Do IVF children have
higher risk of cancer?
F
rom its early hesitant beginnings
in the late 1970s with the first
“test tube” baby, Louise Brown,
IVF has graduated to an
accepted way of conceiving a baby
for many couples.
But is there any difference in health
risks between children born by IVF
and those conceived naturally?
To try to answer this question,
researchers at the University of Minne-
sota studied 276,000 children
conceived by IVF and 2.2 million
conceived naturally, over 10 years.
The conclusion is that babies born
via IVF may have a slightly increased
risk of childhood cancer. But hold on,
the risk is very small and confined to
rare liver tumours. Furthermore these
tumours are linked to parents’ fertility
issues, not to the actual IVF tech-
nology. So they pre-exist any question
marks over IVF itself.
This isn’t the first time health risks
in IVF babies have been questioned.
Dr Logan Spector, who led this latest
study, has published several reports
pointing to increased health risks in
babies born with assisted reproductive
technologies such as IVF.
But the risks, particularly of child-
hood cancer, seemed to be banished
by a 2013 UK study encompassing
106,013 IVF babies born between 1998
and 2008, where the researchers found
no such association.
On other health issues, however, the
evidence is less clear. Research
suggests babies born via IVF have a
higher risk of heart problems. But
Spector’s team wanted to be able to
give parents-to-be sound information
and advice so they’ve been trying to
clarify exactly where concerns about
health risks in IVF babies arise.
“We found, at most, a small, margin-
ally significant association between
IVF and overall cancer in childhood,”
the researchers wrote in the study,
published in the Journal for the Amer-
ican Medical Association.
“We found no association of specific
modes of IVF treatment or indication
for IVF with overall cancer or embry-
onal tumours.”
So the upshot is that the researchers
found no particular type of IVF, and
there are many different ones, was tied
to a particular embryo abnormality.
The only cancers they did see an
increased risk of were hepatic (liver)
tumours, which are linked to the
parents’ infertility.
“Despite the large size of the study,
these results do not definitively estab-
lish an association between IVF and
embryonal tumours,” said researchers.
However, they insist that continued
follow-up for cancer occurrence
among children conceived via IVF is
warranted to gather more data and
hopefully clarify any risks.
If a couple are contemplating IVF
and asked me how I’d advise them in
the light of this new information, I’d
say, “Go ahead” as the risk is so tiny.
(^38) DAILY MIRROR FRIDAY 30.08.2019
DM1ST
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DR MIRIAM STOPPARD
Helping to keep you fit and healthy
TOP TIPS
...for losing
weight
■ Don’t skip breakfast, it won’t
make any difference.
■ Eating food helps burn calories at
a faster rate and lowers the
temptation to snack on foods high
in fat and sugar.
■ Eat plenty of fruit and veg which
are low in calories and fat, but high
in fibre – three essential ingredients
for successful weight loss. They
also contain plenty of vitamins
and minerals.
■ Being active is key to losing
weight and keeping it off. Exercise
can help burn off the excess
calories you can’t cut through diet
alone.
■ Eat high-fibre foods like
porridge and wholegrains to help
you to feel full.
■ Using smaller plates can help
you eat smaller portions and
discourage overeating.
■ Don’t ban any foods – you’ll only
crave them more. There’s no reason
you can’t enjoy the occasional
treat.
■ To avoid temptation, try not to
stock junk food at home. Instead,
opt for healthy snacks, such as
fruit, unsalted rice cakes, oat cakes,
unsalted or unsweetened popcorn,
and fruit juice.
■ Cut down on alcohol as it’s full of
calories.
It’s down to stress mainly. Being stressed leads to high levels of the
hormone cortisol. It causes immediate changes in the body to deal
with a threat – to either fight or flee from it – often referred to as the
fight or flight reflex.
A part of the reflex causes the body’s muscles to tighten so
that they’re ready for action. This tightening process can affect
any muscle or muscle group in the body, including those in the throat
that help you swallow. So being anxious can cause a ‘lump in the
throat’ feeling.
Many people who are nervous or anxious experience this feeling. In
the old days it was called globus hystericus.
Have you ever
wondered...
what causes
that lump in
the throat
feeling?
...about diabetes
BUST
THOSE MYTHS
Q
I have cancer in the
family so please can you
suggest any foods I could eat
to reduce my risk of getting
the disease?
A
First of all I’d suggest
you start adding
parsley to salads as it
can help fight
cancer. Other foods
such as broccoli,
cabbage, cauliflower
and kale contain a
potent chemical,
sulforaphane, that helps the
body to flush out cancer-
causing chemicals.
Tomatoes are good for men
and women whether they’re
raw, cooked or in ketchup.
They contain lycopene which
can cut the risk of prostate
cancer in men and
endometrial cancer in women.
The Indian spice turmeric is
also one to include in your
diet. It contains an antioxidant
called curcumin which slows
down the development
of the human
papilloma virus (HPV),
the one that causes
oral and cervical
cancers.
Curcumin also
suppresses the spread of
cells in head and neck cancer
by reducing levels of
damaging inflammatory
substances called cytokines.
There are many more foods
that are good, including garlic,
plums, kidney beans, apples,
watermelon and coffee.
Ask Dr Miriam
[email protected]
@MiriamStoppard
SORRY BUT I CAN’T ANSWER LETTERS PERSONALLY
Myth 1: Type 2
diabetes is mild
No form of diabetes is
mild. If type 2 diabetes
is poorly managed it
can lead to serious,
even life-threatening
complications such as
heart and renal
disease, blindness and
gangrene. Good
control of diabetes can significantly
decrease the risk of complications but
this doesn’t mean the condition itself is
not serious.
Myth 2: People with diabetes
should only eat diabetic food
This is one of the most common myths.
The label ‘diabetic’ is often used on sweet
foods but they, nonetheless, will often still
affect blood glucose
levels. They’re also
expensive. The
charity Diabetes UK
recommends that
people with diabetes
avoid diabetic food.
Myth 3: Diabetes
is contagious
Something of a
classic playground
myth, diabetes cannot be caught from
someone else. Diabetes is categorised as
being a non-communicable illness
meaning it cannot be passed on by
sneezing, through touch, nor via blood
or any other person to person means.
The only way in which diabetes can be
passed on is from parents to their own
children in their genes.
What is it? Petechiae
Petechiae are small (1–2 mm) red or purple spots on
the skin. They appear when capillaries, the tiniest
blood vessels, bleed. A number of things can cause
this bleeding, including prolonged straining, certain
medical conditions, specific types of injuries,
medications, sunburn and, most importantly,
infections. The distinguishing feature of petechiae is
that they don’t disappear when a glass is pressed on
them, which is a diagnostic test for meningitis rash.
est
do
o
c
supp
Evidence isn’t
clear on some
health issues