News from the World of Medicine: How Humour Helps the Heart, Breast Cancer Red Flags, Foods to Start and End the Day Right and more

Breathing for Blood Pressure

Chances are that, unless you have respiratory problems, you don’t think much about your breathing—it just happens. But your breathing can affect the health of your ­entire body, and a new study from Florida State University suggests that how you breathe can even lower your blood pressure. In the study, healthy adults with slightly elevated blood pressure were asked to breathe through the nose for five minutes and then through the mouth for five minutes, while at rest. Their blood pressure measurements were lower when they inhaled and exhaled through the nose only. The researchers hope that future studies will help determine just how to use these findings to help people manage or improve hypertension. 

The Exercise That Takes Years off Your Brain

Most people work out to improve their bodies, but one popular workout may have a powerful effect on brain health too. Tai chi is a form of exercise popular among older adults who want to improve their balance, mobility and general fitness. Now it turns out that this ancient Chinese art may also help keep the brain young.

An Oregon study of more than 300 people in their mid-70s with mild memory loss found that practising tai chi for six months led to improved scores on memory tests, equivalent to gaining three to six years of brain health. The researchers believe that it’s the combination of physical movement and the mental challenge of memorizing and executing ­sequences—much like learning a new dance routine—that’s responsible for the effect.

The Sound of Diabetes

Diabetes is generally diagnosed through blood tests, urine tests and symptoms such as ­excessive thirst. Now scientists have found a change that might help diagnose type 2 diabetes even before someone shows up at the doctor’s office for testing. Scientists recruited 267 participants, some with diabetes and some without, and had them record a specific phrase on their smartphone six times a day for two weeks. The researchers then used artificial ­intelligence to analyze the recordings. The AI was able to ­detect subtle voice changes, not noticeable by human ears, that indicated type2 diabetes with ­almost 90 per cent accuracy. While more research is needed, the scientists hope their work will lead to simpler, quicker and less ex­pensive screening. 

A Surprising New Use for Statins

Statins such as Lipitor (Atorvastatin) are used to help millions of people lower their cholesterol. Now a new study shows that these drugs may also be useful for treating breast cancer. Researchers in Finland found that women who began statin therapy after a breast cancer ­diagnosis had a significantly reduced risk of mortality. (Interestingly, those who were already taking statins did not see the same benefits.) Women with oestrogen receptor–­positive tumours found the most benefits.

Foods to Start and End the Day Right

It’s not just what you eat, but when you eat that matters. That’s the con­clusion of two separate studies, one looking at breakfast and the other at bedtime eating. In the first, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, ­scientists studied the breakfast habits of more than 20,000 American adults. Those who ate breakfast regularly—especially if the breakfast didn’t include inflammatory foods like red meat, processed meat and commercial baked goods—had lower rates of depression. In the second study, Penn State University scientists found that people who regularly ate ­berries—any kind, but ­especially blackberries—had fewer nights of short sleep (less than six hours). Add some blueberries to your morning oatmeal and have a bowl of blackberries after dinner, and sweet dreams.

Battling Cancer with Bubbles

After 20 years in development, a new kind of cancer treatment with seemingly minimal side effects has arrived on the market. Histotripsy (Greek for “tissue crushing”) uses ultrasound waves to make microscopic gas bubbles form and pop within bodily tissues. A machine called the Edison System can make these waves target tumors, destroying the abnormal cells. The patient’s own immune systemthen cleans up the debris. Rodent studies suggest that in doing so, bodies get better at recognizing the cancer cells and fighting them off. In a recent clinical trial, histotripsy successfully destroyed tumorsin 42 out of 44 liver cancer patients. So far, it’s authorized only for liver tumors, and only in the United States. But developers hope it will go on to treat other cancers in other countries as well.

Breast Cancer Red Flags

Nearly everyone would consider a breast lump to be a sign of possible cancer, according to a survey commissioned by the University of Ohio Comprehensive Cancer Center. But most breast cancers don’t begin with a noticeable lump. Fewer than half of the respondents knew about the other red flags, which can include nipple changes, loss of feeling in part of the breast, or puckering in the breast when you raise your arms. Many changes are just the harmless effects of hormonal fluctuations or aging, and some breast tumors cause no symptoms. That’s where screening comes in. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends mammography every two years for women ages 50 to 74. And when in doubt, get it checked out.

Humor Helps the Heart

In a small trial, 26 participants with coronary artery disease—when plaque and inflammation impede the arteries’ ability to bring enough blood and oxygen to the heart—were split into two groups. One group watched two comedy TV shows each week, while the other watched documentaries. After 12 weeks, those who watched comedy saw a 10% increase in how much oxygen their heart could pump. By releasing endorphins, laughter may reduce inflammation and help muscles in the arteries to relax. It’s also proven to lower stress.

Snoozers Don’t Lose After All

It’s well known that a night of disrupted sleep can harm your cognitive performance, alertness and mood. However, the studies that showed this correlation examined a whole night’s worth of repeated awakenings, not just a few interruptions tagged onto the end of the seven to nine hours of shut-eye that most adults need. Hitting the snooze button in the morning, even multiple times, isn’t likely to affect your well-being, concludes a recent Swedish trial published in the Journal of Sleep Research. Of course, it didn’t promise you’d make it to work on time!