This week, Macmillan Cancer Support  published their report Cancer: Then and Now. This report looked at diagnosis, treatment and aftercare from 1970 to 2016.

The report revealed that people are twice as likely to survive at least 10 years after being diagnosed with cancer than they were if they were diagnosed at the start of the 1970s. It is thought that this improvement in survival is due to earlier diagnosis and better treatment. Whilst there is good news generally there are some cancers where survival rates are still very low and these include lung and pancreatic cancer.  Macmillan states that the survival rates for these two cancers have not changed over the past 30 to 40 years.

When it comes to treatment Macmillan’s report reveals that treatment has improved significantly since the 1970s. Treatments now have a greater precision and are thus more effective. Techniques that are used in surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy have been refined so that there are less side effects. In surgery, new techniques that use robotics have allowed previously inoperable tumours to become operable. Radiotherapy has become less crude and new methods can more accurately focus on the cancer.  There are more chemotherapy drugs now than ever before and there is a greater understanding of how to manage the side effects. Newer types of treatments have been developed since the 1970s these include biological therapies which use our body’s immune system to target cancer cells.

Whilst Macmillan’s report celebrates the advances in cancer survival they do highlight that the disease continues to be very devastating affecting a person long after their treatment comes to an end. Many people will experience long-term side effects such as chronic fatigue,  incontinence, disability and general poor health. Thus the need for an effective after-care plan.

When comparing after-care over the last 30 to 40 years, Macmillan’s report explains that in the 1970s and 80s support for patients wasn’t commonplace. Now there are several organisations that offer comprehensive cancer support programmes ensuring that patients are catered for and their needs are met.

Finally, Macmillan’s report looked at end of life care and how that has changed over the years. They state that in the 70s end of life care lacked planning and expertise, but this area has now become a “highly developed field of practice that increasingly puts the patient’s needs and compassion at its heart”

This report was very interesting highlighting the progress that has been made in the treatment, diagnosis and support provided to patients.

The Lake Foundation has been playing its little part through its cancer support group.  For more information about our support group please email us

You can download Macmillan’s report below.

There are several medical procedures used to treat fibroids.  Some of these result in infertility and because of this, as well as unease with these procedures, many women are seeking less invasive more “natural” options. But, are these effective?

One area that has been explored is the use of green tea extract which has been used for a variety of medical reasons with some success.

What research has been done?

 To explore this area we’ll be looking at a research paper published in the International Journal of Women’s Health in 2013 – ‘Treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids with green tea extract: a pilot randomised controlled clinical study.’

Why green tea extract?

In the research paper, the investigators described why they decided to look at green tea extract.  They explained that green tea contains epigallocatechin gallate which has been shown to have useful biological effects. These include: anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative (stops cells from growing) and antioxidant effects.

They stated that a study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture reported that great tea has an anti-cancer effect. Additionally, they quoted further research that showed that green tea stops the growth of tumours. From these studies, it is safe to conclude that as fibroids are benign tumours green tea extract may be an effective treatment.

Furthermore, at the time of conducting their research, there were no effective drug treatment  for fibroids. So there was a need to explore this area to explore the possibility of developing the first drug treatment.

The researchers had also conducted some preliminary work, not on humans but on fibroid cells grown in their lab and in a mouse model of fibroids. This was very promising with their experiments on the fibroid cells showing that green tea extract caused the cells to stop growing and die. Whilst in the mouse model they saw a significant amount of fibroid shrinkage.

What did they do?

The researchers conducted a small clinical study which included 33 women with fibroids.  Twenty-two women were given green tea extract and eleven women were not. To ensure the outcome of the study wasn’t compromised, the women taking part and the study staff didn’t know who was receiving the extract and who wasn’t (double blind study). The treatment lasted for four months and women were followed up monthly.

The aim of the study was to determine whether treatment with green tea extract could:

• reduce the size of a patient’s fibroids;
• reduce the severity of symptoms; and
• improve quality of life.

What were their findings?

When looking at those women who were given green tea extract the researchers determined that, on average, the size of their fibroids decreased  by 32.6%. Meanwhile those women who didn’t receive the extract actually experienced an average increase in the size of their fibroids of 24.2%.

The researchers then looked at the severity of symptoms and a similar trend was seen. In the women given green tea extract there was a significant decrease in the severity of their symptoms, but there was an increase in symptom severity in those not treated.

Next, the researchers analysed quality of life. They found that the  overall average increase in the quality of life score in women treated with green tea extract was 20.7 (i.e. their quality of life improved significantly). But in women not treated with green tree extract there was only a 2.19 increase in their quality of life score.

Finally, the study looked at menstrual bleeding and they were able to show that green tea extract caused a significant decline in average blood flow, there was no such effect seen in women not treated.

