Harvard Health Content API

Taking fish oil pills doesn’t reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke or death, a new review of earlier research finds. The review combined results of 20 studies. They included nearly 69,000 people. Most had a prior heart attack, stroke or other form of heart and artery disease. In 18 studies, people were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group took pills containing omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil. The other group took placebo (fake) pills. Overall, rates of heart attack, heart-related death and sudden death were 9% to 13% lower than for people who got placebo pills. But those differences were small enough to be caused by chance. Rates of stroke and all deaths were similar in both groups. In 2 other studies, some people were urged to eat more fatty fish. One study found a benefit from this. The other did not.

Taking a common type of pain reliever may increase the risk of a second heart attack and death, a new study suggests. The study kept track of people for 5 years after a first heart attack. The higher risk applied to those who took any nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). These drugs include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and others) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn and others). Prescription types include celecoxib (Celebrex). The study was done in Denmark. In that country, all NSAIDs except low-dose ibuprofen require a prescription. Researchers looked at records for almost 100,000 people who had a first heart attack. In the next 5 years, nearly half of them filled a prescription for an NSAID. People who took the painkillers had a 63% higher risk of death from any cause. They had a 41% higher risk of another heart attack.

Nearly one-third of U.S. adults have high blood pressure. But fewer than half of them have it under control, a new report says. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report. It was based on a major national health survey. The survey found that 39% who had high blood pressure were not aware of it. About 16% knew they had the problem but were not taking medicine for it. About 45% were getting drug treatment. Overall, 67 million had high blood pressure. This means they measured high on a blood pressure test or were getting treatment for the condition. Nearly 36 million did not have their high blood pressure under control. Nearly 90% of the uncontrolled group had a regular source of health care, had insurance and had been seen by a doctor in the last year. Researchers said this showed missed opportunities to achieve lower blood pressure.

Popular techniques that help babies fall asleep on their own don’t have any long-term impact on mental health, sleep quality or the parent-child relationship, a new study finds. The new study is a follow-up, done when children were 6 years old. The study included 225 children. It began when they were 7 months old and were having sleep problems. They were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group of parents received training in techniques called “controlled comforting” and “camping out.” With controlled comforting, parents put their babies down for sleep and leave the room. They let the babies cry for increasing amounts of time before comforting them, to encourage them to fall asleep on their own. Parents who camp out stay in the room, but gradually move farther away. People in the other study group did not receive training in these techniques.

Metabolic syndrome may undermine the brains of teens as well as their bodies, a small study suggests. Metabolic syndrome means having at least 3 of 5 unhealthy conditions. The conditions are high blood pressure, large waist, high triglycerides (a blood fat), low HDL (“good cholesterol”) and insulin resistance. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease. The new study included 111 teenagers. Of this group, 49 had metabolic syndrome and 62 did not. Both groups were a similar mix of ages, family income, school grade, gender and ethnicity. Everyone took tests of ability in subjects such as spelling and math. They also took tests of brain function, such as memory and attention. Teens with metabolic syndrome had about 10% lower scores on the subject tests. They also scored lower on attention, but not memory. Each teen also had an MRI brain scan.

Former pro football players are much more likely than average to die from brain diseases, a study finds. The study was done by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). It was based on a 1994 study of 3,439 former NFL players. All had spent at least 5 seasons in the league. Researchers looked at death certificates for 334 players who died. They were 3 times as likely as the general public to die of diseases that damage the brain. Seven had Alzheimer’s disease. Seven had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, often called Lou Gehrig’s disease). Death rates from those 2 diseases were 4 times average. Death rates from Parkinson’s disease were average. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease long known to occur in boxers, has also been found recently in the brains of deceased NFL players. It is believed to be caused by repeated concussions.