Chronological list of dates of Irish History

Chronological list of dates of Irish History
c.3000BC Megalithic tombs first constructed.
c.700BC  Celts arrive from parts of Gaul and Britain. Ireland divided
     into provinces. (This according to a contributor is reconstructed
     folk history and not based on the archaeology.)
c.AD350  Christianity reaches Ireland.
432      Traditional date for the arrival of St. Patrick in Ireland. 
700-800  Irish monasticism reaches its zenith.
795      Full-scale Viking invasion.
1014     Brian Boru/ defeats Vikings at Clontarf, but is murdered.
1169     Dermot MacMurrough, exiled king of Leinster, invites help
     from ‘Strongbow’.
1172     Pope decrees that Hery II of England is feudal lord of Ireland.
1366     Statues of Kilkenny belatedly forbid intermarriage of English and
     Irish.  Gaelic culture unsuccessfully suppressed.
1534-40  Failed insurrection by Lord Offaly.
1541     Henry VIII proclaimed king (rather than feudal lord) of Ireland
1558-1603 Reign of Elizabeth I.  Policy of Plantation begins.  System of
      counties adopted.
1595-1603 Failed uprising of Hugh O’Neil.
1607      Flight of the Earls; leading Ulster families go into exile.
1641      Charles I’s policies cause insurrection in Ulster and Civil War in
      England.
1649      Cromwell invades Ireland.
1653      Under the Act of Settlement Cromwell’s opponents stripped of land.
1689-90   Deposed James II flees to Ireland; defeated at the Battle of the
      Boyne.
1704      Penal Code enacted; Catholics barred from voting, education and the
      military.
1775      American War of Independence forments Irish unrest.
1782      Grattan’s Parliament persuades British to declare Irish
      independence, but in name only.
1795      Foundation of the Orange Order.
1798      Wolfe Tone’s uprising crushed.
1801      Ireland becomes part of Britain under the Act of Union.
1829      Catholic Emancipation Act passed after Daniel O’Connell elected
      as MP.
1845-48   The Great Famine.
1879-82   The Land War; Parnell encourages boycott of repressive landlords.
1914      Implementation of Home Rule postponed because of outbreak of World
      War I.
1916      Easter Rising.  After the leaders are executed public opinion backs
      independence.
1920-21   War between Britain and Ireland; Irish Free State and Northern
      Ireland created.
1922      Civil war breaks out.
1932      De Valera elected.
1969      Rioting between Catholics and Protestants.  British troops called in.
1971      Provisional IRA begins campaign to oust British troops from Ireland.
1972      UK and Republic of Ireland join European Community. ‘Bloody Sunday’
      in Derry.
1985      Anglo-Irish Agreement signed.
1994      Peace Declaration and IRA ceasefire.

By richardwestof Posted in eskimo

sending slaves to the Vikings in Dublin, Ireland

Exactly when the city was founded is unknown. The earliest relic is a silver coin in the Royal Collection at Stockholm, Sweden. The coin bears the image of Ethelred Unrede (978 – 1016) and was minted in Bricgstowe (Bristol) by a man named Aelfweld. If Bristol was important enough to have a mint by 978 it must have been in existance sometime before then.
It is fairly certain that no town existed here before 577 AD. The reason being that in 577 two Saxon kings (Cuthwine and Ceawlin) fought and killed three British kings (Commail, Condidan and Farinmail) at a village called Dyrham near Pucklechurch, just outside of the present city. Although the towns of Bath, Gloucester and Cirencester are mentioned in the account of this battle, Bristol isn’t mentioned at all, even though it would have been closer than those mentioned.
Thus, Bristol was founded sometime between 577 and 978 AD. Even by this latter date the town was known to be dealing sending slaves to the Vikings in Dublin, Ireland.
Bridges at this time were of vital importance. There are three reasons why Bristol, as a port, is situated 7 miles inland with access to ships up a very tortuous river. A bridge across the Avon nearer it’s mouth would have been technologically very difficult, the land there was very prone to flooding and the town would have been very exposed to attack. Ships would make their way up the Avon until they reached Bristol Bridge and lay beached at low tide on the mud ready to be unloaded.

Bristol before 1000 AD

Bristol ~ before 1000 AD (the area enclosed by the Old City Walls)

The named streets are still in existence.

Being built in the crook of the River Frome next to the River Avon provided Bristol with near perfect protection. The building of a wall around the town further increased its fortifications. A walk around the area bounded by the old city walls – even though they don’t exist now, except for the old St. John’s Gate at the bottom of Broad Street – is a very pleasant way of spending an hour or so.

