Category: news-perspectives

In a study, people lost more weight on low-carbohydrate and Mediterranean diets than on a low-fat diet. Low carbs also led to better cholesterol numbers, researchers found. The study included 322 people. They worked and ate lunch together. About 85% stuck to the diets. After two years, people on the low-carb diet had lost about 10.3 pounds. The average lost was 10 pounds with the Mediterranean diet and 6.5 with the low-fat diet. The Associated Press wrote about the study July 17. It appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Women’s heart attack symptoms are not much different than men’s, a new study concludes. That’s contrary to other research that found women’s symptoms were often different. The study did not look at people having actual heart attacks. Rather, it looked at 305 people who had angioplasty. This procedure opens a blocked artery by inflating a tiny balloon inside the artery. While the balloon blocks the artery, people often have heart attack symptoms. Researchers asked people about their symptoms. Women reported chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath and pain in the left arm just as often as men. But they reported jaw, neck and throat pain more than men did. Researchers said women should tell doctors about all of their symptoms. They shouldn’t wait to be asked about something specific. The study was presented at a heart conference. The Canadian Press wrote about it October 25.

Mexico, the origin of a worldwide swine flu outbreak, is allowing people to resume more normal activities this week. Officials there say they believe the flu is waning, the Associated Press reported. But the World Health Organization (WHO) says it is too soon to say if the outbreak is slowing down. More than 1,000 cases have been confirmed around the world. WHO says that a pandemic is “imminent.” Pandemic means that an outbreak is widespread. It is not necessarily severe.

New studies raise further concern about the use of cough and cold medicines. They are not recommended for young children, especially those under age 2. In one study, 596 children under 2 were brought to a hospital with a life-threatening emergency. About half were tested for foreign substances in the blood. Of these, about 5% had taken an over-the-counter cold medicine. Another study looked at 21 unexpected baby deaths. Tests found that 10 had been given cold medicines. A third study used survey data for 4,267 U.S. children. It found that about 10% of the children used a cold or cough medicine in a given week. This included 6% to 9% of children under age 2. The studies were published August 4 in the journal Pediatrics.

Pre-hospital electrocardiograms (EKG) could mean quicker life-saving treatment for heart attack patients. Yet fewer than 10% of people with a common and dangerous type of heart attack get an EKG before reaching the hospital. The American Heart Association wants to change this. In a new statement, they say all emergency medical teams should do EKGs on patients when they suspect a heart attack. They should send it ahead to the hospital to save time. The statement was published in the journal Circulation.

Overweight men may be at increased risk for prostate cancer, a study says. The study looked at information on 84,000 men. All were between 45 and 75 years old when the study began. White and African-American men who gained weight throughout adulthood had an increased risk for prostate cancer, while Japanese men actually had a decreased risk. The study was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. U.S. News and World Report wrote about it September 2.

Experts fear that people trying to spend less on food may end up gaining weight, Reuters news service reports. That’s because many healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, can be costly. Fats, sugars and refined grains offer cheaper sources of calories. Many studies have shown that excess weight and poor eating habits are more common in low-income groups. The McDonald’s fast-food chain is thriving despite the economic downturn. But sales growth has fallen at the upscale Whole Foods markets, which focus on organic and natural foods. With planning, people can eat healthy foods on a budget, experts said.

Women who take tamoxifen to prevent the return of breast cancer probably should not take paroxetine (Paxil) for depression, a study suggests. In the study, women who took both drugs were more likely than average to die of breast cancer. That’s because paroxetine is thought to interfere with the action of tamoxifen, researchers said. There was no increase in deaths for women who took other antidepressants. The study looked at records for 2,430 women. All of them took tamoxifen to prevent a return of breast cancer. They also took a drug for depression. About 1 out of 4 took paroxetine. On average, there was an overlap of the two drugs for 41% of the time the women took tamoxifen. Researchers estimated that this led to 1 extra death from breast cancer for every 20 women. The study appeared in the British Medical Journal. Canadian Press wrote about it February 9.

The U.S. government, doctors and patients need to do more to prevent and treat high blood pressure, an expert group says. The call for action came from the Institute of Medicine. This independent group advises the government on health matters. Nearly 1 out of 3 adults has high blood pressure. The condition is also called hypertension. It increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney disease. But doctors often don’t treat it aggressively, the institute said. And the U.S. government has not made it a priority. The institute had several recommendations. It said doctors should be sure to treat both types of high blood pressure, diastolic and systolic. People should eat less sodium and more potassium. Exercise and weight loss also would help. The institute urged the government to work with food makers to reduce sodium in foods.

A study that was testing ways to improve the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest has found no benefit to the methods studied. As a result, no one new will be added to the study. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute announced the decision November 6. The institute was the lead sponsor of the study. In one part of the study, responders did cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for different amounts of time before assessing whether to use a defibrillator. This is a machine that can restart the heart. Another part of the study tried out a device to maintain pressure in the chest while doing CPR. The study included more than 11,500 people. None of the methods studied caused a change in survival rates.