Patients could find lifesaving benefits in using a home blood pressure cuff. New research finds that home blood pressure monitoring saves lives and cuts costs. It also reduces health care disparities in racial and ethnic minorities and rural residents. Furthermore, regular self-testing better controls high blood pressure, especially in underserved patients, reducing the risk of stroke and heart attack, researchers recently reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Home blood pressure monitoring “facilitates early detection, timely intervention and prevention of complications, leading to improved control and better health outcomes,” co-lead investigator Yan Li said in a journal news release. Li is a professor in the School of Public Health at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China. Researchers analyzed data from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a U.S. telephone survey. They projected that starting home blood pressure monitoring, in lieu of traditional clinic-based care, could reduce heart attack cases by about 5% and stroke cases by almost 4% over 20 years. The benefits were greatest for Black people, women and rural residents compared to white people, men and urban residents. Starting home blood pressure monitoring in rural areas could lead to a potential reduction of more than 21,000 heart attacks per 1 million people compared to 11,000 cases per 1 million people in urban areas, the study showed. Uncontrolled high…  read on >  read on >

Another experimental drug meant to slow the damage of Alzheimer’s appears poised to join a growing arsenal of new treatments for this memory-robbing disease. In research published online Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association and presented simultaneously at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Amsterdam, the drug donanemab slowed memory and thinking declines in early symptomatic Alzheimer’s patients by more than one-third. About 47% of those taking the medication had no decline on a key measure of thinking over a year, compared to 29% of patients on a placebo. “If approved, we believe donanemab can provide clinically meaningful benefits for people with this disease and the possibility of completing their course of treatment as early as 6 months once their amyloid plaque is cleared,” Anne White, executive vice president of Eli Lilly and president of Lilly Neuroscience, said in a company news release. “We must continue to remove any barriers in access to amyloid-targeting therapies and diagnostics in an already complex healthcare ecosystem for Alzheimer’s disease.” The company added that it has already completed an application for traditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “People living with early, symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease are still working, enjoying trips, sharing quality time with family — they want to feel like themselves, for longer,” Dr. Mark Mintun, group vice president of neuroscience research &…  read on >  read on >

That backyard cookout can be loaded with fat and sugar, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s possible to make some simple swaps and have a meal that’s healthy and delicious, a nutrition expert at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas says. “If you’re not ready to replace your entire plate with healthy alternatives, you can still cut down on added sugar and fats by blending your favorites with some healthier options,” Lona Sandon, an associate professor in the clinical nutrition department, said in a school news release. Sandon’s suggestions include build-your-own taco salad bowls with plenty of mixed greens, baby spinach and arugula. Offer a mix of toppings, including drained and rinsed canned black beans, diced avocado, black olives, fresh pico de gallo and reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Use corn tortillas instead of a fried shell, Sandon said. For the grill, choose low-fat lean ground beef (90% or higher) and chicken breasts. Offer lettuce leaves, dill pickles, sliced onion, tomato and avocado as toppings. Fill half of your plate with vegetables or fruit, such as mixed berries or fresh-cut watermelon, a treat on a hot day. Sandon offers some other tips for making your favorites a little healthier: Wings: Take the skin off chicken wings, and bake or grill them instead of deep-frying. Consider grilling chicken pieces instead of traditional wings. Use low-fat…  read on >  read on >