ORATION : The Court of Bricgstowe No. 75, 2nd April 2011
by W.& Em.Bro. Colin Lowther, Provincial Eminent Grand Prior Elect of Wessex

Most Worshipful Grand Master, Worshipful Master, Worshipful Brethren, Brethren.

Brethren, we are assembled here today in harmony and peace, and privileged to be present at, and to participate in, the consecration of the newest Court of Athelstan, the sixth Court in the Province of Wessex.

Bricgstowe Court No. 75.

Bristol or is it Bricgstowe, has a recorded history of over 1000 years. There is an unrecorded history going back to pre Roman times. It was a small market town or burgh from as early as the 10th Century and forming part of the Kingdom of Wessex.

1000 years has seen many changes. We meet here today in this ancient city and in this wonderful Masonic Temple. The Bristol we know today has grown from a small town into a thriving city. The original Kingdom of Wessex disappeared many years ago but the name Wessex lives on and we now have the Province of Wessex in the Masonic Order of Athelstan.

The building in which we meet today is the Province of Bristol. All of the Orders and Degrees administered by the Province of Bristol meet in this one building. Craft, Royal Arch, Mark, Royal Ark Mariners and the Camp of Baldwyn. The Camp of Baldwyn holds a unique position in English Freemasonry. It incorporates in one body, five Royal Orders of Knighthood.

This building was acquired by the Province in 1872 and with the exception of a number of years following damage by enemy action in 1940, every meeting has been held within these walls.

As the Masonic Order of Athelstan, we are youngsters in the Masonic world. But our Order is based on foundations laid down when Bricgstowe was but a youngster. Ten Provinces each with Ten Courts. Representing, as near as possible, the original Kingdoms and Guilds as they were set up by King Athelstan during his reign as First King of the English. All this when Bristol was just a village near a bridge.

Since that date, there have been many changes. Bristol was granted a Royal Charter in 1155 and was granted County status in 1373 separate from Gloucestershire and Somerset. The Masonic Province of Bristol has as its boundary, the original city boundary.

The history of Bristol as a city and a Province is an inspiration to us all. 1460, William Canynge, Mayor of Bristol. St Mathyas Chapel being in ruins was this year erected by him into a Freemasons Hall. We have Canynge Lodge.

In 1497, John Cabot set sail from the port of Bristol and discovered North America. Bristol has Cabot Lodge and Cabot Chapter. In 1532, Robert and Nicholas Thorne founded the Bristol Grammar School. They have Robert Thorne Lodge.
John Whitson, in his will, left funds for the foundation of the Redmaids School, the oldest surviving girls school in England. They have Whitson Lodge. Edward Hodges Bailey, the Sculptor created the frieze above the main entrance to this building. His name is commerated by Baily Lodge. Colston, Brunel and Chatterton, all famous names with strong Bristol connections.

There are records of a Masonic Lodge in Bristol in 1725, the Nags Head Lodge No. 29. Not, I am sure named after a famous Bristolian but the hostelry in which they met.

1739 saw the first Methodist Chapel, the building still exists. 1771, Records of the Royal Sussex Lodge of Hospitality show that the Lodge was opened at half past eight and closed immediately with all due Harmony and Decorum.

In 1844 Brunel’s SS Great Britain was launched, 1864, the Bristol Suspension bridge was built, both still here today and we finish the list with Concorde
.
The Province of Bristol was created in 1786 at the request of Brother Thomas Dunkerley. He was the first Provincial Grand Master for Bristol. There are now 36 Lodges in the Province of Bristol, all meeting in this wonderful building. During 1786, Dunkerley was also the Provincial Grand Master in five other Provinces.

However, we are assembled here today not to look back. We look to the future and the growth of the Masonic Order of Athelstan. As Court number 75 we represent a milestone in the history of the Order.

As Bricgstowe Court, we must always remember, although we meet in the heart of the Province of Bristol, we are not Bristol Masons, we are part of the Province of Wessex, meeting in this historic Bristol building. A building steeped in Masonic history.

Many of the founders of Bricgstowe Court are Bristol Masons, brought up on sound Bristol traditions. As members of the Order of Athelstan they will now see the fine precepts and disciplines on which the Order of Athelstan is founded

Built on solid foundations, the Order of Athelstan is growing month by month, year by year. The building bricks are being added one by one. As Bricgstowe Court, we are the 75th brick. It may not be very long before the 100th brick is laid and the building completed.

