NIBBLES - Brief Article

* In a study of 115 adults with wrist fractures, those assigned to take 500 mg a day of vitamin C for 50 days had only a third the risk of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD). People with RSD suffer pain, changes in skin color and temperature, edema, and sometimes impaired movement in an injured area, possibly due to nerve damage.

Lancet 354: 2025, 1999.

* In studies involving more than 360,000 people, those at low risk for heart disease--non-smokers with cholesterol below 200 and blood pressure no higher than 120 over 80--had a life expectancy that was six to ten years longer than people at greater risk.

J. Amer. Med. Assoc. 282: 2012, 1999.

* Flawed studies have claimed that people on low-salt diets have a higher risk of heart disease or stroke (see June 1998, p. 9). A well-designed study now shows that among the overweight, those who consume more sodium are about twice as likely to die of a stroke and may also be more likely to die of heart disease. (The study found no link between sodium and stroke or heart disease in normal-weight people, possibly because the researchers didn't have enough information on long-term sodium intakes.)

J. Amer. Med. Assoc. 282: 2027, 1999.

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