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...

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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...

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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...

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