Medicine and Supplements
Statins not associated with memory or cognition decline in elderly
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 20 hours ago
Given consumer concern that statins may be associated with memory or cognitive decline, a new study published today in the *Journal of the American College of Cardiology* may offer reassurance, as no difference was found in the rate of memory or cognitive decline of elderly statin-users compared to never-users. "Not only are statins one of the most prescribed medications in the world, there is strong evidence that they reduce mortality in our patients with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, renal disease and other lipid disorders. Most importantly, statins aren't associated with a ri... more »
Folic acid supplementation may positively impact neurodevelopment and cognitive performance in children at seven years of age.
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
*Evidence Rating Level:* 2 (Good) Periconceptional folic acid (FA) supplementation is a protective factor against neural tube defects (NTD), with the recommended time period for this supplementation being limited to the first trimester. This randomized controlled trial of Folic Acid Supplementation during the Second and Third Trimesters (FASSTT) conducted from 2006 to 2007 investigated the potential benefits of FA supplementation during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy on child neurocognitive performance at seven years of age. Mothers were randomly assigned to 400μg/d FA ... more »
Links between prescription medications and risk for suicide
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
A review of 922 prescription medications taken by almost 150 million people over an 11-year period shows that just 10 of these drugs were associated with an increased rate of suicide attempts. Forty-four drugs were linked to a decrease in suicide attempts, including many that carry a "black box" label from the Food and Drug Administration warning of their association with suicidal behavior. The study, published in the *Harvard Data Science Review*, id
Fish oil supplements have no effect on anxiety and depression
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
Omega-3 fats have little or no effect on anxiety and depression according to new research from the University of East Anglia. Increased consumption of omega-3 fats is widely promoted globally because of a common belief that it will protect against, or even reverse, conditions such as anxiety and depression. But a systematic review published today in the *British Journal of Psychiatry*, finds that omega-3 supplements offer no benefit. Omega-3 is a type of fat. Small amounts are essential for good health and can be found in the food that we eat including nuts and seeds and fatty fis... more »
Acetaminophen in pregnancy linked to higher risk of ADHD, autism
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
Exposure to acetaminophen (TYLENOL) in the womb may increase a child's risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. The study was conducted by Xiaobing Wang, M.D., of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, and colleagues. It appears in *JAMA Psychiatry*. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is marked by a pattern of hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a ... more »
33% of people on anticoagulants take OTC supplements with potentially serious interactions
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 weeks ago
Nearly 98% percent of people prescribed direct-acting oral anticoagulants such as apixaban used over-the-counter products. Of those, 33% took at least one such product that, in combination with the anticoagulants, could cause dangerous internal bleeding. People on these medications largely lacked knowledge of some potentially serious interactions. *BACKGROUND* Direct-acting oral anticoagulants are the drug of choice for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation, which occurs most frequently in older patients. Apixaban is one of the most frequently prescribed. However, m... more »
Think you're allergic to penicillin? You are probably wrong
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
More than 30 million people in the United States wrongly believe they are allergic to penicillin - resulting in millions of dollars in added health care costs, adverse side effects from the use of more powerful antibiotics and a risk in the rise of dangerous antibiotic resistant infections. This misconception and public health threat could be corrected, said Christopher M. Bland, clinical associate professor at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, by asking those who say they are allergic to penicillin to answer a simple one-page questionnaire and, if necessary, take a p... more »
Aging
Nearly half of 50- to 64-year-olds think they're likely to develop dementia
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 days ago
Nearly half of 50- to 64-year-olds think they're likely to develop dementia, but few have talked to a doctor reducing their risk and many use unproven tactics Nearly half of Americans in their 50s and early 60s think they're likely to develop dementia as they grow older, but only 5% of them have actually talked with a doctor about what they could do to reduce their risk, a new study finds. Meanwhile, a third or more say they're trying to stave off dementia by taking supplements or doing crossword puzzles - despite the lack of proof that such tactics work. The new findings sugges... more »
Improved fitness can mean living longer without dementia
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 4 days ago
Staying fit or improving fitness over time should be a goal for anyone who wants to reduce the likelihood of getting dementia. "It is important to say that it is never too late to begin exercising. The average participant in our study was around 60 years old at baseline, and improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness was strongly linked to lower dementia risk. Those who had poor fitness in the 1980s but improved it within the next decade could expect to live two years longer without dementia," says Atefe Tari of the Cardiac Exercise Research Group (CERG) at the Norwegian University ... more »
