Posted on 09/25/2005 6:49:17 PM PDT by blam
Breast cancer more likely in left-handers
By Duncan Gardham
(Filed: 26/09/2005)
Women who are left-handed are more than twice as likely to contract breast cancer before the menopause as right-handed women, research has found.
Scientists believe the cause may lie in the exposure to high levels of sex hormones before birth which can induce left-handedness as well as changes in breast tissue.
Epidemiologists in the Netherlands looked at more than 12,000 healthy middle-aged women as part of their research, published in the British Medical Journal today.
"Although the underlying mechanisms remain elusive, our results support the hypothesis that left-handedness is related to increased risk of breast cancer," said the authors.
Risk factors such as social and economic status, smoking habits, family history and reproductive history were also recorded.
But the results showed that adjusting for risk factors made no difference to the increased chances of left-handed women contracting the disease.
The risk increased to 1.39 times that for right-handed women overall and 2.41 times for premenopausal cancer.
"This risk is compatible with left handedness being a marker of constitutional risk rather than of environmental risk as with postmenopausal breast cancer."
The cause of left-handedness has previously been attributed to the hormone diethylstilbestrol and the authors suggest that this may also be responsible for the increased risk of breast cancer.
So very sorry to hear that.
I happen to be left-handed. Guess I'll have to keep this in mind.
Sorry to hear about your wife.
I'm quite sure DES is/was involved in endometriosis (me being an example) but how do you account with so MANY women having endometriosis who weren't in contact with DES?
IMO, it's the hormones injected into cows & thus makes its way into dairy products that has a direct relationship to the endometriosis.
...amphibious, kinda like Yogi Berra!
She was right-handed.
My mother (a twin) had breast cancer.
She was right-handed.
My aunt (my mother's twin) had breast cancer.
She was right-handed.
I had breast cancer.
I am right-handed.
I am left-handed. I am doomed. DOOMED!!!!!!!
I am so sorry for the loss of your wife....my mom had breast cancer and she was a rightie!!!! More junk science
My left-handed sister-in-law developed breast cancer, but we both now believe it was due to stress from her job. She survived just fine, but I do believe stress, whatever the source, can really be a contributing factor.
My mom passed from the same thing, right handed.
Stress can send your immune system down, but I don't know if that is a cause.
A switch hitter? Just kidding :-)
I throw right, sew right, bowl and golf right, eat using my right hand, throw out cards with my right hand, I do everything with my right hand, except...write!
We are opposites!
I thought it was the mother who took DES that then caused problems in the daughters. The victims of endometriosis would not necessarily have direct contact with DES.
Thanks for the clarification! I did think the growth hormones were given to cattle for a lot longer than 10 years. (I read that somewhere, not sure where) Would have to have been given more like 45-55 years ago for many of us.
There has to be SOME reason why endometriosis is so widespread. Could it be that it's just diagnosed better now?
You're correct in the second paragraph regarding the mothers & daughters...endometriosis is not necessarily the result, but there are myriads of other health issues due to DES. The endometriosis could just be ONE of many problems. Isn't in utero direct contact?
My mom died from breast cancer that metastasized. I remember her telling me that after each birth they gave these huge pills that were supposed to dry you up if you weren't nursing. She had five of us in the fifties when breast feeding was highly discouraged. I've always wondered if the rise in breast cancer isn't connected to that medication along with lack of breast-feeding. Breast-feeding is supposed to be protective against breast cancer although they say it's long term breast-feeding that has the best effects. Sounds more reasonable than handedness.
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