Harvard Health Content API

Yoga may help people with long-term back pain to move and do common tasks more easily, a new study finds. But yoga didn’t improve pain much. The study included 313 adults with back pain. Their pain had lasted, or kept coming back, for an average of 10 years. People were randomly divided into 2 groups. Both groups got their usual care. This included treatments such as medicines and physical therapy. Everyone also received a booklet on ways to ease back pain. People in 1 of the 2 groups also were offered a series of yoga classes. They took 1 class a week for 12 weeks. People filled out questionnaires about pain and how well they could move and do daily tasks. Those in the yoga group reported better back function right after the 12 weeks ended. They also had better function 3 and 6 months later. The other group had no change. Both groups reported only small improvements in pain.

People who get regular exercise for many years may have a lower risk of glaucoma, a new study suggests. The study focused on a group of 5,650 middle-aged and older adults. They provided information about their physical activity, at work and during free time. Researchers also kept track of their eye pressure levels for 15 years. People who were moderately active at the start of the study were 25% less likely to have low ocular perfusion pressure 15 years later. People with this condition are more likely to develop glaucoma. The study is in the October issue of the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. HealthDay News wrote about it October 30.

If you lose a lot of weight, hormones in your body will increase your appetite for at least the next year, a new study finds. The study included 50 overweight or obese adults. Researchers put them on a strict diet. They could have no more than 550 calories a day. They used a meal replacement plan and also ate vegetables. This lasted 8 weeks. For the next 2 weeks, they gradually began eating normal foods again. The goal was to lose at least 10% of body weight. In all, 34 people managed to do that and stuck with the study through a year of follow-up. On average, they lost 30 pounds. People got advice on how to maintain their new weight. But a year later, they had gained back an average of 12 pounds. They also had changes in blood hormones that affect appetite. All of these changes were likely to increase hunger.

Boys should get shots to prevent a virus that causes cervical and several other kinds of cancer, an expert panel says. The vaccine Gardasil is approved for both girls and boys. It protects against the human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes genital warts. Some types of HPV also cause nearly all cases of cervical cancer. HPV can cause cancers of the anus, penis, vulva, vagina, head and neck as well. It is spread by skin-to-skin contact during sex. An expert committee said October 25 that boys should get the Gardasil vaccine at age 11 or 12. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention usually follows the group’s advice. Current guidelines recommend that all girls get the vaccine, or another version called Cervarix, to protect against cervical cancer. Cervarix is not approved for use in boys.

Some doctors are using an extra blood test to help assess who needs treatment for cholesterol problems. The Associated Press (AP) wrote about the test October 25. The test counts the particles that carry LDL — the so-called bad cholesterol — in the blood. LDL can be contained in many small particles or fewer large ones. The small ones are more likely to build up inside artery walls. The National Lipid Association, a group of doctors who treat cholesterol problems, has looked at use of the particle tests. This month, a committee of this group said the tests would be reasonable to use for some patients. They could help doctors to decide who should start drug treatment or increase it to lower LDL. But some experts say current tests are enough, AP said. They say that particle levels usually reflect overall LDL levels. Doctors also can look at non-HDL cholesterol.