In Brief: Sleep helps with fat reduction
Getting a full night’s sleep may help the body lose more fat.
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On the brain: The brainy omega-3 fails an Alzheimer’s test
A study of patients with Alzheimer’s disease found that taking the omega-3 fat DHA did not affect the progression of the disease.
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Painkillers fuel growth in drug addiction
More people are now abusing prescription opioid painkillers than any other prescription drug or even cocaine, and the abuse is particularly high among teenagers.
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Anxiety and heart disease
Two separate studies found evidence of a relationship between generalized anxiety disorder and higher risk of a heart attack or other cardiac event.
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Ask the doctor: What is metacognitive therapy?
My husband has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Someone suggested that metacognitive therapy might help him become better organized. What is that?
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Vaccine Leads to Drop in Severe Diarrhea
Hospital stays for diarrhea dropped after a rotavirus vaccine was introduced, new research finds. This virus is the biggest cause of winter diarrhea in early childhood. A vaccine against the disease was approved in 2006. Children get the vaccine when they are babies. They get 2 or 3 doses. Researchers looked at diarrhea cases for 62 U.S. hospitals. They focused on those that involved a hospital stay for a child under age 5. These cases dropped by half in the 2007-2008 season. That was the first year after the vaccine became available. Cases went back up the next year. But they remained 29% lower than pre-vaccine levels. The journal Pediatrics published the study online December 20.
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Mental illness and violence
Although a subset of those with mental illness commits violent acts, there are many other overlapping factors involved, including socioeconomic factors, family history, and substance abuse.
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Hemochromatosis Testing
My brother is heterozygous for the C282Y hemochromatosis mutation. He has two children ages 18 and 23. Does this mean he is a carrier? Should his children be tested? I also have hemochromatosis.
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Waistline and Breast Cancer Link Explored
Having a large waist or belly before menopause may increase a woman’s risk of one type of breast cancer, a study suggests. The study looked at waist and hip measurements for 116,000 women. They had been part of the Nurses’ Health Study since 1989. Women with a larger middle were more likely to develop estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer. The hormone estrogen does not cause growth in these tumors. The link between this type of breast cancer and belly fat may be insulin, researchers said. People with a large middle are more likely to have high levels of insulin in their blood. Animal studies have shown that insulin can cause breast cancer cells to grow. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it December 15.
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New caution about opioids
Abuse of prescription opioid medications has increased, resulting in overdoses and deaths. There is also evidence that long-term use of an opioid can affect the nervous system and cause other side effects.
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