Optimism may protect women's hearts Aug 12, 2009
The study included 97,253 postmenopausal women ages 50-79 who were enrolled in the government-funded Women's Health Initiative; they were all healthy and free of cancer and cardiovascular disease at the start of the study. Don't Miss. (CNN -- Health)
Optimism Good for Heart and Longevity Aug 12, 2009
The finding comes from the Women's Health Initiative, which has tracked more than 97,000 postmenopausal American women for more than eight years. "In addition to looking at hormones and their effect on heart disease and cancer, the study also examined psychosocial and social factors and how they affected the health of postmenopausal women," said Dr. Hilary A. Tindle, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and lead author of a report in the Aug. 10 issue of... (MEDLINEplus)
Prehypertension, Obesity And Kidney Disease Risks Aug 12, 2009
27, 2007) According to researchers studying postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative, prehypertension exists in about 40 percent of postmenopausal women and it is associated with a 58 percent. (May 13, 2006) Obesity is an important and potentially preventable risk factor for chronic renal failure (CRF), according to a study in the June Journal of the American Society of. (Science Daily)
In U.S., No Comeback Seen for Hormone Therapy Aug 11, 2009
But those beliefs collapsed in 2002, when researchers pulled the plug three years early on the Women's Health Initiative, a large-scale, federally funded study of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). They had found that the therapy produced an increased risk of breast cancer, heart attack, stroke and blood clots. (MEDLINEplus)
How Much Vitamin D Should You Be Taking? Aug 7, 2009
Women's Health Initiative. Add Selected Alerts. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Elevated Insulin Levels Linked to Breast Cancer Jul 25, 2009
Kabat's team examined data on 5,450 women who took part in the Women's Health Initiative, a large study that looked at how various factors influence women's health. The researchers found that women with insulin levels in the highest third were twice as likely to develop breast cancer as women in the bottom third. (MEDLINEplus)
Higher insulin levels may boost breast cancer risk Jul 24, 2009
U.S. researchers drew the conclusion after examining data on 5,450 women who took part in the Women's Health Initiative, a large study that looked at how various factors influence women's health, according to the study published online on Thursday in the International Journal of Cancer. The study was conducted by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York City. (Xinhuanet, China)
Study links hormone therapy, ovarian cancer Jul 22, 2009
The safety of using HRT in postmenopausal women has been debated for years, particularly after a major U.S. study by the Women's Health Initiative found in 2002 that those taking hormone replacement had greater risk for heart disease, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer. The announcement prompted doctors to severely cut back on prescribing hormone replacement that some people had lauded as a fountain of youth for older women. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
High insulin levels enhance breast cancer risk Jul 12, 2009
Kabat and colleagues analysed data on 5,450 women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative, a large multi-centre study investigating the influence of a number of factors on women's health. Most of the women had participated in the clinical trial part of the study and provided fasting blood samples at its start (baseline) and then at years one, three and six. (India Times, India)
Metabolic Factors May Play A Role In Risk For Breast Cancer Jul 9, 2009
In this longitudinal study, the researchers used existing data from the Women's Health Initiative a large, national study designed to assess major causes of chronic disease in women. Participants included postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years at enrollment who had repeated measurements of components of metabolic syndrome over an eight-year period. (Science Daily)
Varying Reductions In Breast Cancer Suggest Hormone Therapy To Blame Jul 7, 2009
She said, "Between 2001 and 2004, incidence rates of invasive breast cancer declined more than 8% in the United States. "One possible explanation for this is widespread discontinuation of and/or failure to initiate HT. Because this cessation of HT use was more pronounced in rich/urban areas, we wanted to see if there was a corresponding difference in breast cancer incidence between these areas and poor/rural parts of the country". The researchers found that overall invasive breast cancer... (Science Daily)
Metabolic Syndrome May Make Breast Cancer More Likely Jul 2, 2009
The study included 4,888 women, ages 50 to 79, who did not have diabetes at the start of the study and were periodically tested for components of metabolic syndrome over eight years as part of their participation in the Women's Health Initiative study. During that time, 165 of them received breast cancer diagnoses. (MEDLINEplus)
