Mayo Clinic in the News is a weekly highlights summary of major media coverage. If you would like to be added to the weekly distribution list, send a note to Emily Blahnik with this subject line: SUBSCRIBE to Mayo Clinic in the News.

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Karl Oestreich, manager enterprise media relations

Wall Street Journal
New Tactics To Treat Artery Disease That Harms Legs
by Ron Winslow

Doctors are seeking better ways to help patients suffering from artery blockages that obstruct blood flow to the legs—an area of treatment that has been lacking despite well-established methods for preventing and treating the same disease when it occurs in the heart…"Most patients with peripheral artery disease can be managed conservatively," said Verghese Mathew, a cardiologist who treats both heart and PAD patients at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Still, except for patients with a severe form of the disease, there is little consensus among doctors about whether to treat symptomatic patients aggressively with balloons and other devices or to rely first on medication and exercise programs, said Dr. Mathew, who wasn't involved with the NIH study.

Circulation: The Wall Street Journal, a US-based newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company, is tops in newspaper circulation in America with an average circulation of 2 million copies on weekdays.

Context: Verghese Mathew, M.D. is a Mayo Clinic cardiologist who also has an appointment with the Mayo Clinic Gonda Vascular Center.

Public Affairs Contact: Traci Klein

Real Simple
Check: Your Guide to Digestive Health
By Julia Edelstein

Your digestive tract—a.k.a. “the second brain”—is a smart system that is acutely sensitive to your feelings. Here’s how to keep it healthy (and happy)….“Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” It’s the same with digestive issues and anxiety. “We don’t know whether stress is causing the bowel to go wrong or the bowel going wrong is causing mental stress,” says Gershon. That said, there’s no question that “adding a singular stressful event on top of chronic stress makes chronic digestive symptoms worse,” says Yuri Saito, M.D., a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Reach: Real Simple has more more than seven million readers of its print magazine and more than 3.4 million unique visitors to its web site each month.

Context: Yuri Saito Loftus, M.D.,  Mayo Clinic Gastroenterology and Hepatology, is engaged in clinical care of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other gastrointestinal motility disorders, and she also has an active research program studying patients with IBS, constipation and diarrhea.

Public Affairs Contacts: Alyson Fleming, Brian Kilen

Reuters
Therapy, exercise aid in chemo-related menopause
by Genevra Pittman

Younger women who are thrust into menopause because of breast cancer treatment may get some relief from talk therapy and regular exercise, a new study from the Netherlands suggests…"More research is needed on behavioral interventions such as relaxation therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy to understand more about how these things are helpful and for whom," Debra Barton from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota told Reuters Health in an email. "However, the data so far appear very promising."

Circulation:  Thomson Reuters is the world’s largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms.

Additional Coverage: Chicago Tribune

Context:  Debra L. Barton, R.N., Ph.D. , who co-wrote an editorial in the Journal of Clinical Oncology Online Oct. 8, 2012 accompanying the new study, said women in this position should talk with their doctors about exercise and therapy options to find a plan that's best for them. "The thing that is important for women to keep in mind, is that behaviors, if not practiced or utilized, will not be beneficial in the same way that medications not taken will not help," Barton added. "It is important that women think through the ‘how' and ‘when' of using any behavioral strategy, make a definite plan and stick to the routine in order to maximize any benefit." Her research centers on symptom management in cancer survivors. Effective management of short- and long-term sequelae of the disease and treatment is the objective of this research.

Public Affairs Contacts: Sharon Theimer, Nick Hanson

USA Today
High-carb diet is linked to early Alzheimer's
by Janice Lloyd

Older people who load up their plates with carbohydrates have nearly four times the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, a study out Tuesday finds. Sugars also played a role in the development of MCI, often a precursor to Alzheimer's disease, according to the report in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Eating more proteins and fats offer some protection from MCI…Not everyone with MCI goes on to develop Alzheimer's disease, but many do, says lead author Rosebud Roberts, a professor in the department of epidemiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Circulation: USA TODAY has a circulation of 1.8 million and a readership of 3.1 million. USA TODAY websites have 26.3 million unique visitors a month.

WCCO Radio
Mayo Clinic: Sugar-Rich Diets Linked To Cognitive Impairment In Seniors

A Mayo Clinic study has found a link between sugar-rich diets and brain function in seniors. Mayo researchers tracked people over 70 and found that those with diets high in carbohydrates and sugar have nearly four times the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment. “Sugar is good for your brain because you derive your energy from sugar,” said lead author Dr. Rosebud Roberts. “Your brain derives its energy from sugar. But too much sugar is bad for your brain.” 

Additional coverage: All Voices, RedOrbit, Times of India, Food Product Design, KAAL, WMAQ Chicago, Laboratory Equipment, Durango Herald, Post-Bulletin, KurzweilAI, IT World, WLTX S.C., KAAL, MinnPost, Huffington Post, Medical News Today

Context: People 70 and older who eat food high in carbohydrates have nearly four times the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, and the danger also rises with a diet heavy in sugar, Mayo Clinic researchers have found. Those who consume a lot of protein and fat relative to carbohydrates are less likely to become cognitively impaired, the study found. The findings are published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

News Release

Public Affairs Contact: Nick Hanson

Arthritis Today
How Fat Affects Arthritis
by Andrea Kane

If you were to ask people to name a health problem related to obesity, odds are good they’d say “heart disease” or “diabetes.” And they’d be right; those two chronic diseases have a very strong relationship to excess weight. They are the safe bets… “Weight plays an important role in joint stress, so when people are very overweight, it puts stress on their joints, especially their weight-bearing joints, like the knees and the hips,” says Eric Matteson, MD, chair of the rheumatology division at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Circulation: Arthritis Today has a circulation of 715,000.

Context: Eric Matteson, M.D. is chair of Rheumatology at Mayo Clinic. The Division of Rheumatology provides diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the joints and connective tissue (rheumatic diseases), including more than 100 types of arthritis and many autoimmune diseases. Doctors in the division have been trained in internal medicine and rheumatology. Besides caring for patients, medical staff are also involved in research and in training new rheumatologists.

Public Affairs Contact: Sharon Theimer

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