Vitamin D Helps Bone Health Only With Calcium: Report

Government task force held off on specific dose recommendations

By Maureen Salamon HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Dec. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A new analysis on the effects of vitamin D on bone health shows that it cuts fracture risk in older adults, but only when taken with calcium supplements.

The review of nearly 50 studies on vitamin D -- present in a small number of foods and produced naturally in the skin with sun exposure -- by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) also indicates that it's too soon to tell if vitamin D supplements can help prevent cancer.

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Treating High Blood Pressure May Add Years to Life

Study found those who took blood pressure meds lived a day longer for every month of treatment

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 20 (HealthDay News) -- People suffering from high blood pressure, or hypertension, who keep their blood pressure levels under control may add years to their life, a new study suggests.

In fact, those in the study who took medicine to lower their blood pressure for more than four years reduced their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease over a 20-year period, the researchers found.

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Drug Overdoses Kill More Americans Than Car Accidents: CDC

Almost half of drug poisonings are now from abuse of prescription painkillers, researchers note

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Dec. 20 (HealthDay News) -- More Americans now die from drug overdoses than in car accidents, according to a new government report released Tuesday.

In 2008, poisoning deaths became the number one cause of accidental deaths in the United States and the leading cause of injury death in 30 states, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ninety percent of these poisonings were linked to drugs, with a surge in deaths from prescription painkiller overdoses reported.

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