As Court Master Masons, we are inspired by our leaders. They lead from the front. They are here today to watch with interest as we are formed into a new Court. They will follow our progress as we grow from strength to strength and will attend our future meetings when time permits.

Right Worshipful Brother Malcolm Burns, Provincial Grand Master for the Province of Wessex will guide us and encourage us to make further advances in our Masonic knowledge.

Brethren, today we add the name of Bricgstowe Court number 75 to the register of the Grand Court of the Masonic Order of Athelstan in England, Wales and its Provinces Overseas.

Let us go forth, inspired by the famous names that appear in the history of the city of Bristol.

May the Great Architect of the Universe bless you and forever guide and protect you.

© 2009 Provincial Grand Court of Wessex

 

THIRTEENTH-CENTURY ARMS

1

\

/

Ralph Bigot

tmp8eca-1

Martin Chamberlain

Ralph EitffNichol

tmp8eca-2

tmp8eca-3

tmp8eca-4

tmp8eca-5

Geoffrey de Langley    Oted    de    Granson    William    Dacre    Robert    de    Scales

tmp8eca-6

tmp8eca-7

tmp8eca-8

Reger Prychard    William    Tracy    Walter    de    Everley    Nicolas    de    Oddingselles

tmp8eca-9

tmp8eca-10

#$#

fl’e Uffard    Simon    Crombe    John    Danye/l    Wat    de    Malecastre

file:///C:/Users/westof/AppData/Local/Temp/FineReader11.00/tmp8eca.htm

THIRTEENTH-CENTURY ARMS

 

THIRTEENTH-CENTURY ARMS

1

\

/

Ralph Bigot

tmp8eca-1

Martin Chamberlain

Ralph EitffNichol

tmp8eca-2

tmp8eca-3

tmp8eca-4

tmp8eca-5

Geoffrey de Langley    Oted    de    Granson    William    Dacre    Robert    de    Scales

tmp8eca-6

tmp8eca-7

tmp8eca-8

Reger Prychard    William    Tracy    Walter    de    Everley    Nicolas    de    Oddingselles

tmp8eca-9

tmp8eca-10

#$#

fl’e Uffard    Simon    Crombe    John    Danye/l    Wat    de    Malecastre

file:///C:/Users/westof/AppData/Local/Temp/FineReader11.00/tmp8eca.htm

BBC News – Leg bone gives up oldest human DNA

 

Leg bone gives up oldest human DNA

By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website

Sima de los Huesos remains The Pit of Bones has yielded one of the richest assemblages of human bones from this era

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

The discovery of DNA in a 400,000-year-old human thigh bone will open up a new frontier in the study of our ancestors.

That’s the verdict cast by human evolution experts on an analysis in Nature journal of the oldest human genetic material ever sequenced.

The femur comes from the famed "Pit of Bones" site in Spain, which gave up the remains of at least 28 ancient people.

But the results are perplexing, raising more questions than answers about our increasingly complex family tree.

The early human remains from the cave site near the northern Spanish city of Burgos have been painstakingly excavated and pieced together over the course of more than two decades. It has yielded one of the richest assemblages of human bones from this stage of human evolution, in a time called the Middle Pleistocene.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

We need all the data we can get to build the whole story of human evolution”

End Quote Prof Chris Stringer Natural History Museum

To access the pit (called Sima de los Huesos in Spanish) scientists must crawl for hundreds of metres through narrow cave tunnels and rope down through the dark. The bodies were probably deposited there deliberately – their causes of death unknown.

The fossils carry many traits typical of Neanderthals, and either belong to an ancestral species known as Homo heidelbergensis – or, as the British palaeoanthropologist Chris Stringer suggests – are early representatives of the Neanderthal lineage.

DNA’s tendency to break down over time means it has not previously been possible to study the genetics of such ancient members of the human family.

But the recent pace of progress in sequencing technology has astonished many scientists: "Years ago, geneticists said they wouldn’t be able to find DNA that was older than 60,000 years old," said co-author Jose Bermudez de Castro, from the National Research Centre for Human Evolution (CENIEH), a member of the team that excavated the fossils.

"Of course, that wasn’t true. The techniques have advanced hugely."

Siberia to Iberia

Professor Chris Stringer from the Natural History Museum in London describes the significance of the discovery

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, under the supervision of Prof Svante Paabo, have been helping drive those advances. The success reported in Nature was the result of applying techniques developed for sequencing the degraded DNA found in Neanderthal fossils to even older specimens.

