Health Highlights: Oct. 28, 2008
Oct. 29 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Vitamin E, Selenium Don't Cut Prostate Cancer Risk
A major study looking at whether vitamin E and selenium protect men against prostate cancer has been suspended after data showed the nutrients didn't reduce risk, the U.S. National Institutes of Health announced Monday.
The independent analysis of the $119 million study involving more than 35,000 men also suggested vitamin E and selenium may actually increase the risk for prostate cancer and diabetes, but officials said those findings may be a coincidence, the Washington Post reported.
Study organizers have started notifying participants to stop taking the pills they were taking for the trial. All the men, age 50 and older, will continue to have their health monitored for about three years.
The study was funded by the NIH after previous research indicated vitamin E and selenium may protect against prostate cancer, the second most common cancer in men.
"The important message for consumers is that taking supplements, whether antioxidants or others, is not necessarily beneficial and could be harmful," Eric Klein of the Cleveland Clinic, a study coordinator, told the Post. "You should not be taking them unless there is a rigorous scientific study that shows a benefit."
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Lack Treatment Knowledge: Survey
Rheumatoid arthritis patients have far less knowledge about treatments than their doctors or nurses believe, according to an international survey of more than 3,300 patients, nurses and doctors.
While 90 percent of nurses and 87 percent of doctors believed their patients had a high level of knowledge of RA treatments, only 50 percent of patients rated their knowledge as high.
The survey also showed a large degree of disagreement between doctors and nurses over who should handle patient education. Only 14 percent of doctors believed nurses should educate patients, while 68 percent of nurses believed they were best suited for the task.
