Harvard Health Content API

Bone density may help to predict breast cancer risk, a study suggests. The research looked at nearly 10,000 women who were past menopause. Each woman was given a bone mineral density test and a Gail score. This score predicts breast cancer risk based on family history, race and medical history. Researchers tracked the women for eight years. In that time, women with normal bone density had four times the breast cancer rate of women with osteoporosis (low bone density). Those with high Gail scores and high bone density were most likely to develop breast cancer. MedPage Today wrote about the study July 28. It was published in the journal Cancer.

Both race and residence have a major impact on the health care Americans receive, a study has found. One example is among diabetics on Medicare in Memphis. In this group, blacks are six times as likely as whites to have a leg amputated. But both races are much more likely to receive preventive care in some states than others. The study of Medicare claims was done by Dartmouth researchers. It was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The foundation will give grants totaling $300 million to states, communities and regions to help reduce these disparities. The Associated Press reported on the study June 5.

Very old adults with poor or declining handgrip strength may be more likely to die than those who are stronger, a study finds. The study looked at handgrip strength in 555 people at age 85 and again at age 89. People with low hand strength in the first measurement were more likely than others to die in the next 8 to 10 years. Death rates also were higher in people whose hand strength declined from the first to second measurement. Researchers said handgrip strength may indicate overall muscle strength. They said improving muscle strength possibly could help people live longer. The study appeared February 8 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

U.S. health officials want people to get up to three flu shots this year, instead of one. That’s because the shots will have different aims. Persuading people to get all three could be difficult, officials say. The earliest vaccine available will be for seasonal flu. That should be in doctors’ offices starting this month, the New York Times News Service reported August 7. The other two shots will be for swine flu (H1N1 flu). Some of that vaccine may be available in September. But the rest won’t come until late October or November. The two swine flu shots should be given three weeks apart. Pregnant women, children and health care workers are urged to get all three shots. But older adults need only the shot for seasonal flu. They seem to have some immunity to swine flu, health officials say.

Nearly 1 out of 5 Medicare patients discharged from a hospital is admitted again within a month, a study has found. About 1 out of 3 is admitted again within three months. And half of those who are back within a month don’t even visit a doctor in between. Researchers did the study based on Medicare records. They told the Associated Press that many people leaving hospitals don’t get clear instructions on how to stay healthy at home. The issue already has drawn the attention of President Obama. He wants to reduce Medicare payments for hospital readmissions. The study was published April 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The American Geriatrics Society says home safety tips can help prevent falls. About 1 out of 3 Americans over 65 suffers a fall each year. About one-third of those falls need a doctor’s treatment. Almost 16,000 older U.S. adults died from falls in 2005. HealthDay News wrote about the topic July 19.

The typical U.S. diet increases women’s risk of death, a study suggests. The study included 72,113 healthy women in the Nurses’ Health Study. They answered questions about eating habits every two to four years for 18 years. Deaths from heart and artery disease were 22% higher in women who ate a “Western” diet. This included red and processed meats, refined grains, fries and sweets. The death risk was 21% higher for any cause and 16% higher for cancer. Women following a “prudent” diet lived longer. They ate lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, fish and poultry. Their death risk was 28% lower for heart and artery disease. It was 17% lower for all causes combined. The study appeared June 24 in the journal Circulation.

By age 15, fewer than one-third of U.S. teens get the exercise they need, a study has found. U.S. officials say kids should spend at least an hour a day in moderate to vigorous exercise. The study showed a sharp dropoff as kids got older. At age 9, about 9 out of 10 were active at least 2 hours a day. At age 12, the average was about an hour a day. Girls at all ages were less active than boys. The study tracked about 1,000 children from 2000 to 2006. They wore a gadget that recorded their activity. The Associated Press wrote about the study July 16. It appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Kids exposed to a lot of smoking in movies are more likely to become smokers, new research finds. The study surveyed more than 1,700 kids on their movie-watching habits. The kids were 10 to 14 years old at the time and did not smoke. Seven years later, they were surveyed about smoking. Those who had the highest exposure to smoking in movies were also more likely to have smoked more than 100 cigarettes. The study appeared in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics.

People with two healthy kidneys are said to have 100% of their kidney function. A drop in how the kidneys function can increase a person’s risk of heart and artery problems, two new studies suggest. One study kept track of 4,378 elderly people for 8 years. About one-quarter of them had a decline in kidney function. They were more likely to have a heart attack or develop heart failure than people without kidney problems. They also were more likely to develop peripheral artery disease. The other study included 13,029 people. All were age 45 to 64 when the study began. Researchers kept track of them for 9 years. Some people’s kidney function dropped by more than 5.6% per year. People in this group had a higher risk of developing heart disease. They also were more likely to die early than people with stable kidney function.