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Doctors may not always recommend the same treatments they would pick for themselves, a study suggests. Researchers asked primary care doctors about two fictional situations. Each one called for a treatment decision. One involved cancer, the other a severe case of flu. In both cases, one option presented a higher risk of death. The other had a lower risk of death but a higher risk of serious side effects or disability. Doctors were asked what they would do themselves or what they would recommend to a patient. In both cases, they were more likely to choose the treatment with the higher death risk for themselves than to recommend it to patients. In the cancer scenario, about 38% would accept the deadlier treatment for themselves. Only 25% would recommend it to patients. In the flu scenario, 63% of doctors said they would choose no treatment.

New research suggests there may be a better way to predict which people with kidney disease are most at risk for kidney failure. This can lead to the need for dialysis. Doctors now measure kidney function mainly with a blood test for creatinine, a waste product. One new study combined this test with two others. The study included 26,643 people in another health study. They received blood tests for creatinine and for cystatin C, another waste product. They also got tests for excess protein in the urine. This is called albuminuria. These three tests were a better predictor of kidney failure than creatinine alone. The other study included 8,500 people with kidney disease. Researchers compared two computer models for predicting who was most likely to go into kidney failure. One model included creatinine, albuminuria, age and sex.

Having children can mess up your health habits, a study suggests. Researchers surveyed 1,520 young adults. They were asked about their diet, exercise and weight. The average age of people in the study was 25. Some were parents, with children under age 5. Mothers consumed more calories, sugary drinks and fatty foods than women without children. They got less exercise — about 2 hours a week, compared with 3 hours for childless women. They also were more overweight. Mothers had an average body mass index (BMI) of 27, compared with 26 for women without children. A number of 25 or higher is considered overweight. Fathers and childless men were more alike. They ate about the same number of calories. Both had an average BMI of 25. But fathers got less exercise. They got about 5 hours a week, compared with nearly 7 hours for men without kids.

Eating strawberries just might help fend off esophageal cancer, a very small study suggests. Only 36 people were in the study. All of them had precancerous growths in the esophagus. Researchers asked them to eat about 2 ounces of freeze-dried strawberries each day. They did this for 6 months. Afterward, researchers looked again at the precancerous cells in the esophagus. In 29 of the 36 patients, the cells looked more normal under a microscope. Researchers tried strawberries as a possible treatment because research in rats suggested it might work. They used freeze-dried berries because they have concentrated levels of antioxidants, which are thought to fight cancer. The strawberry study was presented at a conference. ABC and CBS News both aired reports on it April 6.

People who take higher doses of narcotics are more likely to overdose, a study finds. The study focused on people who took narcotics for pain. These drugs are also called opioids. They include Oxycontin, Vicodin and others. Researchers looked at 750 accidental deaths from opioid overdose. These were compared with data on nearly 155,000 other people who took opioids for pain. The overdose rate was less than one-half of 1%. It occurred more often among people who were prescribed doses of 100 milligrams a day or more. People who usually took lower doses were less likely to take too much. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it April 5.

The higher risk of strokes and blood clots for women who take estrogen after menopause appears to fade after they quit taking it, a study finds. The new study is a follow-up to the landmark Women’s Health Initiative study. Part of that study compared women taking estrogen to those taking a placebo. It was halted in 2004 after stroke risks were seen in the estrogen group. The new study looked at long-term results for 10,739 women. On average, they took estrogen for about 6 years. About 4 years after they stopped, their higher risk of strokes and blood clots had disappeared. Results were best for women who started taking estrogen in their 50s. The study strengthens doctors’ current advice to women with menopause symptoms. Most recommend taking hormones in the smallest effective dose for the shortest possible time.

A non-surgical procedure repairs a serious heart valve problem as well as surgery does for high-risk patients, a study has found. Both procedures are done for aortic stenosis. This is a stiffening of the heart’s aortic valve, which strains the heart. It can lead to severe symptoms and disability. The new procedure uses a thin tube called a catheter to push a new artificial valve through an artery to the heart. A balloon props open the old valve while the new one is inserted. The study included nearly 700 people. They were well enough for surgery but had a high risk of problems with it. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group got surgery. The other got the new procedure. After one year, about 27% of the surgery patients and 24% of those who got the new procedure had died. About 8% of those in the non-surgery group had strokes and other neurological problems.