Multivitamin and mineral supplements do not reduce rates of heart disease, cancer, or death over all. The supplements also don’t appear to lessen the risk of cardiovascular complications in heart attack survivors.
The aromatase inhibitor drug anastrozole (Arimidex) reduces the chance of developing breast cancer by 53% in postmenopausal women at high risk for the disease.
New options for treating incontinence in women include Botox injections, Myrbetriq, the Oxytrol patch, and mini-sling procedures.
Flaxseed and red yeast rice may help lower cholesterol, but women should check with their doctor before taking them.
Preventing occasional back pain from becoming a chronic problem requires both physical and mental fitness. It is important to stay physically active, strengthen the muscles supporting the back, and maintain flexibility.
Adding vitamin E to standard Alzheimer’s drugs modestly slows the decline in daily functioning caused by dementia.
Men who walk the most have the lowest risk of stroke. A study showed that total walking time, rather than walking pace, determines how much stroke risk is reduced. Walking 30 minutes a day is sufficient to reduce the risk of stroke.
Walking an extra 2,000 steps a day may lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, or dying of heart disease in people at high risk of diabetes and who also have (or are prone to) heart disease.
To avoid a fracture, women over 65 and those at risk for osteoporosis should have a baseline bone density scan. How often they need additional scans depends on their fracture risks.
New expert recommendations for treating high blood pressure relax the threshold at which men ages 60 and older should consider taking medication to lower their blood pressure.