A daily multiple vitamin may slightly reduce cancer risk in older men, a new study suggests. Many studies have found no benefit from high doses of single vitamins. But the new study looked instead at standard multivitamins. The study included 14,641 male doctors age 50 or older. They were randomly divided into groups. One group took a daily multiple vitamin. The other group took a placebo, or fake pill. After an average of 11 years, researchers compared cancer rates. Men who took the multivitamin were 8% less likely to be diagnosed with a new cancer than those who took the placebo. About half of the cancers were in the prostate. Most of them were early stage, with high odds of survival. There was also little difference in prostate cancer rates between the two groups. So researchers decided to look just at other cancers.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Childhood abuse is bad enough on its own, and now it appears it may also increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease earlier than usual.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
For unexplained shortness of breath, cardiopulmonary exercise testing may solve the mystery. Shortness of breath can often be eliminated or reduced with medical or surgical treatment, or cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Information on heart surgeons is widely available on the Internet. But a Harvard study shows that most consumers often do not correctly interpret the data the way they are presented.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
A high blood glucose level may signal increased risk of diabetes, but in the absence of common symptoms of diabetes, a hemoglobin A1c test may provide a more accurate diagnosis.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Overdrinking, particularly binge drinking, can trigger the fast, erratic heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation. Because this tends to occur during holiday celebrations, the condition is known as “holiday heart syndrome.”
Content restricted. Requires subscription
High LDL cholesterol levels are known to increase the risk of heart attack, and lowering LDL levels has been proven to help protect against heart attack.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
The influenza vaccine dramatically reduces the number of heart attacks and cardiovascular deaths. Anyone with heart disease should get a flu shot (not the nasal drops) every year.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
A left ventricular assist device (LVAD) can greatly improve quality of life for people with heart failure who are too old for a heart transplant.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Caffeine may help us produce more tears, but doctors don’t recommend it as a treatment for dry eye syndrome. Instead, use artificial tears, topical anti-inflammatory treatments, and sometimes procedures to plug tear ducts.
Content restricted. Requires subscription