Category: health-letter

Losing weight, especially in the belly, improves the quality of sleep for overweight and obese people. The best way to lose weight is with exercise and a healthy diet.

While foods rich in vitamins are indisputably good for health, vitamin pills do not provide benefits to everyone. Some exceptions are pregnant women who need folic acid, older adults who need vitamin D, and people with certain physical conditions.

Research shows that regulating cancer cell metabolism may help inhibit cancer growth. This finding suggests an entirely new target for the treatment of many cancers.

For people who are unable to do aerobic activity, weight training is an effective way to reduce diabetes risk. That’s because muscles use glucose, and by creating more muscle that needs more glucose, weight training decreases blood glucose levels.

People with a fasting blood glucose level of 100 to 125 mg/dL have a condition called prediabetes. They are at risk for type 2 diabetes. The risk can be reduced with regular moderate exercise and maintaining a healthy weight.

Two tests are available to determine if you are at increased risk for getting Alzheimer’s disease: a test for a gene known as APOE4 and a brain imaging test called a PET scan. Research shows that the brain scan is a better predictor.

New anticoagulants for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation-dabigatran (Pradaxa), apixaban (Eliquis), and rivaroxaban (Xarelto)-are at least as effective as warfarin in preventing stroke and have a reduced risk of bleeding into the brain.

Research shows that inflammation, marked by elevated blood levels of C-reactive protein, is linked to risk for depression. This raises the question of whether adding anti-inflammatory drugs to antidepressants will improve depression treatment.

People with the chronic irritated, flaky skin condition called psoriasis may also be at risk for type 2 diabetes. The same cells that trigger the inflammation of psoriasis are also associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Dermatologists now have official guidelines for Mohs surgery, a procedure that removes skin cancer while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Smaller, more superficial skin growths may not be right for Mohs surgery.