Harvard Health Content API

Kids could drink fewer sugary sodas if they cut back on salt, a study suggests. The study used diet survey data for 1,688 children, ages 4 to 18. Kids who ate more salt also drank more fluids. Researchers estimated that if kids used half as much salt, they would drink 18 ounces less of sweetened soda every day. The Associated Press wrote about the study February 21. It was published in the journal Hypertension.

The stroke rate among middle-aged U.S. women tripled in 10 years, surveys show. Researchers blame the increase on obesity. The first survey occurred from 1988 to 1994. Just over one-half of 1% of women ages 35 to 54 reported strokes in that time. The most recent survey was from 1999 to 2004. Nearly 2% of women in that age group reported strokes. The average waist size was about two inches larger in the second survey. Their average body mass index rose from 27 to 29. Both measures show a rise in obesity. The Associated Press reported on the study February 21. It was presented at a medical conference.

If your heart stops in the hospital, you’re more likely to die if it happens late at night, a study has found. The study looked at more than 86,000 cardiac arrests in U.S. hospitals. About 20% of those who had a cardiac arrest on the day or evening shift survived and left the hospital. For the night shift, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., survival was only 15%. Hospitals have lower staffing at night. On the night shift, patients were more likely to be found too late to restart the heart with an electric shock. The Associated Press wrote about the study February 20. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Cancers often are found at later stages in people with no health insurance, researchers report. The study was based on data from 3.7 million U.S. cancer cases. All were diagnosed between 1998 and 2004. Cancers were two to three times as likely to be found late in people with no insurance. The same was true for people on Medicaid. Overall, people with private insurance were diagnosed earlier. Cancer usually is easier to cure in early stages. The Associated Press wrote about the study February 18. It was published in the journal Lancet Oncology.

Older men may safely delay or avoid treatment for early-stage prostate cancer, a study concludes. Researchers looked at data on 9,018 U.S. men who decided not to get treatment. Half of the men were over 75. About 1 out of 10 died of prostate cancer within 10 years. Most prostate tumors grow slowly. The treatments often can cause bladder and sexual problems. In the study, about 3 out of 10 men eventually got treatment. But they delayed for an average of 11 years. The Associated Press wrote about the study February 15.

Obesity may increase the risk of developing many types of cancer, a study suggests. Weight gain has been suspected to increase the risk of a few cancers for some time. These include colon and breast cancer. But the new study adds other cancers to the list. They include cancers of the esophagus, thyroid, kidney, uterus and gall bladder. The study compiled data from 141 previous studies on four continents. Weight gain of about 30 pounds within 15 years was linked to the higher cancer risk. The Associated Press wrote about the study February 15. It was published in the journal Lancet.

Teenagers of parents who drink alcohol a lot are more likely to drink themselves. A new study suggests two reasons for this. Apparently, they copy their parents and also get away with more because the parents pay less attention. But the parents who drink a lot also punish their teens more. These findings are from a survey of 4,700 teens and their parents. They were asked about their own drinking. They also were asked about parenting styles. Reuters Health news service wrote about the study February 12. It was published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

A cancer drug may help multiple sclerosis (MS), a study has found. Rituximab also is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Both, like MS, are autoimmune diseases. In MS, the immune system inflames or destroys the covering of nerve cells. The 104 people in the study received two doses of rituximab or a placebo in a vein. Within four weeks, those who got the drug had fewer inflamed areas. Within 48 weeks, 1 in 5 people who got rituximab had a return of symptoms. This occurred for twice as many people who got the placebo. HealthDay News reported on the study. It was published February 14 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Americans are spending more on care of back and neck problems, surveys show. But they don’t seem to be getting better. A new study looked at health surveys from 1997 through 2005. People with back or neck problems had 73% higher medical costs than other people. These costs rose faster than overall health care costs. Yet more people said they had limits on their physical function because of their problems. This number rose from 20.7% in 1997 to 24.7% in 2005. USA Today wrote about the study February 13. It was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.