Conclusions

Based on their findings the researchers concluded that:

“… green tea extract has a significant positive effect on the reduction of uterine fibroid burden and symptoms severity. Thus, administration of green tea extract could possibly be an effective oral treatment.”

The Limitations of this Research

It is worth bearing in mind that this was a very small study with only 33 women taking part. This study needs to be repeated on a larger scale to confirm this finding and ensure its accuracy.

To find out more about this study you can read the full paper below.

This week the UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition published their report on vitamin D and health. This was an interesting report that provided some useful background on vitamin D. This included the benefits of vitamin D, an analysis of whether people in the UK are getting enough vitamin D and recommendations on how to ensure that we all have sufficient levels.

Background

 The report stated that vitamin D is important in regulating the amount of calcium and phosphorus in the body and is made in the skin upon exposure to sunlight that contains sufficient levels of UVB radiation. Sunlight is the main source of vitamin D for most people but it can also be obtained from our diet and supplements.

Dietary sources and supplements become important during the winter months when UVB radiation is limited, in people who spend a lot of time indoors and in people who cover their body when they go outdoors.

Previous Guidance On Recommended Levels of Vitamin D Were Not Sufficient

In 1991, Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) for vitamin D were set by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA). These values were only based on preventing rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

A Reference Nutrition Intake(RNI) for vitamin D was not set for people with regular exposure to sunlight. This is because it was felt that the exposure to sunlight in the summer would balance out the lack of exposure in the winter. Therefore RNIs were set only for people at risk of a vitamin D deficiency. This included infants aged 0-3 years old; pregnant and breastfeeding woman; those over 65 years old; those with limited sunlight exposure; and Asian women and children.

 The Need for this Current Report

There was a need for new guidance because previous guidance was not extensive and a significant amount of research has been conducted on vitamin D since publishing the previous guidance. Therefore the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition carried out a review with the aim of exploring the Dietary Reference Values for vitamin D and to make recommendations. This work started in 2010 and the findings were published  this week.

The Committee’s Findings

The committee looked at a range of health outcomes to determine whether these could help determine what the Dietary Reference Values for vitamin D should be.

They first explored muscle and bone health outcomes and then reproductive health, cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, infectious diseases, oral health and other health comes. They wanted to see if there was a clear link between these health outcomes and  vitamin D supplementation and levels of vitamin D. So, they were looking at what levels of vitamin D could positively affect these health outcomes.

They found that the only reliable data they could use to determine what the Dietary Reference Values should be were those related to muscle and bone health outcomes. These outcomes included rickets, osteomalacia, falls, muscle strength and muscle function.

For the other health outcomes the data was inconsistent so further work is needed to determine whether vitamin D has a beneficial effect on these conditions.

Recommendations

Based on their findings the committee made the following recommendations:

1. To protect musculoskeletal health, the serum 25(OH)D – a marker of vitamin D status- of individuals in the UK should not fall below 25nmol/L  at any time of the year.

2. Those at risk of having serum 25 (OH) D below 25nmol/L are: those who spend the least amount of time outdoors (frail and institutionalised people), those that wear clothing that covers most of their skin when they are outdoors  and those from ethnic groups with dark skin.

3. A Reference Nutrition Intake (RNI) for vitamin D of 10ug/d is recommended for the UK population aged 4 years and above. This includes pregnant and lactating women and population groups at risk of having low levels of vitamin D. A separate RNI is not required for these groups as was advised previously.

4. RNI should be applicable throughout the year, as a precautionary measure, to cover population groups in the UK identified to be at risk of having low vitamin D levels.

5. The RNI refers to all intakes from dietary sources: natural food sources, fortified foods and supplements. (They note that it is difficult to achieve the RNI with natural food sources alone so the government needs to develop a strategy for the UK population to achieve the RNI of 10ug/d).

This was a very informative report and one the black community in the UK should take note of as we are at risk of having low levels of vitamin D. This is because the melanin  in our skin doesn’t absorb as much UV radiation. This means that we have to ensure that we obtain vitamin D from dietary sources and we should be aiming for the 10ug/d the report suggests.

For more information you can download the full report below.

Yesterday, Public Health England published its guidance on how to get adults more active. In their report they state the benefit of physical activity –  it improves the physical and mental wellbeing of individuals. Then they explain how much activity adults should take part in. They recommend that adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more.

They describe moderate-intensity activities as anything that causes you to get warmer and breathe harder and gets your heart rate up,  such as cycling or a brisk walk.

It is also recommended that adults aim to be active daily. Additionally, adults should include a muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days of the week to prevent loss of muscle mass.

Finally, their guidance stresses the importance of minimising the amount of time spent sitting for extended periods of time. This increases the risk of a number of health conditions.

