Harvard Health Content API

A Mediterranean-type diet may improve heart function by one important measure, a study suggests. Researchers looked at data from a study of twins and heart disease. Men in the study answered questions about what they ate. They also wore portable electrocardiogram machines to measure heart rate variability. This is how much the time between beats varies in everyday life. A more varied heartbeat shows better heart function. Men who ate diets closer to the Mediterranean style had greater heart rate variability. Some of the 276 men in the study were identical twins, who have all the same genes. The other twins were fraternal, with fewer of the same genes. By comparing twins, researchers were able to tie heart rate differences to diet, not just genes. The journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it June 15.

Americans get more radiation from medical tests than people of any other country, the Associated Press (AP) reported June 14. The average person’s medical radiation dose has increased sixfold in the last two decades. And an increased amount of research shows that it’s too much, AP said. The biggest source is computed tomography (CT) scans — X-rays that give very detailed images. Just a few CT scans can deliver enough radiation to possibly increase cancer risk. No one keeps track of how much radiation each patient gets over time. But that may change. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is pushing industry and doctors to use standard radiation doses. It also may require record-keeping on dosage for each person. CT scans may be given too often for several reasons, AP said. They are a quick and accurate diagnosis tool.

Kids whose parents set consistent limits on screen time really do spend less time with TV and video games, a new survey finds. Researchers surveyed more than 7,400 children and their parents. The kids’ ages ranged from 9 to 15. The kids were asked about their daily screen time and what limits their parents set on it. Screen time includes TV, videos, video games and computer time not used for homework. Kids also were asked about exercise habits. The parents were asked about their screen-time rules and what they thought experts recommended. About 1 out of 4 kids had more daily screen time than the recommended limit of 1 to 2 hours. But this was less likely among children who said their parents set consistent rules on screen time. Kids who spent more time in exercise or sports also used less screen time. The journal Pediatrics published the study June 14.

The link between regular exercise and prevention of falls varies by age and gender, a new analysis of research suggests. The authors looked at data from a long-term study on exercise. The study included 10,615 people, ages 20 to 87. They also took a treadmill test and a follow-up survey. The survey included questions about exercise habits and falls. About 21% of those surveyed said they had fallen in the last year. Falls were just as common in younger adults as in older ones. However, older adults were twice as likely to fall while walking. Women were more than twice as likely as men to fall while walking. Men who were the fittest or exercised the most were less likely to fall while walking than men who were least fit or exercised the least. For women, this difference was narrower and could have been caused by chance.

Heart attacks and deaths from heart disease dropped sharply in the last decade, researchers report based on one population. Better use of medicines was credited with much of the change. The study looked at hospital stays in northern California since 1999. It focused on patients of the Kaiser Permanente health system. Kaiser researchers found a 24% drop in the overall heart attack rate. The most severe type of heart attacks fell even more — 62%. The death rate in the 30 days after a heart attack also shrank, from 10.5% to 7.8%. Across the United States, heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death. But a Kaiser official said it has dropped to second place, behind cancer, as a cause of death for this patient group. Researchers said drug treatment had helped patients to control their blood pressure and cholesterol. Smoking also declined.

Some pain relievers may increase the risk of heart problems in healthy people, a large study finds. The study was done in Denmark. It included records on 1 million healthy people from a national database. Their average age was 39. The study focused on use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). One prescription NSAID was taken off the U.S. market in 2004. Rofecoxib (Vioxx) was withdrawn because users had an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The Danish study showed a higher risk of death from heart and blood vessel disease for people who used Vioxx. The risk was 66% higher than for people who took no NSAIDs. Death risk from these causes was 91% higher with diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam). Stroke risk rose 29% for people who took an over-the-counter drug, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and others).