Time spent watching television is not associated with death among breast cancer survivors

Study evaluates the link between sedentary time and death among cancer survivors

2013-01-31

(Press-News.org) Spending a lot of time watching television after breast cancer diagnosis is not linked to death in these breast cancer survivors. It appears that after accounting for self-reported physical activity levels after diagnosis, sedentary behavior was not an independent risk factor for death. These findings by Stephanie George, from the National Cancer Institute, and her colleagues, are published online in Springer's Journal of Cancer Survivorship.

On the one hand, research indicates that taking part in regular, moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity after a breast cancer diagnosis may reduce the risk of death. On the other hand, it has been suggested that sedentary time may have negative health consequences. George and team's study is one of the first to evaluate the link between sedentary time and death among cancer survivors, in order to help inform lifestyle recommendations for this expanding and aging population.

Two and a half years after diagnosis, 687 women diagnosed with breast cancer, who took part in the Health, Eating and Lifestyle (HEAL) Study, were asked about the amount of time they spent sitting watching television, and the type, duration and frequency of activities they performed in the past year. They were then followed up for a further seven years, during which time the researchers recorded 89 deaths.

Overall, women who watched the most television were older, more overweight and less active than those who watched the least. More deaths were observed for those who watched the most vs. the least television. However, once self-reported physical activity levels were taken into account along with other important risk factors, the relationship authors observed between television watching and death was weakened and no longer significant.

Dr. George concludes: "It is possible that there is no true independent relationship between post-diagnosis television time and death. HEAL survivors who reported the most television time also reported the equivalent of 140 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity - which is the amount recommended to all adults for general health. Perhaps with this amount of recreational activity, television time may not have an independent effect on survival."

### Reference George S et al (2013). The association between television watching time and all-cause mortality after breast cancer. Journal of Cancer Survivorship; DOI 10.1007/s11764-013-0265-y

The full-text article is available to journalists on request.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Policy, enforcement may stop employees from wasting time online at work, researcher finds

2013-01-31

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Businesses must deal with weary-eyed office workers who are sitting behind computer screens and watching cat videos, shopping online and updating their Facebook statuses. A Kansas State University researcher studied cyberloafing -- wasting time at work on the Internet -- and the effects of Internet use policies and punishment on reducing cyberloafing. Joseph Ugrin, assistant professor of accounting at Kansas State University, and John Pearson, associate professor of management at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, found that company policies ...

A new mechanism that contributes to the evolution of cancer

2013-01-31

Cancer arises from the accumulation of mutations and structural changes in chromosomes, which in some cases give rise to combinations that favour the growth or expansion of the disease. In this context, chromosomes tend to lose or duplicate entire regions, although, the mechanisms that initiate these chromosomal abnormalities are not fully understood. A study published this week in the journal Cell, in which researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) participated, demonstrates a new mechanism that explains how these changes originate in the chromosomes ...

New Geology study raises questions about long-held theories of human evolution

2013-01-31

What came first: the bipedal human ancestor or the grassland encroaching on the forest? A new analysis of the past 12 million years' of vegetation change in the cradle of humanity is challenging long-held beliefs about the world in which our ancestors took shape – and, by extension, the impact it had on them. The research combines sediment core studies of the waxy molecules from plant leaves with pollen analysis, yielding data of unprecedented scope and detail on what types of vegetation dominated the landscape surrounding the African Rift Valley (including present-day ...

Joslin scientists find first human iPSC from patients with maturity onset diabetes of the young

2013-01-31

BOSTON – January 31, 2013 – Joslin scientists report the first generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells from patients with an uncommon form of diabetes, maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY). These cells offer a powerful resource for studying the role of genetic factors in the development of MODY and testing potential treatments. The findings appear in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are adult cells that have been genetically reprogrammed to exhibit the characteristics of embryonic stem cells, including ...

Personalized medicine eliminates need for drug in 2 children

2013-01-31

This press release is available in French.Using genome-wide analysis, investigators at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and the University of Montreal have potentially eliminated a lifetime drug prescription that two children with a previously unknown type of adrenal insufficiency had been receiving for 14 years. Over a lifespan, the adjustment in treatment represents an approximate saving of $10,000 in drug and test costs per patient. Moreover, the less invasive treatment regime can potentially reduce the lifetime risk of hypertension in the patients. ...

Nanomaterials key to developing stronger artificial hearts

2013-01-31

On January 30, 2013 ACS Nano published a study by Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, MASc, Brigham and Women's Hospital Division of Biomedical Engineering, detailing the creation of innovative cardiac patches that utilize nanotechnology to enhance the conductivity of materials to induce cardiac tissue formation. Creation of these ultra-thin cardiac patches put medicine a step closer to durable, high-functioning artificial tissues that could be used to repair damaged hearts and other organs. The cardiac tissue patches utilize a hydrogel scaffolding reinforced by nanomaterials called ...

Pediatric orthopaedic surgeons show age-related patterns of spine injury in ATV injuries

2013-01-31

Memphis, Tenn. – Children continue to account for a disproportionate percentage of morbidity and mortality from ATV-related accidents – up 240 percent since 1997, according to a Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics report published by pediatric orthopaedic surgeons at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. The surgeons – who studied data from the Kids' Inpatient Database – found spine-related injuries from all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in the United States are more common in older children and in females, unlike males in most trauma studies. ATV-related spine injuries in children ...

Researcher uncovers potential cause, biomarker for autism and proposes study to investigate theory

2013-01-31

NEW YORK, NY — A New York-based physician-researcher from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, best known for his research into fertility and twinning, has uncovered a potential connection between autism and a specific growth protein that could eventually be used as a way to predict an infant's propensity to later develop the disease. The protein, called insulin-like growth factor (IGF), is especially involved in the normal growth and development of babies' brain cells. Based on findings of prior published studies, Touro researcher Gary Steinman, MD, PhD, proposes that ...

Working alone won't get you good grades

2013-01-31

Students who work together and interact online are more likely to be successful in their college classes, according to a study published Jan. 30 in the journal Nature Scientific Reports and co-authored by Manuel Cebrian, a computer scientist at the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California San Diego. Cebrian and colleagues analyzed 80,000 interactions between 290 students in a collaborative learning environment for college courses. The major finding was that a higher number of online interactions was usually an indicator of a higher score in the class. ...

Adding new members to group increases distrust among older members, impacts coordination

2013-01-31

Adding a new member to a working group can create distrust between members and hinder group functions, but a new study suggests that the distrust created is between older group members rather than about the newcomers- especially when previous group performance with just the older group members is poor. The results are part of a study published January 30 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Matthew McCarter and Roman Sheremeta from Chapman University (U.S). Previous studies report that changing members in an existing group hurts group performance, but the underlying ...

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Time spent watching television is not associated with death among breast cancer survivors

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: