A study of Yup’ik Eskimos in Alaska, who on average consume 20 times more omega-3 fats from fish than people in the lower 48 states, suggests that a high intake of these fats helps prevent obesity-related chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. The study, led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and conducted in collaboration with the Center for Alaska Native Health Researc ...

A new study in the journal Health Services Research shows that diabetes patients who do a better job of taking their medication have slightly lower health care costs. However, “it’s not a huge effect,” said lead investigator Bruce Stuart, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore. ...

It has been thought that the quality of the physician-patient relationship is integral to positive outcomes, but until now data to confirm such beliefs has been hard to find. Through a landmark study, a research team from Jefferson Medical College (JMC) of Thomas Jefferson University has been able to quantify a relationship between physicians’ empathy and their patients’ positive clinical outcomes, suggesti ...

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that lactate, a type of energy fuel in the brain, plays a critical role in the formation of long-term memory. These findings have important implications for common illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease, other neurodegenerative disorders, aging-related memory impairment and diabetes. The research is published in the March 4th issue of the journal Cell. ...

Insurers and consumers spent $52.2 billion on prescription drugs in 2008 for outpatient treatment of metabolic conditions such as diabetes and elevated cholesterol, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Metabolic medicines were the class of drugs with the highest level of spending in 2008. Check the end of this report for a link to download the ...

Lifestyle changes - such as getting more exercise, spending time in nature, or helping others - can be as effective as drugs or counseling to treat an array of mental illnesses, according to a new paper published by the American Psychological Association (APA) in American Psychologist, APA's flagship journal. The publisher made the original, full-text study available for free for an undetermined amount of t ...

Thanks to modern healthcare, more children than ever survive serious chronic illness. Many thrive as young adults, but a large new study finds that for some, early illness can lead to fewer years of education, more joblessness and lower pay. The good news is that when they grow up, these kids are just as likely to blossom socially, enjoy romantic relationships, and get married as healthy kids, finds the stu ...

Dietary fiber may be associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious and respiratory diseases, as well as a reduced risk of death from any cause over a nine-year period, according to a report posted online today that will be published in the June 14 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ...

Imagine having to evacuate your home quickly as 60 mph winds shatter your windows, water crawls under your front door, and the electricity cuts leaving your house as dark as the inside of a coffee can. Would you be prepared? Now visualize being one of the 56 million Americans with a disability, such as wheelchair dependence, or one of the 133 million with a chronic disease, such as asthma. ...

Researchers at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego say that medication education is a key factor in helping patients with diabetes better stick to their drug treatments plans. The study, currently online in the February issue of the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy, points to the need for pharmacists and other health care providers to assess ...