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TUESDAY, March 7, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Can vitamin D lower dementia risk?Quite possibly, a team of British and Canadian researchers report.In their study, investigators spent roughly a decade tracking more than 12,000 older people. None had dementia at the start of the study period. In the end, the team determined that those who had been taking vitamin D supplements during that time appeared to face a 40% lower risk for dementia, compared with those who had never taken the supplements.Even so, Claire Sexton, senior director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer's Association, cautioned that much more research is needed to better understand a possible link between vitamin D and dementia risk.For one thing, she noted that the study team did not track how much vitamin D...

TUESDAY, March 7, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- New research offers hope to elite athletes who have genetic heart conditions but still want to play sports.In the new study, after a follow-up of seven years, researchers found that 95% of athletes with a diagnosed and treated genetic heart disease had no disease-triggered cardiac events. These would have included fainting or seizures, implantable cardio-defibrillator (ICD) shocks, sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death.The researchers said the study was the first to assess the risk of potentially life-threatening arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat) among National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and professional athletes with heart conditions that can increase the risk of sudden cardiac death, such as hypertrophic...

TUESDAY, March 7, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A new study is enough to take your breath way: Nearly no place on Earth is free of air pollution, it found.The study "provides a deep understanding of the current state of outdoor air pollution and its impacts on human health. With this information, policymakers, public health officials and researchers can better assess the short-term and long-term health effects of air pollution and develop air pollution mitigation strategies,” said study co-author Yuming Guo, from the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Melbourne, Australia. He spoke in a university news release.The researchers found that only 0.001% of the global population is exposed to World Health Organization-established safe levels of ambient fine...

TUESDAY, March 7, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A stick-on sensor may help keep people with heart failure out of the hospital, new research suggests. Investigators found that when doctors had actionable information about patients’ conditions, delivered remotely through this noninvasive device, it prompted them to adjust medications earlier and prevent complications from escalating. Patients with heart failure who used this device were 38% less likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 90 days.The study was funded by Zoll Medical Corp., the developer of this heart sensor, called the µCor system.Its ease of application and removal could make the device a more cost-effective alternative to an implantable sensor, according to the researchers. The findings were presented Monday at the...