The Year In Medicine From A to Z

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Women who put on pounds as adults have new reason to be worried about breast cancer. A study of 44,161 postmenopausal women linked adult weight gain to a higher lifetime risk for all types, stages and grades of breast cancer, particularly advanced malignancies. The risk for women who gained more than 60 lbs. was three times as great. Reason: breast-cancer risk is linked to lifetime levels of the hormone estrogen. Fat tissue increases circulating estrogen, thereby adding to the risk.

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CAVITIES

Cough syrups can damage children's teeth, and it's not necessarily the sweeteners in them that do it. Many over-the-counter remedies that contain antihistamines are slightly acidic in nature, and a new study showed that this acid can cause cavities in healthy tooth enamel. Fortunately, fluoride counteracts the problem, so make sure your children brush their teeth after swallowing cough syrup. Also try giving the medication with meals, when the body's natural production of saliva helps protect the teeth.

CELL PHONES

Think you're safer because you talk on a hands-free cell phone while driving? Think again. Using either type of phone while trying to drive a car is roughly equivalent to driving with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08%, which is high enough to get you arrested in any of the 50 states and the District of Columbia for driving under the influence. Folks who use hands-free cell phones in simulation trials also exhibited slower reaction times and took longer to hit the brakes than drivers who weren't otherwise distracted. Data from real-life driving tests show that cell-phone use rivals drowsy driving as a major cause of accidents. SUV drivers, it turns out, are more likely to talk on a cell phone--and to resist wearing their seat belt.

COFFEE

Is coffee destined to be the next health food? Researchers found more evidence that drinking coffee--with or without caffeine--decreases the risk of Type 2 diabetes in those who are prone to develop the condition, perhaps by boosting the body's metabolism a bit. (Exercise is, of course, even more effective, but maybe you need that extra jolt to get yourself moving.) Coffee also seems to decrease slightly the risk of liver damage in patients with a history of alcoholism, perhaps because coffee contains lots of antioxidants. But the news isn't all good. Drinking lots of coffee during pregnancy increases the risk of having a stillborn child.

COLON CANCER

Nobody looks forward to a colonoscopy, but there's still no better way to detect and prevent colon cancer. There may, however, be a less intrusive alternative to the dreaded test. Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City tested a newly improved version of a noninvasive fecal DNA test to screen for early signs of the deadly cancer. Fecal samples from 162 patients who had undergone colonoscopies in the previous 14 days revealed 35 cases of cancer (compared with 40 detected in the colonoscopies). That translates into an impressive 88% sensitivity rate. The fecal screen, however, also mistakenly indicated cancer in 22 individuals who had been properly given a clean bill of health by their colonoscopy. Not perfect yet, but still potentially lifesaving.

COLORADO