Prof Paabo, the institute’s director, said: "Our results show that we can now study DNA from human ancestors that are hundreds of thousands of years old," adding: "It is tremendously exciting."

Continue reading the main story

Smart spiral

Zip, Ladder, DNA beads, typewriter, phone cord

Is DNA the ‘smartest’ molecule in existence?

How does DNA testing work?

The scientists were able to stitch together a near-complete sequence of mitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA (the genetic material contained in the tiny "batteries" that power our cells) from the ancient femur. But comparisons of the genetic code with that from other humans, ancient and modern, yielded a surprise.

Rather than showing a relationship between the Spanish specimens and Neanderthals, which might be expected based on their physical features, the mitochondrial DNA was most similar to that found in 40,000 year-old material unearthed thousands of kilometres away at Denisova Cave in Siberia.

The Denisovans were a sister group to the Neanderthals, with distinct genetic characteristics. Identified only by DNA extracted from a tiny finger bone and tooth, they are, as some researchers have remarked, "a genome in search of a fossil" because there are no substantial remains representative of this group.

By using missing mutations in the old DNA sequences, the researchers calculated that the Pit of Bones individual shared a common ancestor with the Denisovans about 700,000 years ago.

Muddle in the middle

Sima de los Huesos The Pit of Bones is difficult to access but has ideal conditions for DNA preservation

So there are several possibilities as to how Denisovan-like DNA could turn up in Middle Pleistocene Spain. Firstly, the mitochondrial DNA type from the pit came from a population ancestral to both the Spanish hominids and to Denisovans.

Secondly, interbreeding between the Pit of Bones people (or their ancestors) and yet another early human species brought the Denisovan-like DNA into this western population. Prof Bermudez de Castro thinks there may be a candidate for this cryptic ancestor: an earlier human species known as Homo antecessor. One million years ago, antecessor inhabited the site of Gran Dolina, just a few hundred metres away from the Pit of Bones.

Prof Chris Stringer, from London’s Natural History Museum, told BBC News: "We need all the data we can get to build the whole story of human evolution. We can’t just build it from stone tools, we can’t just build it from the fossils. Having the DNA gives us a whole new way of looking at it."

DNA Techniques developed to sequence Neanderthal DNA can be applied to older fossils

However, he points out, mtDNA is a small and unusual component of our genetic blueprint, from which only limited conclusions can be drawn. For example, no sign of the interbreeding we now know took place between Neanderthals and modern humans remains in the mtDNA of modern people.

To get the full picture, scientists had to sequence nuclear DNA (that kept in the nuclei of cells) from Neanderthals and compare it with that in present-day populations. Likewise, the true relationships between the Pit people and other ancient populations may only be known if and when nuclear DNA is available.

This will be a challenge given the age of the Spanish fossils, but their good state of preservation – largely a product of the fairly constant temperature inside the cave – gives hope.

"That is our next big thing here, to sequence at least part of the nuclear genome from the individual in the Sima de los Huesos," Svante Paabo told BBC News.

"This will answer definitively the question of how they are related to Neanderthals, modern humans and Denisovans."

Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter

More on This Story

Related Stories
Share this page

BBC News – Leg bone gives up oldest human DNA

The fall in petrol sales

Drivers cut petrol use by 15%, AA research suggests

Man holding nozzle of petrol pump The fall in petrol sales cost
the Treasury nearly £1bn over the six months to June, the AA reckoned

Drivers have cut their petrol
consumption by more than 15% since the credit crunch and the recession.

The AA has calculated that petrol sales in the first six months of 2011 were
1.7bn litres less than in the same period three years ago.

The AA says the drop in petrol sales is a direct result of record fuel
prices.

Many drivers are struggling to make ends meet in any case, so the high cost
of petrol leaves them with no option but to try to use less.

And businesses have been cutting back as well.

The cut in fuel purchases, comparing the first six months of this year with
pre-recession levels, is equivalent to 40,000 delivery rounds by fully-laden
petrol tankers.

One result has been lower emissions of potentially damaging exhaust
fumes.

Another, says the AA, is that the fall in sales has deprived the Treasury of
nearly £1bn in fuel duty between January and June this year.

Supermarkets have tried to attract drivers looking for bargain fuel, but
hundreds of other petrol stations have gone out of business.

However, Tesco reported on Wednesday that high petrol prices had hit people’s
spending power so far this year.