Does lung cancer get short shrift? Jun 21, 2009
Indirect proof of that has come from the Women's Health Initiative, the large study that was giving female hormone supplements to some women after menopause. Even though the study has now been halted, a recent analysis showed that among women who got the supplements, there were 67 lung cancer deaths, but only 39 in the group that got no supplements, Dr. Siegfried said. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Hormone Replacement Linked to Lung Cancer Jun 2, 2009
The findings are based on secondary analyses of a study of 16,608 menopausal women in good health by the US government known as the Women's Health Initiative. Researchers sought to evaluate the effects of Prempro, a combination of estrogen and progestin (a synthetic form of progesterone), sold by the US pharmaceutical Wyeth. (Newsmax)
HRT Ups Death Risk for Women with Lung Cancer Jun 2, 2009
The new results, based on data from the landmark Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial, relate only to the combined estrogen-plus-progestin regimen of hormone therapy, not to the use of estrogen on its own ... The new findings were based on a secondary analysis of data on more than 16,600 women participating in the Women's Health Initiative. (MEDLINEplus)
Hormone pills may make lung cancer more deadly Jun 1, 2009
It's the latest finding from the Women's Health Initiative, a federal study that gave 16,608 women either Prempro or dummy pills ... Women's Health Initiative. (Yahoo News)
Pediatrician Creates Easier Way To Identify Kids' High Blood Pressure May 29, 2009
27, 2007) According to researchers studying postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative, prehypertension exists in about 40 percent of postmenopausal women and it is associated with a 58 percent. (July 17, 2008) Prehypertension during young adulthood is common and is associated with coronary atherosclerosis, according to a new study. (Science Daily)
Breast Cancer and Hormonal Therapy in Postmenopausal Women May 28, 2009
To the Editor: In their article on the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study of combined hormone therapy, Chlebowski et al. (Feb. 5 issue)1 describe a marked decrease in the risk of breast cancer after the discontinuation of menopausal treatment. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Breastfeeding benefits both mother, child May 26, 2009
A Women's Health Initiative study on postmenopausal women showed a positive correlation between time breastfeeding and decreased risk of heart disease and stroke. There's also an emotional bond with the baby that's strengthened in breastfeeding. (Athens Banner-Herald)
HRT-breast cancer risk stays same, regardless of family history May 20, 2009
Researchers analyzed data from the Women's Health Initiative randomized trial, which followed 16,608 postmenopausal women, ages 50 to 79, who took hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or a placebo pill between 1993 and 2002. Among the participants, 349 cases of invasive breast cancer occurred during a mean follow-up period of 5. (EurekAlert!)
Genome Medicine publishes proteomic analysis of estrogen replacement therapy May 14, 2009
Application of serum proteomics to the Women's Health Initiative conjugated equine estrogens trial reveals a multitude of effects relevant to clinical findings ... 5Women's Health Initiative Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Rockledge Dr., Bethesda, MD 20892, USA ... The availability of serum collections from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) randomized controlled trial provides an opportunity to test the potential of in-depth quantitative... (BioMed Central)
Video: Reese Witherspoon Joins Avon Foundation for Women and San Francisco General Hospital to Celebrate 5th Anniversary of Avon Comprehensive Breast Center May 12, 2009
Some of the programs funded wholly or in part by the Foundation include the Avon Comprehensive Breast Care Center, ACE Unit (Acute Care for Elders), Orthopaedic Trauma Institute, the Trauma Center, The Children's Fund, Women's Health Initiative, Cancer Awareness Resources Education (C.A.R.E.), Last year, the Foundation raised over $8. 5 million in private individual gifts and corporate and foundation grants. (PR Newswire)
Protein Effects Of Hormone Replacement Therapy Uncovered May 7, 2009
ScienceDaily (May 6, 2009) An in-depth proteomic analysis of the sera of 50 participants from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) hormone replacement therapy trial provides some explanations for the trial's clinical results ... Application of serum proteomics to the Women's Health Initiative conjugated equine estrogens trial reveals a multitude of effects relevant to clinical findings ... 8, 2007) Secondary analyses of findings from the Women's Health Initiative suggest that women who begin... (Science Daily)
Composer Jerry Herman set for a special Tony Award May 5, 2009
