Women's Health : 255 Articles

Women have different nutrition needs than do men and are also at unique risk for nutrition-related health conditions including heart disease, osteoporosis, breast cancer and weight related problems.  Search this section for articles and study findings relevant to women in all stages of life.

Carrots and tomatoes may reduce ovarian cancer risk

A new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston suggests that women who eat plenty of carrots, tomatoes and other foods high in beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lycopene may reduce…

Drinking milk may help lower risk of breast cancer

Researchers in Norway report that milk consumption appears to be associated with a lower risk of developing breast cancer before menopause. To assess the relationship between childhood and…

Flaxseed may fight breast cancer in older women

Ground flaxseed may contain compounds that protect postmenopausal women from breast cancer. In a small study conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, blood levels…

Drinking alcohol linked to poor diet and smoking in women

According to researchers from France, as women's alcohol intake increases, so does their intake of fat, protein and cholesterol. In a study of nearly 73,000 middle-aged French women,…

Lifetime physical activity lowers breast cancer risk

According to researchers from the Alberta Cancer Board in Canada women who have remained active throughout their lives may have a lower breast cancer risk than their habitually sedentary…

Risk of breast cancer raised by alcohol in women with a family history

Drinking alcohol daily may more than double the risk of developing breast cancer among women with a close relative with the disease, but is unlikely to have an effect among women with no such…

Green tea linked to reduced breast cancer risk

Compounds in green tea may help protect women against breast cancer, preliminary study findings suggest. Investigators found that rats that drank water containing green tea had reductions in…

Cranberry juice prevents urinary tract infections

A new study published in the British Medical Journal found that drinking cranberry juice lowered the chances of getting repeated urinary tract infections (UTIs) and reduce the need for…

Obesity linked to asthma in women but not men

Obese women have almost double the risk of developing asthma compared with women who are not obese, Canadian researchers recently reported in Toronto at the 2001 Congress of Epidemiology. The…

A better diet may help prevent breast cancer

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables may reduce a woman\'s risk of developing breast cancer, according to researchers from New York University and the International Agency for Research on…

Drinking alcohol plus low folate intake linked to breast cancer

Postmenopausal women who drink more than a half a glass of alcohol per day and have low intakes of the B vitamin folate may be at increased risk of breast cancer, a new study from the Mayo…

Nitrates may increase risk of bladder cancer in women

A new study from the University of Iowa in Iowa City suggests the limit set for a cancer-causing compound found in U.S. tap water may be too high, putting women at increased risk for bladder…

Many women still unaware of the importance of folic acid

Approximately 70% of women of reproductive age may not understand the importance of adequate dietary folate in preventing neural tube defects (NTDs) in offspring, according to a survey…

Fruits and veggies may not reduce the risk of breast cancer

While consuming a diet including fruits and vegetables provides a host of health benefits, it does not appear to decrease a woman's risk of breast cancer, according to a new report from…

Soy lowers cholesterol in postmenopausal women

Consuming soy may result in at least a small drop in "bad" cholesterol in older women with normal or only slightly elevated cholesterol, results of a new study from the University of…

High calcium intake may promote weight loss in women

Young women who are trying to lose weight often avoid dairy products because they think they are high in fat. But a recent study from researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette,…

Herbal supplement eases PMS symptoms

The chasteberry, also known as vitex agnus castus, appears to relieve many of the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) according to a study just published in the British Medical Journal. In…

Soy foods may protect bones after menopause

A diet rich in soy may help women retain strong bones after menopause, helping to reduce their risk of fractures and osteoporosis, research findings suggest. Japanese researchers report that…

Soy isoflavones may protect from breast cancer

Researchers from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, working with cancer researchers in Hawaii, have determined that a higher intake of soy isoflavones can reduce the chances of breast cancer…

Flaxseed may help prevent breast cancer in women

A muffin a day containing 50 grams of ground flaxseed could keep breast cancer at bay, according to a new Canadian study. Toronto researchers found there was a "slowing down in tumour…