UF Health Podcasts

Thanks to our genes, the environment and our lifestyles, cancer cases have more than doubled worldwide since 1990.

And the disease, in all its forms, is on track to rise more than 60% by the year 2050.

These woeful statistics and predictions come from a study by hundreds of researchers, all part of the Global Burden of Disease Study Cancer Collaborators, who gathered data from registries, death records and interviews in 204 countries and territories.

If there is even a smidge of optimism to be gleaned from the study, it is that more than 40% of cancer deaths around the world are linked to 44 modifiable risk factors, including smoking, poor diets and high blood sugar.

So, our collective fate, as it pertains to cancer, is not inevitable.

But the researchers stressed in the study that changing the cancer forecast will require much stronger action from governments and policymakers. It will take expanded prevention efforts, earlier diagnosis and better access to effective treatments. And so far, they say, cancer prevention is not the priority it could be.

Much of cancer’s burden will fall on those in low- to middle-income countries. And much of it will be because the planet’s population is growing and rapidly aging.

The study included other notable findings: From 1990 to 2023, Lebanon had the largest increase in cancer incidence and mortality rates for both sexes, regardless of age. The United Arab Emirates saw the greatest age-adjusted decline in cancer incidence, while Kazakhstan’s cancer death rates dropped the most.

For now, not smoking, improving your diet and keeping your blood sugar in check are your best bets for avoiding a dreaded disease.

Genetic testing can play a valuable role in human and animal health, alike. Canine genetic testing can screen for hundreds of inherited diseases, reveal traits and tendencies based on breed, support better training and behavior awareness, and, ultimately, improve veterinary care and long-term wellbeing. On this episode of Animal Airwaves Live, Dr. Rebecca Nance-Richey, a biomedical research scientist in our department of small animal clinical sciences, discusses the value of genetic information, what defines a breed genetically, and how breed and health panels actually work for your pooch. Plus, she offers anecdotal experience with her German Shepherd, Stella, who was identified as at-risk for Degenerative Myelopathy through canine genetic testing.

Cancer, the emperor of all maladies, has a deservedly bad reputation. Its treatments are punishing; its prognosis dependent on how willing the cancer is to be caught early, or on how easy it is to remove. Sometimes, people go into remission. Other times, they don’t.

Now, a new study in mice homes in on another negative impact of the disease: the way it disrupts sleep, and the way it might trigger anxiety.

Yes, having a disease that can shorten your lifespan — or end it prematurely — is anxiety-inducing. But what’s going on behind the scenes?

Your brain is an expert at sensing what’s going on in your body, researchers said. But that is highly dependent on your neurons being perfectly timed, active and dancing to the right “rhythm.” When that rhythm is disrupted, even briefly, it can impact the brain.

Researchers found that breast cancer can obstruct the way that day and night hormones are expressed, impacting sleep. Typically, these hormones rise and fall at predictable times of day. But the presence of breast cancer caused the hormones to remain steady, which was linked to a higher mortality in mice.

The surprising part? These rhythms were disrupted quickly — even before the breast cancer caused physically noticeable tumor growth.

Upon closer inspection, researchers noticed certain neurons in the hippocampus appeared active, but produced a weak signal. When they stimulated them to bring back the right “rhythm” at the right time of day, anticancer immune cells moved into tumors, causing them to shrink.

Next steps will focus on better understanding how tumors disrupt the day-to-day rhythms in the first place… potentially preventing cancer from marching to the beat of its own drum.

Americans drink an average of about 2½ gallons of alcohol a year.

An analysis of 62 research studies says it’s not safe. The thread that runs through those previous studies is that alcohol is consistently tied to breast, colorectal and liver cancer.

Data from more than 100 million adults showed a breast cancer link in nearly 40% of all the studies, making it the most common cancer associated with drinking.

In the study, researchers from Florida Atlantic University, Case Western Reserve University and the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s emergency department found that beer, wine and liquor all showed cancer connections in multiple studies. So no type of drink is inherently safer than another.

Even a few drinks in a week showed an elevated risk of cancer, although heavier and more frequent drinking increased risk more.

The researchers noted that despite alcohol being classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, warning labels and public health messages rarely mention cancer risk.

