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The government recently gave the okay for a cholesterol-lowering drug to be used to prevent high cholesterol. Rosuvastatin (Crestor) could now be taken by people who have no cholesterol problem but are at risk for high cholesterol. Right now, about 40 million people who already have high cholesterol take statins. These drugs lower cholesterol with few side effects. High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke. But a large study found that while taking rosuvastatin does protect against these events, they are rare in people who don’t have high cholesterol. According to that study, called JUPITER, about 500 people would need to be treated with rosuvastatin for a year to avoid one heart attack. That would cost about $638,000.

An arthritis drug also may help to control diabetes, new research suggests. The study included 108 people with type 2 diabetes. They were randomly assigned to receive the drug salsalate or placebos (fake pills). Salsalate is similar to aspirin but has fewer side effects. After three months, people who took salsalate had more improvement in blood sugar control than people who took placebos. They also did better in some tests related to heart disease risk. But the salsalate group also was more likely to have protein in the urine. This can be an early warning sign of kidney problems. Researchers said more and larger studies are needed. The study was published online by the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about it March 15.

Hormone treatment for prostate cancer may slightly increase a man’s risk of heart problems, a new study suggests. The study focused on more than 30,000 Swedish men. They were treated with hormones for about three years. Researchers said these men had a 28% higher risk of a fatal heart attack than Swedish men in general. But the overall risk of heart problems was low. Researchers said there would be about 10 extra cases of heart problems a year for each 1,000 men treated with hormones. The Associated Press reported on the study results. They were announced September 22 at a cancer conference in Germany.

Those Valentine’s Day chocolates might be good for the heart in more ways than one. So says a research review that was released February 11. Canadian scientists looked at three studies. Two seemed to show that eating chocolate reduced the risk of stroke. The third did not show a link. Chocolate contains flavonoids, which have shown health benefits. But it also contains saturated fat, which can increase cholesterol levels. The research will be formally presented in April at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting. The Canadian Press wrote about it February 12.

A cancer drug may also become the first treatment for scleroderma, researchers say. Scleroderma is long-lasting disease that hardens the skin and damages the lungs and other organs. The new study included 30 people with diffuse scleroderma. This is a widespread and severe form of the disease. All were given imatinib (Gleevec). This drug usually is used for specific types of leukemia and stomach cancer. After one year, researchers measured to see if the amount of skin affected by the disease had changed. They found a 23% improvement. Lung function also was better. Usually lung function gets worse over time in people with scleroderma. The study was presented at a conference. Ivanhoe Newswire wrote about it October 19.

Soy foods may be safe for women who have had breast cancer, a new study finds. In fact, they may live longer if they eat soy, the research suggests. Soy foods contain plant estrogens. Most breast cancers grow in response to estrogen. So many doctors have not recommended soy foods for breast cancer survivors. The study included more than 5,000 survivors in China. They were divided into groups based on how much soy they ate. Women in the low-soy group had about the amount in one-half cup of soy milk daily. Intake was three cups in the high-soy group. After four years, 7.4% of those who ate the most soy had died. The death rate was 10.3% for women who ate the least soy. Results were similar whether or not the women’s cancers were the type that grows in response to estrogen. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. USA Today wrote about it December 9.

A new recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics says that all children, 6 months through age 18, should have a yearly influenza vaccine. This is a change from the previous recommendation of just vaccinating all school-aged children. The CDC made a similar recommendation earlier this year. The policy statement also recommends annual flu vaccines for all pregnant women and all health care workers. The new recommendations were published November 5 in the journal Pediatrics.

Circumcision may help to prevent genital warts and herpes in men. That’s the conclusion of a new study reported March 26 by the Associated Press. Earlier research found that circumcision helped to protect against HIV. That research was done in three African countries. The new study focused on Uganda. It included 3,393 heterosexual teens and men. All were part of the original HIV study. About half were randomly chosen to be circumcised. After two years, herpes infection was detected in 114 men who had been circumcised and 153 who had not. Human papilloma virus causes genital warts. This virus was found in 42 circumcised and 80 uncircumcised men. There was no major difference in syphilis infections. The study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Taking vitamin C and E pills won’t prevent cancer, a large study has found. The study included almost 15,000 male doctors. All were over age 50. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Two groups took real pills, either vitamin C or vitamin E. The other two groups took fake pills. The study lasted 10 years. In that time, slightly fewer people who took the real pills developed prostate cancer. But the difference was so small it could have been caused by chance. HealthDay News wrote about the study November 16. Results were presented the same day at a cancer conference.

Some drugs used to treat autoimmune diseases may increase the risk of a painful skin infection, a study finds. The study focused on people who take TNF blockers. These drugs suppress the immune system. They can help people with rheumatoid arthritis and some other diseases caused by the immune system attacking the body. The study tracked 5,040 people with rheumatoid arthritis. In a 3-year period, 82 developed shingles. This is a skin disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. People were twice as likely to develop shingles if they took infliximab (Remicade) or adalimumab (Humira). Both drugs are TNF blockers. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News wrote about it February 17.