The Health Blog by Ryan Healy

Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Tumors?

It's a question that's been on my mind for quite a while now. Because if using a cell phone does cause brain tumors, then that has huge implications on how I communicate. (I don't use a cell phone every day, but I do use it frequently.)

Furthermore, I've heard conflicted stories: yes, cell phones do cause tumors; no, the don't; etc.

Here's the news: cell phones do not cause tumors or brain cancer. At least that's what Newsbug.net reports today.

Apparently, Denmark conducted a two-year long study with 475 test subjects who had brain tumors and 822 who did not. The study concluded that there was no association between cell phone use and an increased risk of brain tumors.

That's great news for cell phone junkies. But the co-author of the study, Dr. Christoffer Johansen, cautions that cell phones might cause other yet untested health issues.

For instance, a friend of mine got appendicitis last year. He believes it's because he wore his cell phone toward the front side of his right hip all the time. Coincidence or cause? Hmmm...

I think moderation is the best course of action until more studies can be conducted. Use a cell phone when you need to, but don't overdo it.

Red Meat Causes Colon Cancer

The American Cancer Society last month released a study that links high red meat consumption with an increased risk of colon and rectal cancers. The study reports:

The people who ate the most red meat in both time periods were 30%-40% more likely to develop cancer in the lower part of the colon, compared to people who ate the least. People who ate the most processed meats were 50% more likely to develop colon cancer and 20% more likely to develop rectal cancer compared to those who ate the least.

When I read these findings, they made sense to me. It's relatively common knowledge that red meat is not a health food. But I was surprised by how small a portion constituted "high" consumption.

For red meat (beef, lamb, pork), the researchers defined "high" consumption as 3 or more ounces per day for men—or about the amount of meat in a large fast-food hamburger. For women the "high" amount was 2 or more ounces per day. For processed meat (bacon, sausage, hot dogs, ham, cold cuts) "high" consumption was 1 ounce eaten 5 or 6 days per week for men, and 2 or 3 days per week for women. A slice of bologna weighs about 1 ounce; 2 slices of cooked bacon weigh a little more than half an ounce.

They don't define this, but now I'm wondering, "So what if I eat a 6 oz. or 8 oz. filet mignon to celebrate my anniversary?" My guess is that's not a big deal unless I make a daily or weekly habit out of it.

By the way, colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer cases and death in both men and women in the U.S. If you have rectal bleeding or bloody stool, you may have colon cancer.

You can read more about how to identify colon cancer here (see the bottom half of the page).