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Opioid painkillers may temporarily ease the discomfort of arthritis, but they have no clear lasting benefit, a research review finds. In an analysis of 23 clinical trials, researchers found that, on average, opioid medications were somewhat effective at easing pain in patients with osteoarthritis. That’s the common form of arthritis in which cartilage cushioning the joints gradually wears down, leading to swelling, stiffness and pain. But the trials found no evidence that opioids improved patients’ quality of life or helped with their depression. And any benefits for pain seemed to wane with time. “We found that the magnitude of these effects is small and continues to decrease over time,” said lead researcher Dr. Raveendhara Bannuru. He is director of the Center for Treatment Comparison and Integrative Analysis at Tufts Medical Center, in Boston. Treatment guidelines for chronic pain, other than cancer-related pain, already say opioids should be a last resort. With osteoarthritis, Bannuru said, the drugs are only recommended if a patient has not gotten relief from other medical therapies, and if surgery — like knee or hip replacement — is not an option. Instead, patients should try to exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle. As for medications, Bannuru said, topical versions of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — like ibuprofen and naproxen — are a “first choice.” These creams or ointments help people avoid… read on >

Being on a weight-loss diet day in and day out for months on end can be challenging and even discouraging. What’s more, following the same never-ending diet could be the reason you aren’t getting the results you’re looking for. A study in the International Journal of Obesity found an alternative that can provide better weight loss results and is easier to stick with. The “MATADOR” study recruited 51 participants, all obese men. MATADOR is short for Minimizing Adaptive Thermogenesis And Deactivating Obesity Rebound. After four weeks in which their caloric needs were calculated, participants followed either a continuous diet or a “restricted intermittent diet” of two weeks on followed by two weeks off for 16 weeks. Men who followed the restricted intermittent diet achieved greater weight loss at the conclusion of the study. This suggests that a two-week-on, two-week-off diet plan could help you shed unwanted weight and keep it off. One theory is that the breaks keep your metabolism from resetting at a lower caloric need, a reset that makes it harder to keep losing weight without more calorie cuts. There’s one caveat to trying this strategy on your own: It’s important to refrain from overindulging during your off weeks. Make sure your eating during off-weeks is balanced, with a variety of foods totaling about 500 calories a day more than you eat during… read on >

As Americans pay tribute to all veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces Monday, new research suggests that how comrades died can affect levels of grief among soldiers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. “Our goal was to better understand how combat veterans experience the deaths of their military comrades in battle or by suicide, and what factors predict the nature and level of their grief,” said study senior author Roxane Cohen Silver. She is a professor of psychological science, public health and medicine at the University of California, Irvine. More than 5,400 U.S. military personnel have died in combat since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began in 2001 and 2003, respectively, according to the latest casualty report from the U.S. Department of Defense. And a 2017 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America survey found that 58% of respondents said they knew a veteran who had died by suicide, and 65% knew a veteran who had attempted suicide. The study included hundreds of veterans of the two wars and discovered that a number of factors influence grief over the loss of comrades. Suicide death is unexpected and can make acceptance of the loss more difficult, the findings showed, while combat death was described as expected and heroic, and can help make it easier to accept the loss. Bonds forged in combat intensify… read on >

Vaping isn’t necessarily better for your heart health than smoking tobacco, a pair of new studies argue. They report that use of e-cigarettes negatively affects risk factors for heart disease in ways similar to traditional tobacco cigarettes: Levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides are elevated in people who use e-cigarettes, according to results from the first study. E-cigarette users also experience a decrease in blood flow to the heart muscle, the second study says. “People are making the assumption if they switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, their risk will be substantially reduced of cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Rose Marie Robertson, deputy chief science and medical officer for the American Heart Association, and co-author of the first study. “That’s not necessarily the case.” Both studies are to be presented Monday at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting, in Philadelphia. Research presented at meetings is typically considered preliminary. For the first study, researchers evaluated 476 healthy adults who took no daily heart medications to see how smoking might affect their cholesterol levels. Of these participants, 285 were tobacco cigarette smokers, 45 were e-cigarette smokers, 52 were “dual users” who smoke and vape, and 94 were nonsmokers. All tobacco users — including vapers — had higher total cholesterol levels, as well as higher levels of triglycerides and “bad” LDL cholesterol, the study found. Researchers said they found the… read on >

Nearly nine in 10 American adults lose sleep to binge watch TV, a new survey finds. The more than 2,000 U.S. adults who took part in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) poll in September ranked sleep as their second-highest priority, with family being first. But despite considering sleep important, 88% said they’d stayed up late to watch multiple episodes of a TV show or streaming series. The rate was highest (95%) among 18- to 44-year-olds. Many also delay bedtime to play video games, read and watch sports, the survey revealed. “It’s encouraging that Americans rank sleep as one of their highest priorities, but choosing to binge on entertainment at night instead of sleeping has serious ramifications,” AASM president Dr. Kelly Carden said in an academy news release. Younger adults (aged 18 to 34) were more likely than those 35 and older to have stayed up late to play video games (72% versus 38%), and men were more likely to do so than women (59% versus 42%). Two-thirds of respondents said they’d lost sleep to read. Women were more likely to do so than men (71% versus 61%), the survey found. Nearly 60% of adults lost sleep to watch sports, including 75% of men and 45% of women. Adults between 25 and 54 years of age were more likely than those in other age… read on >

