Word: risking
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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That's certainly what's driving McGuire and Fillipino as they position themselves on the Auburn bridge. It's dawn again, barely light, and they appear as shadows moving on the catwalk beneath the roadway. As they survey the drop zone, they compute a series of risk assessments. "It's a matter of weighing the variables," Fillipino says, pointing out that the wind, about 15 m.p.h. out of the northwest, has picked up a little more than he would like. Still, it's a clear morning, and they've climbed all the way up here. McGuire is eager to jump...
Nobody knows why this is happening, but researchers think that identifying risk factors may help solve the mystery. Genetics clearly plays a role: in the Journal study, more than 11,000 of the U.S. cases cited involved white men, while fewer than 650 victims were nonwhites. International data tell the same story: Northern Europeans are particularly vulnerable, and Scandinavians have the highest rate in the world...
Beyond that, says Dr. Lawrence Einhorn of Indiana University, who treated Lance Armstrong, "we have looked at several risk factors, and the only one that's really been proved is cryptorchidism." In plain English, that means undescended testicles. In a male fetus, the testicles normally develop inside the abdomen and descend into the scrotal sac before birth. In some cases, though, one (and sometimes both) of the testicles stays inside the body. The laggard normally drops into place in the child's first year of life, though surgery is sometimes needed to help it along...
...while most undescended testicles eventually get where they're supposed to be, the delay seems to cause some sort of damage: cryptorchidism affects only 3% of the male population but is a factor in 14% of testicular-cancer cases. Doctors have identified other risk factors, such as a family history of testicular cancer, HIV infection and a previous bout with the disease. But none of these explain the dramatic rise in incidence. Other possible risks include occupational exposure to extreme temperatures and the maternal use of fertility hormones...
CATCH YOUR BREATH You don't have to work up a sweat for a healthy heart. A major study on 72,500 middle-aged women finds that walking briskly for 30 minutes a day can cut the risk of heart attack up to 40%. That's about the same benefit as from jogging and other vigorous exercise for half that amount of time. A stroll through the mall won't do: you have to move at least 3 m.p.h.--or about a block a minute...