Billie Jean King To Young Women, On Title IX: 'Now It's Your Turn'

Billie Jean King To Young Women, On Title IX: 'Now It's Your Turn'

It has been 40 years since the passage of Title IX -- a law best known for opening opportunities for females to play sports throughout their academic careers. When it passed in 1972, fewer than 300,000 girls played high school sports in the U.S. Last year, more than 3 million did.

Billie Jean King, 68, tennis star and women's advocate, has long supported the legislation. A year after it passed, she trounced Bobby Riggs in a tennis match on national television, aware that millions of eyes were on her.

"I just had to play," King told Newsweek not long after the match. She said she "wanted to change the hearts and minds of people to match the legislation."

We caught up with King on the 40th birthday of Title IX, getting her thoughts on female athletes, women's history and how she stays active as she ages. Here's what she had to say:

On women needing to understand where they came from:
I think the more you know about history, the more you know about yourself.

It's important to understand the fight that so many people had to [go through] for all of us. And young women need to understand that we're still not there. Even in the U.S., we're still only making 77 cents on the dollar … and it's absolutely ridiculous.

On the lack of opportunities in women's sports:
We don't have the professional leagues. We don't have anything compared to the guys. We don't get the support from women -- they don't buy season tickets. Guys buy tickets and worry about who is going to the game later; they understand it's about writing checks and supporting the community. Women's sports are a microcosm of society, and women need to support women.

On the women she'll be watching this Olympics:
I like [Allyson Felix] the track star. I'm fascinated by her. But personally, I'm always more concerned about how many professional opportunities they have once the Olympics are over.

On keeping active after years of knee pain (King recently had knee replacement surgery that she believes will be her last):
Two years ago, I'd had it. My whole world had really closed in on me. It got to the point where I couldn't walk a block -- I took a taxi to the gym, which is two-and-a-half blocks away.

Now I go to the gym. I play tennis again. I always say I expect this thing to outlive me

On working out at 68:
"I do at least 30 minutes on the bike, and I do sprints on the bike, too. I lift weights. But it's whatever works for you and gets it done. It's what works for you in your daily life."

On her life's true passion:
I can't tell you how much I love tennis. I love to hit a tennis ball. Some people can run all day, but that's not who I am … I love to hit the ball. I just love it. It's the best way for me to exercise. Every time I walk on the court, I know it's a blessing.

On women's equity in sports:
We're celebrating 40 years of Title IX, and I do think it's important that young women know [what it did].

Every generation passes the baton down. Now, it's your turn.

This conversation has been edited and condensed.

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Heart Attack Survivors May Also Face PTSD Risk: Study

Heart Attack Survivors May Also Face PTSD Risk: Study

People who have gone through experiences like rape, assault, abuse and even war are at a higher risk of developing post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) -- and now, a new review of studies shows that one in eight people who've survived a heart attack experience symptoms of the anxiety disorder as well.

In fact, about 4 percent of all heart attack survivors meet the criteria necessary for a PTSD diagnosis, Columbia University Medical Center researchers found.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder affect everyday life, and include flashbacks to the traumatic event, nightmares, trouble concentrating or feeling hyper-aware, sleeping problems, detachment and extreme avoidance of anything that's a reminder of the traumatic event.

Researchers also found that people who've had heart attacks who have PTSD are also at a doubled risk of dying in the next one to three years, or having another cardiac event.

The PLoS ONE study included data from 2,383 people who have acute coronary syndrome, which is when blood flow is reduced to the heart.

"Given that some 1.4 million ACS [acute-coronary syndrome] patients are discharged from U.S. hospitals each year, our results suggest that 168,000 patients will develop clinically significant PTSD symptoms. That is quite substantial," study researcher Donald Edmondson, Ph.D., an assistant professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia, said in a statement.

"However, there is abundant evidence that psychological disorders in heart patients are underrecognized and undertreated. In fact, underdiagnosis may be even more pronounced in cardiac practices than in other types of medical practices," he added.

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Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Junk Food Diet Speeds Development Of Pancreatic Cancer

Junk Food Diet Speeds Development Of Pancreatic Cancer

A study has shown that a diet high in fat and calories can hasten the development of pancreatic cancer in humans.

In a presentation to the American Association for Cancer Research's Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges conference, researchers said their results showed a clear link between diet and pancreatic activity.

"Our results showed that in mice, a diet high in fat and calories led to obesity and metabolic disturbances such as insulin resistance that are seen in obese humans," said Guido Eibl from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, according to a statement.

"It also greatly enhanced pancreatic inflammation and pancreatic cancer development."

Human epidemiological studies have linked high fat intake and obesity to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, but the mechanism driving this association has not been understood.

To understand the link, Eibl and his colleagues first tested the hypothesis that diet is linked to cancer. They fed a corn oil-based diet that had a high content of fat and calories to mice with a genetic mutation that caused them to develop pancreatic precancer. The same gene, KRAS, is mutated in the majority of human pancreatic cancers.

The results showed that 90% of the mice fed the special diet became obese, and all of these mice developed insulin resistance and inflammation in the pancreas. Both of these conditions can stimulate the growth of precancerous cells and cancer. These mice also developed significantly more advanced precancerous lesions than did mice fed a normal diet.

"This suggests that the high-fat, high-calorie diet accelerated pancreatic cancer development," said Eibl.

"A KRAS mutation in the pancreas might not be sufficient to cause an individual to develop pancreatic cancer. It likely needs something in addition a secondary hit. Our study showed that a high-fat, high-calorie diet could provide an environmental secondary hit and trigger cancer development."

The researchers are now defining the role that inflammation produced by obesity plays in development of the cancer, and if agents such as antidiabetic drugs or fish oil can halt this disease process.

Source: www.huffingtonpost.co.uk