More on This Story


//

Related Internet links

“Eating just three eggs a week increases chance of men getting prostate cancer,”

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

“Eating just three eggs a week increases chance of men getting prostate cancer

Posted by westof Labels: 

Friday September 30 2011

The men who ate the most eggs were at a higher risk

“Eating just three eggs a week increases chance of men getting prostate cancer,” reported the Daily Mail. The story went on to say: “Experts in the US claimed that men who consume more than two-and-a-half eggs on a weekly basis were up to 81% more likely to be killed by the disease.”

This research examined the association between eating red meat, poultry and eggs and the risk of developing lethal prostate cancer (which the researchers defined as either dying from the disease or having metastatic disease that had spread to other organs). The study was in a large group of 27,607 healthy men, of whom 199 developed lethal prostate cancer over 14 years of follow-up. The researchers calculated that the men who ate the most eggs were at a significantly higher risk than those who ate fewer eggs. No significant association was found with any other food item.

This large cohort study has some strengths, such as its large size and the fact that information on the participants’ diet was continually updated over the course of the study. However it also has several limitations, and only a small number of lethal cancers actually occurred, which could suggest that this association is due to chance. Furthermore, these results are inconsistent with previous research, which found no significant association between eggs and prostate cancer. The findings will need to be confirmed in more robust studies before any firm conclusions can be drawn.

 

Where did the story come from?

The study was carried out by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, the University of California in San Francisco, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Funding was provided by the US National Institute of Health.

The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal, Cancer Prevention Research.

The media generally reported the study accurately. However, the Daily Mirror’s suggestion that “a clear link between eggs and prostate cancer” has been found may be misleading, as the researchers say that their results contradict previous findings into the association and that more research is needed. But the Mirror does point out that men in the study who ate the most eggs differed from the rest of the participants in important ways, such as weight and smoking status.

 

What kind of research was this?

This was a prospective cohort study that investigated whether there is an association between eating red meat, poultry and eggs and the risk of developing lethal prostate cancer in healthy men. A subgroup analysis was carried out afterwards in the men from this cohort who went on to develop prostate cancer. The researchers wanted to see whether eating habits after a prostate cancer diagnosis were associated with the risk of the disease progressing and becoming fatal.

The researchers’ theory was based on the findings from previous research, which found:

  • an increased risk of developing lethal prostate cancer in healthy men who ate red meat
  • an increased risk of progression to lethal disease in men with prostate cancer who ate eggs and skin-on poultry after their diagnosis

Participants were recruited from an ongoing cohort study that began in 1986. This study was comprised of American male health professionals who were between the ages of 40 and 75 in 1986. Men in this study completed a questionnaire every two years with information on their medical conditions, physical activity, weight, medications and smoking status. They provided information regarding their eating habits every four years.

Prospective cohort studies are an appropriate design for answering this type of research question. Assessing eating habits at the beginning of a study reduces the risk that people will inaccurately recall their dietary habits, which can arise when you ask people to remember what they ate over a long period of time. It also ensures that the exposure (eating certain foods) precedes the outcome (developing and dying of prostate cancer).

 

What did the research involve?

In 1994, the researchers recruited 27,607 men from the existing cohort study in the US. The men did not have prostate or other forms of cancer (except non-melanoma skin cancers, which are rarely aggressove). They had also had a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test (PSA screening is not performed in the UK, as higher PSA levels can indicate cancer but are not specific for it. For example, raised levels can also occur with benign enlargement, infection or inflammation).

In this study:

  • Information on the men’s eating habits was collected every four years.
  • Information regarding prostate cancer diagnosis was collected every two years.
  • From men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, information of treatment and disease progression was collected every two years.

The researchers defined lethal prostate cancer as disease that had spread to distant organs (metastatic cancer) or death due to prostate cancer during the study’s follow-up period (1994 to 2008).

The researchers followed up the cohort for 14 years and analysed the associations between eating different amounts of red meat, poultry and eggs and the risk of developing lethal prostate cancer. The researchers grouped each participant according to the average amounts of each type of food they ate per week. For red meat, the subgroups included (per week):

  • less than three servings
  • 3 to 4 servings
  • 5 to 7 servings
  • over 8 servings

For poultry, the subgroups were defined as (per week):

  • less than 1.5 servings
  • 1.5 to 2.5 servings
  • 2.5 to 3.5 servings
  • over 3.5 servings for week

For eggs, the subgroups were:

  • less than half an egg
  • 0.5 to 1.5 eggs
  • 1.5 to 2.5 eggs
  • over 2.5 eggs

To determine which subgroup each participant would be allocated to, the researchers averaged their responses from all of the dietary questionnaires the participants had completed up until their diagnosis, or until the end of the study (for those who were not diagnosed).

