Ask Joe DiMatteo: Recent Episodes
Joe DiMatteo
Classic episodes of the radio program “Ask The Pharmacist”. Originally broadcast on the traditional radio as well as satellite, the show grows out of the knowledge and experience of pharmacist, nutritionist and naturopath Joe DiMatteo. Each hour-long episode includes listener questions about health challenges, understandable explanations of research, and concise spiritual wisdom.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), now referred to as menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), is a significant topic for women going through menopause. Ovarian hormones, such as estrogens and progesterone, fluctuate throughout a woman’s life, particularly during the years leading up to menopause, when ovarian function declines. MHT is often prescribed to alleviate symptoms during this transition. While MHT can help relieve various menopausal symptoms, recent research shows that its effects on brain health are complex and depend on several factors, such as age, duration of treatment, and surgical history.
The research published in October as a Reviewed Preprint in eLife examines the links between MHT and brain health, using a solid model of brain aging in a large group of nearly 20,000 UK women.
Previous research on MHT has shown mixed results regarding brain health, raising questions about the impact of the treatment, explained lead author Claudia Barth from Diakonhjemmet Hospital in Oslo, Norway.
“In this study, we investigated links between MHT variables, different MHT regimes, genetic factors, and brain measures in middle-to older aged women,” she noted.
The study indicated that current MHT users had higher brain age gaps (meaning their brains appeared older than their chronological age) and smaller hippocampal volumes than non-users.
Conversely, women who had previously used MHT but no longer were, showed no significant differences compared to women who had never used it. Those who discontinued MHT later in life or used it longer tended to have larger brain age gaps, raising concerns about MHT’s impact on cognitive functions.
This suggests that the timing and length of MHT can significantly affect how the brain ages, reinforcing the complexity of its impact.
Women on MHT who had surgery to remove their womb and/or ovaries showed a smaller brain age gap than those without such surgeries. Surprisingly, no differences were found in MHT-related factors like dosage or method of administration.
One bit of great news, researchers also looked at the APOE ε4 gene, a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, and found no link to the effects of MHT on brain health indicators.
The work addresses a topic that the editors say is of grave importance since MHT and its effect on the brain need to be better understood to provide effective and individualized medical support to women going through menopause.
“Women worldwide face critical decisions regarding MHT use, yet the current lack of comprehensive research leaves them without the necessary evidence to make informed choices,” concludes senior author Ann Marie de Lange, Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland.
Given these findings, a one-size-fits-all approach to menopausal hormone therapy may not be ideal. The variability underscores the necessity for healthcare providers to adopt personalized approaches when considering MHT for their patients. By tailoring MHT regimens to individual circumstances and health profiles, it may be possible to optimize benefits while minimizing potential risks to brain health.
Sources:
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hormone-replacement-therapy
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397
https://elifesciences.org/for-the-press/2925efa3/study-highlights-complexity-of-menopausal-hormone-therapy-s-impact-on-brain-health
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006899323004390
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5839141/
It’s Thanksgiving, and you know what that means!
It’s a fantastic time to pause and reflect on all the beautiful things we’re grateful for. Numerous studies have shown that gratitude can increase happiness, wisdom, social acceptance, and overall health.
Not only that, but gratitude helps us find meaning and coherence in life so that we can improve ourselves and elevate others.
However, we know that the holidays can be hard on some (actually, a lot). Sometimes, we just don’t feel grateful because we’ve been through the wringer. We would rather hibernate away from the world and the people, places, and things (much less the festivities) that are more challenging than charming.
We want to offer some practical suggestions to help you express gratitude (even if you don’t necessarily feel it):
- Share Three Good Things Daily
Each day, take a moment to saythree positive things that happened out loud. You can do this with your kids at bedtime or during dinner. It’s also empowering to express gratitude alone, even in tough times.
- Keep a Gratitude Journal
Take note of small daily moments that matter to you, such as enjoying a few quiet minutes during your drive to work or being grateful that a rainstorm didn’t flood your basement. On challenging days, revisiting these entries can serve as a reminder of the blessings in your life.
