientists said this could be a result of those unhappy with their lives turning to such unhealthy habits as smoking or drinking, which would cut their life expectancy.
Specialists from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London, looked at data from 7,524 civil servants aged between 35 and 55 who were interviewed between 1985 and 1988 about their levels of boredom. They then found out whether they had died by April last year.
Researcher Martin Shipley, who co-wrote the report to be published in the International Journal of Epidemiology this week, said: ‘The findings on heart disease show there was sufficient evidence to say there is a link with boredom.
‘It is important that people who have dull jobs find outside interests to keep boredom at bay, rather than turn to drinking or smoking.’
Psychologist Graham Price added: ‘It is important to distinguish between cause and effect. Are these people turning to drink and drugs because they are bored or because they have certain characteristics?
‘For many people who are unmotivated or uninspired by life, or maybe have a tendency towards depression, the way out of it is to change their focus away from themselves and on to other people.
‘From being all me, me, me, they should be thinking, what can I do for my family, my friends, my colleagues, even my boss.’
The original survey found that one in ten civil servants had been bored within the past month, with women more than twice as likely than men to suffer. Younger employees and those with more menial jobs were also found to be more prone to boredom.
Those who reported feeling a great deal of boredom were 37 per cent more likely to have died by the end of the study.
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Wine Helps Fight Cancer?
October 27, 2009
MSNBC
Reuters
Cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment may want to sip some red wine before treatment.
A study in women with breast cancer found that drinking red wine can help limit the toxic effects of radiation therapy.
“The possibility that particular dietary practices or interventions can reduce radiation-induced toxicity is very intriguing,” Dr. Gabriella Macchia, of Catholic University, Campobasso, Italy, noted in an email to Reuters Health.
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It’s already known that some wine components may protect against the harmful effects of radiation. These components include polyphenols in particular, and the tannins.
In the current study, Macchia and colleagues evaluated the potential protective effects of varying levels of self-reported red wine consumption in 348 women treated with radiation therapy after breast cancer surgery.
The findings were “interesting,” Macchia said.
The incidence of radiation-induced skin toxicity greater was 38.4 percent in non-drinkers, 31.8 percent in women drinking only half a glass of wine daily, 13.6 percent in those drinking one glass daily, and 35 percent in those drinking two glasses daily.
Women who drank only one glass daily had a much lower risk of suffering skin effects from radiation therapy. Specifically, their risk of significant skin toxicity was about 75 percent less than that in non-drinkers, the researchers found.
“If wine can prevent (radiation)-induced toxicity without affecting antitumor efficacy, as we observed, it also has the potential to enhance the therapeutic benefit in cancer patients without increasing their risk of serious adverse effects,” Macchia said.
“The possible protective effect of wine, which we assessed only in women with breast cancer, should also be evaluated in male and female patients with other types of tumors (e.g., prostate carcinoma) who are undergoing radiotherapy,” she concluded.
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Drink Blamed for Oral Cancer Rise
August 10, 2009
BBC News
Alcohol is largely to blame for an “alarming” rise in the rate of oral cancers among men and women in their forties, say experts.
Numbers of cancers of the lip, mouth, tongue and throat in this age group have risen by 26% in the past decade.
Alcohol consumption has doubled since the 1950s and is the most likely culprit alongside smoking, says Cancer Research UK.
Each year in the UK around 1,800 people die from the disease.
There are 5,000 newly diagnosed cases per year.
Other risk factors that may be involved include a diet low in fruit and vegetables, and the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), which also causes cervical cancer.
Figures produced by Cancer Research UK show that since the mid-1990s, rates of oral cancers have gone up by 28% for men in their forties and 24% for women.
The charity’s health information manager Hazel Nunn said: “These latest figures are really alarming.
“Around three-quarters of oral cancers are thought to be caused by smoking and drinking alcohol.
“Tobacco is, by far, the main risk factor for oral cancer, so it’s important that we keep encouraging people to give up and think about new ways to stop people taking it up in the first place.
“The trend we are now seeing is likely to be linked to Britain’s continually rising drinking levels ” Hazel Nunn Cancer Research UK
“But for people in their 40s, it seems that other factors are also contributing to this jump in oral cancer rates.
“Alcohol consumption has doubled since the 1950s and the trend we are now seeing is likely to be linked to Britain’s continually rising drinking levels.”
Oral cancer can be treated successfully if diagnosed early enough.
The most common signs of the disease are ulcers, sores, or red or white patches in the mouth that last longer than three weeks, together with unexplained pain in the mouth or ear.
Alcohol Concern chief executive Don Shenker said: “Many people are not aware of the connection between alcohol and cancer, yet as this research shows, it can be a major contributor or cause of the disease.
“While alcoholic liver disease remains the number one killer linked to alcohol, more and more people are suffering from oral cancers – and record drinking levels have undeniably played a part.”
He said it was time to introduce tobacco-style health warnings on alcohol.
“It’s a consumer issue – people have a right to know the full range of health risks associated with drinking alcohol above recommended guidelines.
“This research will hopefully help people realise the full extent of the damage that alcohol can do, then they’re better placed to make informed decisions about how much they drink.”
Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians and chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said: “These latest figures demonstrate once again that people are being struck down at ever younger ages with alcohol-related illnesses that they might never have previously associated with heavy drinking.
“There is an urgent need to rethink how we communicate the risks of misuse. The first step is to challenge the widespread notion that the only chronic health damage is suffered by a minority of older drinkers.”
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health, said: “The really lethal cocktail is drinking strong spirits and smoking – a carcinogenic double whammy for the delicate lining of the mouth and throat. My advice is if you drink, don’t smoke – and if you must smoke, avoid spirits.”
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