News From the World of Medicine

HEART PROGRAMME CAN BENEFIT CANCER SURVIVORS

A new kind of programme called cardio-oncological rehabilitation aims to improve post-cancer heart health and quality of life. It can include exercise, nutritional advice, psychological counselling, blood pressure management or help with weight changes. It isn’t yet widely accessible, but it’s worth inquiring about, as is cancer rehab, which might focus less on the cardiovascular system but still aid overall recovery. increasingly restrictive in what they’ll eat,” says Sarah McComb, co-author of a review into possible risk factors. “Some cut out entire food groups or fats or carbs.”

Warning signs include spending many hours each day planning and preparing meals, losing weight unintentionally, eating habits that interfere with personal relationships and fixating on the source of food. “If you can check off a lot of these things then it might be a good time to talk to a mental health professional,” she says.

WHEN DOES ‘HEALTHY’ EATING BECOME DANGEROUS?

Striving to eat healthily can, ironically, become an unhealthy obsession. People with the condition known as orthorexia nervosa fixate on consuming food in a way they consider ‘pure’, ‘clean’ or ‘healthy’ – to the point where their wellbeing suffers. They can, for example, become malnourished. “That’s because as the disorder progresses, patients often become

STATINS MAY REDUCE GLAUCOMA RISK

New research suggests statins also lower intraocular pressure and promote blood flow to the optic nerve, lowering glaucoma risk. By itself, glaucoma protection is not sufficient reason to start taking statins. But if you’re already taking them to lower cholesterol, then knowing they might spare you from eye problems could help motivate you to stay on course.