Health Items from Pages

New window of opportunity for stroke treatment

It has been thought that clot-busting medicine would only help stroke sufferers if given up to three hours after symptoms occurred. Only a third of stroke victims seek help that fast and less than five percent are now given TPA, the drug that breaks up clots and opens the artery.

A new study now suggests that clot-busting is successful even if given four hours or more after the event. A study by European doctors found the treatment to be effective up to 4 1/2 hours after the start of symptoms.

Doctors caution that it’s important to get immediate attention if a stroke is suspected. Call 911 immediately.

soft drinks, compared for diabetes risk

What’s better, a fruit drink or a bottle of sweet soda pop? The unhappy verdict, according to a Boston University study, is that fruit drinks contain as many calories as soft drinks, and some contain more. Both increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes because of their high calorie count, which causes weight gain.

The study of women showed those who consumed two or more soft drinks per day had a 24 percent greater risk compared with those who drank one per month. Women who consumed two or more sweet fruit drinks had a 31 percent increased risk.

Fruit drinks do not include grapefruit or orange juice, which are not associated with greater diabetes risk.

Editor’s note: wordnet.princeton.edu defines “fruit drink” as “a sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice.” Fruit juice is not a fruit drink.

Beer: as good for you as wine

The main heart-helpful component in wine is alcohol. Beer has it too. It also contains folate and other B vitamins.

Beer is a rich source of silicon, a mineral that fights osteoporosis, according to the British Medical Journal. Beer has antioxidants that fight diabetes, kidney stones and arthritis. And it contains healthful soluble fiber. Moderate drinking does not cause “beer belly.” Many wines have more calories per serving.