The Year In Medicine From A To Z

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Drugs prescribed to treat depression were much in the news this year, mostly because of their controversial use in children and adolescents. Although the drugs have helped thousands of depressed kids who might otherwise have thought about killing themselves, the latest studies show that the drugs actually increase suicidal thoughts and behavior in about 4% of children. Months after the British government decided to ban use of most antidepressants in children and teens, the U.S. finally took action. In October, the FDA directed manufacturers of all 32 antidepressants now on the market to add black-box warnings--its strongest caution--to doctors, alerting them to the risk.

ANTIOXIDANTS

Health-food stores and advocates of alternative medicine have long touted the benefits of antioxidants--compounds that can soak up free radicals in the body that promote aging, damage tissues and trigger cancerous growths. Blueberries, cranberries and raspberries are among the best-known sources for these health-promoting compounds, but the list got a lot longer this year when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its most comprehensive study yet of the antioxidant content of common foods. Among the new entrants: red beans, kidney beans, pecans, walnuts, ground cloves and cinnamon. Of course, the USDA can't guarantee that eating more of these foods will make you healthier, but its researchers are working on guidelines to help consumers decide how much antioxidant they need in their daily diet.

ALLERGIES

It didn't make sense at first, but more and more studies have come out to support the paradoxical notion that the best way to prevent allergies is to expose kids to the allergens that cause them. Scientists in Denmark found that the more pets a child has, the less likely he or she is to develop allergies later in life. Having siblings, living on a farm or spending time in a day-care center also reduces allergies. Why? Presumably because exposing still-developing immune systems to allergens primes the body to recognize them as harmless. The protective effect is negated, however, if parents expose a child to secondhand smoke.

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BLUEBERRIES

Pterostilbene may sound more like a spelling-bee stumper than a lifesaver, but if early studies prove correct, this compound, found in abundance in blueberries, could be the foundation of a natural remedy to reduce cholesterol. In head-to-head lab studies against a cholesterol-lowering drug, pterostilbene was just as active as the pharmaceutical in dampening the cholesterol-producing functions of rat liver cells. And because pterostilbene targets a specific lipid-triggering receptor, scientists anticipate that it will have fewer side effects.

BIRD FLU