That's Fit

If you are a woman living in an urban area, you may have an increased chance of developing breast cancer. It seems women who live and work in large cities have more dense breast tissue than those in suburban and rural areas. Dense tissue increases risk.

This connection -- between risk and big cities -- may stem from the fact that urbanites tend to have kids later in life and are more likely to use hormone therapy. Pollution and stress may also play a role.

Regardless of the cause, researchers from the London Breast Institute say the risk is real. So if you live or work in a city, make sure you get your mammograms as recommended and if you learn that you have dense tissue, go to a facility that offers digital technology -- it can detect up to 50 percent more cancers in dense breasts. Regardless of where you live, really, you should follow these preventative strategies.

Swimmer's ear is such a pain, literally. But it's really common, and it got me thinking about whether it's ever a serious condition, or just an annoyance.

You're more at risk to develop swimmer's ear if you have a skin condition that makes you scratch your ears, or if earwax buildup or blockage traps water in your ear. You're also more at risk if you have small ear canals that don't drain terribly well, or if you have another medical condition that impairs your immune system.

While not common, it is possible for swimmer's ear to have complications, including temporary hearing loss and more widespread infection, so it's important that you treat it right away. You can use an over-the-counter treatment, but if the problem persists (or if you have an impaired immune system), you should seek medical attention. Your doctor might clean your ears with a suction device or prescribe you a topical or oral medication.

There are a number of things you can do to prevent swimmer's ear. Check out the gallery to see a few of the suggestions the Mayo Clinic has for prevention.

Prevention. There's nothing like it. And what great news it is that girls as young as 12 can already start protecting themselves against breast cancer.

Just like middle-aged women are encouraged to work out to lower their risk of developing this disease, new research concludes that exercise during the teen years can prevent breast cancer in later years.

So here's the scoop: Women who were physically active as teens and young adults were 23 percent less likely to develop pre-menopausal breast cancer than women who grew up sedentary. Having the biggest impact was regular exercise between the ages of 12 to 22. And the women with the lowest risk reported running or exercising vigorously three or more hours per week. Although post-menopausal breast cancer was not studied, it's likely exercise helps all the same.

Time to get your daughters off the couch!

It's all about skin this month -- May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. And while everyone who makes periodic appearances in the sun is at risk for skin cancer, there are certain folks most at risk. If you fit one of these categories, say the editors at Family Circle magazine, you should be especially cautious about your sun protection.

• You have fair skin that burns easily; blond or red hair; or blue, green, gray, or hazel eyes.

• You have more than 50 moles on your body.

• You have a family history of skin cancer or have already had an episode yourself.

• You have had severe sunburns as a child or teen.

• You live in a state home to lots of sun, like Florida, Arizona, or Texas.

• You spent summers in occupations with sun exposure, such as lifeguarding or construction work.

• You have used tanning beds frequently.

• You take a medication that increases your sensitivity to the sun.

Uh Oh. I fit all but two.

Consuming alcohol can lead to weight gain. One bottle of beer contains about 150 calories. Have a few drinks a few times per week and your waistline may begin to bulge.

Have one or two small drinks per day and alcohol can lead to breast cancer too.

Monday, it was revealed that a large U.S. study is linking alcohol consumption to an increased risk of the most common type of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. The study is the biggest of the three major studies concluding that drinking and breast cancer risk are connected.

Good news: Trans fats are linked to breast cancer risk. Why is this good? Two reasons. One, it unravels another bit of the mystery surrounding why people get cancer. Two, it gives us more reason to ditch trans fats from our diets.

We already know trans fats are artery-cloggers. That's why they're being phased out of various foods. Now researchers suspect they cause breast cancer too.

Women with the highest blood levels of trans-fats had about twice the risk of breast cancer compared to women with the lowest levels, say the findings of a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. We'd all be wise then to limit our consumption of processed foods, the source of trans-fatty acids. Trans-fats are mostly found in cooking fats, baked goods, snacks, and a variety of other prepared foods.

Interestingly, this study found women with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids -- the good stuff, found in fish such as salmon, walnuts, and leafy green vegetables -- were not any less likely to have breast cancer. So the mystery continues. And all we can do is the best we can, with the information we have. See how good you're doing with this AOL Body cancer quiz.

I think I need to head to my favorite Mexican restaurant, a place I typically avoid because I just can't stop myself from inhaling chips and salsa. Maybe if I stick with Mexican cheeses, beans, soups, tomato-based sauces, and meats I'll be OK, though. I may even prevent breast cancer from paying me a return visit.

A tradition Mexican diet may help prevent breast cancer, says a study of hundreds of women living in the Four Corners region (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona). Hey, low fat diets and moderate consumption of red wine are credited for warding off heart disease. Why not Mexican food and breast cancer?

Researchers happened upon their study after noting lower rates of breast cancer among Hispanic women. They looked at diets such as the Native Mexican diet, the Western diet, the Mediterranean diet, and low-fat diets. The lowest risk of breast cancer turned up among those who closely followed the Mexican and Mediterranean diets.

This isn't a one-size-fits-all diet, though. To read more about the folks who benefit most -- like premenopausal women with a BMI of less than 25 -- read more here.

Incidentally, the diet associated with the highest risk of breast cancer, regardless of menopausal status is the Western diet.

Head on over to this American Heart Association site where the experts say if we walk more and eat better, we'll live longer. They're so sure of it, in fact, that they're kicking off National Start Walking Day on April 16.

Do you know that heart disease is the number one killer in the United States? Do you know that physical inactivity doubles the risk of heart disease? Sobering, isn't it? Fortunately, these facts can be changed. Here's how.

