Health Discoveries

By: Source: AARP Bulletin Today Date Posted: 2003-07-11 09:09:36

September 2001 | October 2001 | November 2001 | December 2001 | 2002 Discoveries

December 2001

Food for Thought

Of all the memory "enhancers" touted today, the simplest may be…food. New research shows that eating protein, carbohydrates or fat (although fat isn't recommended) may boost memory in healthy older people.

"Our study suggests that eating 15 to 60 minutes before engaging in work that requires memory appears to be beneficial for people in their 60s and 70s," Randall J. Kaplan of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine told the AARP Bulletin.

Twenty-two participants took the memory tests after overnight fasting and after drinking a breakfast of either whey, glucose, safflower oil or a placebo. The research was reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in November.

Help for Eyes, Ears

The Food and Drug Administration has approved soft contact lenses that can be worn round the clock for one month. It has also approved an implantable hearing device for people with mild to severe nerve hearing loss.

The new contact lenses can be used while awake or asleep for 30 days. Until now, lenses could be worn for only seven days.

The FDA cautions, however, that extended-wear lenses are more apt to cause complications than daytime lenses. CIBA Vision Corp. makes the new lenses.

The new hearing implant is attached to the bones of the inner ear that are vibrated electromagnetically to provide sound.

Soundtec, Inc. makes the Direct System device.

High-Normal Blood Pressure Risky

"High-normal" blood pressure is riskier than once believed.

A recent study found that people with pressure between 130 to 139 over 85 to 89 are almost three times more likely to have heart attacks, strokes and heart failure than those with lower levels.

The "normal"—and least risky—range is 120 to 129 over 80 to 84.

Heart disease risk rises from 4 percent in women 35 to 64 to 8 percent in those 65 and over. For men in those age groups, the risk increases from 8 to 25 percent.

The blood pressure findings derive from a study of 6,859 men and women over 12 years by Ramachandran S. Vasan, M.D., of Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues and were reported in the Nov. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Stopping Stomach Cancers

Researchers in China and Colombia are conducting human trials to see if antibiotics can prevent stomach cancers.

Results so far are "pretty promising," says William J. Blot of the International Epidemiology Institute in Maryland.

Japanese researchers, led by Naomi Uemura, M.D., of Kure Kyosai Hospital, recently reported that the bacteria Helicobacter pylori that cause stomach ulcers appear to be the culprits in most stomach cancers too.

The Japanese findings—reported in the New England Journal of Medicine Sept. 13—were based on 10-year studies of 1,526 people with gastric conditions.

November 2001

Coping with Stress in Difficult Times

In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, many Americans find they are fighting a new adversary: stress. Some report feeling distracted, angry and "jumpy," while others say they are having nightmares and sleeping badly.

These are "normal reactions. Lots of people have them," explains Bonnie Green, psychiatry professor at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington and president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Stress affects both mind and body, so don't ignore prolonged stress, Green says.

What can you do to relieve it?
"Pamper yourself," advise Green and other experts. Do pleasant things: Be with friends, listen to music, meditate, practice deep breathing, take bubble baths, watch a sunset, laugh—whatever helps you calm down and eases you back into your normal routine.

"The better we treat our bodies, the better we can restore our bodies," she tells the AARP Bulletin. It's easier to handle emotional overload if you:

Get plenty of rest. You may sleep better by limiting caffeine and alcohol. Try a bath or warm milk just before bedtime to relax.
Exercise. "Really hard exercise can work off anger and rage," says Green. As little as 10 minutes of physical activity can start to relieve stress.
Eat right. It's easy to be lured by junk food when you're feeling sad or anxious. But good nutrition will help you feel and cope better.

If your anxiety or depression won't lift, consider getting counseling or joining a support group.

Roadside Berries Against Cancer

The big thing about the autumn olive plant was that it prevents soil erosion along roadsides.

Now it turns out that the humble shrub offers much more: It produces little red berries that are rich in an antioxidant called lycopene that's widely believed to prevent cancer, particularly prostate cancer.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have discovered that edible autumn olive berries may contain up to 18 times as much lycopene as tomatoes. Tomatoes, especially if processed, are known for their ability to fight prostate cancer.

Autumn olive berries, which look like small cranberries, are found along the East Coast, from Maine to Virginia, and through the Midwest to Wisconsin.

USDA researchers Beverly Clevidence and Ingrid Fordham, in their report in the American Society for Horticultural Science's October issue of HortScience, caution would-be berry pickers not to forage for just "any red berries" along the road, but to check with a knowledgeable horticulturist first.