In findings that are likely to fuel the debate over the safety of aspartame, one World Health Organization (WHO) agency announced Thursday that the artificial sweetener is a possible carcinogen while another stood firm in saying that aspartame is safe in recommended doses. “Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. Every year, 1 in 6 people die from cancer. Science is continuously expanding to assess the possible initiating or facilitating factors of cancer, in the hope of reducing these numbers and the human toll,” Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO’s department of nutrition and food safety, said in an agency news release. “The assessments of aspartame have indicated that, while safety is not a major concern at the doses which are commonly used, potential effects have been described that need to be investigated by more and better studies,” Branca added. How much aspartame is unsafe? “The average 150 lb. person would need to consume about 14 12-oz cans of diet beverages or about 74 packets of aspartame-containing tabletop sweetener every day over the course of their life to raise any safety concern,” Calorie Control Council (CCC) president Robert Rankin said in a CCC statement. “Obviously, that level of consumption is not realistic, recommended, nor is it ‎aligned with the intended use of these ingredients.” Several other industry groups issued statements challenging…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the nation’s first over-the-counter birth control pill, a move that will likely pave the way for far greater access to contraception for Americans. Women will be able to buy the progestin-only oral contraceptive at drug stores, convenience stores and grocery stores, the FDA said. There is no age limit. Opill, which is made by Perrigo, should be available in stores starting in January or February, the Washington Post reported. The suggested retail price is expected to be announced this fall. Opill was first approved by the FDA in 1973. Other types of birth control pills will remain prescription only. “Today’s approval marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people in the United States,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release announcing the approval. “When used as directed, daily oral contraception is safe and is expected to be more effective than currently available nonprescription contraceptive methods in preventing unintended pregnancy.” The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and other medical organizations already support over-the-counter access to hormonal contraception without age restrictions. The Free the Pill coalition also has been advocating for over-the-counter status for…  read on >  read on >

A bunch of healthy fruits and vegetables could be just what the doctor ordered. Nonprofit groups and public health agencies have experimented with the idea of a produce prescription over the years. Now, a new study simulates what would happen if patients with diabetes and diet-related conditions were given free or discounted produce and nutrition education nationwide. The researchers, from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston, report it could have significant health benefits and save billions of dollars in health care costs. “Of the strategies that can improve American’s nutrition and diet-related health outcomes, evidence continues to build that produce prescriptions are a terrific option,” said senior author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of nutrition, who is also launching an initiative dubbed Food is Medicine. “These innovative treatments are exciting because they can not only improve health and reduce health care spending, but also reduce disparities by reaching those patients who are most in need,” he said in a university news release. The simulation predicted both clinical and financial benefits from making fruits and vegetables more accessible to food-insecure diabetic patients, including a savings of at least $40 billion in medical bills because of nationwide reductions in heart disease. Typically, produce prescription programs allow a patient with a diet-related health condition to get vouchers or electronic…  read on >  read on >

Certain foods are key to reducing heart disease risk, so it’s important to eat them to stay healthy. A globally focused study looked at foods commonly considered to be healthy to better understand this. Consuming fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish and whole-fat dairy products is key to lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart attacks and strokes. The study was led by scientists at McMaster University and the Population Research Health Institute (PHRI) in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The investigators noted that there are various ways to achieve a healthy diet — for example, including moderate amounts of whole grains or unprocessed meats. For the study, the researchers analyzed data from multiple studies that included 245,000 people in 80 countries. They derived a diet score from PHRI’s ongoing Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study. The team used that to measure health outcomes in different parts of the world and in people with and without prior heart disease. “Previous diet scores — including the EAT-Lancet Planetary Diet and the Mediterranean diet — tested the relationship of diet to CVD and death mainly in Western countries,” senior author Salim Yusuf, principal investigator of PURE, said in a university news release. “The PURE Healthy Diet Score included a good representation of high, middle and low-income countries.” The score focused on exclusively protective, or natural, foods. “We…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday gave full approval to the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi, clearing the way for insurance coverage of the pricey drug. “The full FDA approval will open the floodgates for people with early Alzheimer’s to get this drug. It’s a big deal because it’s very expensive at $26,500 per year,” Robert Vassar, director of Northwestern Medicine’s Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease in Chicago, said in a statement released Thursday. “Now, Medicaid and Medicare will cover it as long as patients enroll in a registry to track their progress,” he added. “It’s a big breakthrough because it’s the first disease-modifying drug for Alzheimer’s. This has been the holy grail since the early 1990s when amyloid was discovered, and people were trying to design drugs to eliminate amyloid from the brain,” Vassar explained. “This is the first successful one. There were many attempts in the past that failed. It really shows that removing amyloid does delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” he said. “During the 18-month trial, Leqembi delayed the progression of Alzheimer’s by five months, which is pretty significant,” Vassar noted. Thursdays approval did come with one significant caveat, however: The FDA added a so-called black-box warning to Leqembi’s labeling, cautioning that in rare cases the medication can trigger “serious and life-threatening events,” including brain bleeds, some of…  read on >  read on >