Here's a Weird One: Left-Handed Women and Cancer

After following more than 12,000 Dutch women for 13 years or so, researchers have concluded that left-handed women are more likely to die from cancer and cerebrovascular disease (damage to an artery in the brain or one that supplies blood to the brain), according to a report from Reuters.

Although even the researchers who did the study are not sure of the reasons, and skeptical in general of research linking disease to handedness, the statistics are pretty amazing.

Reuters reports that the study found that left-handed women had a 40 percent higher risk of dying from any cause, a 70 percent higher risk of dying from cancer, and a 30 percent higher risk of dying from diseases of the circulatory system.

Left-handed women were twice as likely to die of breast cancer, and almost five times as likely to die from colorectal cancer.

So I have a question or two: What does this mean for ambidextrous women like me? I write with my right hand, but do almost everything else with my left--play tennis, cut with scissors, and so on. And I am definitely left-footed.

Does this mean left-handed women should be more carefully screened for cancer?

And a conclusion: Thank god I'm not Dutch!

Left-handed women may have a shorter life-span

@ Jeanne Sather 2007.

Comments

[Jill Cohen]

Uh-oh...I'm left-handed! But I'm not Dutch either, so maybe it doesn't matter that I have mets too.

Jill

[jessica]

forgive me the cluelessness here, girls. i could easily be missing some unspoken understanding(s), but being Dutch has nothing to do with it, right? the study just happened to follow Dutch women? good gravy, i'm not even blonde! what gives?!?

[Sharin]

Hi Jeanne

I was scanning the net for some stuff on cancer and out of 9 searches on keywords like pink -ribbon, herceptin, medical insurance claims and others...the assertive cancer patient popped on top. Its a brave thing what youre doing. having lost a close family to cancer and sleeping next to the disease, i can dare to imagine what living attitude you need to survive. For that I salute you and your passion. For a young journalist like me, the participant observation you give as an analysis has moved me to look at cancer as maybe not the enemy. But a scared child seeking company.

SO thanks Jeanne for your will and your words.. It fuels my life

Sharin

[jeanne]

Jessica--sorry, the line about being glad I'm not Dutch was meant to be a joke. As you say, the study just happened to follow Dutch women. But, then, maybe there is something about being Dutch....who knows? It's an odd study in any case, although the numbers are amazing.

Jeanne

[jeanne]

Sharin--thanks! Are you working as a journalist? You might want to check out the "writing" section of my blog.

Jeanne