- Express Thanks to Your Partner
Couples who express gratitude toward one another create a powerful cycle of intimacy and trust, making both partners feel valued and understood.
- Cherish Joyful Moments
When you experience happiness, take a moment to recognize that feeling. Focus on your emotions, what’s happening in your body, and thoughts for a few minutes. Later, when you recall this moment, it can help you reconnect with those positive feelings.
- Focus on Others, Not Yourself
People often feel more grateful when they concentrate on others instead of being caught up in their own thoughts. Cultivating empathy for others can enhance gratitude and result in more incredible benefits.
There are countless ways to develop your sense of gratitude. By practicing these, we hope you feel overwhelmed by the many blessings in your life. You are a significant blessing to us. We continue our work because of you; when we say, “From our family to yours,” we truly mean it.
With that in mind, from our family to yours, we wish you a Thanksgiving filled with gratitude. We sincerely pray that you find goodness in every moment and feel loved and acknowledged as you see others in a new light and appreciate them even more deeply.
Please feel free to share something you’re grateful for with us. Or, if you want to lift up a prayer for you or someone you are contending for, let us know that too. We would love to hold your arms up while you wait for your (and their) blessing to reveal itself.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sources:
https://insightchicago.com/gratitude
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15427609.2018.1499350
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/soul-console/202312/holidays-are-not-always-the-most-wonderful-time
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/comfort-of-gratitude/202010/are-empathy-and-gratitude-linked-to-each-other
Last week, we talked about cleaning out your fridge. This week, let’s look at decluttering our brain… sort of.
You’ve probably had a parent, teacher, or boss that insisted on keeping a clean, clutter-free work environment. “The condition of your desk is a reflection of the condition of your mind!” is what my first boss used to say. It seems he may have been onto something!
A study published on October 22 in the journal Neuron by Yale researchers revealed that visual clutter affects how information flows in the brain, depending on its location in the visual field. This research enhances our understanding of the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes visual information from the eyes, and the neural basis of perception.
Anirvan Nandy, an assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, noted that visual clutter can significantly impact our ability to perceive objects based on their position. For example, when trying to read the word “cat” from the corner of our eye, the letter “t” affects our identification of the letter “a” more than the letter “c” due to a phenomenon known as “visual crowding.”
In the study, macaque monkeys were trained to focus on a central point while visual stimuli were presented around them. Researchers recorded neural activity in the primary visual cortex. They found that while the position of visual clutter did not change the transmission sequence between neurons, it did affect the efficiency of that information flow.
Monika Jadi, another co-senior author, clarified that both the primary and secondary visual cortices perform complex computations. The study discovered that subunits within these areas further process and selectively share information, bridging a gap in vision research.
The researchers are now interested in exploring how clutter impacts information processing between brain regions and how attention influences this system. For example, a person might focus on a car ahead while also paying attention to a vehicle in another lane.
“When you’re driving, for instance, you may be looking at the car in front of you, but your attention could be focused on a car in the next lane as you try to determine if they’re about to merge,” Nandy explained.
Therefore, the detailed visual information you’re getting is from the car in front of you, but the information of interest is outside of your focus.
“How does that attention compensate for the fact that while you don’t have the best resolution information, you’re still able to perceive that attended part of the visual space much better than where you’re actually looking?” pondered Jadi. “How does attention influence information flow in the cortex? That’s what we want to explore.”
So, how can we apply this research to our productive lives?
- Declutter Your Space: Remove non-essential items to create a more minimalist environment that promotes focus.
- Organize Thoughtfully: Use storage solutions like bins and shelves to keep items organized and out of sight.
- Limit Color Schemes: Choose a calming color palette to reduce visual chaos and promote tranquility.
- Simplify Digital Interfaces: Streamline your digital workspace by organizing files and minimizing distractions.
