Health trends

Rare cancer linked to breast implants

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced a possible association between saline and silicone gel-filled breast implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a very rare type of cancer. Data reviewed by the FDA suggest that patients with breast implants may have a very small but significant risk of ALCL in the scar capsule adjacent to the implant.

The FDA is requesting that health-care professionals report any confirmed cases of ALCL in women with breast implants. In an effort to ensure that patients receiving breast implants are informed of the possible risk, FDA will be working with breast-implant manufacturers in the coming months to update their product-labelling materials for patients and health-care professionals.

"We need more data and are asking that health-care professionals tell us about any confirmed cases they identify," said William Maisel, M.D., M.P.H., chief scientist and deputy director for science in FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

- Source: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Canned versus dried beans

Bean for bean, canned and cooked dried beans provide the same nutrients. If you look at the numbers, canned beans may seem to contain fewer calories and less fibre, but that's because they are often plumper (from absorbing more water), so there are fewer beans per serving. Their main drawback is the added sodium.

However, you can remove as much as 40 per cent of the sodium by draining the beans, then rinsing them under running water for about a minute or look for low- or reduced-sodium versions or cans with no salt added.

Source: Creators Syndicate /UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, January 2011