Hot news
        Boost: Cutting weight and salt adds up to lower blood pressure for elderly patients years after formal medical treatment stops.

        Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J., followed 244 older men and women to see what role weight loss and cutting sodium would play in maintaining normal blood pressure after medication was withdrawn.

        The study, led by Dr. John B. Kostis, followed up on the Trial of Nonpharmacologic Intervention. Patients followed a diet that emphasized cutting sodium, losing weight, or both, to maintain normal blood pressure.

        Four years after the original study ended, 23 percent of the patients who combined weight loss and sodium reduction didn't require medication for high blood pressure, compared with 7 percent of patients who didn't follow the diet. Researchers also found that 17 percent of the group who only lost weight and 15 percent of the group who only cut salt intake didn't need medication.

Research
        Muscle up: Researchers have discovered a second protein that can transform mouse muscles from flabby to firm.

        Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and Harvard Medical School found that when a protein called PGC-1Q is genetically introduced in mice, easily fatigued type II muscle fibers are transformed into fatigue-resistant type I muscle tissue fibers that mimic highly exercised muscle.

        The PGC-1Q protein activates energy production and oxidative metabolism. Another protein identified earlier this year by UT Southwestern scientists had the same effect.

        Researchers hope the proteins can provide treatment therapy to patients affected by muscle fatigue or confined to bed rest.

Tips
        Safer sports: Dr. Eric Wall, director of sports medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center's division of orthopaedic surgery, says the proper gear helps reduce ssports injuries.

        His recommendations:

        • Students involved in contact or collision sports should wear mouth guards.

        • Face guards and face protectors prevent tens of thousands of injuries annually in football, hockey and other contact sports.

        • Wrist guards are crucial for inline and roller skating. Dr. Wall said 46 percent of the children who came into Cincinnati Children's emergency room for skating-related injuries had suffered wrist fractures. Knee and elbow pads, along with helmets, are also important.

        • Children and adults should wear helmets when bicycling, skating or skateboarding to prevent severe injury or death.

        • Soccer players should wear shin guards.

Shelf help
        Mood food: Stop Your Cravings (The Free Press; $24) by registered dietitian Jennifer Workman combines the principles of sports nutrition with the teachings of Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine) to help readers avoid reaching for a Hershey bar the next time they have a really, really bad day at the office.

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