Harvard Health Content API

Glucosamine does not help people with lower back pain, new research has concluded. Many people take this supplement for joint pain. The study included 250 people with long-term low back pain. They also had osteoarthritis of the spine. Patients were randomly assigned to take either glucosamine or look-alike fake pills (placebos). They also received other treatments prescribed by their doctors. After 6 months, people in both groups showed improvements in their responses to a questionnaire about pain. Both groups also reported better quality of life. But there was little difference between those who took glucosamine and those who took placebo pills. Researchers said any differences were so small they could have been caused by chance. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News wrote about it July 6.

People who are depressed have a higher risk of dementia in later life, a new study concludes. The research was based on data about 949 older adults from a larger, long-running study. Their average age was 79. Tests showed that 125 had depression. Researchers kept track of them for up to 17 years. In that time, 164 people developed dementia. About 22% of those who were depressed at the start of the study developed dementia. This compares with 17% of those who were not depressed. People who were depressed also had more heart disease and other factors that increase the risk of dementia. Researchers adjusted their data for those differences. After the adjustment, they found that depressed people were about 70% more likely to develop dementia. The reason is unclear. Researchers said being depressed can inflame the brain and increase its output of certain proteins.

Children who receive a shot containing four vaccines have a greater risk of a febrile seizure than children who get two shots, a new study finds. But the risk is still very small — fewer than 1 seizure out of 1,000 doses. A febrile seizure is caused by a high fever or other sudden increase in body temperature. Children may become stiff or have jerky movements. They may lose consciousness. The new study looked at records of 459,000 children. All had received a vaccine for measles between ages 12 and 23 months. Some got the MMR shot, which includes vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. They received a shot for varicella (chickenpox) at the same visit. The other children got the MMRV shot, which includes varicella in the same shot. For every 2,300 doses of MMRV given, there was 1 extra seizure compared with the rate for the MMR shot.

Taking large doses of testosterone may increase the risk of heart attack and other problems in frail older men, a study suggests. The study included about 200 men, age 65 or older. All of them were in poor health. They had low testosterone levels and problems with moving around. Many were obese. They also had above-average rates of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease. They were randomly assigned to receive either testosterone gel or a placebo. The goal was to find out if the hormone would help them move more easily. But the study was stopped early. This was done because of high rates of heart or blood vessel problems among men who were getting the hormone. They included severe chest pain, heart attack and stroke. The rate of these problems was more than four times as high for men who got the placebo.

Bicycling, like brisk walking, can help women to control their weight, a study finds. The study included more than 18,000 women who had not yet reached menopause. They were part of the long-running Nurses’ Health Study. The women were asked about weight and exercise habits in 1989 and again in 2005. Most women gained weight during the study. The average was 20 pounds. Women who didn’t bicycle in 1989, but started later, gained less weight than other women. Cycling especially helped overweight or obese women to gain less. The longer women biked in a typical week, the less weight they gained. But women who decreased cycling time as the years went by gained more weight. The study appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News and Reuters Health news service wrote about it June 28.

Statin drugs may not help people live longer unless they already have heart disease, a new study concludes. The new analysis combined the results from 11 studies. They included more than 65,000 patients. Statins reduce LDL cholesterol and inflammation. They are known to reduce deaths in people with heart disease. But the people in these 11 studies did not have known heart disease. They did have a high risk of developing the disease. People were randomly assigned to receive statin drugs to reduce cholesterol, or fake pills. Researchers looked at medical data for an average of about 3.7 years. The journal Archives of Internal Medicine published the study. The Associated Press wrote about it June 29.

Eating more fish might not help to prevent heart disease among women with type 1 diabetes, new research suggests. The long-term study began in 1986. It included 601 men and women with type 1 diabetes. During the next 18 years, more than one-quarter of them were diagnosed with heart disease. Men who took in the most omega-3 fatty acids were least likely to develop heart disease. These oils are found in fish and some plant foods. But women who consumed a lot of omega-3’s did not have a lower heart disease risk. The study was presented at a conference. HealthDay News wrote about it June 26.

An experimental drug helps to reduce blood sugar in a different way for people with type 2 diabetes, researchers report. The drug is called dapagliflozin. Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca are developing it together. The drug causes the kidneys to remove more glucose (sugar) from the body through urine. It is intended to be used along with current drugs. The study included 534 adults who were already taking metformin. They were randomly assigned to receive either the new drug or a placebo. After 24 weeks, researchers measured hemoglobin A1C levels in the blood. This is a measurement of blood sugar control over time. Compared with the people taking only metformin, those who took both drugs had better blood sugar control. They also lost about 4 more pounds, on average, than those who took metformin only. The study was presented at a conference.