- Create Specific Zones: Designate areas for different activities to help mentally separate tasks and improve focus.
- Incorporate Nature: Adding plants or natural light can enhance mood and cognitive function.
It may be common sense, but having research to back it up can help inspire us to actually make the change. Set aside a few minutes at the beginning and end of your day to clear away what isn’t absolutely necessary. It will improve your ability to focus and help you to get more of what’s actually important done!
Sources:
https://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273(24)00693-7
https://infovis-wiki.net/wiki/Visual_Clutter
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/visual-cortex
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3070834/
You know what November 15th is?
No, it’s not spicy guacamole day or national pickle day. (Those are actually today, by the way.)
But if you have leftover pickles and guac (who has leftover guac?) that have been in your fridge for way too long, you need to get prepared for
National Clean Out Your Fridge Day!
Yes, it’s a thing. And, yes, it is important.
As we prepare for family gatherings and festive feasts for the fast-approaching holiday season, one crucial yet often overlooked task is cleaning out the refrigerator. That’s where National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day comes into play. Celebrated annually on November 15th, this day serves as a timely reminder to declutter and sanitize our fridges, ensuring they’re ready for the influx of holiday ingredients and leftovers.
Cleaning your refrigerator is not just about tidiness; it’s a matter of health and safety. A study by Sanitation Foundation (NSF) International revealed that the meat and vegetable drawers tend to harbor the highest levels of bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria, yeast, and mold. Over time, expired and forgotten food can lead to unpleasant odors and some serious health risks. With the holidays around the corner, now is an excellent time to tackle this chore, making room for fresh ingredients and leftovers.
Cleaning out your refrigerator may sound daunting, but breaking it down into manageable steps can make the process smoother. Here’s how to get started:
- Empty each shelf.
- Completely wipe down the inside of the refrigerator.
- Wash drawers and underneath the drawers.
- Throw away all expired food.
- Throw away any moldy food.
- Get rid of anything that you do not use.
- Vacuum condenser coils.
- Vacuum out under the refrigerator.
- Restock shelves and drawers with good food.
- Enjoy your nice, clean, organized refrigerator.
Cleaning your refrigerator doesn’t just set you up for holiday success; it also benefits your overall kitchen hygiene. Regularly clearing out old food can help reduce waste, promote healthier eating habits, and keep your kitchen smelling fresh.
.While cleaning out your fridge, take time to familiarize yourself with food labels and dates. The meanings behind “sell by,” “best by,” and “use by” can be confusing. “Sell by” indicates store stock management, “best by” refers to quality rather than safety, and “use by” suggests when food should ideally be consumed. This knowledge can help you minimize food waste and make informed choices about what to keep.
National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day is more than just another date on the calendar; it’s a chance to ensure our kitchens are safe, sanitary, and well-organized for the upcoming holiday season. By dedicating a little time to this essential task, we can enjoy our meals knowing we’ve created a healthy environment for our food. So grab your cleaning supplies, roll up your sleeves, and let’s get to work on that refrigerator!
Sources:
https://www.nsf.org/consumer-resources/articles/clean-germiest-kitchen-items
https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-poisoning/bacteria-and-viruses#salmonella
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/keep_your_kitchen_free_from_listeria
https://www.airius.co.uk/all-resources/the-problems-caused-by-mould-and-yeast-in-homes
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/molds-food-are-they-dangerous
https://issuu.com/kanwal.fatima/docs/the_health_risks_of_not_cleaning_your_refrigerator/s/25370731
https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/sell-by-best-by-use-by-dates–5-things-to-know.h00-159622590.html#:~:text=You%20can%20still%20buy%20these,consumed%20before%20a%20given%20date.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved Estradiol Gel, 0.06%, for the treatment of moderate to severe hot flashes associated with menopause. This approval provides women experiencing menopause-related symptoms with a new option for hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Estradiol is a form of estrogen, a hormone that naturally declines during menopause. The Estradiol Gel, 0.06% formulation delivers estrogen through the skin, allowing for a controlled and consistent release into the bloodstream. This topical gel is applied once daily to clean, dry skin, typically on the arms or thighs, and it is designed to help alleviate symptoms such as hot flashes, which are common in postmenopausal women. The gel also relieves symptoms of ovary removal and breast cancer and helps prevent osteoporosis.
