MELATONIN MAY HELP BLOOD PRESSURE
Researchers from the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research in Amsterdam say nighttime melatonin supplements may help reduce blood pressure in men. They say resetting the body's biological clock one day could offer a more natural method of regulating blood pressure. The study, to be published in the February 2004 issue of Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association, found patients taking melatonin supplements at night for three weeks lowered their nighttime systolic blood pressure by about 6 millimeters of mercury. The melatonin had to be taken nightly, however, as blood pressure rates did not change from just a single dose.
EXERCISE MAY REDUCE RISK OF CANCER
A study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham suggests exercise can reduce the risk of colon and breast cancer. Researchers say being physically inactive and obese, as well as having high levels of a cancer-related hormone called IGF-1, increase the risk for breast and colon cancer. Specialist Michelle Martin says, "Physical activity may reduce cancer risk by reducing visceral fat that surrounds the internal organs, which in turn may reduce IGF-1 levels." She studies overweight, sedentary, postmenopausal women to understand the three-way connection. "Study results will help develop specific exercise guidelines and increase public confidence and participation in physical activity as a way to prevent cancer," she says.
OTC DRUG BROCHURE NOW IN SPANISH
A popular brochure that offers advice on over-the-counter medications is now being published in Spanish. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association and the Food and Drug Administration's consumer brochure, "Over-the-Counter Medicines: What's Right for You?" has been revised, updated and translated into Spanish to reach the Hispanic community, the fastest-growing minority population in the United States. The brochure includes information on the importance of reading OTC medicine labels, avoiding drug interactions, using OTCs while pregnant or nursing,
treating children with OTCs and signs of product tampering. There are approximately 37.5 million Hispanic citizens in the United States and estimates are the number may climb to 56 million by 2010. The brochure is available at chpa-info.org.
EVEN LITTLE CONCUSSIONS SERIOUS
Parents should treat their high school athlete's minor concussions -- the so-called "bell ringers" -- seriously, researchers say. A study on such injuries is published in the January issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine and was done by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program. Researchers say the injury grading scales and return-to-play guidelines for high school athletes with mild concussions may be too liberal -- allowing athletes to return to play too soon and putting them at risk for further injury. They recommend making the guidelines more strict. The current guideline allows athletes with grade 1 mild concussions to return to play immediately if symptoms disappear within 15 minutes. The UPMC study of 43 mildly concussed athletes showed in all but four athletes memory decline and other symptoms persisted for several days beyond the game.
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(EDITORS: For more information on MELATONIN, contact Amy Dayton at (617) 534-1600. For EXERCISE, Hank Black at (205)934-8938 or [email protected]. For OTC BROCHURE, call Mandy Eisemann at (301) 827-1670, and for CONCUSSION, Susan Manko at (412) 647-3555 or [email protected])