They suggest the following to reduce the amount of time sitting:

• Reducing the time spent watching TV, using a computer or playing video games
• Reducing the amount of time sitting during work
• Walking part of the way on a long bus or car journey

Research has shown that many of the UK’s minority ethnic groups have lower rates of physical activity participation and do not achieve the recommended levels of physical activity. Therefore it’s very important that the black community takes notice and becomes more active. The Lake Foundation through its cycling club is aiming to get our community more active. Please do join us for a fun way to get some exercise. For more information email events@thelakefoundation.com

On 14^th July 2016, Public Health England launched a fourteen week campaign to raise awareness of  the symptoms of lung cancer, lung disease and heart disease.  The campaign will focus on the symptoms of persistent cough and inappropriate breathlessness stressing that a sign of lung cancer or other lung disease could be a cough lasting more than three weeks and/or getting out of breath while doing everyday tasks such as vacuuming.

Additionally, it’s important to note that breathlessness could be a sign of heart disease.

If you, or anyone that you know, are experiencing these conditions please visit your GP and finding these conditions early makes them easier to treat.

Professor Kevin Fenton, PHE National Director for Health and Wellbeing said:

“The estimated number of people with undiagnosed lung cancer, lung disease or heart disease, is deeply concerning. If diagnosed early, these diseases can be managed and treated successfully. This campaign will help people recognise the symptoms and encourage them to seek help, potentially saving lives from what are 3 of the biggest causes of death in England.”

For more information about this campaign, lung cancer and lung disease please click here

Transforming Outcomes and Health Economics Through Imaging (TOHETI) is a three year Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity funded programme. It includes NHS partners across Lambeth and Southwark who are developing a vision of imaging with patient experience at its core.

One of its  aims is to understand how they can better join up services to treat fibroids to offer the best care to their patients. As part of this work they conducted a focus group which identified that more needed to be done to empower, inform and support women with fibroids. Therefore they started a patient support group and this week we had the pleasure of being invited to attend.

TOHETI’s patient support group started in March 2016 and meets every two months. It is facilitated by a specialist nurse and aims to provide women with a safe, informal setting to share their experiences, ask questions, meet other women with fibroids, understand treatment options and learn about how best to manage their situation.

We attended the support group to learn more about TOHETI’s project and to understand how we could collaborate with them.

The women who attended the support group session told very similar stories to women we have met in the work that we’ve been doing. They explained that it took several years for them to be diagnosed and that they didn’t feel well-informed about fibroids or their treatment options. Additionally, attendees explained that fibroids significantly affect their quality of life, including their relationships and emotional wellbeing. They also felt that no one was listening to their concerns. We also briefly discussed diet with one attendee stating that when she adopted a healthy lifestyle  this significantly improved her symptoms but the challenge was maintaining this lifestyle.

Also in attendance were representatives from Gedeon Richter,  the pharmaceutical company that developed the drug ESMYA® which is used to treat fibroids. They were able to answer questions on treatment, particularly on ESMYA®, its benefits and how it works.

This was an interesting  session that highlighted the need for more support for women with fibrioids and we look forward to working with TOHETI to address this.

The next session will be on  Wednesday 5^thOctober at the McNair Centre at Guy’s Hospital. If you’d like to attend  please contact Yvonne Akande (yvonne.akande@kcl.ac.uk).

The UK’s Change For Life programme has once again teamed up with Disney for the 10 Minute Shake Up campaign. This campaign aims to get children active over the summer by encouraging them to do 10 minute bursts of moderate to vigorous activity throughout the day every day, so they meet the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity that children need.

The 10 Minute Shake Up was launched in July 2014 and is back this year. The campaign is inspired by Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory and it uses Disney characters like to get kids involved in a range of fun activities such as swimming,  dancing and ball games.

To find out more visit their website here and for resources to get you started click here

Hi there, my name is Samantha and I’m writing this blog about the exciting cycle journeys with the Lake Foundation.

 I joined the Lake Foundation cycling club after deciding to up my fitness levels and try out my new bike that I had brought. I found out about the club through my local leisure centre.  It had been years since I rode a bike and at first, I lacked motivation getting back onto a bike but finding a group of like-minded people inspired me

By riding with the Lake Foundation twice a month my confidence has boosted, It’s the best way to progress your cycling. You learn how to ride safely and efficiently in a group with trained instructors and it’s far easier to head out for a training ride knowing you’ll be with a group of mates rather than on your own. Cycling really helps you feel physically stronger, it is a great stress buster and I always feel refreshed and relaxed after a ride even if my legs ache a bit.

The best part is that when I first started, I barely could cycle very far but after a few months of cycling with the club, I was able to cycle 20-23 miles. Now I can cycle around 11-13 mph.  In May 16, My friend asked me to join her team to cycle London to Brighton 54 miles. I knew that it would be a big challenge for me but with all of the cycling with the group, I felt confident that I could achieve my goal.