This approval is for the generic version of EstroGel Gel, 0.06%, originally approved in February 2004.
The FDA’s approval of this gel marks a significant advancement for postmenopausal women who are looking for relief from the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause but may prefer not to use oral medications or other treatment options. Topical estradiol therapy provides the advantage of bypassing the digestive system, which can sometimes cause gastrointestinal side effects associated with oral treatments. The gel is easy to use and can be more conveniently incorporated into daily routines compared to some other hormone therapy methods.
The approval was based on data from clinical trials that demonstrated the gel’s ability to significantly reduce both the frequency and severity of hot flashes. In one key study, women who used 0.75 mg of Estradiol Gel reported a significant improvement in the frequency of hot flashes compared to those who were given a placebo. The gel’s safety profile was also assessed, revealing a manageable risk when used as directed.
In a study of 24 non-dosed healthy postmenopausal women, there was no measurable transfer of estradiol one hour after direct skin-to-skin contact with those using estradiol gel.
A study in Sexuality, Reproduction, and Menopause found that among 890 menopausal women using estradiol gel, hot flash frequency decreased by about 75%, from 5.87 to 1.44 per day. The severity of hot flashes and vaginal dryness improved by approximately 55% and 50%. Notably, 75% of participants reported improvements within two weeks, 89% by three weeks, and 95% by four weeks.
The most common side effects (“adverse events” or “AE” as the FDA calls them) include headache, flatulence, and breast pain or tenderness. Other AEs were reported with very low levels of occurrence.
This generic option offers a more affordable alternative for patients than the previous EstroGel.
With the approval of Estradiol Gel, 0.06%, women now have another treatment option for managing postmenopausal symptoms. As with any new medication, it will be important for healthcare professionals to continue monitoring long-term outcomes and for patients to remain informed about both the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy.
BONUS: Want a natural option to help limit hot flashes? Our brand new Meno-PRO is designed to do exactly that!
- Meno-PRO-Finally something for MENOPAUSE symptom relief!$42.99Add to cart
Sources:
https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2024/10/25/2969362/0/en/ANI-Pharmaceuticals-Announces-the-FDA-Approval-and-Launch-of-Estradiol-Gel-0-06.html
https://journals.lww.com/menopausejournal/abstract/2012/06000/transdermal_estradiol_gel_for_the_treatment_of.9.aspx
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289311862
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/venous-thromboembolism/what-is-venous-thromboembolism-vte
Kids are awesome. What goes on in the mind of a child will, in many ways, always be a mystery to grown-ups. What we do know is that children are full of wonder, imagination, simple joy, purity, and innocence. Their brains are bristling with intrigue, questions, and worldviews waiting to be formed.
But not all brains are wired the same way.
According to a study published in Autism Research in September by the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, children with autism have “different” brains than kids without autism, all the way down to the structure and density of their neurons.
Neuron density is the number of neurons in a specific area of the brain. Research has shown that differences in neuron density can affect cognitive function and behavior.
The first author of the study, Dr. Zachary Christensen, said in a statement, “People with a diagnosis of autism often have other things they have to deal with, such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD. But these findings mean we now have a new set of measurements that have shown unique promise in characterizing individuals with autism.”
Roughly 1 in 36 children have autism spectrum disorder, according to data on 8-year-olds collected in 2020 by the CDC.
According to the CDC study, the condition is nearly four times more common in boys than in girls. However, research on autism in girls and adults is still evolving.
People with autism often face challenges with social interaction and communication. They may prefer sticking to routines and habits and can become overwhelmed by sensory stimuli, such as bright lights, loud noises, and uncomfortable clothing.
