Quick Study: Pace of dementia seems unaffected by fish oil

THE QUESTION Might taking fish oil supplements slow the mental decline of people with Alzheimer's disease?

THIS STUDY randomly assigned 402 people, who averaged 76 years old and had mild to moderate Alzheimer's, to take two grams of fish oil (containing docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA) or a placebo daily. About a fourth of the participants had MRI scans of their brains done at the beginning and end of the study. Everyone's cognitive and functional abilities were tested periodically. After 18 months, ratings on standardized scales showed virtually no difference in the amount of cognitive decline, including such things as memory, attention, language and orientation, between people who took the supplements and those who did not. Also, MRIs revealed essentially no differences between the two groups in the rate at which their brains were shrinking, which occurs with dementia.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? People with Alzheimer's disease, a progressive brain disease that gradually destroys people's memory and thinking ability, eventually making it impossible for them to continue their normal daily activities. At least 5 million Americans have the disease, a number that is expected to increase dramatically as the population ages.

CAVEATS The authors suggested that the findings might be different if people were to start taking fish oil earlier, before any symptoms of Alzheimer's were present. Two of the 12 primary authors were employees of Martek Biosciences, which makes DHA and provided the supplements and placebos for the study.

FIND THIS STUDY Nov. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association .

LEARN MORE ABOUT Alzheimer's disease at www.nia.nih.gov and www.alz.org.

- Linda Searing

The research described in Quick Study comes from credible, peer-reviewed journals. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment's effectiveness is rarely found in a single study. Anyone considering changing or beginning treatment of any kind should consult with a physician.

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Statins may not have preventive benefits

THE QUESTION Numerous studies have shown cholesterol-lowering statins to aid in preventing complications and progression of cardiovascular disease, extending the lives of those who take them. But do the drugs do the same for people who do not have the disease and want to keep from developing it?

THIS STUDY compiled and analyzed data from 11 studies, involving 65,229 people, most 50 to 75 years old, who did not have cardiovascular disease but were deemed at moderate to high risk for it. They had been randomly assigned to take a statin or a placebo daily. In about a four-year span, 2,793 people died, with virtually no difference in the mortality rate between those who did and did not take statins. People who took the drug had lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, but that did not translate to fewer deaths.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? People without cardiovascular disease but considered at risk for heart problems. Statins are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the United States for the treatment and prevention of heart disease. An estimated 80 million American adults -- about one of every three -- have some form of cardiovascular disease.

CAVEATS The study did not differentiate between specific statins or dosages, nor did it determine if the drugs might have any longer-term effect.

LEARN MORE ABOUT cardiovascular disease at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health and http://www.heart.org.

-- Linda Searing

The research described in Quick Study comes from credible, peer-reviewed journals. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment's effectiveness is rarely found in a single study. Anyone considering changing or beginning treatment of any kind should consult with a physician.

View the original article here

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Preventing Diabetes

Lifestyle changes seem to keep diabetes at bay for a decade.

THE QUESTION In the short term, eating more healthfully and losing weight have been shown to be effective at preventing diabetes in people considered at risk for the disease. But does the effect last?

THIS STUDY analyzed long-term data on 2,766 adults who had participated in a three-year study that had randomly assigned them to participate in an intensive program of lifestyle changes, to take the diabetes drug metformin or to take a placebo. As a result, the risk for diabetes was reduced by 58 percent among those who made lifestyle changes -- eating foods with less fat and fewer calories and exercising 150 minutes a week -- and by 31 percent among those who took metformin, compared with the placebo group. In a re-analysis 10 years after the original study began, people who had made lifestyle changes had regained some of the 15 pounds, on average, they had lost initially, but they still had lost an average of 4.4 pounds; those taking metformin maintained a weight loss of 5.5 pounds, on average. Diabetes risk for the lifestyle-change group was reduced by 34 percent (and 18 percent for the metformin group), compared with those who took the placebo. Among people age 60 and older, risk was cut by about half. The onset of diabetes was delayed by about four years for people who had made lifestyle changes and two years for those who had taken metformin.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? People considered likely to develop diabetes. Risk factors include having a family history of the disease, being overweight and being physically inactive, all of which can contribute to having higher-than-normal levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. The body needs insulin to use glucose for energy, but in people with Type 2 diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin or cannot use it properly.

CAVEATS After the initial study ended, all participants were given counseling on lifestyle changes, which might have affected results of the long-term analysis.

FIND THIS STUDY Oct. 29 online issue of the Lancet.

LEARN MORE ABOUT diabetes at http://www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov and http://www.diabetes.org.

-- Linda Searing

The research described in Quick Study comes from credible, peer-reviewed journals. Nonetheless, conclusive evidence about a treatment's effectiveness is rarely found in a single study. Anyone considering changing or beginning treatment of any kind should consult with a physician.

View the original article here

Read More