Taking vitamin D and fish oil supplements won’t prevent kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, a new study finds. Many diabetics use the supplements, hoping they will have a positive effect on their kidneys and heart, the researchers said. “We wanted this study to clarify whether these supplements have any real kidney benefit in adults with diabetes. Even if it’s not the result we hoped for, closing a chapter is useful for patients and clinicians and researchers alike,” said lead author Dr. Ian de Boer. He is a professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle. The researchers hoped the supplements would be beneficial because animal studies and lab experiments had suggested that anti-inflammatory and other properties in these supplements might prevent or slow progression of kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes. And in humans, other research has found a link between kidney problems and low levels of vitamin D and diets lacking fish. For the study, which was part of the nationwide Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL), the researchers looked at kidney function in more than 1,300 people with type 2 diabetes. Study participants were randomly assigned to get vitamin D and fish oil supplements; vitamin D and a fish oil placebo; fish oil and a vitamin D placebo; or two placebos. Over five… read on >

Imagine that your doctor could predict your risk of kidney disease in the next five years with a simple calculation. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore report they have done just that. “With the risk equations that we’ve developed, physicians should be able to determine with high accuracy who will or won’t develop chronic kidney disease in the next few years — and our analyses suggest that they can maintain that accuracy in a variety of clinical settings globally,” researcher Dr. Josef Coresh said in a university news release. He’s a professor in the department of epidemiology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Hopkins. This new calculation uses a mix of factors that include age, high blood pressure and diabetes to predict if someone is likely to develop chronic kidney disease. The calculator should help doctors identify patients who are most at risk for kidney disease and would benefit the most from early treatment, they said. Although chronic kidney disease is a progressive condition, its progression can be slowed or stopped if caught early, the researchers noted. In the study, Coresh’s team used data on more than 5 million people from 28 countries. Using that data, they developed an equation using known chronic kidney disease risk factors that doctors could use to predict which patients are likely to develop chronic kidney disease.… read on >

Speaking outside the White House on Friday, President Donald Trump said his administration plans to raise the U.S. federal legal age to buy e-cigarettes from 18 to 21. That’s just one plank in the administration’s new plan to curb youth vaping, Trump told reporters. “We have to take care of our kids, most importantly, so we’re going to have an age limit of 21 or so,” the Associated Press reported. The White House’s proposed move is not the first in the United States: About a third of states have already raised their sales age to 21. But federal law still puts the age at 18. Back in September, President Trump announced that the White House would propose a ban on all flavored e-cigarette products as well. Flavored vapes are thought to be especially attractive to kids and teens. However, the absence of such an announcement on Friday has some experts worried that Trump might not come through with that move, the AP said. Trump’s statement to reporters was somewhat vague. “We’re talking about the age, we’re talking about flavors, we’re also talking about keeping people working — there are some pretty good aspects,” he said. And in a separate White House event on Friday, Trump adviser Joe Grogan seemed to offer a softer stance on vaping. He called e-cigarettes are “a viable alternative to combustible… read on >

Just because your upper arms are temporarily hidden under sweaters and jackets doesn’t mean you should neglect them. Here’s how to tone them with weights for better definition now and when they’re fully back in view. Hammer Curls: These are an effective variation of the bicep curl. Stand straight, a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides, wrists facing inward. Without moving your upper arms, raise the dumbbells until the ends closest to you touch the fronts of your shoulders. Hold briefly, then slowly lower the weights to the start position. If lifting both arms simultaneously is too difficult, do this exercise with alternating arms. Alternating Hammer Curls: This advanced variation of the Hammer Curl is done in the basic plank position. Get on all fours. If you’re strong, extend your legs straight behind you, with toes flexed. If not, keep your knees bent on the floor. Arms should be straight, but rather than having palms flat, each hand holds a dumbbell flat on the floor. Contract your abs and keep your upper body straight as you press your bodyweight onto your left hand. Now raise the weight in your right hand until the end closest to you touches the front of your shoulder. You’re moving only your forearm and keeping your right elbow close to your right side. Lower with control to the… read on >

Want to get more fish in your diet with a lot more flavor? This two-step technique yields a crispy outside and flaky fish within. Cooking fish in a skillet is a fast and flavorful way to prepare this healthy, low-calorie protein. The trick to searing fish and getting a crisp top is to start with a light dusting of flour. This alternative to breading also saves a lot of calories. Then, to get the same type of crunch without deep-frying, give your filets a short blast in the oven. If you’ve shied away from cod in the past, it’s time to try it again. It’s a high-protein, low-fat fish, and a good source of B12 and niacin. Crispy Cod With Spinach 2 tablespoons gluten-free or whole-wheat flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon paprika 3 tablespoons grapeseed or safflower oil 2 6-ounce cod filets Cooking spray 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 pound baby spinach 1 tablespoon butter Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place flour on a plate and mix with salt, black pepper and paprika. Dip filets into flour mixture and transfer to another plate. Add the oil to an oven-safe skillet and warm over medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Add the filets and cook, without turning, for 4 to 5 minutes until crispy. Flip the filets in the pan and… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Opioids Won’t Help Arthritis Patients Long-Term: Study

The On-Again, Off-Again Weight-Loss Diet

Veterans Often Hit Hard by Deaths of Fellow Soldiers

Think Vaping Is Heathier for Your Heart Than Smoking? Think Again

TV Binges, Video Games, Books and Sports Taking Toll on Sleep

Supplements Don’t Prevent Kidney Disease in Type 2 Diabetics

New Tool Predicts Odds of Kidney Disease

Trump Administration Wants to Raise Age to Buy E-Cigs to 21

The Essential Upper Arm Shape-Up

A Tasty and Nutritious Way to Prepare Fish