Category: news-perspectives

Blood sugar at the lower end of the normal range may be best for protecting the brain, a new study suggests. The study included 141 older adults. Their average age was 63. None of them had diabetes or pre-diabetes (blood sugar levels that are above normal but below diabetes levels). The study did not include anyone who was overweight or had more than 3.5 alcoholic drinks daily. It also excluded anyone who had been diagnosed with memory and thinking problems. Researchers gave everyone memory tests and measured their blood sugar. Everyone also received a brain MRI scan. Although everyone had blood sugar in the normal range, those with lower levels did better on the memory tests. They also tended to have a larger hippocampus than those with slightly higher blood sugar. This area of the brain plays a major role in memory. The journal Neurology published the study.

Getting a flu shot may decrease your risk of a heart attack, a new study finds. And the benefit is greatest for people with known heart disease. The new research combined the data from 6 studies on flu vaccines. They included nearly 7,000 people. Their average age was 67. About 36% had a history of heart disease. People were randomly assigned to receive flu vaccine or a placebo (fake) shot. Researchers kept track of them for an average of 8 months. In that time, the new study found, those who got the real vaccine were 36% less likely to have a heart attack, heart failure or related problems than those who got the placebo. The new study also took a separate look at just the 3 studies that included people with known heart disease. In these studies, flu shots reduced people’s risk of heart events by 55%. Flu shots are strongly recommended for people with heart disease.

A survey suggests that most doctors aren’t telling people about the possible harms of cancer screenings. The study was based on an online survey. It included 317 men and women, ages 50 to 69. Only 9.5% said their doctors had told them that cancer screening tests can lead to
over diagnosis
and overtreatment. These possible harms include follow-up tests for abnormal results that turn out not to be cancer. People also may get treatment for cancers that were unlikely to cause harm in their lifetimes. About 80% said they would have wanted to know about these risks before getting screened. People also were asked how much
over diagnosis
was OK when weighed against possibly catching a cancer early. The answer depended on whether they were already getting the tests.

Breast milk bought from milk sharing websites may be likely to contain bacteria, a new study suggests. Researchers tested 101 samples of breast milk bought from people who advertised on a U.S. milk sharing website. Nearly 3 out of 4 samples contained germs. These included several kinds that could make babies sick. About 1 in 5 contained cytomegalovirus. This usually causes a mild, flulike illness. However, in premature babies or those with compromised immune systems, the illness could be severe. Three samples contained salmonella, one cause of food poisoning. Researchers compared the purchased samples to samples of milk donated to a milk bank. Donors to milk banks are screened. Milk usually is pasteurized. However, the samples tested had not been pasteurized. Still, they had lower levels of bacteria than the samples bought from the milk-sharing site.

Fewer than 1 out of 10 nosebleeds that don’t stop at home require the most extreme treatments at the hospital, a study finds. The study used hospital data on more than 57,000 patients who were treated for nosebleeds. All occurred without any known cause. Hospital staff stopped the bleeding in about 38% of the cases with little treatment. Another 53% were treated either by stuffing the nose with cotton or by cutting off the bleeding vessel (cauterizing) with heat, electricity or chemicals. Nearly 5% had surgery to tie off the blood vessel. Another 3% had embolization. This procedure plugs the blood vessel with a sealant. These two treatments cost more and have more risks than the others. About 1.3% of those who had surgery died. That was twice the death rate of nasal packing. Strokes occurred in 1.5% of those who had embolization. Almost all nosebleeds can be stopped at home.

A drug long used for gout may also be an effective first treatment for pericarditis, a study finds. The drug, colchicine, also may help to prevent the condition from coming back. Pericarditis is an inflammation of the lining around the heart. Colchicine (Colcrys) reduces inflammation. However, it usually is not used as a first treatment for pericarditis. The study included 240 people with pericarditis. Everyone received standard treatment with aspirin or ibuprofen for 3 months. People were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group also received colchicine. The other group received look-alike placebo (fake) pills. After treatment, 83% of those who took colchicine improved and didn’t have a return of symptoms. Only 63% of the placebo group had this positive result. The colchicine group also had quicker relief of symptoms. And they were less likely to end up in the hospital.

Many doctors are ignoring guidelines to steer clear of PSA testing for older men, says a study. Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston reviewed Medicare records for more than 61,000 patients and more than 2,000 doctors. More than 40% of men ages 75 and older had prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests, which screen for prostate cancer. None of these men had a history of prostate cancer. The researchers found that certain doctors ordered the test more than 10 times as often as other doctors did. The PSA test is not recommended for men ages 75 and older, because most prostate cancers grow so slowly that men this age would die of another cause before the cancer became a threat. The researchers also note that diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer in elderly men can carry health risks.

When William Howard Taft’s weight hit almost 315 pounds, he sought advice from a leading diet guru of his day. The advice of Dr. Nathaniel Yorke-Davies would be familiar today: Eat right and exercise more. On that program, a new medical journal article reports, Taft shed 60 pounds. The article, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, sheds light on obesity treatment in the early 1900s. The condition was rare then. So Taft, then secretary of war, consulted an expert. The British doctor advised him to cut out sugar and most carbohydrates. The diet included lean meats, fish, fruit, vegetables and “gluten biscuits.” Taft was told to weigh himself daily. He was supposed to keep detailed records of what he ate and how much he exercised. All of this was shared with Dr. Yorke-Davies in frequent letters. But Taft, like many dieters, backslid.

Children with regular bedtimes are likely to be better behaved, too, a new study suggests. The research was part of a large study of 10,000 children in the United Kingdom. Researchers asked parents questions about their children’s bedtimes when they were ages 3, 5 and 7. Both parents and teachers were asked about the kids’ behavior. Both gave lower ratings for behavior to children who did not have regular bedtimes. The longer the varied bedtimes continued, the greater the behavior problems. But behavior improved for kids who started having regular bedtimes. The study author said not having a regular bedtime may interfere with the body’s circadian rhythms. This produces a state similar to jet lag. It may also affect maturing of the brain. Another expert interviewed by HealthDay News said that lack of routine produces anxiety in small children. This can lead to behavior problems.

All strokes — even “mini-strokes” – not only shorten peoples’ lives, but also can significantly worsen quality of life, a new study finds. Researchers followed 748 people who had a stroke and 440 people who had a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or “mini-stroke.” TIAs don’t last as long as full-blown strokes and tend to have few lasting effects. People were followed for 5 years. Researchers measured their quality of life after stroke with questionnaires. The results show that a stroke, on average, costs a person 1.71 out of 5 years of perfect health due to an earlier death. And stroke costs another 1.08 years due to reduced quality of life. When the researchers combined the two measures, people who have a stroke lose 2.79 years, on average, of “quality-adjusted life years.” The more severe the stroke, the greater the loss.