What’s New in Primary Care- Fall 2024
What is new in Primary Care Fall 2024 Edition
Hello everyone.! We at Coeur Vitality hope everyone is enjoying the Fall colors. The following is a summary of some interesting topics that appeared in the primary care literature over the last 6 months:
1. How to make sure you get accurate home blood pressures: It is important to measure blood pressure accurately to avoid falsely elevated readings. Check your blood pressure after resting at least 20 minutes (exercise/physical activity results in higher blood pressure as a normal body response). Check it seated with feet on the floor (legs uncrossed). Investigators recently showed in a study the arm position should be held at the same level as the shoulder. If the arm is at the side or in the lap the blood pressure reading can be 4-10 points higher (false elevation).
2. “Weekend Warrior” physical activity is beneficial. A study was done on 90,000 individuals, showing that people who did not have time to exercise during the week but then were able to get 40 minutes or more on each day of the weekend had beneficial effects on blood pressure, cholesterol readings and overall cardiovascular fitness.
3. Lifestyle interventions to prevent dementia: A study called the Memory and Aging Project remarkably followed 724 individuals for 24 years. It was found that 5 habits resulted in a significantly reduced rate of dementia developing. Eating a mediterranean diet, limiting alcohol to one drink per day, exercising regularly (150 minutes per week recommended), keeping the mind active (playing games, doing puzzles), and no smoking.
4. Is calcium supplementation good for women? A research project called the “Women’s Health Initiative” has been going on now for several decades. This investigation looked at the effects of calcium (1000 mg of calcium carbonate) and vitamin D (400 units per day) supplements on cancer incidence and heart disease in 36,000 women over 22 years. It was found that women who regularly took calcium supplements had a higher incidence of heart disease. The theory is that excess calcium (meaning the 1000 mg of daily supplements) led to calcification and hardening of the arteries. So it is recommended that women use natural calcium sources in their diets (dark greens, beans, nuts and seeds, and dairy products) to supply their bodies with calcium. As far as vitamin D: women who had low baseline levels (less than 30 on a blood test) and supplemented with 400 units per day had a 13%-17% reduction in cancer risk.
5. Holiday gift idea: There is a wonderful book published in 2023 called “Outlive” written by Dr. Peter Attia. It is about many aspects of health that lead to a high quality long life and incorporates recent medical/scientific discoveries. I would highly recommend it.
Here is wishing everyone a wonderful Fall and holiday season!
George Bell MD