Friday, September 6, 2024
Salt Substitutes Help Prevent High Blood Pressure
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Salt Substitutes Help Prevent High Blood Pressure
A new study has found that replacing regular salt with a salt substitute can reduce high blood pressure in older adults.
Older adults who use a salt substitute are 40% less likely to develop high blood pressure compared to those who use regular salt, according to findings published Feb. 12 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
“Adults frequently fall into the trap of consuming excess salt through easily accessible and budget-friendly processed foods,” said lead researcher Dr. Yangfeng Wu, executive director of the Peking University Clinical Research Institute in Beijing.
Replacing regular salt with a salt substitute can reduce high blood pressure in older adults, a new study has found.
Older adults who use a salt substitute are 40% less likely to develop high blood pressure compared to those who use regular salt, according to findings published Feb. 12 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
“Adults frequently fall into the trap of consuming excess salt through easily accessible and budget-friendly processed foods,” said lead researcher Dr. Yangfeng Wu, executive director of the Peking University Clinical Research Institute in Beijing.
“It's crucial to recognize the impact of our dietary choices on heart health and increase the public’s awareness of lower-sodium options," he added in a journal news release.
High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for heart disease and heart-related death, according to the World Health Organization. It affects more than 1.4 billion adults worldwide and results in 10.8 million deaths each year.
For this study, researchers evaluated how sodium reduction might help the blood pressure of seniors residing in care facilities in China.
The study involved more than 600 participants, age 55 and older, from 48 care facilities. All patients had blood pressure under 104/90 mmHG, and were not on any blood pressure medications.
Half of the care facilities replaced salt with a salt substitute in residents’ meals, while the other half kept using regular salt, researchers said.
After two years, the incidence of high blood pressure was more than double at the facilities that kept using salt – 24.3 cases per 100 people-years versus 11.7 cases per 100 people-years at the facilities using salt substitute.
People-years take into account both the number of people in a study and the amount of time each person spends in the study.
What’s more, the salt substitutes did not cause dangerously low blood pressure, which also commonly affects older adults.
“Our results showcase an exciting breakthrough in maintaining blood pressure that offers a way for people to safeguard their health and minimize the potential for cardiovascular risks, all while being able to enjoy the perks of adding delicious flavor to their favorite meals,” Wu said.
In an accompanying editorial, nephrologist Dr. Rik Olde Engberink said the study offers an alternative to simply asking patients to cut back on salt intake – a strategy that has failed to gain wide support among the public.
In this trial, “the salt substitute was given to the kitchen staff, and the facilities were not allowed to provide externally sourced food more than once per week,” Olde Engberink, who practices at Amsterdam University Medical Center in The Netherlands, said in a news release.
“This approach potentially has a greater impact on blood pressure outcomes, and for this reason, salt substitutes should be adopted early in the food chain by the food industry so that the sodium-potassium ratio of processed foods will improve,” he added.
Wednesday, September 4, 2024
FDA Approves Fruzaqla (fruquintinib) for Previously Treated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Takeda announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approval of Fruzaqla™ (fruquintinib), an oral targeted therapy for adults with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who have been previously treated with fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy, an anti-VEGF therapy, and, if RAS wild-type and medically appropriate, an anti-EGFR therapy. Fruzaqla is the first and only selective inhibitor of all three VEGF receptor kinases approved in the U.S. for previously treated mCRC regardless of biomarker status.1,2 This approval was received under Priority Review more than 20 days ahead of the scheduled PDUFA date of November 30, 2023.
"There is a pressing need for new treatments for individuals with metastatic colorectal cancer, who have had limited options and continue to face poor outcomes. Fruzaqla is the first novel chemotherapy-free treatment option approved for patients in the U.S. regardless of biomarker status in more than a decade,” said Teresa Bitetti, president of the Global Oncology Business Unit at Takeda. “For far too long, healthcare providers and patients have had limited options when selecting a therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer. Fruzaqla has the potential to offer a significant survival benefit to patients without negatively impacting their quality of life.”
The approval of Fruzaqla is based on data from two large Phase 3 trials: the multi-regional FRESCO-2 trial, data from which were published in The Lancet, along with the FRESCO trial conducted in China, data from which were published in JAMA. The trials investigated Fruzaqla plus best supportive care versus placebo plus best supportive care in patients with previously treated mCRC. Both FRESCO and FRESCO-2 met their primary and key secondary efficacy endpoints and showed consistent benefit among a total of 734 patients treated with Fruzaqla. Safety profiles were consistent across trials.
“Patients with metastatic disease are often fragile and fatigued – due to both their condition as well as the therapies they have been exposed to. An oral, chemotherapy-free option that offers a survival benefit despite treatment with prior therapies is a critical need for treating metastatic colorectal cancer,” said Cathy Eng, M.D., FACP, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “Colorectal cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease, making it difficult to bring advancements to patients whose cancer has metastasized. I look forward to being able to offer a new solution to appropriate patients.”
In the United States, approximately 153,000 new cases of CRC will be diagnosed in 2023, representing 7.8% of all new cancer cases.3,4 Approximately 70% of patients with CRC will experience metastatic disease, whether at diagnosis or after treatment. Metastases are the main cause of CRC-related mortality.
“We have witnessed firsthand the physical and emotional toll metastatic colorectal cancer has on patients, their families and their care teams,” said Michael Sapienza, Chief Executive Officer, at Colorectal Cancer Alliance. “We are encouraged to see the continued progress in providing new options to patients.”
Tuesday, September 3, 2024
Fruquintinib + Paclitaxel Aids Advanced Gastric/Gastroesophageal Junction Cancer
Monday, September 2, 2024
Cefepime-Taniborbactam Superior to Meropenem for Complicated UTI
Friday, August 30, 2024
Drug That Treats Cocaine Addiction May Curb Colon Cancer
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Drug Used to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis May Also Help Prevent It
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
FDA Approves Aurlumyn (iloprost) as the First Medication to Treat Severe Frostbite
"This approval provides patients with the first-ever treatment option for severe frostbite,” said Norman Stockbridge, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Cardiology and Nephrology in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Having this new option provides physicians with a tool that will help prevent the lifechanging amputation of one’s frostbitten fingers or toes."