Category: news-perspectives

British health authorities are telling people to eat less red meat. That advice is part of the United Kingdom’s first new nutrition guidelines since 1998. Eating fewer hamburgers, pork chops and sausages should reduce the risk of bowel cancer, officials said. The guidelines say people should eat no more than about 500 grams of red meat per week. That’s equal to just over 1 pound. It averages out to 2 ½ ounces (70 grams) of red meat per day. A large study released in 2005 found a higher bowel cancer risk among people who ate about twice that much red meat. Their risk was one-third higher than for people who ate the least red meat. Red meat includes beef, pork, lamb and some game. An expert told the Associated Press (AP) that people should substitute lean protein such as fish. AP wrote about the guidelines February 25.

New research offers a possible way to tell apart two conditions with similar symptoms. One disorder is chronic fatigue syndrome. The other is neurologic post-treatment Lyme disease. This is a set of symptoms that linger after the infection that caused Lyme disease is treated. People with both conditions feel fatigue. Many also say they have problems with thinking. The new study included 43 people with chronic fatigue and 25 with lingering Lyme disease. They were compared with 11 healthy people. Researchers looked at spinal fluid from everyone. In people with chronic fatigue, they found 738 proteins in spinal fluid that were not found in the other groups. People with lingering Lyme disease had 692 proteins not found in the other groups. This is the first time that body substances have been found to distinguish between the two conditions.

In a new study, people who got spinal fusion surgery had much poorer health results than those who got other treatments for back pain. The study looked at workers’ compensation records. Everyone had back pain as a result of on-the-job injuries. Researchers randomly selected 725 people who had spinal fusion surgery. They compared this group with 725 people who had treatments such as exercise and physical therapy. Two years after treatment, the spinal fusion group had worse results in every way. About one-quarter had returned to work, compared with two-thirds of the other group. Disability was permanent for 11%, compared with 2% of the non-surgery group. Nearly 85% of those who got surgery were still taking narcotic pain relievers. The rate was 49% for the other group. The surgery group also had far more related medical problems and lost work days.

A drug for chest pain may also help osteoporosis, new research suggests. The study included 243 women. All of them had passed menopause. They were andomly assigned to use either nitroglycerin ointment or a placebo (fake). They spread the ointment on part of the upper arm each night. The study lasted 2 years. By the end, women who used the nitroglycerin had increases in bone density compared with those who got the placebo. The increases were 6.7% in the spine, 6.2% in the hip and 7% at the top of the thigh bone. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it February 22.

Nearly 10,000 U.S. babies and toddlers are hurt each year in accidents involving cribs and playpens, a new report says. Most of the injuries involved falls by toddlers. In many cases, they were trying to climb out of the crib. There were also more than 100 deaths a year, the report said. The journal Pediatrics published the study. It was released early because of a hearing in Congress. The hearing was expected to cover crib safety. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has said it will ban cribs with movable sides. The ban takes effect in June. The drop sides of these older cribs can come loose. A baby can get trapped in the gap between the side and frame. The Associated Press wrote about the crib study February 17.

Three tests that doctors can give to stroke patients in the office might show who is more likely to pass a driving test, researchers say. The study used data from 27 studies. They included more than 1,700 people. All of them had a stroke and later took a driving test on the road. Just over half of them passed the test. Before the road test, doctors gave them other tests in the office. Researchers found that three tests could predict who would do well or poorly on the road test. They predicted correctly 80% of the time. One test looked at how people recognized road signs and matched them to the correct driving situations. Another test was similar to a board game. It tested knowledge of traffic flow in a traffic circle. The third test measured mental and physical quickness. People had to quickly and accurately draw lines between letters and numbers.

Stretching before you run doesn’t cause or prevent injury, new research finds. But don’t change what you’re doing now. That just might hurt you, the study also suggests. The study included more than 2,000 runners. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group stretched leg muscles for 3 to 5 minutes before running. The other group didn’t stretch. The study lasted 3 months. About 1,400 people completed it. About 16% of the runners got hurt badly enough to miss at least a week of running. Rates of injury were about the same for the stretch and no-stretch groups. But people who changed what they normally did for purposes of the study were more likely to get hurt. Former stretchers who stopped stretching for the study had a 40% increased risk of injury. Risk rose 22% for those who did not stretch before but were assigned to the stretching group.

Having two knees replaced at once may be a good option compared with two operations a few months apart, a study finds. Researchers studied two groups, about 35,000 patients in all. One-third of them had both knees replaced in the same procedure. The others had one knee replaced at a time. There were several months between procedures. Researchers kept track of both groups for a year. In the group that had one surgery, fewer infections occurred. There were also fewer problems that required a second surgery. This group did have a higher risk of heart attack or a blood clot in the lungs, however. Researchers said more study is needed to find out who would fare best with each approach. Study results were presented February 17 at a conference.

Obese people with arthritic knees have about 3 1/2 fewer years of able, pain-free life than slim people with healthy knees. That estimate comes from a new study. It focused on U.S. adults ages 50 to 84. Researchers used census data and other sources. They made estimates of how long people live with obesity and knee osteoarthritis. They also calculated how much of that time is hampered by pain and disability. For example, people may have trouble walking. The study found that obese people with arthritic knees lose an average of 3 1/2 healthy years. For obese people without knee problems, the loss is 2 1/2 healthy years. People with knee arthritis and normal weight lose nearly 2 years of good health, the study found. The journal Annals of Internal Medicine published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it February 14.

New guidelines give doctors more practical advice to help them prevent heart disease in women. The new document is from the American Heart Association. It updates guidelines from 2007. All were based on research. But the updated guidelines also focus on “real world” conditions that affect health. For example, a doctor’s patients may be older, sicker or poorer than those in research studies. The guidelines say doctors need to talk to women about whether they take their medicines and follow other advice. They should ask about side effects or anything else that may hinder women from doing what the doctor advised. Women who have had problems in pregnancy also need more attention. They may be at higher risk of heart attack, stroke or blood clots up to 15 years afterward. Doctors also should screen women for depression.