Following breast cancer, colorectal cancer was the second most frequently identified cancer in 13 studies. Liver cancer appeared in 10.

The study revealed some interesting tidbits. Some studies found alcohol was associated with a reduced risk of glioma, a type of brain tumor, and multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.

The wealthier among us tend to drink more alcohol overall, but those with lower socioeconomic status face worse outcomes when they do, because of barriers like not having access to quality health care.

The researchers say Americans need straightforward information about the risks of alcohol. Without that, how can they decide if the next drink is worth it?

Giant pandas might be onto something. Move over, broccoli. Bamboo is the latest superfood identified by scientists.

Bamboo shoots have been part of the human diet in Asia for ages. In the West, however, bamboo is little recognized as a healthy treat. But now, an international team of scientists has reviewed available research and found that bamboo offers significant health benefits.

First, an important caveat. You’re not a panda. Never eat raw bamboo shoots, the tender young sprouts of the bamboo plant.

They are harvested before they mature into hard, fibrous stalks that are difficult to digest. Before eating, the tough outer husks must be removed, and the shoots must be boiled to break down naturally occurring toxic compounds.

Once properly prepared, they’re apparently quite healthy.

The researchers reviewed studies involving nearly 5,000 human subjects, as well as laboratory studies of human cells.

They found that bamboo can lower cholesterol, and also lower blood sugar for people with diabetes. Compounds in the plant can protect human cells from damage and reduce inflammation, heading off the cellular stress that contributes to aging and disease.

Bamboo extract also seems to have a protective effect when added to fried foods, reducing their harmful compounds by 76%.

While the study’s authors call for more research, the findings also add to bamboo’s allure as a hugely beneficial plant for humankind. Bamboo acts as a carbon sink, absorbing greenhouse gases.

It’s also a fast grower, making it a good, sustainable wood alternative.

One other benefit not in the study: Watching pandas would seem to be a great stress reliever.

It might not seem like it at the time if the grandkids are making a ruckus. But babysitting them might be good for Grandma and Grandpa’s brains.

A recent study in the journal Psychology and Aging suggested that grandparents’ memory, verbal fluency and other cognitive skills were fortified by the caregiving of their grandkids.

Scientists tracked 2,900 English grandparents over a five-year study to see how caring for grandkids affected cognition. They found that grandmothers also experienced slower cognitive decline.

Grandfathers also enjoy cognitive benefits from interacting with their grandchildren. However, results showed no slowing of cognitive decline compared with men who didn’t babysit.

The differences between sexes are probably tied to gender roles. Grandmothers provide a more direct caregiving role, including meal preparation and planning. Researchers suggest that grandfathers play a more supportive role alongside their spouse.

The study also notes that when one grandparent performed all caregiving duties, it was most usually a grandmother.

Researchers believe that how often one cares for the grandkids isn’t a big factor. Just because someone is frequently tending to them, for example, doesn’t mean the quality of the interaction is the same. And higher-quality activities, like helping a child with their homework, make a greater cognitive difference than, say, watching television with them.

Playing with a child is another activity that appears to supercharge the cognitive effect, along with helping with homework.

Grandparents need not think of visiting their grandkids as babysitting. They’re actually exercising their brains.

It’s probably never going to replace a visit to the gym as a weight-loss strategy. But as we approach another Valentine’s Day, it’s good to remember that kissing your significant other burns a few calories a minute.

That beats a half hour on a treadmill any day of the week.

The pseudo-holiday recognized with schmaltzy cards and heart-shaped candies is healthier than you might realize. That is, if you don’t indulge in too many chocolates.

February 14 is also a poignant reminder of just how detrimental loneliness and a lack of companionship can be to well-being. A life without affection and human interaction can lead to depression, susceptibility to other mood disorders and increased pain. It also suppresses the immune system.

Loneliness raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can contribute to long-term cardiovascular problems.

The American Heart Association reminds us that human touch and affection hike levels of dopamine. This hormone creates the feeling of pleasure and reward in our brains. It makes us happy.

A 2014 study in Psychological Science measured the stress levels of 400 adults and asked them how frequently they got hugs. Then, participants agreed to be exposed to a cold virus. Which group got sick more often? You guessed it: the hug-deprived.

