The Nutrition in the News assignment. Attached is the assignment instructions. Also included is a grading rubric to show you how the paper will be graded. Please follow the instructions carefully. Choose an appropriate article and then always proof read your work before submitting it.
IN THE NEWS ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS (10 pts)
Individually, you will monitor media stories on news websites such as ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FoxNews, BBC, PBS, NYTimes, etc., and choose a substantive health news article reviewing recent published research pertaining to some aspect of nutrition, diet, food, health, wellness, disease prevention, etc. Write 3 page paper that includes a summary of the main issues/points mentioned in the article and a reflection of how the information is applicable to your daily life. If health advise was provided in the article, also mention whether the article seemed to provide reliable and accurate health information. The article should be properly referenced at the end of your paper. Please cut and paste a copy of the full article showing author and web address of the paper/website in which the article was published. Again, the actual article should be attached to the end of the assignment. A sample of a properly written paper is below and will be posted on Oncourse under Resources for your reference.
GRADING RUBRIC – In the News Assignment – 10 points total possible
Grading Criteria Details Point Value
If missing
Submitted Paper Name, Title 0/10
Stapled not paper clipped 1 -1
Proper Format 3 pages 1 inch margins, 12 pt font plus article 1 -.5 increments for deficiencies
Appropriate Topic News article reviewing recently published research or at least cites research on nutrition, diet, food, health, wellness, disease prevention, cooking, etc. 1 -1 for irrelevant topic
Summary of the article Adequately reviews main points of the article 2 -1 for inadequate review/summary
-2 for no review
Personal Reflection How article relates to student’s life or why interested in topic 2 -1 for no reflection
Accuracy of health advise provided in Article Did article quote medical professionals, scientists, researchers or was it just a writer’s opinion 1 -1 for no mention of whether information was accurate
-0 if medical advise wasn’t given in the article
Properly referenced Title, author name, date, website name, website address 1 -1 for missing reference
Article included The article MUST be attached either at the end of the paper (Word doc) or as a separate PDF 1 -1 if article not attached
10 points

Sample Paper:“Foods Every Breast Cancer Survivor Should Know”
Jane Doe
SPH-N 220/231
October 22, 2013

Several recent scientific studies linking food and cancers have found that consuming certain foods may lower the chances of developing breast cancer. In addition, these same foods may lower the chance of recurrence in those already treated for breast cancer. For the past 20 years breast cancer has been on the rise. In recent years, however, breast cancer rates have been declining. Despite the rate in decline, “women in the United States have a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime,” according to the American Cancer Society. This chance of breast cancer still has experts searching for ways to lower the cancer rate even further. Many doctors that specialize in nutrition believe that “there are certain foods women can include in an overall healthy diet to increase their chance of survival” (Gilbert 2013). The superfoods for cancer that many doctors are recommending are soy, sweet potatoes, kale, squash, salmon, haddock and cod, beans and whole grains.
According to Dr. Barry Boyd, director of nutritional oncology and creator of integrative medicine at Greenwich Hospital-Yale Health Systems, soy is beneficial to protecting against cancer. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition carried out a study among 9,500 women after breast cancer diagnosis that examined soy intake in the United States and China. Researchers concluded that the isoflavones found in soybeans showed a “statistically significant reduced risk of recurrence” (American Journal 2013) among the survivors that were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.
In addition to soy, other vegetables beneficial in decreasing breast cancer include kale, sweet potatoes, and squash. These foods are rich in carotenoids. Carotenoids are the yellow and orange pigments found in certain foods, including leafy greens. These carotenoids have been linked to a “reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence” (Gilbert 2013). Dr. Mitchell Gaynor also recommends that his patients eat many cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, kale, cabbage, and cauliflower, help keep cancer cells dormant by making your body “inhospitable” for cancer cells to survive.
Salmon, haddock, and cod are fish high in omega-3 fatty acids and also contribute to a decreased breast cancer risk. This type of fatty acid supports proper immune functions and lowers risk of diabetes and heart disease. In addition, a study done in 2011 by the Journal of Nutrition, demonstrates that the intake of EPA and DHA fatty acids in fish, “inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells” and reduces “the progression of breast tumors.”
The last recommended food group for decreased risk of breast cancer is beans and whole grains. Beans and whole grains are high in fiber and help boost life expectancy. The high fiber content helps control appetite, resulting in lower consumption of calories and a lower body weight. Most cancers are caused by weight gain, and the more weight a women has, the more estrogen that circulates in the body, causing a larger risk of breast cancer.
These recommendations are very applicable to my everyday life since I am a woman and are relevant to my female family members. I am already eating all of these vegetables and grains on a daily basis because they are delicious and I knew they had health benefits. I am very pleased to find out that breast cancer is an additional health benefit that I had not realized before. Not only is this applicable to me and my loved ones, but it is very applicable to most American women. It is very easy to add these foods into one’s diet and start profiting from their health benefits. In addition to these recommendations and this article being applicable, it is also very reliable. The information provided makes sense, especially according to the knowledge I have gained through the SPH-N 220 Nutrition for Health course. The article also sited multiple different studies with support from many different doctors. The studies showed what the health benefits were and what nutrients were responsible for the benefit. However, the article did not state how exactly the study was carried out or how exactly the benefit of the food effected the chemistry of the body. Overall this is a very reliable, applicable, and informative article that many women can benefit from and should utilize.

