Plant-based, low-carb diet (Eco Atkins diet) may promote weight loss and improve cholesterol levels – Overweight individuals who ate a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate diet high in plant-based proteins for four weeks lost weight and experienced improvements in blood cholesterol levels and other heart disease risk factors.
LSUHSC researchers first to document early signs for diabetes in kids as young as 7 – Research conducted under the direction of Melinda Sothern, PhD, Professor and Director of Health Promotion at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health, showing early signs of diabetes in healthy children as young as seven years old will be presented at the American Diabetes Association 2009 Annual Scientific Session Meeting in New Orleans.
Death rates same for diabetes and heart disease patients receiving drug therapy or surgery. – There is no difference in mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes and stable heart disease who received prompt bypass surgery or angioplasty compared to drug therapy alone, according to a landmark study focused exclusively on patients with both conditions.
Middle-aged women experience more stress but have lower blood pressure – Both blood pressure and serum lipid levels have improved in Swedish middle-aged women during the past 30 years. Levels of perceived mental stress, however, have increased significantly. These are the of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
High blood pressure patients with related and non-related co-existing medical conditions were more likely to receive overall good quality care . – Contrary to some previous indications, sicker high blood pressure patients are more likely to receive high-quality care than those with fewer medical needs, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Certain drug-coated stents may be safe, effective option for elderly patients – Stents coated with the drug paclitaxel may be a safe, effective treatment option for coronary artery disease (CAD) patients age 70 and older and shouldn’t be withheld due to advanced patient age, according to a study reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.
Researchers find breast cancer gene that’s blocked by blood pressure drug. Gene overexpressed in up to 20 percent of breast cancers responds to blood pressure drug in lab, U-M researchers report. – Researchers have identified a gene that is overexpressed in up to 20 percent of breast cancers and that could be blocked in the lab by a currently available blood pressure drug, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Vaccine shows therapeutic promise against advanced melanoma – A vaccine for one of the most lethal cancers, advanced melanoma, has shown improved response rates and progression-free survival for patients when combined with the immunotherapy drug, Interleukin-2, according to researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs statins may help prevent stroke recurrence. – People who take cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins after a stroke may be less likely to have another stroke later, according to research published in the May 26, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Following a healthy lifestyle is on the decline in the US – Researchers urge individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles, particularly in middle age. – Despite the well-known benefits of having a lifestyle that includes physical activity, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, maintaining a healthy weight, moderate alcohol use and not smoking, only a small proportion of adults follow this healthy lifestyle pattern, and in fact, the numbers are declining, according to an article published in the June 2009 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
NIH announces new program to develop therapeutics for rare and neglected diseases – The National Institutes of Health is launching the first integrated, drug development pipeline to produce new treatments for rare and neglected diseases. The $24 million program jumpstarts a trans-NIH initiative called the Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases Program, or TRND.
Heart disease patients carrying extra pounds do better, live longer – Weight of evidence still points to purposeful weight loss, further research needed. – Being overweight or obese is a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated risk factors; however, in patients with established CVD, obesity appears to play a protective role.
