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MIDDLE-aged left-handed women have a higher risk of dying, particularly from breast cancer, a new study from the Netherlands of over 12,000 women suggests. While it could be a chance finding and the evidence is far from conclusive, numerous reports have associated left-handedness with various disorders and, in general, a shorter life span, Dutch researchers note in their report in the journal Epidemiology.
Dr Harry Comber of the National Cancer Registry said the study would need to be repeated in order to be verified. "It may well be valid. But a lot of things are picked up in one-off studies like that - 12,000 may sound like a large sample but it's not when you consider the number of women who developed cancer in that group. . . If it's true, I'd find it remarkable no one has ever noticed it before, " he said.
When left-handed women were compared with the other women, and the data were adjusted for a number of potentially confounding factors, they had a 40% higher risk of dying from any cause, a 70% higher risk of dying from cancer and a 30% higher risk of dying from diseases of the circulatory system. Left-handed women also had a twofold increased risk of dying from breast cancer. The underlying mechanisms remain elusive, although genetics and environmental factors may be involved.
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YOU ARE HERE: 11 November 2007 / tribune.ie / 2007 / 06 / 10
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