Other special prizes will go to veteran press agent Shirley Herz and to Phyllis Newman who founded the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative of The Actors Fund. Herman already has won Tonys for Hello, Dolly. (USA Today -- Life)
Hormone Therapy Offers Potential Protective Effect Against Colon Cancer In Older Women Apr 28, 2009
The largest randomized clinical trial was the 16,000-participant Women's Health Initiative, which concluded in 2004 that combination hormone therapy (estrogen and progestin) reduced a woman's risk of colorectal cancer by about 40 percent, he says. "But few studies have delved deeper to see how these hormones work at the molecular level," Dr. Limsui says. (Science Daily)
Hormone therapy may lower colon cancer risk Apr 28, 2009
Millions of women stopped taking HRT when a Women's Health Initiative study showed in 2002 that the hormones raised the risk of stroke, heart disease and breast cancer. Hardest hit was Wyeth's Premarin, which is soon to be acquired by Pfizer Inc.. (MSNBC -- Health)
Breast-Feeding a Boon to Mom's Heart Apr 28, 2009
To assess whether or not breast-feeding could make a difference in cardiovascular health years later, Schwarz and her colleagues used data from the Women's Health Initiative that included nearly 140,000 postmenopausal women. The average age of the women in the study was 63. (MEDLINEplus)
HRT May Protect Women from Colon Cancer Apr 28, 2009
The link was first picked up in 2002 when the results of the landmark Women's Health Initiative were first announced. That study found a 40 percent reduced colon cancer risk in women taking combined estrogen and progestin. (MEDLINEplus)
Tween event aims to strengthen mother-daughter bond Apr 16, 2009
Healthy relationships, like the one Michelle has fostered with her girls, will be one of the topics discussed during the third annual "Tween Talk," an extension of the Speaking of Women's Health initiative geared toward pre-teen girls, ages 9 to 13, and their mothers or other influential women. Kathleen Hassan, the self-described "Queen of Tween Self Esteem," will deliver the keynote address. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
What should I consider before having uterus, ovaries removed? Apr 9, 2009
This is important because the Women's Health Initiative, a study by the National Institutes of Health, showed that women treated with estrogen with progesterone have a dramatically decreased risk of uterine cancer but a slightly increased risk of breast cancer. Some women treat menopausal hot flashes with black cohosh, found in health food stores, or even with soy products. (CNN -- Health)
Happy face is a shield against trouble Mar 27, 2009
In a new study, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh reviewed surveys of personality traits of more than 100,00 women aged 50 and over, participants in the Women's Health Initiative. They found a strong link between optimism and a person's risk for cancer, heart disease and early death. (Anchorage Daily News)
BETTER LIFE: The latest news on diabetes Mar 23, 2009
Researchers based their findings on the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, which followed more than 1,600 women. --By , USA TODAY. (USA Today -- Life)
Experts Revise Guidelines on Daily Aspirin for Heart Mar 18, 2009
"Subsequent to the 2002 recommendations, there was more information that came out of the Women's Health Initiative, specifically, that enabled us to look at this recommendation by gender," said Dr. Michael LeFevre, a task force member and professor of family and community medicine at the University of Missouri, Columbia. "We have a recommendation for men and a recommendation for women. We did not have that before.". (MEDLINEplus)
Aspirin Improves Survival In Women With Stable Heart Disease, According To Study Mar 14, 2009
Berger et al. Aspirin Use, Dose, and Clinical Outcomes in Postmenopausal Women With Stable Cardiovascular Disease: The Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 2009; DOI. (Science Daily)
Aspirin helps postmenopausal women Mar 13, 2009
The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study also provides new insight into aspirin dosing for women, suggesting that a lower dose of aspirin (81 milligrams, or mg) is as effective as a higher dose (325 mg). This is good news for women who might be concerned with internal bleeding, a well-known risk of aspirin that may be more likely with higher doses of aspirin, according to other studies. (India Times, India)
Trust me -- the glass is half full Mar 9, 2009
Dr. Hilary Tindle of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and her colleagues analyzed information gathered from more than 97,000 women who did not have heart disease or cancer when they joined the Women's Health Initiative, the massive national trial known for its conclusions on hormone therapy. The women, 50 to 74 years old, answered questionnaires on their attitudes at the start of the trial. (Boston Globe)
Optimists Live Longer and Healthier Lives Mar 7, 2009
