Interesting double blinded placebo controlled article in  Hypertension 2015 Feb 65:320, where 64 patients were given 250 ml of beet root juice for 4 weeks, and all of them saw roughly a 7mm reduction in systolic (top) and a 2.5mm reduction in diastolic (bottom) numbers.

Inorganic nitrates in beet root juice when consumed are converted to the vasodilating nitric oxide which is responsible for lowering the blood pressure. Diabetics however need to be aware of the high sugar content in all juices

A new survey in Consumer Reports points out that 2% of all future cancers in this country may be caused by the high doses of radiation received from CT scans. It also states that consumers are rarely warned about the risks of receiving radiation, and most patients actually feel it was important to get that additional study. The article also notes that the annual number of CT scans has increased from roughly 3 million in 1980 to over 80 million now.

The DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) was the winner in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 Best Diet rankings, for best overall diet. To do well in this category, a regimen “had to be relatively easy to follow, nutritious, safe, effective for weight loss and protective against diabetes and heart disease.”

Runners-up include the TLC Diet, the Mayo Clinic Diet, Weight Watchers, and the Mediterranean Diet. Coming in last place is the Paleo Diet.

Diets were also ranked in seven sub-categories. Weight Watchers earned the top slot for Best Weight-Loss Diet, the Biggest Loser Diet and DASH tied for first for Best Diabetes Diet, and the Ornish Diet won for Best Heart-Healthy Diet.

The pregnancy risks associated with prescription drugs and biologic products will soon be more clearly delineated on product labels with a new system that requires three subsections — “Pregnancy,” “Lactation,” and “Females and Males of Reproductive Potential” — rather than the current letter-based system (A, B, C, D, and X), the FDA announced on Wednesday.

The “Pregnancy” section will discuss dosing considerations, possible risks to the fetus, and other information relevant to prenatal use. It will also note whether there’s a registry that maintains data on how pregnant women are affected by the product.
The “Lactation” section will note the amount of drug that may be in breast milk and the potential effects on the child, among other considerations.
The “Females and Males of Reproductive Potential” section will include information about pregnancy testing, contraception, and infertility as it relates to the product.
The new system will go into effect at the end of June 2015.

FDA news release

There is some evidence suggesting that the use of Benzodiazepines like Ativan, Xanax, Clonazepam, Valium, is associated with excess risk for dementia; however, benzodiazepines are sometimes prescribed for prodromes of dementia, (e.g., anxiety, insomnia). In this case-control study, investigators examined the association between exposure to benzodiazepines and risk for developing Alzheimer disease (AD).
The association was stronger for long-acting benzodiazepines ( Valium) than for short-acting benzodiazepines (Xanax).

Billioti de Gage S et al. BMJ 2014 Sep 9.

Noncaloric artificial sweeteners, such as Splenda, Sweet and Low, Equal were introduced in the hope to control body weight and lower risk for diseases linked to obesity. Yet the epidemic of type 2 diabetes and obesity seems to coincide with introduction of noncaloric sweeteners. Most of us assume that the epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes led to more use of noncaloric sweeteners. However, researchers in Israel report that the opposite might be true: Use of noncaloric sweeteners might have contributed to the epidemic.

Mice that are given noncaloric sweeteners develop glucose intolerance quickly, compared with mice that are given sucrose or glucose. Introduction of dietary noncaloric sweeteners promptly alters the mouse microbiome to favor biochemical pathways that enhance absorption of calorie-rich glucose and short-chain fatty acids. Giving antibiotics to the glucose-intolerant mice eliminated glucose intolerance, and transplanting feces from sweetener–fed animals into germ-free animals produced glucose intolerance in these control animals, whereas feces transplanted from glucose-fed mice into controls didn’t produce glucose intolerance.

Seven healthy human volunteers who did not regularly consume noncaloric sweeteners were placed on a diet that contained noncaloric sweeteners. Within 1 week, four participants developed glucose intolerance. Stool from these people, when transplanted to mice, also produced glucose intolerance. Stool from the three humans who did not develop glucose intolerance did not produce glucose intolerance in mice.

This report argues that, although artificial sweeteners lack calories, they can change the gut microbiome in a way that leads to absorption of more calories and that compromises glucose tolerance.

Suez J et al., Nature 2014 Oct 9; 514:181