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Good night's sleep may reduce prostate cancer risk

Get to bed early tonight, lads.

RESEARCHERS IN THE US have found that a good night’s sleep could reduce a man’s risk of prostate cancer.

A study suggests that high levels of a hormone involved in the sleep-wake cycle may result in a decreased risk of developing the cancer.

The research, conducted by scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health, found that this hormone, melatonin, may play a role in regulating a range of other hormones that influence certain cancers, including breast and prostate cancer.

Melatonin is a hormone that is produced exclusively at night in the dark and is an important output of the body’s inherent 24-hour clock.

“Sleep loss and other factors can influence the amount of melatonin secretion or block it altogether, and health problems associated with low melatonin, disrupted sleep, and/or disruption of the circadian rhythm are broad, including a potential risk factor for cancer,” said Sarah C Markt, MPH, doctoral candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

“We found that men who had higher levels of melatonin had a 75 per cent reduced risk for developing advanced prostate cancer compared with men who had lower levels of melatonin.”

Our results require replication, but support the public health implication of the importance of maintaining a stable light-dark and sleep-wake cycle. Because melatonin levels are potentially modifiable, further studies of melatonin and prostate cancer risk and progression are warranted.

Some 928 Icelandic men were involved in the study with one in seven reporting problems falling asleep and one in five reporting problems staying asleep.

Markt said further studies are now needed to investigate the interplay between sleep duration, sleep disturbance, and melatonin levels on risk for prostate cancer.

This study was presented at the AACR-Prostate Cancer Foundation Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research where those attending also heard about a study which links walking quickly to a lower risk of the cancer.

Read: New rapid response prostate clinic launches in Cork>

Read: Simple blood test can diagnose lung and other cancers>

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15 Comments
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    Mute Bill Clay
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    Jan 9th 2019, 4:43 PM

    And as they stand solemnly, quietly in reflection over the past 100 years, they raise their heads, look at each other and burst out laughing that they’re still getting away with it

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    Mute Anthony Murphy
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    Jan 9th 2019, 4:51 PM

    There still on their xmas holidays ffs

    77
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    Mute Mark Johnson
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    Jan 9th 2019, 4:49 PM

    a special joint session..like a Marijuana session ?

    41
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    Mute Irish Spider-Man
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    Jan 9th 2019, 5:26 PM

    My grandfathers last word::
    Son… it doesn’t matter who you sleep with or what drugs you take but never vote for the Blueshirts

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    Mute GerryCummins
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    Jan 9th 2019, 11:56 PM

    @Irish Spider-Man: thought it would be “”don’t forget I was in the GPO in ’16″ lol

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    Mute GerryCummins
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    Jan 9th 2019, 11:57 PM

    @Irish Spider-Man: you were also your Grandfather’s son.. furked up that family so!

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    Mute Adrian
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    Jan 9th 2019, 4:44 PM

    They could probably re-enact it too if they call a general election and we can wipe out the horrendous current shower of FF and FG idiots in 2019.

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    Mute Daniel Roche
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    Jan 9th 2019, 5:06 PM

    @Adrian: you do realize if there was election this year, either FF or FG would still be in government,what’s the point in wasting tax payers money when know the result already.

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    Mute davey boy
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    Jan 9th 2019, 5:07 PM

    @Adrian: And replace them with who? Sinn Fein…

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    Mute MickN
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    Jan 9th 2019, 5:22 PM

    @davey boy: There the usual line thrown out, decades and decades have been shared between the two and we have seen the country being bankrupt , a deplorablehousing crisis ,they have assisted banks in robbing people, put unsecured bonds ahead of the people, but sure they are grand leave them at it.
    Giving themselves pay increases while telling nurses be glad of the pitance they are on, but our gombeen nation says gimme more of that, I despair, we deserve all we get……

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    Mute Adrian
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    Jan 9th 2019, 5:30 PM

    @davey boy: and the irish parlimentary party fellas were probably saying the same thing before the 1918 general election!

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jan 9th 2019, 5:57 PM

    @davey boy: Well the record of the Blueshirts/F.F. since the foundation of the free state is clearly shown today by the mess the country is in..Do you not find it ironic that the F.F. party that facilitated in the gangsterism of the banks and developers and brought this country to it knees, now keep in power the blueshirts who imposed draconian austerity measures to repay for the gangsterism of the banks and developers . Some record to be proud of there.
    .

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    Mute davey boy
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    Jan 9th 2019, 7:36 PM

    @Donal Desmond: I don’t vote for either FF or FG but there is no alternative.
    Labour abandoned their values.
    Sinn Fein are professional fence sitters.
    Greens want to tax anything with a boiler or an engine.
    SD, Just not enough of them.
    Independents. All single issues lunatics.

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    Mute Adrian
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    Jan 9th 2019, 9:29 PM

    @davey boy: i think it doesn’t need to be a case of nobody else to vote for. Thats what these idiots want you to think. If both FF and FG combined support drops to a level of say low 40′s, they cannot collude to form a gov simply because they don’t have the support, they might look for a rainbow type gov, hard to achieve anything with that, but then more options might emerge in terms of who to vote for if another election is called soon after.

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    Mute GerryCummins
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    Jan 9th 2019, 11:54 PM

    @Donal Desmond: anyone using “Blueshirts, Posh boy, Neo Liberal, FFG” etc, must have only woken up yesterday…. its the default for anyone who can’t reason… buzz words, that identify the user of those words as someone who hasn’t lived long enough to experience life! And no I’m not an apologist for any politician or Party..I’m “A” political…..

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    Mute Lobert Rester
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    Jan 9th 2019, 5:14 PM

    Never have so many done so little for people they are supposed to represent. An utter waste of money! Over paid, underperforming parasites.

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    Mute Bill Clay
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    Jan 9th 2019, 5:22 PM

    @Lobert Rester: the sad reality being that most of them would be re-elected if an election was called

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    Mute Danny G
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    Jan 9th 2019, 5:03 PM

    It’s an awful pity that Marty McFly and Doc Brown didn’t do a trip back to 09011919 to warn them boys of their future successors!! They could have filled the car with poitín or cowshite to get it back to 1985 if they were stuck!

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    Mute John Mc Donagh
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    Jan 9th 2019, 5:07 PM

    Some of our perfect patriots claim to be their natural successors!

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    Mute Nigel o'Neill
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    Jan 9th 2019, 5:18 PM

    Different age, same government

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    Mute paul jones
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    Jan 9th 2019, 6:00 PM

    Talk about a bubble

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