To determine the amount of each food eaten, the researchers averaged the reported amounts over all of the questionnaires that were completed before diagnosis. During the analysis, the researchers controlled for possible confounding factors such as age, amount of food eaten, body mass index (BMI, which is an indicator of obesity), smoking status and physical activity levels.

The researchers also analysed the risk of dying from prostate cancer in the men who were diagnosed with it during the course of the study, based on their eating habits after diagnosis. The researchers only included men who were diagnosed with localised cancer (cancer that had not spread beyond the prostate). During the analysis, they controlled for possible confounding factors such as age at diagnosis, time since diagnosis, disease stage, treatment type, BMI, activity level, smoking status and pre-diagnosis diet.

 

What were the basic results?

Of the 27,607 men included, 199 died of prostate cancer during the study. When the researchers analysed the association between eating habits and risk of lethal prostate cancer when using data up to the point of initial diagnosis, they found that:

  • Men who ate an average of 2.5 or more eggs per week had an 81% higher risk of lethal prostate cancer compared to those who ate an average of less than half an egg per week (Hazard Ratio [HR] 1.81, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.89, p=0.01).
  • The association between average amount of eggs eaten per week and risk of lethal prostate cancer became non-significant when the researchers analysed data collected up to the point of development of a lethal form of the disease (that is, disease progression or death).
  • There was no significant association between the average amount of red meat eaten and the risk of lethal prostate cancer.
  • Men who consumed more red meat or eggs tended to exercise less and have a higher BMI, and were more likely to smoke and have a family history of prostate cancer.

Of the 3,127 men who developed prostate cancer during the course of the study, 123 died of it during follow-up. Further analysis of the men who died found no significant association between eating habits after diagnosis and risk of the disease progressing from localised prostate cancer to lethal prostate cancer.

 

How did the researchers interpret the results?

The researchers conclude that: “Eating eggs may increase risk of developing a lethal form of prostate cancer among healthy men,” and that although “additional large prospective studies are needed, caution in egg intake may be warranted for adult men”.

 

Conclusion

This was a large prospective cohort study that examined the impact of lifestyle on the risk of developing and dying of advanced prostate cancer.

In addition to its large size, another strength of the study is that the information regarding exposure (eating habits) and possible confounders (medical conditions, activity levels, weight, medications and smoking status) were continually updated over the study’s course. However, updating information on eating habits every four years may still introduce a significant level of recall bias, and accurately remembering what you ate over the previous four years is likely to be difficult.

The study and data analysis also has several limitations. First, the number of deaths and cases of lethal prostate cancer were small (only 199 out of 27,607 men in the whole cohort, and 123 out of 3,127 in the case-only cohort [those who initially developed localised disease]). This small number increases the likelihood that the results are due to chance. Second, the researchers say that the group of men included in the study generally ate low amounts of the foods of interest, which limits the “power” (or ability to detect a difference) of the analysis.

Furthermore, while the researchers controlled statistically for a number of possible confounders, it is difficult to say whether other factors could account for this relationship. The researchers say that men in the study who consumed more red meat or eggs tended to have a higher BMI, exercise less and were more likely to smoke and have a family history of prostate cancer. Additionally, it is probably difficult to control completely for other dietary effects and focus the analysis on a single component of a person’s diet.

This study points to possible associations between diet and risk of prostate cancer. The aforementioned limitations, however, weaken the strength of these conclusions, along with the fact that previous research has looked at this question and found no association. While an 81% increased risk sounds like a high and definitive figure, it is probably best to wait for more conclusive research before cutting eggs out of your diet. There are existing dietary and lifestyle guidelines for reducing cancer risk, such as limiting your consumption of energy-dense foods such as meat and increasing your consumption of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains.

Links to the headlines

Eating just three eggs a week ‘increases chance of men getting prostate cancer’Daily Mail, September 30 2011

Prostate cancer linked to eggs, say researchersDaily Mirror, September 30 2011

Just 3 eggs a week ‘raises the prostate cancer risk’Daily Express, September 30 2011

 

Links to the science

Richman EL, Kenfield SA, Stampfer MJ et alEgg, red meat, and poultry intake and risk of lethal prostate cancer in the prostate specific antigen-era: incidence and survivalCancer Prevention Research, Published Online First September 19 2011

By richardwestof Posted in egg