Harvard Health Content API

An influential group of experts is recommending that primary care doctors screen all adults for alcohol problems. The advice comes from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. This independent group reviews medical evidence and offers advice to doctors on preventive care. The new report says there’s enough evidence to show that asking one question can help show which patients may have “risky” drinking patterns. The question is: “How many times in the past year have you had five or more drinks in a day (if you’re a man), or four or more drinks (if you’re a woman or older than 65)?” If the person says this has happened at least once, the doctor can ask more questions to assess the degree of risk. Risky drinking may be causing current problems or may just increase the risk of problems later. The journal Annals of Internal Medicine published the study.

The high sodium level of processed and restaurant foods is not getting much better, two new studies find. One study analyzed 685 meals from 19 sit-down, chain restaurants. The average meal had 2,269 milligrams (mg) of sodium. Most adults shouldn’t have any more than that in an entire day, U.S. government guidelines say. The guidelines recommend 2,300 mg a day or less for most people. Some groups are urged to stay under 1,500 mg a day. They include people over 50 and African Americans. People with high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease also are advised to stick to the lower level. The average American now consumes about 3,300 mg a day. Another new study found that recent efforts to reduce sodium in processed and restaurant foods have been “inconsistent and slow.” Researchers compared sodium levels in 402 processed foods from 2005 and 2011.