First, you can start walking and start reducing your risk. Second, you can support the American Heart Association. The folks there are challenging Americans to walk a million miles and raise a million dollars all in one day -- April 16. Ready to accept the challenge and help fight heart disease and obesity? Click here for more information.

For guys out there who may be putting on less-than-stellar performances in the bedroom lately, there may be more at risk than your pride.

As men grow older, there is a natural decline in testosterone production that begins to occur at or around the age of thirty, dropping precipitously as decades pass. This can be partly to blame for erectile dysfunction in some cases, but in others it may be a sign that you are at risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Of course, many other factors can cause a man to have problems getting and maintaining an erection, such as bad diet, smoking, lack of exercise, and being forced to watch a "Golden Girls" marathon. Still, if you're having trouble, it's worth checking in with your doctor.

Over five million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, and fortunately, there are a number of ways for you to reduce your risk. However, there is one risk you can't avoid -- genetics.

Children whose parents both had Alzheimer's are at a much higher risk of developing the disease. And, because Alzheimer's is so common, it's not unusual for spouses to both develop the disease -- a situation that will become more and more common as baby boomers age.

Alzheimer's disease generally affects patients over 65 years old and is a terminal, neurodegenerative disorder. And it's not only the patient who is affected -- the families of the patients are put through a great deal as they struggle to care for their loved one, having to make decisions because the patient no longer can.

If you would like to learn more or see how you can contribute to Alzheimer's research, check out the Alzheimer's Association website. You also might want to consider fundraising for and walking in this year's Memory Walk -- if you don't have a direct connection to the disease, you can use mine. My grandmother (pictured above) hasn't recognized me in years.

All of my friends in the so-called "allergy capital of the country", Gainesville, Florida have allergies. I mean ALL of them. Growing up on the beach in South Florida, I didn't know a sole who spoke of the evils of allergies. Now, everyone on my speed dial is speaking with a raspy voice and choking up a lung.

Winter can be especially rough. If you're dealing with the aggravations of allergies or worse, the brutal side-effects that come with asthma...Women's Health magazine has a pretty great resource for you. The Women's Health Allergies and Asthma Clinic offers the full scoop on breathing easy through this winter.

Macular degeneration is an eye condition which most commonly affects elderly folks. It's described as a thinning of the inner lining of the eye. This can result in big time vision loss, but the degeneration has more implications according to a new study released by Australian researchers.

If elderly individuals developed this condition before the age of 75, they were twice as likely to die within the next decade from heart attacks or strokes. When considering a later stage development, the risk goes up five and ten times respectively for the two dangerous heart problems.

However, they are quick to note that this correlation should be read carefully because apparently 3,000 study subjects isn't enough to draw definite conclusions. Even so, it took ten years to get these results. If you want to read on further, check out the article here.

Strokes have tripled in recent years for women ages 35 to 54. To blame for this alarming figure is the obesity epidemic.

According to a federal health survey that zeroed in on the years 1999 to 2004, two percent of women in this age group suffered a stroke. In a previous survey, from 1988 to 1994, only one-half of a percent had strokes. Although these percentages are small -- most strokes occur in older people -- the sudden spike in middle age is still worrisome.

Researchers say female waistlines are about two inches bigger than they were a decade ago. This bulge, they believe, is correlated with the increase in strokes.

Also worthy of consideration is the fact that women's average body mass index -- a common yet often inaccurate measure of obesity -- increased from 27 to 29. Female blood sugar levels were also notably higher. Risk factors that did not change from survey to survey are smoking, heart disease, and diabetes. Obesity, then, seems to be the culprit.

Belly fat stands out, says study leader Dr. Amytis Towfighi -- the portion of women with abdominal obesity rose from 47 percent to 59 percent. This change was not so apparent for men which makes sense since studies show abdominal obesity is a stronger risk for women than men.

In the past, men have always suffered more strokes than women. Women are now catching up.

Researchers from UCLA have wrapped up a study that links job activity to men's risk of developing prostate cancer. The findings spell out good things for men who stay on their feet or physically exert a lot of energy on a daily basis.

The researches used strong elements to develop these results including personnel records, job description manuals, industrial hygiene review and retired worker interviews. In a nutshell, the message was clear: if you sit behind a desk all day, you'd better get out and do some kind of physical activity to counter balance it.

Jobs were categorized into low, moderate and high levels of activity. To give you an idea of the spectrum, low exertion levels commonly referred to managers and supervisors. On the other hand, workers classified in the high exertion category were men like mechanics and engineers. Those who developed prostate cancer were more likely to be in the low-activity classification than men doing other physically demanding things. You can find the write-up here for more information.

Does the possibility of suffering a genuine heart attack without ever being aware that it happened scare anyone else but me? Well, it should if it doesn't, because an estimated 4 million people have suffered these "silent heart attacks" at one point or another. The scary part is that they are symptom-free, so it would be very hard to detect.

This poses an obvious question: How do you check or treat a silent heart attack if there are no signs to point you in the right direction? First off, these are full-blown attacks just like the painful ones -- both exhibit blockage of the blood vessels. Because of this, the same consequences and after-effects could be felt.

There are a couple ways to find out, but these are mainly post-attack procedures. Electrocardiograms can detect these "hushed" versions, as well as hormone tests using blood samples. But if you have any risk factors like diabetes, smoking or hypertension then consider getting checked out. Especially if you feel the potential after effects that could signal heart damage like unusually frequent fatigue or lowered endurance.