Harvard Health Content API

For most people, fasting might not be necessary before cholesterol tests, a new study suggests. These blood tests usually measure 4 things: LDL (“bad cholesterol”), HDL (“good cholesterol”), total cholesterol and triglycerides. The standard practice is to fast (avoid eating and drinking) for at least 8 hours before the test. The new study looked at laboratory data for more than 200,000 people who had these tests done. Some people had fasted before the tests. Others had eaten recently. Researchers found that levels of total and HDL cholesterol varied only about 2% based on whether a person fasted or not. LDL levels varied less than 10%. Triglycerides varied the most, but still less than 20%. The journal Archives of Internal Medicine published the study. A commentary published in the journal said the results show that doctors may be able to use non-fasting tests for many patients.

A couple of cups of coffee may help our brains process some words faster, a small experiment suggests. But we only get the message faster if the words are emotionally positive. The study included 66 healthy young men. They were told to consume no caffeine, nicotine or alcohol in the 12 hours before the experiment. The men were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group took a tablet containing 200 milligrams of coffee, about the amount in 2 to 3 cups of coffee. Each person in the other group received a placebo (fake) pill. Half an hour later, the men were given tests that involved being shown a series of real and invented words. They had to press buttons to indicate whether a word was real or not. Men who took the caffeine pills did this faster and more accurately for words with a positive emotional connotation.

Statin drugs to lower cholesterol may also reduce the risk of cancer death, a new study suggests. The study included 18,721 Danish adults who took statins before being diagnosed with cancer. They were compared with 277,204 cancer patients who had never used statins. People who took statins were 15% less likely to die of cancer or any other cause during a follow-up period. Researchers said that’s about the average benefit of chemotherapy. But experts said this doesn’t mean people with cancer should take statins. For example, death rates were not lower for those who took bigger doses of statins. Researchers look for that sort of relationship as evidence that a drug fights disease. The study also did not randomly assign people to receive a treatment or a placebo (fake). That means other factors could explain the results. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study.

Exercise probably is the best treatment other than surgery for knee pain caused by osteoarthritis, a research review finds. Current guidelines already recommend exercise. But the review did not support other recommended treatments. It found no long-term benefit from tai chi or massage. With electrical stimulation, pain actually got worse over time, the review found. The new study was based on a review of 193 earlier studies. It found that only a few types of physical therapy helped to reduce pain or disability or help function of the knee. Exercise worked best. The authors said people should get an exercise prescription from a physical therapist. Aerobic exercise or strength training both can help, they said. Sticking with the plan improved results. But strenuous workouts were no better than moderate exercise. The journal Annals of Internal Medicine published the study.

Even the healthiest middle-age Americans have a 1 in 3 chance of heart problems or a stroke later in life, a new study finds. But they’ll avoid these diseases longer than less healthy peers. These estimates are based on numbers from 5 large, long-term studies. They included nearly 50,000 people ages 45 and older. Authors of the new study looked at long-term health for people based on whether they had health conditions that increase risk. The healthiest adults were those who didn’t smoke and didn’t have diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Among those who fit this healthy profile at age 55, about one-third developed heart or blood vessel problems. The problems included a heart attack, stroke, heart failure, chest pain caused by clogged arteries, or death related to one of these conditions.

Medical advice about cutting back on screen time didn’t lead to a reduction for 3-year-olds, a study found. But the children did eat fewer meals in front of the TV. The study included 160 families. All had a child who was seeing a doctor for the regular 3-year-old “well visit.” All of the families got information about media safety. They also answered questions about kids’ eating and media habits. Half of the families, chosen at random, also received more advice. They were told about the health impact of excess screen time, such as TV and video games. They were given strategies to cut back. These included keeping TVs out of kids’ rooms and not watching during meals. One year later, screen time remained the same for children in both groups. But kids whose parents were urged to limit screen time cut back from 1.9 meals a day in front of the TV to 1.6 meals a day.