All posts by Andrea Hernandez

All, Women's Health

Do bras cause breast cancer?

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Image result for bra cartoon

Photo from Gemma Correll

Andrea Hernandez

You might have heard on social media that wired bras and sleeping in bras can cause breast cancer. Negative ideas are more compelling to the human mind.  Let’s think twice and look at the evidence.  

The source of this idea came from the book, Dressed to Kill, and internet rumors. The authors of the book believed the confining nature of bras constrained lymphatic circulation and would result in fluid build up in breast tissue. Many medical organizations like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Cancer Society noted there is no evidence that wearing bras increases the risk of breast cancer. 

One study countered the book and Internet claims by inspecting over 1,500 postmenopausal women first diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. These women were asked a series of structured questions to find lifetime patterns of bra wearing before their breast cancer diagnosis. The researchers found no connection of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) or invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) breast cancer with bra wearing such as bra cup size, recency, average number of hours in a day worn, underwire bras, and age at which bras were worn regularly.

Worrying is no fun. The next time you are taking a nap with your bra on, don’t stress about the risk of breast cancer!

Sources

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/23/10/2181.short

https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/no_evidence

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/science/16qna.html?ref=science

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/risk-and-prevention/disproven-or-controversial-breast-cancer-risk-factors.html

 

All, Summer

Sunburned on a Cloudy Day

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Related image

Image from The Jagged Word

Andrea Hernandez

You might think you can’t get sunburned on a cloudy day. But some of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation (UVR) can pass through.

There are three  types of UV radiation from the sun: UVA, UVB, and UVC. While UVC gets filtered out in the ozone layer of the atmosphere, UVA and UVB reach the earth’s surface. UVA contributes to wrinkles and other signs of aging, while UVB affects the surface of the skin and can cause sunburns and skin cancer.

Reflective surfaces can increase UVR exposure. For example, snow reflects a higher amount of UVR compared to sand and metal. Skiers are exposed to more UVR because of altitude and reflection off the snow.

One way to counter UV radiation is by wearing sunscreen. Sunscreen protects you by reflecting and absorbing the UV rays through inorganic and organic chemicals. Inorganic chemicals like zinc oxide reflect UV rays. UV radiation can be absorbed by the chemical bonds of organic chemicals like avobenzone. The ingredients of the sunscreen slowly break down and release heat.

It might be best to purchase a sunscreen lotion with a broad-spectrum because it blocks against both UVA and UVB. It is recommended to use a Sun Protective Factor (SPF) sunscreen lotion higher than 15. The higher the SPF refers to the higher the percent the sunscreen protects against UV rays. Sunscreen cannot block 100 percent of UV rays. The SPF number refers to approximately how long it will take for a person’s skin to turn red.

Sun damage is cumulative–it builds up over time. Therefore, it is important to wear sunscreen and protective clothing whenever you are outdoors or working near a window, especially between the hours of 10am to 4pm.

https://share.upmc.com/2014/07/infographic-abcs-uv-difference-uva-uvb-uvc/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0953985992712248

https://www.livescience.com/32666-how-does-sunscreen-work.html

https://www.skincancer.org/prevention/sun-protection/sunscreen/sunscreens-explained

http://www.yalescientific.org/2012/05/how-does-sunscreen-protect-you/

 

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Do meal kits help you lose weight?

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Photo from Washington Post

Andrea Hernandez

In the last few years, meal kit services that provide mail order food and recipes have become increasingly popular. This concept was intended to help busy people prepare dinner without having to shop for individual ingredients. Some consumers were under the impression that purchasing meal kits would help with weight loss because cooking at home offers more control over what you eat and how it is prepared, which might result in a healthier diet that might contribute to weight loss.  

Meal kit services give you the precise ingredients you need to make the recipe you select, but does not ensure that the portion of each ingredient is healthy and balanced. It is up to the consumer to make a conscious effort to choose a healthy meal plan and manage calorie intake.

Some programs have already been established for consumers who are interested in controlling calorie intake or focusing on a diet that can help improve a certain aspect of health. Weight Watchers is a commercial service that attends to calorie counts in meal plans.  Programs like DASH focus on improving blood pressure by choosing foods that are low in saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium, and rich in potassium.

If you want to lose weight, you need to limit calorie intake and increase calorie expenditure through more physical activity.  

https://dashdiet.org/what-is-the-dash-diet.html

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/dash-eating-plan

https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20150106/best-diets-ranking#1

https://www.cnet.com/news/best-meal-kit-delivery-services/

https://www.health.com/weight-loss/meal-kit-help-you-lose-weight