Harvard Health Content API

Caffeine has been showing up recently in snack foods, candy and gum. Now U.S. food regulators are taking an interest. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it will look at the effects of caffeinated foods on children’s health and take action if necessary. The Associated Press wrote about it April 30. The announcement came in response to a new product that went on the market this week, Wrigley’s Alert Energy Gum. The agency already is investigating the use of caffeine in energy drinks and energy shots. The FDA has given specific approval to the use of caffeine in a food or drink only once, for colas. That decision was in the 1950s.

A common antibiotic does not increase the risk of heart-related death for young and middle-aged adults without heart problems, a new study finds. Earlier research found an increased risk among people with heart disease who took azithromycin. This drug is also known by the brand names Zithromax or Z-Pak. The new study looked at 1.1 million people who took azithromycin for infections. They were compared with 1.1 million who did not take antibiotics and 7 million who took penicillin V. Patients were ages 18 through 64. People were 3 times as likely to die of heart disease or stroke while taking either antibiotic. Death rates were similar for both drugs. Researchers said the higher risk appeared to be related to the infection rather than to the treatment. The U.S. label for azithromycin and antibiotics similar to it carries a warning.

People who take medicines for depression may have an increased risk of bleeding with major surgery, a new study suggests. Researchers looked at medical records for about 500,000 Americans who had surgery in a 2-year period. People who took drugs known as SSRIs were 10% more likely to have excess bleeding after surgery than other patients. SSRI stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. These drugs are antidepressants. They include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil) and many others. People who took SSRIs also had a higher risk of dying in the hospital or being admitted again in the next month. This study does not show that the drugs caused the problems. Researchers said that people taking drugs for depression might have a higher risk of problems with surgery for other reasons, too. The journal JAMA Internal Medicine published the study.

More than one-third of people having a stroke in the United States don’t call 911, a study shows. And that can make a big difference in their treatment. The most effective treatment for ischemic stroke, the most common type, is use of clot-busting drugs. But they work best when given within 3 hours of the start of symptoms. In the new study, people who called 911 arrived faster than those who got to the hospital on their own. They also got treatment faster. The study looked at treatment of about 200,000 stroke patients from 2003 to 2010. Not everyone is eligible to get clot-busting drugs. Among those who were, 67% of those who came by ambulance got the drugs within 3 hours of when their symptoms started. Only 44% of those who got to the hospital on their own met that timetable. About 79% of those who got to the hospital within 2 hours of the start of symptoms came by ambulance.

Overweight women who drink too much alcohol greatly increase their risk of liver damage, a new study finds. The study included more than 107,000 women. Researchers divided them into groups based on weight and how much alcohol they drank. Overweight women who drank heavily had three times the risk of chronic liver disease (cirrhosis) and death as light drinkers of normal weight. Heavy drinking was defined as more than 15 units of alcohol per week. One unit is equal to 25 milliliters (ml) of whisky (about 1 ounce) or half of a 175 ml glass of wine. A second study also found a higher risk of liver cancer for people who had fatty liver disease and were overweight, obese or had type 2 diabetes. Both studies were presented at a conference. HealthDay News wrote about them April 27.

Taking a common heart drug before surgery may reduce death rates for some patients, a new study suggests. Researchers looked at non-heart surgeries involving almost 137,000 people. About 40% of the patients took a type of drug called a beta-blocker before surgery and for 30 days afterward. People with a high risk of heart or blood vessel problems were more likely to take these drugs. They slow the heart rate and are used to reduce blood pressure and treat heart rhythm problems. People who took beta-blockers were less likely to die in the 30 days after surgery than similar patients who did not take them. The drugs reduced the risk of death and problems such as heart attack most for higher-risk surgery patients. People with higher risk included those with prior heart disease, stroke, heart failure, diabetes and kidney disease.