A new drug doubled survival times in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, who typically live for only 6 to 7 months after diagnosis.
In a trial funded by the drug’s manufacturer, researchers randomly assigned 500 people with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (the most common type) to take either the new drug (daraxonrasib) or chemotherapy. All had previously been treated with chemotherapy, and 92% had cancers with a mutation called KRAS, which daraxonrasib targets.
After 1 year, 53% of patients on daraxonrasib—versus 17% of those on chemotherapy—were still alive. Patients who took daraxonrasib typically survived twice as long as those on chemotherapy (13 vs. 7 months).
What to do
Ask your doctor about daraxonrasib. Survival times may be even longer for people who start taking the drug earlier. Experts hope it will also help treat lung and colon cancers that are driven by KRAS mutations.
Many avocado oil chips, salad dressings, and mayonnaises aren’t made with pure avocado oil.
Researchers analyzed 28 bags of chips, 14 mayos, and 12 bottles of dressing labeled as made with avocado oil (and no other oils). Yet their chemical “fingerprints” suggested that 93% of the chips, 71% of the mayos, and 100% of the dressings also contained oils like soy or canola. Foods labeled as made with only olive oil did far better. Pure olive oil was detected in 100% of the mayos and dressings and 90% of the chips.
Do carotenoids like beta-carotene—found largely in orange and green vegetables and fruits—help prevent fatal breast cancer?
Scientists analyzed blood samples taken from 6,099 cancer-free women, then followed them for up to 30 years. Those who started out with the highest blood levels of carotenoids had a 48% lower risk of developing lethal breast cancer than those with the lowest levels.
What to do
This study can’t prove that carotenoids prevent fatal breast cancer because something else about women who eat carrots, cantaloupe, spinach, and other carotenoid-rich orange or green fruits and vegetables may protect them. But it’s one more reason to indulge in your favorites.
20 grams of plant protein plus 2 grams of leucine, an amino acid that’s found at higher levels in most animal proteins and is thought to jump-start muscle protein synthesis.
Four hours later, muscle protein synthesis hadn’t risen in any of the men.
(The study was funded by Danone, and some authors were Danone employees or had received funding from companies that sell protein-rich food ingredients.)
Researchers randomly assigned 155 adults aged 75 or younger with low back pain that had lasted 1 to 6 months and had no identifiable cause to either wear or not wear an adjustable non-rigid lumbar belt for 4 to 8 hours a day during their daytime activities. (Both groups were advised to remain active, use their usual pain meds, and avoid taking corticosteroids.)
After 12 weeks, 61% of those who wore a belt—versus 41% of those who didn’t—reported at least a 30% improvement on a questionnaire about back pain while sitting, standing, walking, lifting, etc. The belt wearers also reported using less pain medication. (The study was funded by the belt’s manufacturer.)
What to do
This study isn’t definitive because it wasn’t blinded, but a lumbar belt may be worth a try. For more on back pain, check out our article.
Gout is a painful inflammatory arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in joints. Could a diet that’s good for the planet also lower your gout risk?
Scientists followed 91,479 people in the UK Biobank study, typically for 12 years. Those who reported eating a diet with a high “planetary health” (or EAT-Lancet) score had a 26% lower risk of gout than those with the lowest scores. A planetary health diet was linked to a lower risk even among people with a high genetic risk of gout.
What to do
Aim for a diet that’s healthy for both you and the planet. Fill your plate with vegetables, fruits, beans, lentils, tofu, whole grains, and nuts—with only modest amounts of poultry, dairy, and fish—while minimizing red meat, added sugars, and saturated fats. Something else about people who eat a planetary health diet may explain their lower risk of gout, but why not protect the planet if you can?
Do men with non-metastatic prostate cancer who curb saturated fat live longer?
Scientists tracked 4,884 men with prostate cancer that hadn’t spread beyond the prostate for 4 to 36 (typically 13) years after their diagnosis.
Those who reported consuming the most saturated fat had a 24% higher risk of dying than those who consumed the least, largely due to a 42% higher risk of dying of cardiovascular disease.
What to do
This study can’t prove that men with non-metastatic prostate cancer who curb saturated fat will live longer, because something else about them may account for their lower risk. But with so much evidence that saturated fats harm the heart, why not cut back?
Could a healthy Mediterranean diet help prevent rheumatoid arthritis?
Daisy Daisy - stock.adobe.com.
Researchers followed 15,847 recent graduates of universities in Spain. Over roughly the next 15 years, those who had a high Mediterranean diet score had a 47 percent lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis than those with a low score.
The Mediterranean diet is rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, fish, and unsaturated fats (like olive oil) and low in meat and dairy foods. A lower meat intake was the only single food linked to a lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
What to do
This study can’t prove that a healthy Mediterranean diet can prevent rheumatoid arthritis because something else about people who consume that diet may curb their risk. (The same applies to cutting back on meat.) But filling most of your plate with vegetables, fruits, beans, fish, and healthy oils may protect your heart, so why not?
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