Researchers at University of Pittsburgh looked at rates of death and chronic health conditions among participants of the Women's Health Initiative study, which has followed more than 100,000 women ages 50 and over since 1994. Women who were optimistic -- those who expect good rather than bad things to happen -- were 14 percent less likely to die from any cause than pessimists and 30 percent less likely to die from heart disease after eight years of follow up in the study. (MEDLINEplus)
Optimists Live a Lot Longer, Cynics Doubt It Mar 7, 2009
Researchers surveyed the personality traits of middle-age women in 1994 as part of the Women's Health Initiative study run by the National Institutes of Health. Eight years later, researchers found that the self-reported optimistic women were less likely to have died for any reason and had a 30 percent lower death rate from heart disease. (ABC News)
Naturally Produced Estrogen May Protect Women From Parkinson's Disease Mar 4, 2009
In the current study, researchers analyzed the records of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Observational Study and focused on those women who developed Parkinson's disease ... "Earlier studies in the Women's Health Initiative demonstrated that hormone therapy increases one's risk for both stroke and dementia," says Dr. Wassertheil-Smoller. (Science Daily)
Vitamins are not of equal value Feb 24, 2009
A Women's Health Initiative trial, part of a massive national study best known for finding risks in hormone therapy, tracked multivitamin use in more than 161,000 postmenopausal women ... The Women's Health Initiative study, while a valuable contribution, is not the final word, specialists caution. (Boston Globe)
Systolic And Diastolic Blood Pressures Together More Useful For Predicting Cardiovascular Risk Feb 20, 2009
27, 2007) According to researchers studying postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative, prehypertension exists in about 40 percent of postmenopausal women and it is associated with a 58 percent. (Nov. (Science Daily)
Vitamin pills: A false hope? Feb 17, 2009
The latest news came last week after researchers in the Women's Health Initiative study tracked eight years of multivitamin use among more than 161,000 older women. Despite earlier findings suggesting that multivitamins might lower the risk for heart disease and certain cancers, the study, published in The Archives of Internal Medicine, found no such benefit. (International Herald Tribune -- Health)
Study: Multivitamins don't lower older women's cancer risk Feb 12, 2009
The researchers, led by nutrition epidemiologist Marian Neuhouser, analyzed data from more than 161,000 women ages 50 to 79 who participated in the Women's Health Initiative observational study for an average of eight years during the 1990s. More than 41 percent of them used multivitamins. (CNN)
Study: multivitamins does not lower cancer risks Feb 11, 2009
Neuhouser and her colleagues analyzed data from 161,808 postmenopausal women who participated in the government-sponsored Women's Health Initiative observational study. The researchers followed the women for an average of about eight years during the 1990s to track the health effects of multivitamins. (Xinhuanet, China)
Multivitamins Have No Impact On Risk Of Cancer Or Heart Disease In Postmenopausal Women, Study Finds Feb 11, 2009
The results of the Women's Health Initiative study was led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center ... The study assessed multivitamin use among nearly 162,000 women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative, one of the largest U.S. prevention studies of its kind designed to address the most common causes of death, disability and impaired quality of life in postmenopausal women ... "The Women's Health Initiative is one of the largest studies ever done on diet and health. Thus,... (Science Daily)
Vitamins Do Older Women Little Good Feb 11, 2009
These researchers looked at 161,808 postmenopausal women participating in the government-sponsored Women's Health Initiative who were followed for about eight years. Some 41. (MEDLINEplus)
Study doubts multivitamin benefit vs. cancer, heart disease Feb 10, 2009
Neuhouser's study focused on nearly 162,000 postmenopausal women in the government-sponsored Women's Health Initiative, best-known for hormone therapy research. About four out of 10 said they took multivitamins. (USA Today)
Grumpy not-so-old men: Midlife, men, hormones Feb 10, 2009
"There's been no equivalent to the Women's Health Initiative for men in this country, in studying hormone-replacement therapy for men," she said, referring to the 15-year program begun in 1991 by the National Institutes for Health to examine causes of death, quality of life and disability in postmenopausal women. Diamond was influenced in his research by his family history. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Breast Cancer after Estrogen plus Progestin Feb 8, 2009
