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New research based on the experiences of atomic-bomb survivors has found a link between exposure to moderate levels of radiation and higher levels of heart disease and stroke.

It’s not clear, however, if the radiation directly causes the diseases, nor is it clear if there’s a link between lower doses and the health problems.

High doses of radiation to the heart, head or neck have been shown to boost the risk of heart disease or stroke later in life. But the effect of lower doses — 1 gray (Gy) or less — needs clarification, experts say, at least in part because of the increasing use of medical scans that rely on radiation.

Average radiation exposure from medical procedures is considerably lower and usually measured in milligray (mGy). An abdominal X-ray exposes the recipient to 1.4 mGy (0.0014 Gy), and an abdominal CT scan puts out a radiation dose of 8.0 mGy (0.008 Gy), according to background information in a news release from BMJ. The journal published a report on the new research online Jan. 15.

For the study, researchers from the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Japan examined the medical records of 86,611 Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic-bomb survivors who were followed from 1950 to 2003. All had been exposed to radiation doses from 0 to 4 Gy, with 86 percent exposed to less than 0.2 Gy.

After taking into account the possible effects of such factors as smoking, education and obesity, the researchers determined that the rates of stroke and heart disease went up among those who were exposed to doses higher than 0.5 Gy, which they labeled moderate. They did not clarify how lower doses affected risk.

In an accompanying commentary, Mark Little, of Imperial College London, agreed with the researchers that future study should explore whether low doses of radiation affect the body’s biological mechanisms in similar ways.

SOURCE: BMJ, news release,

The popular herbal remedy St. John’s wort may help ease menopausal hot flashes, a small study suggests.

St. John’s wort is probably best known as an herbal antidepressant, with some clinical trials suggesting that it can help relieve mild to moderate depression symptoms.

A few studies have also investigated the herb’s effects on menopausal symptoms, but have focused on its impact on mood — and not the so-called vasomotor symptoms of menopause, which include hot flashes and night sweats.

“(The) findings of our study suggest that this herbal medicine can be used to treat hot flashes due to menopause, and it is a new finding about the usage of St. John’s wort,” Marjan Khajehei, of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran, told Reuters Health in an email.

Khajehei and her colleagues found that among a group of women they randomly assigned to take either St. John’s wort or an inactive placebo for eight weeks, those using the herb saw a greater reduction in daily hot flashes.

Among women taking St. John’s wort, the average number of hot flashes declined from roughly four per day at the start of the study to fewer than two per day at week eight. In contrast, women in the placebo group were having an average of 2.6 hot flashes per day by the eighth week.

The herb also appeared to lessen the duration and severity of the women’s hot flashes, Khajehei and her colleagues report in the journal Menopause.

The study included 100 women who were 50 years old, on average, and had been having moderate to severe hot flashes at least once per day. The women were randomly assigned to take either drops containing St. John’s wort extract or placebo drops three times a day for eight weeks.

While women in both groups saw their hot flashes improve, those taking the herbal extract had a better response, on average.

St. John’s wort contains estrogen-like plant compounds called phytoestrogens, and it’s possible that these compounds explain the benefits seen in this study, according to Khajehei.

However, she said, further research is needed to confirm that the herb eases hot flashes and that phytoestrogens are the reason.

St. John’s wort is generally considered safe when taken as directed, Khajehei noted. Still, she added, since phytoestrogens have mild estrogen-like effects in the body, women who have any contraindications to using estrogen — such as a history of breast or endometrial cancers — should talk with their doctors before starting St. John’s wort.

The herb has also been shown to interact with certain medications, including antidepressants, the heart medication digoxin and the blood thinner warfarin. Experts generally recommend that people on any medication talk with their doctors before starting an herbal remedy.

SOURCE: Menopause, February 2010.

Race and obesity may affect the outcome of men with diabetes who have prostate cancer surgery, a new U.S. study reveals.

“We found that diabetes was significantly associated with more aggressive disease in obese white men and less aggressive disease for all other subsets of men in our study,” Dr. Stephen Freedland, an associate professor of urology and pathology at the Duke Prostate Center at Duke University, said in a Duke news release.

Freedland and colleagues examined the medical records of 1,262 prostate cancer patients who had undergone radical prostatectomy — surgery to remove the prostate gland and some tissue surrounding it.

The researchers found an association between diabetes and an increased risk of cancer recurrence and a trend toward more aggressive recurrence in obese white men. In all other groups of men, diabetes was associated with lower recurrence risk.

“We really don’t know what mechanisms might be in place that could account for this relationship,” Freedland said. “But consider this: diabetes is associated with low levels of insulin and testosterone, an inhospitable environment for tumor growth. This is compounded in obese white men who also have lower insulin-like growth factor levels. The thinking is that if a tumor is powerful enough to grow in such a hostile environment, then it’s probably a pretty aggressive one.”

The study was published in the January issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.