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A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

nytimes.com

21–30 of 152 posts

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#21

It mentions statins as something obviously good but is there any evidence they're actually beneficial? I thought cholesterol was good now?

Some doctors and researchers believe the benefit from statins is more to do with the decrease in inflammation caused by them. Possibly widespread use of statins has beneficial effects on other disease processes too.

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#22
post #13

Curious, if the cause is the decline in cigarette consumption; here's a graph showing roughly 100 years of data for the topic: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p4ECPyex_cY/TzSalazW2XI/AAAAAAAAA2...

The lines do seem to correlate. In the case of stomach cancer, I'm wondering if there's a similar correlation between the decline in chewing tobacco and the decline in stomach cancer. Chew is full of fiberglass and other stuff, and if you swallow any of the juice you're swallowing that stuff. It's impossible to clear it all from your mouth after you finish chewing, too.

OT: I'm pretty sure fiberglass in chew is a myth.

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#23
post #13

Curious, if the cause is the decline in cigarette consumption; here's a graph showing roughly 100 years of data for the topic: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p4ECPyex_cY/TzSalazW2XI/AAAAAAAAA2...

The lines do seem to correlate. In the case of stomach cancer, I'm wondering if there's a similar correlation between the decline in chewing tobacco and the decline in stomach cancer. Chew is full of fiberglass and other stuff, and if you swallow any of the juice you're swallowing that stuff. It's impossible to clear it all from your mouth after you finish chewing, too.

When smokers give up smoking they start to clear their lungs. They cough up phlegm. many people swallow that, not spit it out. That increases risk of mouth, throat, stomach, bladder, and penis cancer.

Tobacco is already pretty harmful.

> Chew is full of fiberglass

No, it isn't.

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#24
post #10

This is weird: >Until the late 1930s, stomach cancer was >the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths in the >United States.

I found a chart showing the prevalence of multiple forms of cancer over time: http://i52.tinypic.com/r9euci.jpg .

Not sure what the source is on that chart, but I'll assume it's credible. If that's the case, then despite what the article says, it's hard to believe that most of this decline is not accounted for by the decline in smoking. Surely the decline in smoking accounts for the vast majority of the lung cancer decline, and the peaks for colon and prostate cancer are very close to the same time.

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#25
post #20

This is weird: >Until the late 1930s, stomach cancer was >the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths in the >United States.

Widespread refrigeration removed the need for cured and salted meats. This is widely thought to explain the discrepancy.

In the later 50's the FDA also put strict limits on the amount of sodium nitrite allowed in cured meats. And required the addition of ascorbic acid. The latter supposedly neutralizes the nitrite when the meat is heated/cooked.

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#26

It mentions statins as something obviously good but is there any evidence they're actually beneficial? I thought cholesterol was good now?

LDL cholesterol and triglycerides are harmful. Higher values of those cause higher risk of coronary artery disease and earlier death. HDL cholesterol ("good cholesterol") appears to have no effect, at least the scalar quantity that we measure with current lab tests.

Statins reduce risk of death in proportion to their reduction of LDL cholesterol, so most likely this effect is a consequence of decreased LDL cholesterol.

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#27

It mentions statins as something obviously good but is there any evidence they're actually beneficial? I thought cholesterol was good now?

Some doctors and researchers believe the benefit from statins is more to do with the decrease in inflammation caused by them. Possibly widespread use of statins has beneficial effects on other disease processes too.

Yeah I think there was a large study done comparing a newer cholesterol lowering drug with statins. The result was the new non-statin drug wasn't effective at all even though it lowered cholesterol levels.

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#28
post #6
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ans: Diabetes

Any idea if that includes Type I, or only Type II?

Type II.

Type II is insulin resistance. Which is probably caused by our industrial diet and maybe other factors. The rate is increasing dramatically.

Type I is an autoimmune disease. I think it's not increasing. (no idea)

Re: A Medical Mystery of the Best Kind: Major Diseases Are in Decline

#30
post #24
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found a chart showing the prevalence of multiple forms of cancer over time: http://i52.tinypic.com/r9euci.jpg .

Not sure what the source is on that chart, but I'll assume it's credible. If that's the case, then despite what the article says, it's hard to believe that most of this decline is not accounted for by the decline in smoking. Surely the decline in smoking accounts for the vast majority of the lung cancer decline, and the peaks for colon and prostate cancer are very close to the same time.

Smoking also increase the time it takes to recover from surgery fwiw
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