Harvard Health Content API

People who consume less salt and more potassium can reduce their risk of blood pressure and stroke, 3 reviews of medical evidence show. The journal BMJ published the review articles. One review put together the results of 34 studies. They included a total of 3,230 people. The review found that eating less sodium (mostly salt) could reduce systolic blood pressure by about 4 milligrams of mercury (mmHg). Systolic pressure is the first or top number in a blood pressure reading. Diastolic pressure (the second number) fell 2 mmHg. Another research review also looked at other effects of salt on health. It included results from 56 studies. The risk of stroke increased 24% for people who ate more salt. The risks of dying from stroke increased 63%. A third study looked at potassium in the diet. It put together results from 33 studies. They included a total of 128,000 people.

A medical group has advice for primary care doctors about how to discuss prostate-cancer screening with patients. The new statement comes from the American College of Physicians, the group for doctors of internal medicine. It is based on guidelines from several organizations. The statement applies to male patients between ages 50 and 69. Doctors should talk with them about the risks and benefits of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, the statement says. PSA tests are used as a first screening test for prostate cancer. But a biopsy is needed to find out if cancer exists. Most prostate cancers grow very slowly and cause no harm. However, no known tests can tell which cancers will be deadly. Treatments can cause harmful side effects. The journal Annals of Internal Medicine published the study online April 8. HealthDay News wrote about it.

Kids eat more food when it’s served on larger plates, a new study suggests. The study included 42 first graders. They were served lunch at their school cafeteria. Half got their food on smaller plates and half on larger plates. The menu was either chicken nuggets or pasta with meat sauce. Side dishes were applesauce, mixed vegetables and bread. The drink was milk. On average, kids using larger plates served themselves about 90 more calories. They didn’t eat all of the extra food, but they did eat about half. Overall, they consumed more calories than kids using smaller plates. The children served themselves more fruit and more of the main dish on larger plates, but not more vegetables. The journal Pediatrics published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it April 8.

Walking and running are equally good for your heart, a new study finds. But if you’re a walker, you have to do more of it to get the same benefit as a runner. So concludes the study of 33,000 runners and 16,000 walkers. They were part of two long-running health studies of people devoted to these pursuits. Researchers looked at how many people developed high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease in the next 6 years. Both runners and walkers were less likely to develop these conditions if they used more energy in their daily exercise. For each standard unit of energy used, risk reduction was similar for runners and walkers. But overall the runners were healthier. That’s because, on average, they used more than twice as much energy as walkers did. Researchers said they probably used more energy because they could exercise in less time.

Caring for Americans with dementia costs more than heart or cancer care, a new study finds. Direct costs were estimated at $109 billion a year. This includes medical care and nursing homes. The total exceeds the estimated $102 billion a year for heart disease and $77 billion for cancer. Informal care by family and friends boosts dementia costs even more. In all, costs add up to $157 billion to $215 billion a year. The study calculated these two figures using different ways to estimate the costs of informal care. Researchers based their study on 10,903 people in a long-running government study of aging. Of that group, 856 were given detailed exams to determine if they had dementia. Researchers then estimated that 15% of the total group over age 70 had dementia. Costs of care were based on Medicare and other records. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study.

More than 8 out of 10 U.S. teenagers have unhealthy diets, a new survey has found. About 3 out of 10 boys and more than 5 out of 10 girls don’t get enough exercise, the survey found. Nearly one-third have abnormal cholesterol levels. And similar numbers are overweight or obese. Researchers said these results show that many of today’s teens may be at risk of early heart disease. The nationwide study included 4,600 teenagers. The American Heart Association says that 7 factors lead to optimum heart health. They are a healthy diet, healthy weight, regular exercise, not smoking and having ideal levels of cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. Only half of the teens surveyed met 5 or more of these 7 criteria. The journal Circulation published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it April 1.

Distracted eating tends to make people eat more. But it also makes people eat more later in the day, says an analysis of 24 studies. The research included published studies about how attention and memory affect food intake. Many studies have found that eating while distracted causes people to eat more. This study adds to research by showing that distracted eating also increases food intake later on. Researchers suggest turning off the television and eating away from the computer. Slow down and enjoy your food. The study was published in the April issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. U.S. News wrote about it March 28.