Fracture risk for patients taking multiple medications
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 5 days ago
There is a strong association between the number of fracture-associated drugs (FADs) older patients receive and their risk of sustaining a broken bone, according to a new Dartmouth study published in *JAMA Network Open*. In recent decades, the use of prescription medications has increased dramatically in the U.S. due to factors such as improvements in the ability to detect disease, expanding treatment options, and an aging population. For many older Americans (over age 65), these medications provide an effective means of managing disease and improving both quality of life and longev... more »
Regular use of prescription drugs for pain and sleep increases frailty risk by 95 percent
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 5 days ago
Researchers from the Oregon Research Institute (ORI) and Florida Atlantic University (FAU) are the first to demonstrate statistically significant links between self-reported regular use of prescription drugs for pain and/or sleep, and longitudinal risk of frailty in adults ages 65 and older. Frailty consists of deficits in a variety of functional measures, and is a reliable predictor of loss of independence, increased use of health care resources, and mortality. The possible implications of current research findings are especially serious given that it is common for older Americans ... more »
Interval walking training improves fitness and health in elderly individuals
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
In Japan, health-conscious folks have been known to carry around pedometers to track the number of steps they walk everyday. The target number: 10,000 steps, as a foundation for a healthy lifestyle. Conscientious walkers can now update their device from a pedometer to a smartphone and forget about ten thousand steps with the latest study from Dr. Shizue Masuki of Shinshu University who found an effective way to increase overall fitness and decrease lifestyle-related disease (LSD) through Interval Walking Training (IWT). It's not how much you walk, but how intensely you do so for a ... more »
Being physically active can lower older adults' risk for dying
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
For older adults, being physically active is an important part of overall good health. In fact, experts say that nine percent of all premature deaths are caused by not getting enough physical activity. Physical activity is known to reduce deaths from heart disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease, and mental illness. A team of researchers looked more carefully at the relationship between death and physical exercise among older adults in Brazil (where the number of older adults grew 40 percent between 2002 and 2012). Their study was published in the *Journal of the American Geriatrics... more »
High-intensity exercise improves memory in seniors
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
Researchers at McMaster University who examine the impact of exercise on the brain have found that high-intensity workouts improve memory in older adults. The study, published in the journal *Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism*, has widespread implications for treating dementia, a catastrophic disease that affects approximately half a million Canadians and is expected to rise dramatically over the next decade. Researchers suggest that intensity is critical. Seniors who exercised using short, bursts of activity saw an improvement of up to 30% in memory performance while pa... more »
Early retirement can accelerate cognitive decline
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
Early retirement can accelerate cognitive decline among the elderly, according to research conducted by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Plamen Nikolov, assistant professor of economics, and Alan Adelman, a doctoral student in economics, examined China's New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS) and the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) to determine the effects of pension benefits on individual cognition of those ages 60 or above. CHARLS, a nationally representative survey of people ages 45 and above within the Chinese population, is a s... more »
Diet
High-protein diets may harm your kidneys
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 20 hours ago
A high-protein diet is believed to be healthy. It is suggested that it keeps you fit, helps you to lose fat and to retain lean muscle mass. Avoiding carbohydrates and substituting them with proteins has become a leading dogma for all those who care for their looks and health. Kamyar Kalantar-Zadeh, Holly M Kramer and Denis Fouque [1] now consider it necessary to question this belief and to put a tough warning label on our modern eating habits. "We may save calories, but we may also risk the health of our kidneys." The promise of saving calories and losing weight is why a high-pr... more »
Unhealthy habits can start young: Infants, toddlers, and added sugars
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 4 days ago
A new study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics breaks new ground by evaluating a nationally representative sample of infant and toddler diets and consumption of added sugars [image: IMAGE] *IMAGE: *Top eight sources of added sugars in the diets of US infants and toddlers aged 6 to 23 months, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2016. view more Credit: CDC/NCHS, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2016 Philadelphia, November 14, 2019 - A new study in the *Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics*, published
Too much ultra-processed foods linked to lower heart health
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Ultra-processed foods, which account for more than half of an average American's daily calories, are linked to lower measures of cardiovascular health, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2019 -- November 16-18 in Philadelphia. The Association's Scientific Sessions is an annual premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians. Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that for every 5% increase in calories from ultra-proc... more »
