"cancer" news and stories

Let's face it -- we're screwed. No matter what we eat, or what we don't, there will be a study out there to tell us that our habits might ship us straight to the grave. I've given up caring, and just try to live with some sort of foodie balance, even if I can devour a few bottles of homemade pop in a day if I'm thirsty, or finish up Christmas cookies in the blink of an eye.

But back to the latest cancer-causer -- The Washington Post reports that a new study has found that rats who were fed diets rich in inorganic phosphates suffered an accelerated growth of lung cancer. However, Dr. John Heffner says: "an individual shouldn't act on these results as yet, other than to encourage funding organizations such as the National Institutes of Health to support research to see whether dietary phosphates encourage cancer."

What foods have phosphates? Leafy veggies. Fruits. Meat. Poultry. Plus, the stuff is added to other foods like baking powder, ice cream, preserves, and carbonated colas. See? We're screwed, so I say: Let's indulge!

If you're in Philadelphia over the weekend, be sure to check out Let Them Eat Cake, a wedding cake design competition whose proceeds will go to benefit City of Hope, a California-based cancer care center.

Whether you're a participant (entry fee is $100 for professionals, and students can compete for free!) or just drooling spectator, it'll be totally worth it to take in the scene and watch as pastry chefs battle it out for nine different titles, including Most Artistic and Best Tasting (the cakes, not the chefs).

The 2006 Best of Show winner (pictured) was a delicate pink and white number from Ann's Cake Pan of Horsham, Pa.

The special guest judge will be Sylvia Weinstock, baker of extraordinary cakes and wearer of over sized glasses. (Her cakes are amazing, but the intricacy of the website alone tells me I could never afford one).

So, go! Marvel! Drool! And cross your fingers that they give out free samples at the end.

Have you had a brush with cancer? Is there someone in your life who has? This is a chance to show your support. In honor of LiveStrong Day, the Lance Armstrong Foundations cancer awareness day, you can join a blog event to join in on the activities.

A Taste of Yellow is an event that is officially recognized by the Lance Armstrong Foundation as a participating activity for Live Strong Day. All you have to do is create a recipe using some kind of yellow food. Make the recipe, take a picture, and send it to the host of this event. The host will then create a round up of entries for Live Strong Day. You can find more information, as well as deadlines and guidelines, here.

This is a great way to do your part to help raise cancer awareness. It's fun, it's easy, and it could really brighten the day of a cancer victim.

[Via IsMyBlogBurning.com]

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I don't know how I didn't catch this one yesterday.

Grant Achatz, chef at Chicago's Alinea, and one of the most notable young chef talents out there, reported yesterday that he has cancer. He told NY Times Dining Editor Pete Wells that he has an advanced stage of squamous cell carcinoma in his mouth, and says the following about it via his publicist:

"I wanted to personally report that I have been very recently diagnosed with an advanced stage of squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. I have consulted several prominent physicians and will likely begin aggressive treatment within the next few weeks. I remain, and will remain, actively and optimistically engaged in operations at Alinea to the largest extent possible. Alinea will continue to perform at the level people have come to expect from us - I insist on that. I have received amazing support from friends, family, and everyone who has thus far been told of the disease, and I look forward to a full, cancer-free, recovery."

Slashfood will be thinking of you as you go through treatment and are looking forward to your full recovery, Chef Achatz!

[via: Eater]

A new study gives a good reason for young women to switch to whole grain bread and to generally increase the amount of whole grains in their diets. Conducted at the University of Leeds, the study showed that women who ate at least 30 grams of fiber each day cut their breast cancer risk by half.

The average fiber intake in the UK is 12 grams per day for adults and 15 g per day in the US. Since the results of the study suggest that benefits will not occur when women eat less than 20g per day, it is worth noting that there are a couple of easy ways to eat more fiber. A medium apple, for example, has 4g of fiber. An artichoke, cooked, has 4.5 grams. Beans vary in their fiber content, but tend to have around 16gper cup. 1/2 cup of corn has 5g. There are many other vegetables and fruits that provide low calorie ways to add fiber to the diet, as well.

The benefits of eating more fiber could be overridden by other factors, including weight, but a generally healthy lifestyle that includes the recommended amount of fiber should decrease the risk enough to make dietary changes worth the effort for young women.

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