Works Cited
Gilbert, Allison. “Foods Every Breast Cancer Survivor Should Know about.” CNN. Cable News Network, 20 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/18/health/food-breast-cancer-survivors/index.html?hpt=he_c2
(CNN) — Women checking in for appointments at the Comprehensive Breast Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York this month are being offered more than a pre-op or post-op surgical visit.

On the reception desk, inside a large plastic frame, is a colorful flyer decorated with pictures of luscious-looking fruits and vegetables. It’s an invitation to attend “Superfoods and Super Habits for Super Health,” a seminar that promises to teach patients the foods they should eat to boost their immunity and — not in so many words — reduce their chances of dying of breast cancer.

“We have to take a global look at survivorship,” said Dr. Alison Estabrook, chief of breast surgery at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt and director of the Breast Center. “It’s clear better eating habits increase the possibility that a woman won’t get breast cancer or have a recurrence.”

The good news is that after two decades of breast cancer being on the rise, numbers have been declining in recent years. Still women in the United States have a one in eight chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime, according to the ACS, so it’s not surprising experts are searching for more ways to keep them alive.

Not all oncologists embrace the link between nutrition and longevity, citing insufficient evidence. But doctors who specialize in nutrition say there are certain foods women can include in an overall healthy diet to increase their chance of survival.

Soy
Dr. Barry Boyd, creator of the integrative medicine program at Greenwich Hospital-Yale Health Systems and director of nutritional oncology, says women should no longer be afraid to consume soy.

“It was feared that components of soy had estrogen-like properties that influenced the growth of breast cancer cells,” Boyd said. “Science has not only proved an absence of risk, there’s also a possible benefit.”

Boyd points to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that explored soy intake in the United States and China among 9,500 women after breast cancer diagnosis. The consumption of isoflavones, commonly found in soybeans, produced a “statistically significant reduced risk of recurrence” among breast cancer survivors diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, according to researchers.

A study released this year by the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention produced similar results. In this analysis, more than 11,000 breast cancer patients were studied. Researchers concluded that eating soy after diagnosis was associated with a reduced mortality risk and fewer recurrences of the disease.
The American Cancer Society is more cautious in itsrecommendations, noting that while soy is good source of alternative protein, “women with breast cancer should take in only moderate amounts” and not ingest soy-containing pills, powders or supplements containing high amounts of isoflavones.

Kale, sweet potatoes and squash
Eating foods rich in carotenoids has been linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer recurrence. Carotenoids are the natural pigments found in yellow and orange foods (such as carrots, sweet potatoes and squash) and dark leafy greens such as kale, spinach and Swiss chard.
In a 2009 study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, increased consumption of carotenoids was associated with “greater likelihood of breast cancer-free survival.” The report based its findings in part on the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study, a National Institutes of Health-funded investigation.

To increase the consumption of carotenoids, Dr. Mitchell Gaynor advises his breast cancer patients to eat more cruciferous vegetables. Gaynor, founder of Gaynor Integrative Oncology, says his reasoning is simple: “We understand cancer quite differently today than we did when President Nixon declared a war on cancer in the 1970s. We know now that certain foods make your body inhospitable for cancer cells to thrive. The goal is to keep cancer cells dormant, and what you eat makes a difference.”

Examples of cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, kale, cabbage and cauliflower.

Salmon, haddock and cod
Eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids has also been linked to an improved breast cancer prognosis. Fish in this category include salmon, haddock, cod, halibut and sardines.

A 2011 study in the Journal of Nutrition showed that the consumption of EPA and DHA fatty acids from fish “inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells” and reduces “the progression of breast tumors.” Women who were diagnosed and treated for early stage breast cancer — and given higher levels of EPA and DHA — had an approximate 25% reduced risk of recurrence.

It’s important to note that the benefit corresponded only to the consumption of fish, not fish oil supplements.

Gaynor says that eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids is also healthful because it supports proper immune function and lowers a woman’s risk of heart disease and diabetes.

The American Cancer Society warns against eating too many of these fatty foods: “Diets high in fat tend to be high in calories and may contribute to obesity, which in turn is linked with an increased risk of several types of cancer.”

Beans and whole grains
Women who consume a high-fiber diet probably boost their life expectancy.
“A high-fiber diet is associated with lower overall mortality in breast cancer patients,” said Dr. Keith Block, medical-scientific director at the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment in Skokie, Illinois.

Block says fiber is beneficial because it can help women control their appetite and may decrease the number of calories they consume. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, particularly after menopause, is widely viewed as one factor that influences survival.

Which is why Estabrook at the Comprehensive Breast Center is offering that nutrition class in the first place.
“When you look at cancers, most are caused by weight gain,” she said. “The fatter you are, the more estrogen circulates in your body, and when there’s more estrogen, the risk of breast disease increases.

“But cancer survival is not just about eating one kind of fruit or vegetable. It’s about making the right lifestyle choices, including exercise. Diet is one part of a larger picture.”