Evening eating linked to poorer heart health for women
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Women who consumed a higher proportion of their daily calories later in the evening were more likely to be at greater risk for cardiovascular disease than women who did not, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2019 -- November 16-18 in Philadelphia. The Association's Scientific Sessions is an annual, premier global exchange of the latest advances in cardiovascular science for researchers and clinicians. Researchers assessed the cardiovascular health of 112 women (average age 33, 44% Hispanic) using the American ... more »
Avocados may help manage obesity, prevent diabetes
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
Your guacamole may hold the key to managing obesity and helping delay or prevent diabetes, according to a new study by a University of Guelph research team. For the first time, researchers led by Prof. Paul Spagnuolo have shown how a compound found only in avocados can inhibit cellular processes that normally lead to diabetes. In safety testing in humans, the team also found that the substance was absorbed into the blood with no adverse effects in the kidney, liver or muscle. The study was recently published in the journal *Molecular Nutrition and Food Research*. About one in four ... more »
Soft drinks found to be the crucial link between obesity and tooth wear
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 weeks ago
A new study published today in the journal *Clinical Oral Investigations*, has found that sugar-sweetened acidic drinks, such as soft drinks, is the common factor between obesity and tooth wear among adults. Scientists from King's College London found that being overweight or obese was undoubtedly associated with having tooth wear. Significantly, they also found that the increased consumption of sugary soft drinks may be a leading cause of the erosion of tooth enamel and dentine in obese patients. Drawing on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004,... more »
American Academy of Pediatrics looks at use of nonnutritive sweeteners by children
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 weeks ago
Nonnutritive or artificial sweeteners are a growing part of U.S. diets, now consumed by at least one in four children. A new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement offers a summary of the existing data around nonnutritive sweeteners and recommends future research into how they affect children's weight, taste preferences, the risk for diabetes, and long-term safety. The AAP policy statement "The Use of Nonnutritive Sweeteners in Children" published in the November 2019 Pediatrics (published online Oct. 28), recommends that the amount of these no- or low-calorie sweet... more »
One avocado a day helps lower 'bad' cholesterol for heart healthy benefits
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 weeks ago
Move over, apples -- new research from Penn State suggests that eating one avocado a day may help keep "bad cholesterol" at bay. According to the researchers, bad cholesterol can refer to both oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and small, dense LDL particles. In a randomized, controlled feeding study, the researchers found that eating one avocado a day was associated with lower levels of LDL (specifically small, dense LDL particles) and oxidized LDL in adults with overweight or obesity. "We were able to show that when people incorporated one avocado a day into their diet, they h... more »
Sleep
Insomnia symptoms linked to increased risk of stroke, heart attack
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
People who have trouble sleeping may be more likely to have a stroke, heart attack or other cerebrovascular or cardiovascular diseases, according to a study published in the November 6, 2019, online issue of *Neurology*®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "These results suggest that if we can target people who are having trouble sleeping with behavioral therapies, it's possible that we could reduce the number of cases of stroke, heart attack and other diseases later down the line," said study author Liming Li, MD, of Peking University in Beijing, China. The... more »
Shortened sleep may negatively affect women's bone health
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Getting too little sleep was linked with a higher risk of having low bone mineral density (BMD) and developing osteoporosis, as reported in a recent *Journal of Bone and Mineral Research* study of postmenopausal women. In the study of 11,084 postmenopausal women, those who reported sleeping 5 hours or less per night had lower BMD at all four sites assessed--whole body, total hip, neck, and spine--compared with women who reported sleeping 7 hours per night. After adjustments, women reporting 5 hours or less per night had 22% and 63% higher risks of experiencing low bone mass and oste... more »
Another possible correlation between sleep and overall good health
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 3 weeks ago
New study shows that your gut microbiome and quality sleep are interconnected As if you didn't already have enough to worry about to keep you up at night, a new study indicates that poor sleep can negatively affect your gut microbiome, which can, in turn, lead to additional health issues. Great. That's at the heart - or gut - of the study just published in *PLoS ONE* that involved several researchers from Nova Southeastern University (NSU.) They wanted to see just how much of a connection there is between what is going on in our insides and how that may impact the quality of sleep we... more »
General Health
Study: Actually, potted plants don't improve indoor air quality
