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Eating certain foods can lower cholesterol even for people who already follow a heart-healthy diet, a new study finds. The new study included 345 people with high LDL (“bad cholesterol”). All of them were given a heart-healthy diet to follow. The diet was low in saturated fat. It included lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Some people also were taught how to fit foods that lower LDL into their diets. The foods included nuts, soy products, and vegetables and grains that contained viscous fiber. After 24 weeks, LDL cholesterol had dropped 3% in the group that simply followed the heart-healthy diet. The group that also added cholesterol-lowering foods had a larger drop in LDL — about 13%. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. USA Today wrote about August 24.

Taking a daily antibiotic can reduce flare-ups of a serious lung disease, new research finds. The study included 1,142 people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease causes shortness of breath and declining lung function. At least 8 out of 10 cases are caused by smoking. People in the study had advanced COPD. They were inclined to have flare-ups, with worse symptoms. During flare-ups, people tend to cough and wheeze more and have more trouble breathing. Frequent flare-ups also increase the risk of death. People in the study were randomly divided into 2 groups. Everyone took a daily pill. For one group, this was azithromycin, an antibiotic. The other group received placebo (fake) pills. After a year, people taking the real drug were 27% less likely to have flare-ups than those taking the placebo pills. They had an average of 1.48 flare-ups in a year.

Wearing a device that takes blood pressure automatically, day and night, is the most cost-effective way to find out if you need treatment, a study finds. The new study was done in the United Kingdom. Researchers compared costs and results of three ways of diagnosing high blood pressure. Some people were asked to wear an ambulatory blood pressure monitor. This device is worn for 24 hours. It is usually set to take blood pressure readings every half hour during the day and every hour at night. Some people were asked to use a regular blood pressure device to check their own blood pressure several times at home. Others were checked only in a medical clinic. Researchers found that using the ambulatory blood pressure monitor saved money. It helped to figure out who really needed treatment. Some people have “white coat hypertension” — high readings only in the doctor’s office.