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More Stories:
Can We Learn to Beat the Reaper?
Science has been winning battles against old age, but can it win the war?
Too Heavy, Too Young
Obesity is rapidly becoming the major health crisis of the next generation. What parents can do to help kids control their own weight
Walk Don't Run
It's simple, it's cheap, and studies show that walking may be the best exercise for reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes
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BAYCOL
Among the best-selling prescription drugs in the U.S. today are the statins — powerful medications that can lower cholesterol levels by as much as 30 points. A fix that quick comes at a price, however, as Baycol users learned this fall. The popular statin was pulled off the market after health officials discovered that a disturbing number of users were suffering from muscle disorders. Other statins, including atorvastatin, lovastatin and pravastatin, remain safe, according to the FDA.
Related Story: How Safe Are Your Prescription Pills?
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BSE
The panic over bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as "mad cow" disease, spread all the way to Japan last year, where a handful of cases caused beef sales to plummet. The good news was that researchers using a mathematical model estimated that the brain-wasting BSE variant in humans may max out at 100 cases per year in Britain, ground zero for mad cow, and kill no more than a few thousand people in the coming decade. Feel any better?
Related Story: BSE, Can It Happen Here?
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BYPASS SURGERY
More than 500,000 bypass operations are performed in the U.S. each year, but what is good for the heart may not be good for the head. About a third of surgery patients, particularly those who are older and less educated, are at higher risk of cognitive decline after bypass surgery, according to a Duke University study. Doctors stress, however, that heart patients should not take this as an excuse to avoid needed surgery; it's not clear exactly how much of the mental fogginess is a direct result of the bypass operation and how much is a function of aging, medication or pre-existing cognitive problems.
Related Story: Hearts and Minds
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