Health News

Rx Combo May Trigger Serious Reactions
Some things just don't mix — and that applies to medications. One antibiotic combined with statins may be dangerous. Fortunately, other types of antibiotics may be safer when mixed with statins.
Diet May Trump Glycemic Index
Lowering your risk for health problems like diabetes and heart disease through diet may be simpler than once thought. Patients may need to simply focus on eating healthy, natural foods in general, rather than worrying about how healthy foods affect factors like blood sugar.
Cholesterol Rx Didn't Improve Bone Health
Some medications help patients in several ways — such as how an aspirin for a fever may also lower heart attack risk — but that isn't always the case. A medication for cholesterol once thought to improve bone health probably doesn't do so, a new study found.
Cholesterol-Lowering Rx Recommended for Most Older Patients
When it comes to deciding which patients should take statins to keep their hearts healthy, the focus may be shifting. Recent guidelines on statin use focused less on cholesterol levels and more on other factors, such as age or a history of diabetes.
Experimental Cholesterol Rx Effective for Those Who Can't Take Statins
An experimental medication called alirocumab might turn out to be more effective at lowering levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol than other alternatives to statins. 
Aspirin Did Not Reduce Heart Disease Deaths
Instead of the old adage about an apple a day, many doctors advise their patients to take an aspirin a day to prevent heart attacks. Which may be good advice. But new research suggests that aspirin may not keep patients from dying of a heart attack.
Kidney Patients Who Need Statins Might Not Take Them
Two major health groups recommend statins for many patients with chronic kidney disease. But a new study found that many patients who should take statins didn't take them — even after a doctor recommended that they do so.
Gene Mutations May Lower Cholesterol, Heart Attack Risk
Mutations to a single gene may lower cholesterol, a new study found. These findings may mean that a cholesterol-lowering medication that targets that same gene could have a new use with preventing heart attacks.
Health Officials Release New Stroke Prevention Guidelines
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association have updated their guidelines for stroke prevention. The new guidelines focus on healthy eating, normal blood pressure and exercise as ways to lower stroke risk.
Heart Valve Disease Tied to Genetic Variants
LDL cholesterol is called "bad" cholesterol because it may contribute to heart and blood vessel disease. New research has shown that some people with genetic variations that cause raised levels of LDL cholesterol may be at increased risk for a type of heart valve disease.