Harvard Health Content API

People who regularly take certain pain relievers have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a study has found. But none of these drugs is more effective than the others, the data show. And researchers said there’s not enough evidence to recommend taking these drugs for prevention. The new research combined the results of six studies. People who took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had a 23% lower risk of Alzheimer’s. The risk was about the same whether people took ibuprofen, naproxen or celecoxib. These are different types of NSAIDs. HealthDay News and Reuters Health wrote about the study May 28. It was in the journal Neurology.

A device that checks blood pressure all day and night can spot danger better than office tests, a study finds. The study included 556 people. All had very high blood pressure despite drug treatment. Some received blood pressure tests in doctors’ offices. Others wore a device that measured their blood pressure every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at night. The study lasted about five years. Home monitoring did a better job of predicting who was more likely to die or have a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or related problems. The study was in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about it November 24.

Taking extra folic acid and vitamin B12 may increase the risk of some cancers, new research suggests. In the United States, folic acid is added to flour to reduce neural tube defects in newborns. Flour is not fortified in Norway, where the study took place. The study included 6,837 people with heart disease. They were randomly assigned to take pills daily for three years. One group got folic acid, B6 and B12. Another group took folic acid and B12 alone. A third group took B6 alone. The fourth group took placebo (fake) pills. Three years after the study ended, people who took folic acid and B12 had higher death rates. Their cancer rate was 10%, compared with 8.4% for those who did not get these two vitamins. Vitamin B6 alone did not affect cancer risk. The study was in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News wrote about it November 18.

Most men who have symptoms of low male hormone levels are not being treated, a study has found. The condition is called androgen deficiency. It is treated with testosterone. The study included 1,486 men. About 5.5% had untreated androgen deficiency. Another 0.8% were being treated. Only about 1 out of 8 men with low hormones was getting treatment. HealthDay News wrote about the study May 27. It was published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Excess weight appears to be even worse for health in children than in adults, experts told The Washington Post. The newspaper has a series of articles on childhood obesity that began May 18. About 1 in 3 U.S. children is overweight or obese. This appears to harm every major organ, and the damage may be permanent, the Post reported. An interactive graphic tool with the articles shows some of this damage. The series continues through May 22.

The National Cancer Institute is stopping a study called the SELECT trial. The study was looking at whether vitamin E or selenium supplements would help to prevent prostate cancer. The study started in 2001. A review done this month showed that men taking vitamin E pills, selenium pills, or both were not less likely to get prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in men. About 186,000 men are diagnosed each year in the United States.

Brighter lights and hormone pills may help behavior problems and sleep in people with dementia, a study finds. The study included 189 people in 12 group homes. Most had dementia. In some homes, bright lights were turned on all day. The other homes were less bright. In addition, people were given supplements of melatonin or fake pills. Melatonin is a hormone that helps to regulate sleep. People exposed to bright lights were less likely to get depressed. If they also took melatonin, they slept longer and were less agitated. But melatonin increased mood problems for people exposed to dim light. HealthDay and Reuters Health news services reported on the study June 10. It was in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A handful of people who were involved in the World Trade Center rescue have developed an immune system cancer. Doctors say they don’t know whether it’s linked to their work at the site. A program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City tracks the health of 28,252 responders at the site. Out of this group, eight people have developed multiple myeloma. This is the second most common immune system cancer. It would be typical for seven cases to appear in a group this size. But four of these cases involve people under age 45, researchers said. For a group this size, the average in that age category would be one case. The New England Journal of Medicine published the study online. The Associated Press wrote about it August 10.

A brief test that looks only at the lower colon and rectum could sharply reduce deaths from colorectal cancer, a new study finds. The British study included 170,000 people. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group received a test called a sigmoidoscopy. The other group did not. This test uses a flexible tube with a camera, also called a flexi-scope. The tube is inserted into the colon to look inside. People who received the test got it once, in their 50s or early 60s. In the next 11 years, colorectal cancer rates were one-third lower for people who got the test than for people who did not get it. Their chances of dying from this cancer were reduced by nearly half, 43%. Researchers said the sigmoidoscopy took about five minutes. Another test, a colonoscopy, takes longer and costs more. It looks at the whole colon.

Doctors often prescribe two drugs after a heart attack: a blood thinner and a drug to prevent stomach bleeding caused by the blood thinner. But a new study finds that adding the second drug increases the risk to the heart. The study used data on 8,205 patients discharged from U.S. veterans’ hospitals. They had been admitted for a heart attack or severe chest pain. All were prescribed clopidogrel (Plavix), a blood thinner. Most also received a drug called a proton pump inhibitor to reduce the risk of stomach bleeding. But those who got the second drug were more likely to be admitted to the hospital again for heart problems. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News wrote about it March 3.