You can find lycopene in other red fruits like watermelon or red grapefruit.

October 2001

The Best Test

Colonoscopy appears to be the most accurate of three tests commonly used to diagnose colon cancer, the country's second-leading cancer killer.

In a recent study, 2,885 American men ages 50 to 75 with no signs of colon cancer were screened with a fecal occult-blood test, using stool samples collected over three days, and a sigmoidoscopy in which the lower third of the colon is viewed with a flexible tube. Then the men had a colonoscopy to view the entire intestine.

The blood test and the sigmoidoscopy missed 24 percent of tumors and over 280 precancerous growths that were found by colonoscopy.

Many doctors recommend a colonoscopy at age 50, then at 10- or 15-year intervals if nothing is found. Medicare started covering colonoscopy screening in July.

The new study, conducted in 13 Veterans Affairs medical centers across the country, was reported by David A. Lieberman, M.D., and David G. Weiss for the Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Group 380 in the Aug. 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

No Reason to Panic

Don't throw out your Celebrex or Vioxx until more research is done on the effects of the drugs specifically on the heart.

This is what many doctors are telling patients after a recent analysis of studies of the two arthritis drugs—taken by millions of Americans—indicated they raise the risk of heart attack and stroke.

"There is no reason to panic about this at all," Mayo Clinic rheumatologist Eric Matteson, M.D., tells the AARP Bulletin. "These drugs are less likely [than other pain killers] to cause stomach bleeding, a bigger problem than any possible increased risk of stroke or heart attack."

His advice is to stay on these drugs, known as COX-2 inhibitors, "if you're doing well" on them and consult your doctor.

The analysis by Debabrata Mukherjee, M.D., Steven Nissen, M.D., and Eric J. Topol, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation was reported in the Aug. 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dangers to Nonsmokers

Secondhand smoke can reduce blood circulation even in healthy nonsmokers, raising their risk for heart disease.

This finding further confirms the dangers of passive smoke. The study found that after 30 minutes of exposure to tobacco smoke, healthy young nonsmokers experienced "substantially reduced" circulation, like that of smokers. Before exposure, the nonsmokers had significantly higher circulation levels than the smokers.

Little change was detected in blood pressure or heart rate. The scientists believe the smoke, which contains up to 4,000 chemicals, upsets the functioning of blood vessels.

The research, published in the July 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, was led by Ryo Otsuka, M.D., of the Osaka City University Medical School in Japan.

September 2001

Your Heart and HRT

Women with heart conditions should not take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause to prevent further coronary disease, says the American Heart Association (AHA), in a major reversal of policy.

The new AHA position follows recent studies indicating that the hormone estrogen does not help women who have had a stroke or heart attack and could, instead, raise the risk of another attack.

In women without heart disease, it's unclear if HRT will prevent coronary problems, says Jacques Rossouw, M.D., acting director of the Women's Health Initiative, a major study by the National Institutes of Health.

Millions of women use HRT because it has been thought that estrogen protected against heart disease, the leading cause of death for American women.

But recent large-scale studies—such as HERS (Heart and Estrogen/progestin Replacement Study) and ERA, the Estrogen Replacement in Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)—found no protective benefit from hormones, compared with placebos, in women with heart disease. They also found a slightly higher danger of heart attack in the first year of treatment.

These findings led to the new AHA guidelines, published in the July 24 issue of Circulation.

An interim finding of the Women's Health Initiative, which is tracking 27,000 women using hormones and ends in 2005, showed a small increase of heart attacks, strokes and blood clots during the first two years of HRT in women without heart disease.

HRT does appear to offer other benefits. A study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine on July 23 found that HRT cut cholesterol and "bad" lipoproteins and raised "good" lipoproteins in women with type 2 diabetes, who are at high risk for heart disease.

HRT also helps prevent osteoporosis and eases menopausal symptoms.

Lori Mosca, M.D., lead author of the AHA guidelines, says that until more findings come in, there is no medical indication to start HRT "solely to prevent cardiovascular disease."

Women are urged to talk with their doctors, weighing the risks and benefits of HRT based on their medical history and current health.

A Few Good Men

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) needs 32,000 healthy volunteers for the largest-ever prostate cancer prevention study.

The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial—SELECT—will test whether vitamin E and the mineral selenium protect against the disease.

NCI is particularly seeking black men 50 and over, since this group has the world's highest rate of prostate cancer. Men, age 55 and older who are in generally good health and have not had prostate cancer, are also needed.

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