Category: news-perspectives

In a 23-year study, cutting calories by one-third improved monkeys’ health, but didn’t extend their lives. Those results, published August 29, contrast with another recent study that did show longer life for monkeys on very-low-calorie diets. Other studies have found that earthworms, mice and other animals live longer with fewer calories. The new study included 120 rhesus macaques. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group ate a normal controlled diet. The other group ate about 30% fewer calories. The restricted diet included vitamin and mineral supplements. When the study began, 86 monkeys were young, up to age 14. The others were 16 to 23 years old. The average macaque lives about 27 years. After 23 years, the calorie-restricted monkeys weighed less and had lower rates of diabetes than the other group. The younger monkeys also had lower rates of cancer.

Eating chocolate may reduce men’s chance of having a stroke, a new study suggests. The study included more than 37,000 men. At the beginning of the study, they answered questions about what they ate. In the next 10 years, about 2,000 men had a first stroke. Those who ate the most chocolate had a 17% lower risk of stroke than those who ate none. The amount eaten by the top group was equal to about one-third cup of chocolate chips per week. In Sweden, where the study was done, about 90% of the chocolate eaten is milk chocolate, study authors said. The same researchers also found similar results by combining results from 5 prior studies on chocolate and stroke. Those studies included a total of 4,200 strokes. People who ate the most chocolate had a 19% lower risk of stroke than those who never ate chocolate. The journal Neurology published the study.

Preventing infections and other problems for hospital patients is a big job. A new pilot program will use both technology and family help in the effort. The Johns Hopkins University program will cost $9 million. Doctors and nurses know many ways to help to keep patients safe. The new project will use automatic signals and controls to make sure they are carried out. For example, breathing problems can be a side effect of some painkillers. The Johns Hopkins program will link the machines that dispense medicines and keep track of breathing. Painkillers will be cut off automatically if breathing problems occur. The hospital also wants to put a checklist of daily care tasks on a tablet computer in each patient’s room. Hospital staff will urge family members to check the tablet and speak up if something is missed.

The benefits of circumcising baby boys outweigh the small risks, the largest group of U.S. children’s doctors says. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published the new policy statement in its journal, Pediatrics. The statement does not urge circumcision for all newborn boys. It says the decision is up to parents and doctors. The old statement said risks and benefits were equal. The new one cites recent evidence that circumcision reduces the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. It also reduces the risk of urinary tract infections in babies. Risks include bleeding and infection, but these are rare. Circumcision does cause pain. The AAP says baby boys should get medicine for pain before the procedure. The AAP report comes amid efforts to ban infant circumcision in some places. Opponents say it violates a boy’s rights because he is unable to consent.

People who are fit at midlife not only live longer, but live better, with less illness, a new study suggests. The research included more than 18,600 men and women. They were all part of another long-term health study. When the study began, their median age was 49. Fitness levels were measured using a type of treadmill test. Researchers kept track of people for about 26 years. Once people reached age 65, researchers tracked their health with Medicare claims information. People who were most fit at midlife not only lived longer, but spent less time being sick. The fittest group had slightly over half the rate of chronic (long-lasting) diseases as people who were least fit. Diseases included coronary artery disease, Alzheimer’s, heart failure, diabetes and others. About 2,400 people died during the study.

Weight-loss surgery can sharply reduce the risk of diabetes in very obese people, a new study finds. The study included more than 3,400 obese people. Just under half of them had so-called bariatric surgery to help weight loss. These procedures reduce the size of the stomach, bypass part of the colon or both. The other people in the study did not have surgery. They just received usual care and advice on weight loss. Nobody had diabetes when the study began. Within 10 years, 110 people in the surgery group developed diabetes. This compares with 392 people in the other group. The diabetes rate was 78% lower for those who had surgery. Two studies released this year showed that weight-loss surgery could reverse diabetes. This study showed that it also could help prevent the disease.

Comedian Rosie O’Donnell told her fans this week that she is “lucky to be here” after not recognizing signs of a heart attack. O’Donnell wrote on her blog August 20 about nausea, aches and other symptoms the week before. She said she did an online search for “women’s heart attack symptoms” and was concerned enough to take aspirin. This can help to prevent blood clots that cause heart attacks. But O’Donnell did not go to the emergency room. She went to see a cardiologist the next day. O’Donnell said one of her arteries was 99% blocked. Doctors inserted a stent, a small tube, to open the artery. She urged her female fans to know the symptoms of heart attacks and not ignore them if they occur. The Associated Press wrote about O’Donnell’s illness.

Reminding both teens and their parents about missed shots may help increase vaccination rates, a new study suggests. Teens in the study were ages 13 through 17. All of them were missing at least 1 recommended shot. They were randomly divided into 3 groups. One group received reminder phone calls to parents from the doctor’s office. Another group received reminders for both the parents and the teens. People in the third group were not contacted. Vaccination rates increased in the next month for teens who received reminders for themselves and their parents. The other groups did not show this improvement. But any differences were gone a year later. Doctors also had problems reaching many of the teens and their parents. The journal Pediatrics published the study online August 20.

Like many other medical conditions, fainting runs in families, a new study finds. The study included 51 sets of same-sex twins. At least 1 twin in each pair had fainted in the past. Fainting in both twins was twice as common among identical twins as among fraternal twins. Identical twins come from the same fertilized egg, which divides. All of their genes are the same. Fraternal twins come from two fertilized eggs. They have fewer genes in common. Other relatives of the twins in the study did not have an unusually high risk of fainting. Researchers said this suggests that fainting is not inherited through just one gene. The journal Neurology published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it August 8.

A new ad campaign is bringing attention to the stress put on caretakers. More than 40 million Americans care for aging or sick relatives or friends. It’s often at the expense of taking care of their own families or themselves. The campaign helps caregivers find services and information they need to reduce stress and not feel so alone. The American Association of Retired Persons) and the non-profit Ad Council are sponsoring the campaign. The Associated Press wrote about it.