Drinking tea provides a number of health benefits, from lowering heart disease and stroke risk, to protecting against several types of cancer. The less processed tea leaves are, the more health-promoting compounds they contain.
New guidelines raise the threshold for drug treatment of high blood pressure to 150/90 mm Hg in adults ages 60 and older.
Women with heart disease or who’ve had a past heart attack may be at greater risk for memory and thinking problems as they age.
Increased belly fat may have to do with a loss of height as women age or hormonal changes during menopause. Making dietary changes can help control this extra weight around the middle.
Losing 10% of their body weight can help overweight women improve heart risks such as unhealthy LDL cholesterol and C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation). Even women who lose smaller amounts of weight can see improvements in heart risks.
To avoid a fracture, women over 65 and those at risk for osteoporosis should have a baseline bone density scan. How often they need additional scans depends on their fracture risks.
Flaxseed and red yeast rice may help lower cholesterol, but women should check with their doctor before taking them.
New options for treating incontinence in women include Botox injections, Myrbetriq, the Oxytrol patch, and mini-sling procedures.
The aromatase inhibitor drug anastrozole (Arimidex) reduces the chance of developing breast cancer by 53% in postmenopausal women at high risk for the disease.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has found insufficient evidence to recommend vitamin or mineral supplements for the purpose of disease prevention.