That's Fit

The incidence of throat cancer -- also known as esophageal adenocarcinoma -- is on the rise. So is obesity. And it seems the two are linked. Actually, it's the increasing intake of total and refined carbohydrates and the subsequent climb of obesity rates that are connected with the disease.

While these measures do not necessarily reflect individual risk for throat cancer, researchers say that overall, this cancer is "strongly correlated" with high carbohydrate consumption. This cancer is also associated with gastoesophageal relflux (GERD) which happens to also be linked with obesity and high carb intake.

Interestingly, researchers found a decrease in rates of squamous cell cancer of the esophagus which is more affected by smoking. Does that mean people are smoking less. Could be.

How good are you doing at avoiding cancer? Take this AOL Body cancer quiz and find out.

Have you ever seen the movie Fantastic Voyage? In this old 1966 flick, a submarine containing a team of scientists is shrunken to a size so small that they can navigate the blood stream in a human being. Imagine being able to get a view like that by swallowing a camera the size of a pill. That's exactly what researchers are describing with a new design for an even easier endoscope.

Pill camera are not new, but traditionally they are so uncomfortable that patients need to be sedated beforehand. This new design allows someone to swallow the camera and beam pictures back out of the mouth so easily that it could be done in a shopping mall. That's exactly how one professor described it.

Not only is it easier to engulf, but the procedure is cheaper too. This is good news, because esophageal cancer is rapidly growing in the US. Survival rates of progressed conditions are not very good, which stems from the difficulty in diagnosing it early enough. It all goes back to patients not being easily screened for Barrett's esophagus, the condition preceding cancer. Hopefully now they can rapidly deploy this new mechanism to catch cases quicker. Who knows, maybe treatment via this little pill is next!

In a recent poll, 8 out of 10 people suffering from heartburn stated that they're kept up at night at least once a week by their symptoms. This is a problem not only because of the obvious sleep deprivation, but also because when you're lying down your stomach acid can do more damage and increase your risk of getting cancer.

If you suffer from nighttime heartburn read this article for ideas you can start this evening to reduce your chances of suffering through symptoms tonight. It includes tips on everything from when to workout, how much and when to eat, and how to position yourself when you do finally hit the sack.

If you've been worrying about the snugness of your belt ever since hearing that theory about tight belts being responsible for increased esophageal cancer occurrences in men, here's some good news for you.

New research shows that the theory, which was suggested by an Italian research team in 2002, isn't true after all. It made sense, since tight belts squeeze the stomach and in doing so increase acid reflux into the esophagus. Acid reflux increases the risk of esophageal cancer. But a new study specifically looking for a relationship between wearing tight belts and increased rates of esophageal cancer found no link at all.

So relax, and stop wearing those suspenders to work every day. But don't forget that there's still lots of other reasons to lose a few pounds if your belt is cutting into your stomach because you're overweight.