Background Following the release of the 2002 report of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial of estrogen plus progestin, the use of menopausal hormone therapy in the United States decreased substantially. Subsequently, the incidence of breast cancer also dropped, suggesting a cause-and-effect relation between hormone treatment and breast cancer. (New England Journal of Medicine)
Newer Contraceptives Don't Increase Heart Risk Feb 7, 2009
When an arm of the landmark Women's Health Initiative study was stopped because of elevated risks of breast cancer, stroke and other cardiovascular problems among older women taking hormone replacement therapy, new attention was focused on hormone products in general. Also, the cardiovascular-related death rate for women aged 35 to 44 has increased since 2000, while decreasing among other groups of women. (MEDLINEplus)
Some Heart Failure Meds May Raise Fracture Risk in Women Feb 7, 2009
For the study, Johnson's group collected data on almost 134,000 American women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative from October 1993 to December 1998. During 7. (MEDLINEplus)
HRT cancer link 'confirmed' Feb 7, 2009
The interpretation of the original 2002 "Women's Health Initiative" study, linking combined oestrogen and progestin HRT with breast cancer, has been hotly debated. You start women on hormones, and within five years, their risk of breast cancer is clearly elevated. (BBC News -- Health)
Drop in Breast Cancer Rates Due to Drop in Hormone Replacement Therapy Use Feb 7, 2009
To get to the root of the drop in breast cancer cases, Chlebowski and his colleagues looked at data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial (more than 15,000 women were assigned to either a placebo or HRT) and an observational study in which more than 25,000 women were on HRT, and more than 16,000 were not. The part of the WHI that looked at combined hormone therapy was halted in 2002, as soon as researchers saw surprisingly higher rates of heart problems and breast cancer in... (MEDLINEplus)
Statins Don't Cut Cancer Risk Feb 7, 2009
And in a report published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 2006, researchers found statins were associated with lower breast cancer incidence among women in the large-scale Women's Health Initiative trial and called for further study of the possible link. Exactly how statins might fight cancer isn't certain. (MEDLINEplus)
High Resting Heart Rate Spells Trouble for Women Feb 7, 2009
The study used data on 129,135 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative. It found that the 20 percent of women who had heart rates of 76 beats a minute or greater had a 26 percent greater risk of a heart attack in a follow-up period of 7. (MEDLINEplus)
Study backs hormone treatment's cancer link Feb 7, 2009
Twelve months after participants in the women's health initiative trial stopped HRT treatment, breast cancer cases fell by 28 per cent.. The percentage of patients who went for mammogram tests during that time remained stable, meaning that the fall in the number of cases was not because they were being missed by doctors, the researchers said. (The Canberra Times)
Religion May Help Extend Your Life Feb 7, 2009
The study participants came from the large Women's Health Initiative observational study, and included nearly 95,000 women from all over the United States. The women were all between 50 and 79 years old at the start of the study. (MEDLINEplus)
High Insulin Levels May Increase Breast Cancer Risk Feb 7, 2009
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Data from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study show that higher than normal insulin levels are an independent risk factor for breast cancer. Study investigators, led by Dr. Marc J. Gunter at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, examined the association between breast cancer and blood parameters at study entry in 835 women who later developed breast cancer and 816 who did not. (MEDLINEplus)
Alzheimer's Disease Feb 7, 2009
But results from the large-scale Women's Health Initiative Memory Study indicated an increased risk of dementia for women taking estrogen after age 65. The verdict is not yet in on whether estrogen affects the risk of dementia if given at an earlier age. (CNN -- Health)
Heart & Vascular Feb 7, 2009
The landmark "Women's Health Initiative Study" 1997-2000, was funded in part by GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the anti-anxiety medicine Paxil. Obese children have as much plaque in their neck arteries as middle-aged adults, according to a study presented this week at the American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans. (CNN -- Health)
Hormone Replacement Therapy Shrinks the Brain Feb 7, 2009
These papers, both published in the Jan. 13 issue of Neurology, are the latest in a parade of analyses resulting from the hormone therapy arm of the landmark, government-sponsored Women's Health Initiative study. Previous results included an increased risk of stroke and cerebrovascular disease in women over 65 taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT). (MEDLINEplus)
