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March 13th, 2010

Medical Minutes: For the millions of people out there...

For the millions of people out there who take bisphosphonate drugs
(most well-known one is Fosamax) to reduce the risk of suffering a fracture
by strengthening the bones (the drugs slow the loss of bone that is pretty ineveitable with age), news today that is a bit sobering: 2 reports indicate that long-term use (in these studies that meant longer than 4 years of continuous use) can lead to microscopic damage in the femur (the large bone in the thigh) which can in trun result in a sudden fracture or collapse of the femue without much pressure.

It's still not clear how common this problem is (these were both small studies), and the US FDA, says it's going to monitor the situation, but if you're on one of these drugs long-term, keep your eyes posted for follow-up on these reports.

I’m Dr Art Hister

March 11th, 2010

Medical Minutes: Here's a "duh" moment for the world.

According to an item in a very prestigious publication, the lab rats that are used by so many of the world's scientists to do studies that they can't yet do on humans, are "metabolically morbid": obese, sedentary, intolerant to insulin, and on the road to "premature death".

Now, you may argue that so, too, are most of us, so it may still be worth working on those rats becasue hey, they are so similar to your husband or next-door neighbour (not you, of course).

But hey, if we really want to know what's best for us, and if we really want valid, univesrsally-applicable results, maybe we ought to be working on somewhat healthier specimens.

I figure I'd be more lkely to believe results from a study done on 30 healthy young volunteers than one done on 30 retired plumbers who sit in a pub all day.
No wonder science comes up with so much (you fill in this blank).

I’m Dr Art Hister

March 10th, 2010

Medical Minutes:

I'm sure that everyone saw the headline that "Drinking Moderately Helps Women Control Weight", and I'm sure that lots of young women (this study was done on women under the age of 50; to me that's very young) will be tempted to run out to drink themselves under the table to help control their weight ("Hey, Art, it sure beats dieting"), so please be aware of a couple of key limitations in this study.

Although the authors always try to account for other confounding factors to account for odd outcomes, I believe they can never really do that well.
So although there may be something in alcohol that helps women (and not men) control their weight, it seems to me much more likely, from using a bit of common sense about potential differences between women who drink and those who don't, that women who drink may be more likely to eat less, to eat healthier, to be more well-off (alcohol is expensive), to be peppier, to exercise more, to be happier (hey, I'm sure they're happier), and it's likely, I think, that such undiscovered factors 9and not the alcohol intake per se) are really what make for the differences in weight control detected in this study.

Just as important, though, alchol is a carcinogen, especially perhaps on breast tissue, so any woman who decides to drink for her health should always weigh that important factor. too.

I’m Dr Art Hister