In the recently concluded Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), adding lutein plus zeaxanthin or docosahexaenoic acid plus eicosapentaenoic acid to
high daily doses of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and copper did not further reduce the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration.
More than 40% of parents continue to administer nonprescription cough and cold medications to children younger than 4 years of age, according to the January 2013 University of Michigan C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. One in four parents reported giving decongestants to children younger than 4 years of age.
The results of a 1-year retrospective cohort study conducted in primary care clinics in Indianapolis, Indiana, indicate that drugs with strong anticholinergic effects (e.g., diphenhydramine) cause cognitive impairment in older adults when taken continuously for as few as 60 days. Taking multiple drugs with weaker anticholinergic effects (e.g., cimetidine, ranitidine, loperamide) has a negative impact on cognition within 90 days.
Daily treatment with omega−3 fatty acids derived from fish failed to reduce cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in the community-based Risk and Prevention Study in Italy.
In a new recommendation statement on vitamin D and calcium supplementation to prevent fractures in adults, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against daily supplementation with 400 IU or less of vitamin D3 and 1,000 mg or less of calcium for the primary prevention of fractures in noninstitutionalized postmenopausal women.
The American College of Gastroenterology has released new treatment guidelines on the diagnosis and management of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).