Body News.(health news)

Body News by Kristin Sainani

Risky Drinking

Risky Drinking In terms of breast cancer risk, binge drinking seems more harmful than regular moderate drinking -- even if the total amount of alcohol consumed is

the same. Researchers tracked 17,647 women for eight years. Those who reported having one to three drinks per week had a small increase in breast cancer risk -- about 2 percent per additional drink each week. But women who had four to five drinks at a time once a week increased their breast cancer risk by 55 percent relative to women having one drink per occasion. And women who had 16 to 21 drinks over the weekend increased their risk by 150 percent. Alcohol raises levels of estrogen, which is associated with breast cancer, says Lina Morch of the Center for Alcohol Research in Denmark. Binge drinking causes blood-alcohol levels to peak, which may lead to greater increases in estrogen and greater buildup of cancer-causing toxins than repeated low-level exposure, she says.

Body News by Kristin Sainani

Anti-Acne Foods

A new study challenges the belief that diet and acne are unrelated. Men with facial acne went on a diet deriving 25 percent of calories from protein, 30 percent from fat, and 45 percent from "low-glycemic-index" carbohydrates such as whole grains, which release sugar into the bloodstream more slowly than high-glycemic foods such as white bread. Another group (doing the same basic skin care) had an equal-calorie diet with typical amounts of protein and refined sugars and flours. After 12 weeks, the group eating more protein and fewer refined carbohydrates had a 50 percent decrease in acne, versus 30 percent