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Struggling with high blood sugar or diabetes? A study published online March 6, 2020, by PLOS Medicine suggests that increasing your daily fiber intake may help. British researchers combed through dozens of studies with about 10,000 participants who had prediabetes, gestational diabetes, type 1 diabetes, or type 2 diabetes. Compared with people who ate low-fiber diets (19 grams of fiber per day), people who ate another 16 grams of fiber per day (a total of 35 grams per day) weighed less and had lower levels of blood sugar, cholesterol, and inflammation. There were also 14 fewer deaths per 1,000 people among those who ate high-fiber diets. If you'd like to increase your fiber intake, try to eat more fiber-rich foods at each meal. Good sources include whole-grain cereals, legumes, and nuts. For example, a cup of bran cereal has up to 47 grams of fiber, depending on the brand; half a cup of white beans has about 10 grams of fiber; and an ounce of almonds has about 13 grams of fiber. Increase fiber intake slowly, to give your digestive tract time to adjust, and remember to increase your water intake as well.

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This simple at-home exercise can improve flexibility, leg strength, and balance to protect against falls.

Falls continue to be a significant cause of fatal injury among older adults, according to the CDC. In fact, each year, falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency rooms and more than 27,000 deaths.

Lack of mobility and declining strength are the main contributors to falls. Still, another threat, which often goes unrecognized, is simply the fear of falling.

In the journals

Cholesterol-lowering statins and blood pressure drugs can improve heart health, but you still need to follow heart-healthy habits. That's the conclusion of a study published online Feb. 5, 2020, by the Journal of the American Heart Association, which found many people forgo healthy habits after they begin taking these medications.

Researchers in Finland identified 41,225 people who were free of cardiovascular disease. They collected such health data as body mass index, physical activity, alcohol intake, smoking status, and whether the people took statins or blood pressure drugs. Updated information was gathered from surveys every four years over a 14-year period.

These popular pets have been linked to a range of heart-related benefits.

Seeing a dog's wagging tail and furry face can be heartwarming. But living with and caring for a dog may be heart-protecting — and might even help you live longer, according to a growing body of research.

The latest findings include two articles published last year in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. One pooled findings from 10 studies involving a total of 3.8 million people who were followed between one and 22 years. Dog owners were 31% less likely to die from a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular condition than people who didn't own dogs. A separate study, which followed more than 335,000 heart attack and stroke survivors over 12 years, found that having a dog was linked to a 21% lower risk of death from any cause.

Many women making the transition to menopause have trouble sleeping. Several strategies can help you get the rest you need.

If you're a woman of a certain age and you often find yourself staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night, you're not alone. The years leading up to menopause and the period that immediately follows are the times that women are most likely to report problems sleeping, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Many different conditions that are common in this stage of life — including hot flashes, obstructive sleep apnea, and mood disorders such as depression or anxiety — can cause sleep problems.

Lack of sleep is more than just a nuisance. "We now understand that high-quality sleep is absolutely vital to good health," says Dr. JoAnn E. Manson, the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women's Health at Harvard Medical School. This means that seeking care should be a priority if you are experiencing problems.

When you were a child and your mother told you to go play outside, it wasn’t just because she needed some child-free time. Inspired by a Japanese practice, forest therapy is an immersion in nature that has been shown to have positive effects on health.

Collaborative care is a team-based model of integrated psychiatric and primary care that can treat mental illnesses in the primary care setting. Providing this patient-centered care in the primary care setting improves access to mental health care and reduces stigma.

Most diets can help you lose weight, but that weight is frequently regained within a few months — a fact supported by an analysis of more than 100 research trials on diets. But losing weight is easier, and more likely to be permanent, if you choose a diet with foods you actually like.

There is disagreement over whether or not there is such a thing as a cannabis withdrawal syndrome, but it's definitely real, and with increased availability of legal marijuana and other products, even those who use it medicinally need to be aware of the symptoms, and what to do if they think they have it.

No single treatment—whether it's an antidepressant drug or a style of talk therapy—can ease depression in every case. However, research suggests you will improve your chances of getting relief if you combine drugs and therapy. One report that pooled findings from 25 studies found that adding psychotherapy to drug treatment was more helpful than medication alone in treating major depression. Earlier research suggested that one reason therapy and medication may complement each other is that they have different effects on the brain.

In addition to relieving depression, combination therapy may help ward off recurrences. A classic three-year study reported in JAMA tracked recurrences of major depression in about 200 people ages 60 or older. Of those who received monthly interpersonal therapy and who also took an antidepressant medication, 80% avoided a recurrence. In contrast, the same could be said for only 57% of those who received the drug alone, 36% of those given just interpersonal therapy, and a mere 10% in the placebo group.