In a study of more than 800 rural-living men and women with knee osteoarthritis, an 18-month program of diet and exercise versus attention control yielded an average 14-pound greater weight loss in the test group – but not much difference in pain magnitude.

Monty Python fans may benefit from more than just a healthy laugh. These authors rigorously studied the impact on VO2 and energy expenditure of 3 different walking styles: normal gait, “Putey” walk, and teabag walk. Their findings might change how you think about your daily stroll.

The updated ADA standards have several significant changes. These include: A revised definition of HTN to match that of the ACC and AHA New recommendations for statin use Changes to recommendations around CKD treatment Revised weight loss goals Use of diabetes technology And much more

What’s expected for medical practice in 2023? Worker shortages will persist, with the biggest gaps being nonprofessional staff. Shortages will drive competition to attract even workers with entry-level skills, which will generate wage increases and turmoil as workers move to take advantage of better offers. Wage and goods inflation will continue to press on profits. The move to value-based fee structures will increase. And there will likely be a focus on better integrating merged organizations instead of the prior frenetic acquisition land grab.

The $1.7 trillion spending bill signed by the president dramatically mitigates the expected cuts in Medicare payments. But any cut will still put an untenable strain on specialties like family medicine.

The presence of vitamin D in the brain and its link to improved cognitive performance in aged subjects was originally discovered by a Tufts University study. Higher vitamin D concentrations were linked to a 25% to 33% decreased risk of dementia or mild cognitive impairment in four different brain areas. Authors did note, however, that the observational nature of the study and the lack of a diverse subject population were two of its drawbacks, and there may be further explanations for the results.