Breast cancer and melatonin
Question:
Heard a brief report on the radio summarising an article in the Lancet. Apparently women who work on aeroplanes are at higher risk for breast cancer, which it used to be surmised was due to exposure to high-altitude radiation. Now there is a theory that it is in fact connected to the lowered levels of melatonin associated with jet lag. Studies on cancer cells and on mice suggest a protective effect of melatonin, and they are going to do further studies on female air crews. The brief piece didn’t make clear whether the possible protective effect of melatonin was against all cancers, or breast cancer only…….. Anyone seen the actual piece in the Lancet ? Kate
Response:
On 21 Aug 1998 18:39:02 GMT, Karen Kay <ka…@wordwrite.com> wrote: >Kate <katen…@club-internet.fr> wrote: >> The brief piece didn’t make clear whether the possible protective effect of >> melatonin was against all cancers, or breast cancer only…….. >> Anyone seen the actual piece in the Lancet ? >It’s not available on the web site.:( >Karen > ka…@wordwrite.com
That’s right but I did find this Lancet letter copied on the Junk Science webpage. http://www.junkscience.com/news3/bcfa.htm Steven J. Milloy seems to dismiss most breast cancer research as "junk science" I’ve noticed. You should read what he thinks about all of the Nurses’ studies. But the webpage is a good source for information. Kathryn droz…@direct.ca
Response:
On 24 Aug 1998 17:49:40 GMT, Karen Kay <ka…@wordwrite.com> wrote: >droz…@direct.ca wrote: >> That’s right but I did find this Lancet letter copied on the Junk >> Science webpage. >> http://www.junkscience.com/news3/bcfa.htm >Thanks SO much for posting this, Kathryn. It’s very interesting to me >that melatonin reinforces the effect of tamoxifen.
Do you want more? I checked today’s additons to Junk Science and came up with this. Does Blindness Protect against Cancers? Editorial by Robert A. Hahn, in Epidemiology, Sept 1998, Vol 9 No 5 http://www.wwilkins.com/EDE/1044-39835-98edit.html#hahn and in the same journal issue Feychting [et al] Reduced Cancer Incidence among the Blind http://www.wwilkins.com/EDE/1044-39835-98abs.html#page490 Yes epidemiological studies show totally blind women have less breast cancer, possibly because they have higher melatonin. But Hahn cautions that totally blind women smoke less but have an earlier menarche and fewer children and ALL these sort of factors need to be considered when looking at these type of statistics. Total confusion. Hence the selection for the Junk Science page I assume, but Steven Milloy is critical of many epidemiology studies. >The other reason that I was glad I read this article was because it >*FINALLY* explained why I get so sleepy on the first day of my period: >melatonin levels are highest then. Lowest at ovulation.
Hmmm, then why insomnia just before a period ? That was always my problem. If you are interested in melatonin, you might like to read the whole article that Robert mentioned earlier that is in the Scientific American Presents Women’s Health (Vol 9 No2) It is online. There might be a gender difference in the way women and men react to artificial light. But keep in mind, [quoting the author] "the relation between these findings and those regarding cortisol and estrogen are also unclear, because we don’t know whether the duration of melatonin secretion affects reproductive finction in women, as it surely does in animals" "Why are so many women depressed" by Ellen Leibenluft, M.D. http://www.sciam.com/1998/0698womens/0698leibenluft.html >Karen > ka…@wordwrite.com
Kathryn droz…@direct.ca
