Longevity science

Women with higher circulating levels carotenoids are at a significantly lower risk of breast cancer, according to new research.

Carotenoids are the compounds that make many fruits and vegetables colorful. These pigments have been studied repeatedly for their health benefits, including anti-cancer properties.

While the overall lung cancer five-year survival rate in the U.S. is 15 percent, the odds of survival increase significantly with early detection. However, the expense or invasiveness of current screening methods and the lack of symptoms at early stages of the disease means most people aren’t diagnosed until the cancer is well advanced.

Findings by researchers at the University of York could pave the way for a simple blood test that would detect the disease even in its early stages.

Medical records that patients can access online may encourage more people to get recommended screening tests and immunizations, a new study suggests.

In a clinical trial at eight primary care practices, researchers found that patients who used such "interactive" health records were more likely to become up-to-date on recommended preventive care.

That included screening tests for breast, colon and cervical cancers, and immunizations like the yearly flu shot

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new survey of training programs for future cardiologists suggests that only a fraction are getting the minimum level of education in heart disease prevention that professional...

Countering some minor concerns (see our sidebar, “Coffee concerns: minor at most”), growing evidence indicate that coffee is probably a preventive-health powerhouse.
 
There’s little doubt that coffee’s promise stems from its abundance of highly healthful polyphenol-type compounds.
 
Although polyphenols are often called antioxidants, they don’t exert direct antioxidant effects in the body. Instead, they influence gene expression to produce antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and other beneficial effects.