Harvard Health Content API

U.S. regulators should allow use of Lap-Band weight loss surgery for more people, a group of experts says. The group provides advice to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Allergan Inc. makes the Lap-Band device. It is wrapped around the top part of the stomach to restrict how much food a person can eat. It’s now approved for use in people with a body mass index (BMI) of 40. This is someone who is severely obese. It’s also allowed if someone has a BMI of 35 and a related medical condition, such as diabetes. The expert panel voted December 3 to recommend approval for anyone with a BMI of at least 35. Someone with a BMI of 30 to 34.9 plus a related medical condition also could get the surgery. Supporters told the Associated Press that using the surgery earlier might help to prevent health problems.

A daily baby aspirin may lower people’s risk of dying of some cancers, a study suggests. But doctors said the results were not strong enough to advise aspirin for people at average risk. Aspirin can cause side effects, such as bleeding. Researchers looked at 8 previous studies. They included more than 25,000 people. Most of the studies compared men who took a daily baby aspirin to those who took a placebo (fake pill). The studies lasted an average of 4 years. Researchers followed up further by looking at national cancer registries. Then they estimated people’s risk of cancer death in the next 20 years. They said people who took aspirin would be 20% less likely to die of cancer than people who took the placebo. Only one-third of those in the study were women. Therefore, researchers could not estimate the risk of breast cancer death.

Even a little excess weight can increase your risk of death, according to a new study that analyzed past research. Researchers combined the results of 19 long-term studies on weight. They compared death rates to the person’s body mass index. BMI is a measurement of weight related to height. The lowest death rates were among people at the high end of normal weight. Their BMI ranged from 22.5 to 24.9. People with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight. The death rates were 13% higher in this group. Death rates were 44% to 88% higher for people who were obese, with a BMI of 30 to 39.9. For those who were morbidly obese, with a BMI of 40 or more, death rates were 150% higher than for normal-weight people. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study. The Associated Press wrote about it December 3.

It’s no wonder many parents give their kids the wrong dose of medicines, a new study suggests. Instructions on the medicines are often unclear, the study found. Researchers looked at more than 200 over-the-counter medicines for children. About 3 out of 4 included measuring devices. But nearly all of the devices had markings that were different in some way from the dosing directions. The researchers said the markings and dose instructions should match. Drug makers should all use the same measurements, they said. Abbreviations also should be the same. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it November 30.

A new study adds to the evidence that fish oil may reduce the risk of a major cause of blindness. The disease is age-related macular degeneration. The study included 2,391 adults. Their ages ranged from 65 to 84. An eye doctor examined them. They also were asked questions about their diet. In all, 227 had early macular degeneration. Another 153 had middle-stage disease and 68 had advanced disease. On average, people in the whole study group ate about 1 serving of fish or shellfish each week. People with advanced macular degeneration were much less likely than average to eat seafood. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids. Other research also has suggested that they help prevent advanced eye disease. The study was published December 1 in the journal Ophthalmology.

Two drugs now on the market reduce the risk of prostate cancer, health regulators said November 29. But they questioned the value of taking them for this purpose. Prostate tumors often grow so slowly that they are not life-threatening. The drugs in question are dutasteride (Avodart) and finasteride (Proscar). They are approved now to treat an enlarged prostate. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is weighing whether to approve them for prevention of prostate cancer as well. FDA scientists said the research submitted shows that the drugs can prevent prostate cancer. But they said it falls short in one way. The research included very few African-American men. This group has a high risk of prostate cancer. An outside panel of advisers will vote December 1 on whether the drugs are safe and effective for prostate cancer prevention. The Associated Press wrote about the issue.