Harvard Health Content API

Current guidelines for cholesterol screening in children may miss many problems, a new study finds. The study used records for more than 20,000 West Virginia children. They had been tested as part of a heart disease prevention project in the state. The project tested all children in fifth grade. About 71% met standard guidelines to get cholesterol tests. They had parents or grandparents with early heart disease, or parents with total cholesterol levels above 240 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood. Tests found that about 8.3% of these children had abnormal LDL (“bad cholesterol”), above 130 mg/dL. Researchers also looked at results for children who did not meet guidelines for testing. They actually had more problems than the other group. About 9.5% had high LDL. The authors said current guidelines should be changed. They said all children should be tested.

Vitamin D may help to protect the brain, two new studies suggest. One study looked at blood levels of vitamin D in 858 older adults. They also were given tests of various mental abilities. The study lasted 6 years. In that time, people with very low vitamin D levels were 60% more likely than others to have major declines in thinking, learning and memory. They were 31% more likely to have losses in executive function. This is the brain function that deals with organizing and planning. Study results appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. The other study was in the Archives of Neurology. It included nearly 3,200 older adults. They did not have Parkinson’s disease when the study began. During the next 29 years, 50 developed the disease. People with the highest vitamin D levels were 67% less likely to develop Parkinson’s than people with the lowest levels.

People with diabetes have a higher risk of heart attack and death if they use the drug rosiglitazone (Avandia), a research review finds. Scientists from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did the review of prior research. It was released July 9. This week, the FDA is assembling a group of outside experts to look at the evidence about Avandia. FDA scientists don’t all agree on how much risk the drug presents, an official told the Associated Press. One FDA scientist involved in the report criticized a major study often cited as supporting Avandia’s safety. He said the study has serious flaws. The experts will vote this week on whether to recommend more restrictions for Avandia. The FDA could require stronger warning labels, limit who can get the drug, or remove it from the market. The FDA does not have to follow the advice of outside experts, but it often does.

A few surgeons are trying to expand who is eligible for weight loss surgery. The aim is to help people with uncontrolled diabetes. The Associated Press (AP) wrote July 8 about a woman who got the procedure. Weight loss surgery includes gastric bypass, stomach stapling and gastric banding. Guidelines set limits on who should have these procedures. They are recommended for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more. Usually, this is at least 100 pounds overweight. The surgery also can be done if someone has a BMI of 35 or more and an obesity-related health problem, such as diabetes. The woman profiled by AP had a lower BMI, 31.8. But she could not control her blood sugar. After gastric bypass, she is 50 pounds lighter. She has no need for diabetes medicine. Her surgery was done at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Taking fish oil supplements may reduce breast cancer risk, a study suggests. The study included more than 35,000 women who were past menopause and had no previous breast cancer. They were asked about their use of supplements, including fish oil. Researchers kept track of them for 6 years. In that time, 880 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Those who had taken fish oil regularly were 32% less likely to develop breast cancer than other women. The difference applied only to invasive ductal cancer, the most common type. Researchers said it’s not clear why fish oil might affect breast cancer risk. They said more research is needed, including a study that randomly assigns women to take fish oil or fake pills. The study appeared in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. HealthDay News wrote about it July 8.

Glucosamine does not help people with lower back pain, new research has concluded. Many people take this supplement for joint pain. The study included 250 people with long-term low back pain. They also had osteoarthritis of the spine. Patients were randomly assigned to take either glucosamine or look-alike fake pills (placebos). They also received other treatments prescribed by their doctors. After 6 months, people in both groups showed improvements in their responses to a questionnaire about pain. Both groups also reported better quality of life. But there was little difference between those who took glucosamine and those who took placebo pills. Researchers said any differences were so small they could have been caused by chance. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News wrote about it July 6.

People who are depressed have a higher risk of dementia in later life, a new study concludes. The research was based on data about 949 older adults from a larger, long-running study. Their average age was 79. Tests showed that 125 had depression. Researchers kept track of them for up to 17 years. In that time, 164 people developed dementia. About 22% of those who were depressed at the start of the study developed dementia. This compares with 17% of those who were not depressed. People who were depressed also had more heart disease and other factors that increase the risk of dementia. Researchers adjusted their data for those differences. After the adjustment, they found that depressed people were about 70% more likely to develop dementia. The reason is unclear. Researchers said being depressed can inflame the brain and increase its output of certain proteins.