Category: news-perspectives

Some alternative treatments may slightly lower blood pressure, a new report says. But the only non-drug treatment with strong, proven benefit is aerobic exercise. Those are the conclusions of an American Heart Association (AHA) review of research. It found that transcendental meditation (TM), biofeedback and guided breathing may help some people. But the effects on blood pressure were small. Other types of meditation did not lower blood pressure. Neither did yoga or acupuncture. Aerobic exercise had the strongest research support. It also lowered blood pressure more than any treatment other than medicine. The AHA recommends aerobic exercise for most people with pre-hypertension or high blood pressure. Resistance exercise that involves movement also may lower blood pressure, the report says.

Exercise is known to reduce the risk of heart disease. But a physically demanding job may increase risk, two new studies suggest. One study looked at 500 adults who had a first stroke, heart attack or other heart-related event. They were more likely to have physically demanding jobs than a comparison group of 500 healthy adults. This was true even after researchers adjusted the numbers for age, smoking and other factors that affect heart attack and stroke risk. A second study included 14,000 middle-aged men who did not have heart disease. But those with physically demanding jobs were more likely to develop it during 3 years of follow-up. And that risk increased almost 5-fold if they also exercised during their leisure time. For people with less active jobs, on the other hand, heart disease risk dropped 60% if they exercised during leisure time.

Kids mostly get warts from family members and classmates, not from public places, a new study suggests. The authors said advice on preventing warts may need to change. The study included about 1,000 schoolchildren. They were 4 to 12 years old when the study began. A medical student examined their hands and feet. Nearly one-third had warts. Parents answered questions about the history of warts for the child, family members, classmates and friends. Parents also were asked whether the child used public pools or showers. A different medical student examined the children for warts 11 to 18 months later. Warts occurred twice as often among white children and those who had other family members with warts. Having classmates with warts also increased risk somewhat. Using a public swimming pool appeared to increase risk. But the difference was so small it could have been caused by chance.

A Western-style diet can undermine healthy aging, a new study finds. A Western diet includes fried foods, sweets, processed and red meats, refined grains and high-fat dairy products. The study included 5,350 middle-aged adults who provided information about their diets. Researchers kept track of their health for the next 16 years. About 4% went through “ideal aging.” They had no long-term (chronic) conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease. They also had high scores for physical and mental functioning. About 3% of the total group died of a heart attack or stroke during the study. Another 13% had nonfatal events. About 7% died from other causes. The other 73% survived and had “normal aging,” researchers said. People who followed a Western-style diet were less likely to have ideal aging than those with healthier diets.

Even fit men with higher resting heart rates may have a higher risk of early death, a new study finds. The study included nearly 2,800 men who were middle-aged when they joined a health study in 1970. Researchers kept track of them for 16 years. The new study focused on resting heart rate. That’s how fast your heart beats when you are relaxed and sitting still. Men whose resting heart rate was at least 80 beats per minute died earlier, on average, than men with a heart rate of 65 beats per minute. This was true even for men who exercised regularly. Researchers also adjusted the numbers to account for age, health habits and other factors. A higher heart rate was still linked with earlier death. The risk of death increased 16% for each 10 beats per minute in the resting heart rate. The journal Heart published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it April 16.

U.S. doctors write enough prescriptions each year to provide antibiotics to 4 out of 5 Americans, a new study shows. That’s so many that the drugs probably are being overused, experts told the Associated Press (AP). Excess use helps bacteria to become resistant to the drugs. The new study used a national drug database. Numbers come from 2010. In that year, health care professionals wrote 258 million prescriptions for antibiotics. The population was about 309 million. That’s about 833 prescriptions for every 1,000 people. But the numbers varied greatly from state to state. West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee had the highest rates. About 1,200 prescriptions were written for every 1,000 people in those states. In Alaska, Oregon and California, the numbers were 600 or below. Experts said Southern states may have more infections than other states.

Researchers say they have found a way to “see” one type of pain on a brain scan. In the future, such an approach may help to tell whether babies or others who can’t communicate well are feeling pain. The study included 114 healthy volunteers. They were hooked up to a functional MRI (fMRI) machine to show activity in different parts of the brain. First, people were tested using a heating element applied to the forearm. Sometimes the heat was painful but not burning (116 degrees Fahrenheit). Other times it was just warm. Researchers saw a “pain signature” in the fMRI pattern for painful heat, compared with warmth. More than 90% of the time, these patterns matched what people said about whether they felt pain. Researchers also looked at “social pain.” Of those in the study, 40 recently had a romantic breakup. They were shown photographs of the partners who had dumped them.

People who consume less salt and more potassium can reduce their risk of blood pressure and stroke, 3 reviews of medical evidence show. The journal BMJ published the review articles. One review put together the results of 34 studies. They included a total of 3,230 people. The review found that eating less sodium (mostly salt) could reduce systolic blood pressure by about 4 milligrams of mercury (mmHg). Systolic pressure is the first or top number in a blood pressure reading. Diastolic pressure (the second number) fell 2 mmHg. Another research review also looked at other effects of salt on health. It included results from 56 studies. The risk of stroke increased 24% for people who ate more salt. The risks of dying from stroke increased 63%. A third study looked at potassium in the diet. It put together results from 33 studies. They included a total of 128,000 people.

A medical group has advice for primary care doctors about how to discuss prostate-cancer screening with patients. The new statement comes from the American College of Physicians, the group for doctors of internal medicine. It is based on guidelines from several organizations. The statement applies to male patients between ages 50 and 69. Doctors should talk with them about the risks and benefits of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, the statement says. PSA tests are used as a first screening test for prostate cancer. But a biopsy is needed to find out if cancer exists. Most prostate cancers grow very slowly and cause no harm. However, no known tests can tell which cancers will be deadly. Treatments can cause harmful side effects. The journal Annals of Internal Medicine published the study online April 8. HealthDay News wrote about it.

Kids eat more food when it’s served on larger plates, a new study suggests. The study included 42 first graders. They were served lunch at their school cafeteria. Half got their food on smaller plates and half on larger plates. The menu was either chicken nuggets or pasta with meat sauce. Side dishes were applesauce, mixed vegetables and bread. The drink was milk. On average, kids using larger plates served themselves about 90 more calories. They didn’t eat all of the extra food, but they did eat about half. Overall, they consumed more calories than kids using smaller plates. The children served themselves more fruit and more of the main dish on larger plates, but not more vegetables. The journal Pediatrics published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it April 8.