DECEMBER 1999

ENOUGH TO MAKE US HYPOCHONDRIAC Raw-boned, heavy build, bad dentition, premature balding, bleu eyes and higty chest : these characteristics could be attributed to a higher risk of illness, or on the contrary, they could be your key to eternity. The woman's silhouette Are you of small stature ? Here is the bad news. According to a study of over 121700 women between ages 39 and 55, you have a higher risk of angina of the breasts than women who are tall. You are tall and overjoyed ? Not so fast, some Finnish physicians studied a group of 12000 women for 29 years. Thet observed that the women who are tallest die more often of cancer, perhaps because of the higher rate of growth hormone, which stimulates cellular proliferation. Breasts and cancer : According the Dr. Dimitrio Tricopoulos a Harvard University epidemiologist , (Massachussetts) breast size could be a risk factor for breast cancer. " If your mammary glands contain fewer cells, you have less chances of developing cancer. Therefore, in theory, if your breasts are small, the risk is reduced. Presently, we know that it's true because women who have received silicone implants because their breasts were to small, incur half the risk of breast cancer ". On the contrary, a study of over 4500 women during menopause concluded that among the women who were thin during youth, it's those with large breasts (size C and above) who were mainly affected (Cancer Causes Control, April 1999). The man's silhouette Adult obesity could be a risk factor for the development of prostate cancer. There are fewer risks of falling victim to a hip fracture if you are shorter than average and/or if your weight is heigher. Height and Cancer A group of 22000 American physicians headed by Dr. Charles Hennekens (Brigham Hospital, Boston, Massachussetts) has allowed, two years ago, to bring out two tendancies : compared to men who are under 1,67m tall, to who reach 1,90m have a 30% higher risk of cancer (except lung cancer). In the case of prostate cancer, the risk is even increased by 60%. On the other hand, Norvegian researchers could not highlight the relation between height and prostate cancer in one prospective study ( Cancer Cause Control, August 1999). The jury remains divided and the taller men temporarily get a suspended sentence for their prostate. The face Ear and breast angina. Today a good forty studies have explored the relationship between the existence of coronary disease and the presence of a diagonal gold of the ear lobe. It's only in 1983, that the medical community became aware of the ear lobe, when Dr. William Elliot (University of Chicago) reported the results of a study including 1000 people ; 74% of the afflicted had the sinister fold. The fold in question, when it exists, begins from the upper attachment of the lobe and goes diagonally toward the botton. I imagine you in front of the mirror examining your ears, looking for the famous fold. For those whose ears have it, don't run to the phone to get an urgent appointment with your doctor !...because a recent study concluded that among the heart cases, the presence of a fold on the lobe means a risk of disease in less than 20% of the cases. Do you feel reassured and overjoyed ? Go back to your mirror and continue the examination. Some Indian researchers have found that where the ear lobe fold is accompanied by hairs in the auricular canal, then indeed an appointment with the doctor is a must. The teeth In a six years study including 44119 male Americans, Dr. Walter Willet concluded that those who had only ten teeth, presented a 30% higher risk of coronary disease compared to those who had at least 25 teeth. Recent studies suggest that illness of the " periodonte " increase the risk of lung disease. Experts conclude : If you have teeth, protect them and if you do not have them anymore, buy new ones. Therefore, to avoid heart problems, you have to watch your ears, the hairs in your ears, your teeth and always keep an eye on your hair. According to a study published in 1978 in " Angiology " magazine, 24% of patients hospitalised for a cardiac incident (all under age 56) had grey hair since age 29. The study included only 50 people. The risk of having cardiac trouble is multiplied by 1.8 for bald men ; and a hairy chest could be an additional factor of risk. (International Journal of Cardiology, December 1998). In 1997, the Auckland University physicians, in New-Zealand, examined close to 300 apparently healthy women during menopause. Those whose hair began greying at about age 20, were also those who showed the lowest mineral bone density for the whole skeleton. Those whose hair was almost completly grey at age 40, had à 4% lower bone density compared to other women. The physicians therefore concluded that prematurely grey hair can constitute a risk factor for osteoporosis ; however, the cause is not yet known. Blue eyes Eye this paragraph. In 1990, Dr. Michel Allard and his Ispen foundation team (Paris) went in " search of the centenarian secret ". Among the questions raised in this survey of over 756 hundred years old, this ; Are there any particular physical characteristics pertaining to these uncommon individuals ? Answer : Yes ! In the general propulation, explain Dr. Allard, 31% of French people have blue or blue grey eyes and 55% have dark eyes (brown or black). Among the centenarious, this proportion is reversed with respectively 51% blue eyes and 36% brown or black eyes. So blue eyes are the key to eternity ? Writing this article has given me some more grey hair. I have mixed feelings, is it serious this new specialty or is it a pseudoscience ? But I think about it, with grey hair ! grey hair ! grey hair ! I think that I am going to take some T .P.C. (# 875) and some CA-W (#732), just in case... Sonia Faggion Happy New Year 2000 ! Reference : Sciences et Avenir, Novembre 1999 # 632 & 633