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Plants can help spruce up a home or office space, but claims about their ability to improve the air quality are vastly overstated, according to research out of Drexel University. A closer look at decades of research suggesting that potted plants can improve the air in homes and offices reveals that natural ventilation far outpaces plants when it comes to cleaning the air. "This has been a common misconception for some time. Plants are great, but they don't actually clean indoor air quickly enough to have an effect on the air quality of your home or office environment," said Michael ... more »
The reproductive function of the clitoris
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
A recent review published in *Clinical Anatomy* highlights evidence that the female clitoris is important for reproduction. The review notes that stimulating the clitoris activates the brain to cause a combination of changes in the female reproductive tract that creates its readiness to receive and process sperm to achieve possible fertilisation of the egg. These include enhancement of vaginal blood flow, an increase in vaginal lubrication, an increase in vaginal oxygen and temperature, and most importantly a change in the position of the cervix, the entrance to the uterus. This cha... more »
Traffic exhaust at residential address increases the risk of stroke
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
High levels of traffic exhaust at one's residence increases the risk of stroke even in low-pollution environments, according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and other universities in Sweden. The study, published in the journal *Environmental Health Perspectives*, suggests that it is mainly black carbon from traffic exhaust that increases the risk for stroke, and not particulate matter from other sources. Black carbon is the sooty black material emitted from gas and diesel engines, coal-fired power plants and other fuels. In city environments, the emissions come ma... more »
Living in a noisy area increases the risk of suffering a more serious stroke
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
The high levels of environmental noise we are subjected to in large cities can increase both the severity and consequences of an ischaemic stroke. More precisely, researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM) and doctors from Hospital del Mar, together with researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), and Brown University, in the United States, put the increased risk at 30% for people living in noisier areas. In contrast, living close to green areas brings down this risk by up to... more »
Exercise
Take a yoga class and depression, anxiety improve
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 5 days ago
Scientific studies already support yoga practice as a means to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Now a new study out of Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) provides evidence that yoga and breathing exercises can improve symptoms of depression and anxiety in both the short term--with each session as well as cumulatively in the longer term, over three months. Published online in the *Journal of Psychiatric Practice*, these findings suggest yoga can be a helpful complementary treatment for clinical depression or major depressive disorder. A group of 30 clinically depr... more »
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Association between physical activity, lower risk of fracture
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Women who did the highest amount of physical activity had an 18% lower risk of hip fracture and 6% lower risk of total fracture egular physical activity, including lighter intensity activities such as walking, is associated with reduced risk of hip and total fracture in postmenopausal women, according to new research from the University at Buffalo. Published Oct. 25 in *JAMA Network Open*, the study is the most comprehensive evaluation of physical activity and fracture incidence in older women. The study included more than 77,000 participants in the Women's Health Initiative, who we... more »
Physical activity may protect against new episodes of depression
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 1 week ago
Increased levels of physical activity can significantly reduce the odds of depression, even among people who are genetically predisposed to the condition, according to a new study from researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). In a paper published in the journal *Depression and Anxiety*, the team reported that individuals who engaged in at least several hours of exercise each week were less likely to be diagnosed with a new episode of depression, even in the face of high genetic risk for the disorder. Drawing on genomic and electronic health record data from nearly 8,000... more » entifies several drugs with the potential to prevent suicide attempts that are not currently used for that purpose, including folic ... more »
Is physical activity always good for the heart?
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
Physical activity is thought to be our greatest ally in the fight against cardiovascular disease. But there may be significant variations in its protective effects across a range of different situations, such as regularly playing a sport, carrying heavy loads at work, or going for a walk with friends. These are the findings of a new study led by Inserm researcher Jean-Philippe Empana (U970 PARCC, Inserm/Université de Paris) in collaboration with Australian researchers. The results have been published in *Hypertension*. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality aroun... more »
Bicycle-related injuries have increased significantly among older riders
Jonathan KantrowitzatHealth News Report - 2 weeks ago
The rise in popularity of bike riding has led to an increase in more serious injuries, particularly among cyclists aged 55 to 64. They were treated at hospital emergency departments nationwide for traumatic brain injuries and broken bones in the face more than 86,439 times from 2008 to 2017. The incidence of these craniofacial injuries varied significantly among age groups. While patients aged 18 to 24 were injured more frequently, likely due to the popularity of bicycling in younger adults, patients aged 55 to 64 had the most significant increase in injuries, with a 54 percent gr... more »
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