Harvard Health Content API

In a 23-year study, cutting calories by one-third improved monkeys’ health, but didn’t extend their lives. Those results, published August 29, contrast with another recent study that did show longer life for monkeys on very-low-calorie diets. Other studies have found that earthworms, mice and other animals live longer with fewer calories. The new study included 120 rhesus macaques. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group ate a normal controlled diet. The other group ate about 30% fewer calories. The restricted diet included vitamin and mineral supplements. When the study began, 86 monkeys were young, up to age 14. The others were 16 to 23 years old. The average macaque lives about 27 years. After 23 years, the calorie-restricted monkeys weighed less and had lower rates of diabetes than the other group. The younger monkeys also had lower rates of cancer.

Organic foods have few, if any, health advantages over conventional foods, a research review finds. The researchers looked at thousands of prior studies. They focused on 237 that met their standards for how well the research was done. Only 17 studies compared how the foods affected people. The others focused on properties of the foods themselves. Nutrient levels varied greatly, with no clear patterns. Organic produce was 30% less likely to have pesticide residue than conventional produce. Children in 2 studies were less likely to have pesticides in urine if they ate organic diets. But researchers said the amounts were small and within safety limits. Bacteria levels were about the same in both kinds of meats. But the bacteria in the conventionally produced meats were more drug-resistant. They were 33% more likely to resist multiple antibiotics.

Eating chocolate may reduce men’s chance of having a stroke, a new study suggests. The study included more than 37,000 men. At the beginning of the study, they answered questions about what they ate. In the next 10 years, about 2,000 men had a first stroke. Those who ate the most chocolate had a 17% lower risk of stroke than those who ate none. The amount eaten by the top group was equal to about one-third cup of chocolate chips per week. In Sweden, where the study was done, about 90% of the chocolate eaten is milk chocolate, study authors said. The same researchers also found similar results by combining results from 5 prior studies on chocolate and stroke. Those studies included a total of 4,200 strokes. People who ate the most chocolate had a 19% lower risk of stroke than those who never ate chocolate. The journal Neurology published the study.

Preventing infections and other problems for hospital patients is a big job. A new pilot program will use both technology and family help in the effort. The Johns Hopkins University program will cost $9 million. Doctors and nurses know many ways to help to keep patients safe. The new project will use automatic signals and controls to make sure they are carried out. For example, breathing problems can be a side effect of some painkillers. The Johns Hopkins program will link the machines that dispense medicines and keep track of breathing. Painkillers will be cut off automatically if breathing problems occur. The hospital also wants to put a checklist of daily care tasks on a tablet computer in each patient’s room. Hospital staff will urge family members to check the tablet and speak up if something is missed.