Smarter Seafood Choices

By Kelley Herring

Reducing the risk of prostate cancer may be as easy as making smarter seafood choices, new research suggests.

A recent study published in the journal Environmental Research examined the effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - harmful compounds found mostly in farm-raised fish - and their role in prostate cancer. Serum samples were taken from healthy men and men with prostate cancer, and were evaluated for 30 PCBs. The researchers found that the odds of prostate cancer in men with the highest concentrations of PCBs were over two times higher than in the men with the lowest concentration of PCBs.

Catch the benefits without reeling in health-harming PCBs by going for wild-caught fish. Because most seafood in restaurants is "farm-raised," your best bet is to buy fresh, frozen, or canned seafood labeled "wild."

It's Good to Know: The First Commercially Produced Christmas Cards

People have been sending handwritten holiday greetings for centuries - but businessman Sir Henry Cole gave the world the first commercially produced card in London in 1843. It wasn't until 1875 that American printers jumped on the bandwagon. Their cards featured pictures of floral arrangements instead of holiday themes.

Americans send nearly 1.9 billion Christmas cards each year - more cards than for any other occasion.

(Source: Ideafinder)

Word to the Wise: Ken

"Ken" (KEN) is another way of saying perception, understanding, or knowledge. The word is derived from the Old English for "to declare or make known."

Example (as used by Stephen Budiansky in If a Lion Could Talk): "So we are predisposed - if not preprogrammed - to accept tales of animals who display human motives, understanding, reason, and intentions. It takes a far greater imagination to conceive the possibility that a dog's mental life may assume a form that is simply beyond our ken."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2229, 12-19-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.