I made it to Brighton in 8 hours. It was hard and gruelling work. At some points, I wanted to give up but I kept going! I’m still feeling the pain now. The first time you see Brighton in front you of is shortly after Ditchling Common it is an amazing sight. I used my GPS to track my journey as I went along and the steepest section was a 30.6% gradient. I prepared in advance for the Beacon by training in the gym alongside the cycling. I’d say that at least 80% of the people I saw on the incline had resorted to walking. Although it was hard work I just kept pushing on, and as I got closer to the top I was rewarded with the most amazing views. Then before I knew it the gradient reduced and I had conquered the Beacon! The best feeling ever! and knowing that it was downhill from there. I had an amazing day of cycling and I loved doing it as part of a team. I would definitely ride it again in the future.

I would most defiantly recommend taking up cycling and joining the Lake Foundation cycling club as it is an amazing way to get to places and when it’s a challenging ride it feels like a real good achievement. You’ll need a reasonable level of fitness but you definitely don’t need to be a super fit racer.  It is much more fun riding as a group and there’s sometimes a café stop on the journeys.

This month is Black Music Month giving us an opportunity to highlight the contribution that black people have made to the music industry.  As I think about all the great music out there, I wonder, can music have a serious role in improving our health and well-being?

We know that music has a huge impact on our emotions. The right song at the right time can be inspiring, make us happy, motivate us to take action and cause us to reflect

So, by extrapolation we could say music must be good for our health because it can make us feel good. But, what does research tell us about the effect of music on our health?

There have been a number of studies exploring the effect of music on our health and they have found that music has a beneficial effect on both our physical and mental health.

Stress and Music

One of the most obvious benefits of music is its effect on anxiety and stress. We’ve all turned to music when we’ve had a particularly stressful day and have needed to create a peaceful calming environment.   Research has shown that the calming effect of music is real with scientists demonstrating that music prevents stress-induced increases in subjective anxiety.

Researchers looked at measures of anxiety (heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels) and found that in a stressful situation these measures were increased in people not exposed to music but not so for those people exposed to music; subjects exposed to music were not anxious and were better able to deal with the stressful situation.

Other studies have confirmed this showing that music can relieve anxiety in a number of situations. These include:

• Improving anxiety levels in cancer patients
• A reduction in pain and anxiety in children undergoing medical and dental procedures
• A reduction in psychological distress during gastrocopic examination

 Mental Health and Music

As well as music being beneficial in alleviating stress and anxiety, music has a role to play in treating mental health conditions.  It can help with the symptoms of depression, improves a person’s ability to carry out cognitive tasks and helps people express emotions.

Furthermore an interesting study looking at the effect of religious music found that listening to religious music regularly was associated with a reduction in death anxiety and an increase in life satisfaction, self-esteem and a sense of control, leading scientists to conclude that listening to religious music promotes psychological well-being

The video below provides a great example of the power of music in improving our mental health

Physical Health and Music

Music also improves our physical health with studies showing that music can help patients with conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and dementia, and can  help us cope better with pain.

When it comes to heart disease researchers found that joyful music improved blood vessel function and can therefore improve the health of our heart. In addition, music has also been shown to improve stroke recovery helping with memory and attention and as mentioned previously music has been shown to be beneficial to cancer patients by reducing anxiety levels but it also has been shown to alleviate pain and improve the quality of life of patients.

So, music is not just about entertaining it can be good for our health and well-being meaning we have a very easy way to improve the quality of our life at our finger tips.  Happy listening!

This month thousands of riders set out at too-early-o’clock on the legendary London to Brighton charity bike ride. Among them was The Lake Foundation cycle club member Sam.

Sam is a regular at our bi-monthly rides. Sam announced her goal to complete the London to Brighton ride on our WhatsApp group back in May:

“Guess what everyone I’m doing the London to Brighton [bike run]”.

In our cycle club fashion, the group began to send messages to cheer Sam on when she decided to keep us informed on WhatsApp about her training.

Training included regular on-road cycling and cycling in the gym. Her team, Cor Correya once rode to Biggin Hill through Sanstead and Warlingham over country lanes and hills. Sam messaged the WhatsApp group, “Only 19 days to the big event. Still time to join me if you want to.” Maybe next year!

As well as training Sam invested in a pump, a puncture repair kit and took her bike in for a maintenance check. This was a good way to avoid any mechanical mishaps on the day.

The big day came and Sam wrote to the group including hashtags #L2B and #HeartRiders, which we then tweeted in support of her. Sam kept up the conversation between her start at Clapham Common and arrival in Brighton. Members responded encouragingly:

“Keep going Sam. Keep up the pace and effort luv”