Handholding, kissing, hugging and friendly conversation all make us feel better about ourselves. And that makes us healthier. This is also a good reminder to reach out to friends who might be feeling lonely.

Even if you aren’t someone’s Valentine, your companionship and conversation can go a long way to making them feel better.

And it could just make you feel better about yourself.

Whether it’s ultraprocessed foods, screens or microplastics, parents are tasked with skirting a bevy of risks to typical childhood development. Now, a new one arises: increasing temperatures.

A study from NYU suggests that children who experienced unusually warm conditions — like an average maximum temperature above 86 °F — were 5 to 6.7% less likely to reach expected literacy and numeracy milestones compared with kids living in cooler environments of 78°F or lower during the same season and region.

Researchers looked at data from more than 19,000 children between the ages of 3 and 4, from countries including Georgia, Madagascar, Gambia and Sierra Leone, among others. The team chose these countries due to the availability of detailed data on child development, household living conditions and climate, which allowed the scientists to approximate the amount of heat each child experienced.

Then, to evaluate how children were developing, scientists applied the Early Childhood Development Index, which tracks milestones across four key areas: reading and basic math skills, social-emotional development, approaches to learning, and physical development. They combined this information with another large-scale survey that included demographic and well-being indicators like education, nutrition and sanitation.

By merging these datasets with climate records that contained average monthly temperatures, researchers were able to look at possible links between early development and heat exposure — and make a point to explore heat’s impact on development in future studies.

Though we understand the parent cleaning up a spill of orange juice and cereal likely has more immediate concerns than rising temperatures…

Decades ago, tattoos were often considered the domain of sailors who loved images of anchors on their biceps.

Granted, there was some truth to that. In the age of Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964, tattoos were frequently associated with soldiers, sailors and roughnecks.

According to one estimate, slightly more than one in 10 Baby Boomers had a tattoo. Today, a third of Americans boast body art.

And for some people, that comes with a health risk.

A recent study by Swedish researchers suggests that tattoos are associated with a 29% higher risk of melanoma, an aggressive skin cancer. That result adjusts for sun exposure, skin type and sunburn history.

Researchers note the risk of melanoma from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation still far outpaces tattoos as a risk factor for skin cancer. That, however, doesn’t make the news any less concerning.

Investigators were surprised that only 30% of the melanomas tracked occurred at the site of the tattoo. They say this indicates that the ingredients in ink have a systemic effect on the recipient, probably via the immune system.

The black ink in tattoos can contain high levels of a type of hydrocarbon that is a known carcinogen. Color inks aren’t off the hook, either. They often contain a type of pigment that breaks down into another carcinogen when exposed to UV radiation from the sun or tanning beds. Heavy metals are also found in many inks.

The risk of melanoma increases the longer someone has had a tattoo.

Experts suggest sticking with a professional when getting body art. They’re less likely to use unregulated inks.

You don’t want the mark a tattoo leaves to be a spot of melanoma.

Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite subject: foot fungus. Specifically, the kind you tend to get in your toenails.

While it’s not exactly dinner table conversation, toenail fungus is a popular issue to have. According to the Cleveland Clinic, one in 10 people are managing the affliction, a number that jumps up to one in two after the age of 70. Though largely benign, the fungus can pose serious problems for older adults.

For the blissfully uninitiated, toenail fungus is characterized by chalky, clouded nails that are changed in color, thickening and raising from the nail bed. There is also, of course, a smell. If you have athlete’s foot, you are more likely to incur this unpleasant condition, which can be invited by places like public locker rooms and exacerbated by being barefoot in them.

Aside from the smell, toenail fungus gains some of its notoriety for how difficult it is to eradicate. It can take up to a year of topical treatments for it to go off on its merry way, and oral antifungal tablets, which can shorten treatment time, can also bring a host of unpleasant side effects.

Researchers from Bath are turning toward a treatment as stinky as its assigned enemy: a cure in the form of hydrogen sulfide, which you likely know to smell like rotten eggs.

It can penetrate nails and disrupt the fungal pathogens by eliminating their energy systems — even, or especially, those that have resisted standard treatment.

While the study has only been conducted in a lab, in vitro, researchers hope to have a compound ready for patient use within the next five years.

For now, we’ll keep putting our best, stinky foot forward.