HealthDay (8/21, Preidt) reports on a study finding that “children whose parents have cancer are more likely to struggle in school and to have lower incomes as adults.” The study included “more than 1 million people born in Denmark from 1978 through 1999,” and of these, “about one in 20 had a parent diagnosed with cancer” while they were under 18. The children so affected were found to have “lower grade averages in school than their classmates,” and “grade averages were lowest among children who had a parent die of cancer or who had low odds of surviving five years.” The study also found that “by age 30, adults with a childhood experience with parental cancer were more likely to earn less than others” and children under five at the time the parent was diagnosed “appeared to be at greatest risk of problems.” The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Related Links:

— “When a Parent Has Cancer, Kids Suffer Long Term: Study, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, August 21, 2018.

In “Science Now,” the Los Angeles Times (8/21, Kaplan) reports “new research suggests that taking care of your cardiovascular system will pay off for your brain.”

The New York Times (8/21, Bakalar) reports that in a 6,626-participant study, researchers found that “cardiovascular health in older people is associated with lower risk of dementia and lower rates of cognitive decline.” The findings were published in the Aug. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

TIME (8/21, Park) reports the researchers found that people with good cardiovascular health, as measured by the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 Metrics, were less likely to have dementia.

MedPage Today (8/21, George) reports that in another study, also published in the Aug. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association but involving “125 young adults in England,” researchers found “that better cardiovascular metrics were associated with higher cerebral vessel density and caliber, higher cerebral blood flow, and fewer white matter hyperintensities.” The authors of an editorial accompanying both studies observed that the two new studies examined the relationship between cardiovascular health and brain function in younger and older people, rather than middle-age people as most previous studies have. Healio (8/21, Tedesco) also covers the story.

Related Links:

— “The more you do to promote your cardiovascular health, the lower your risk of dementia,”Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, August 21, 2018.

According to the Wall Street Journal (8/20, Reddy, Subscription Publication), research published online Aug. 8 in The Lancet Psychiatry examined how different exercise types may affect mental health. Included in the study were data on 1.2 million adults in the US who responded to a CDC survey. The study revealed that playing on a sports team and bicycling appeared to have the best effect.

Related Links:

— “The Exercise That Helps Mental Health Most,” Sumathi Reddy, The Wall Street Journal, August 20, 2018.

In a front-page article, the New York Times (8/18, A1, Goodnough) reported on the small group of hospitals “that have started initiating opioid addiction treatment in the” emergency department (ED). The facilities provide buprenorphine, “one of three medications approved in the United States to treat opioid addiction,” on demand, with the hope that it may push more addicts to seek addiction treatment. The change was inspired by a 2015 Yale-New Haven Hospital study that found “addicted patients who were given buprenorphine in the” ED “were twice as likely to be in treatment a month later as those who were simply handed an informational pamphlet with phone numbers.” Since it was published, “a few dozen hospital” EDs have implemented similar programs.

Related Links:

— “This E.R. Treats Opioid Addiction on Demand. That’s Very Rare., “Abby Goodnough, The New York Times, August 18, 2018.

Multiple Sclerosis News Today (8/16, Mumal) reports researchers found that one-third of Canadian patients with multiple sclerosis “report a need for mental health care, with symptoms of anxiety and depression…identified as predominant factors.” The findings were published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.

Related Links:

— “MS Patients with Anxiety, Depression Symptoms More likely to Report Need for Mental Health Care, Study Shows, “Iqra Mumal, Multiple Sclerosis News Today, August 18, 2018.