For the study, neuroscientists analyzed brain imaging data from over 11,000 children aged 9 to 11 to examine neuron structures. They compared images of nearly 150 children with autism to those of almost 9,000 without neurodevelopmental diagnoses and more than 1,400 with psychiatric disorders like anxiety or ADHD but not autism.
The research found that children with autism have a lower density of neurons in the cerebral cortex, which plays a crucial role in memory, learning, reasoning, and problem-solving. Interestingly, in other areas of the brain, such as the amygdala, which is associated with processing emotions and emotional reactions, there was an increased density of neurons in the brains of children with autism.
Neuroscientists found that the trends in children with autism are unique, even in the presence of other psychiatric conditions, concluding that these differences are, indeed, specific to autism.
“If characterizing unique deviations in neuron structure in those with autism can be done reliably and with relative ease, that opens a lot of opportunities to characterize how autism develops, and these measures may be used to identify individuals with autism that could benefit from more specific therapeutic interventions,” Dr. Christensen said.
“We’ve spent many years describing the larger characteristics of brain regions, such as thickness, volume, and curvature,” explained Dr. Christensen. “However, newer techniques in the field of neuroimaging for characterizing cells using MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] unveil new levels of complexity throughout development.”
The University of Rochester neuroscientists used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study database, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States.
“We are at the beginning of understanding the true impact that the extraordinary data collected by the ABCD study will have on the health of our children,” said John Foxe, senior author of the study and the director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, in the same statement.
“It is truly transforming what we know about brain development as we follow this group of children from childhood into early adulthood.”
With all that we know about the brain, it’s humbling to realize just how much we still can’t comprehend. This marks another step along the path toward understanding the incredible complexity of the fearfully and wonderfully designed creatures that we are!
Sources:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aur.3239
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S105381191930010
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/publications/neuroscience/research-finds-neurons-look-different-in-children-with-autism
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/ss/ss7202a1.htm?s_cid=ss7202a1_w
https://abcdstudy.org/
Recent research indicates a curious trend among females regarding the onset of menstruation. Girls born in the 2000s start their periods approximately six months earlier than previous generations.
A study published in JAMA Network Open (May, 2024) reveals that the average age of menarche—the first menstrual period—has decreased from 12.5 years in the 1950s and 60s to 11.9 years for those born between 2000 and 2005.
The study analyzed data from over 71,000 females in the United States using the Apple Research App on their smartphones.
Because age at menarche is a pivotal indicator of health, this shift is alarming.
Researchers also found that the prevalence of early menarche (when it occurs before age 11) increased from 8.6% in the 1950s and 1960s to 15.5% in the early 2000s.
And, the percentage of girls starting their period “very early”—before age 9—increased from 0.6% to 1.4%.
But wait, there’s more… Periods now take longer to become regular.
In the 50s and 60s, 76% of females had a regular cycle within 2 years. It has dropped to 56% in those born in the early 2000s.
While the changes are being seen in every demographic, they are especially pronounced in non-white girls and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Lifelong ConsequencesBut what difference does it really make when a girl begins her period?
The timing of menarche is linked to a higher risk of disease later in life.
For example, research indicates that abnormal timing of menstruation—whether it starts early or late—can be linked to a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, such as heart attack, stroke, and hospitalization due to heart failure. Early onset of menstruation is also associated with an increased risk of developing certain cancers, including endometrial and breast cancer.
On a behavioral level, girls who experience early menarche are at higher risk of becoming pregnant or contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) before age 18. Likewise, their risk of miscarriage also increases throughout life.
Girls who take longer to settle into regular menstrual cycles may face reduced fertility and a higher risk of chronic health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol.
They also have a higher rate of all-cause mortality.
In other words, deviations from the norm come with substantially increased risk.
Why is this happening?According to the study’s authors, almost half of this change in timing — 46% — is due to the meteoric rise of childhood obesity in the U.S.
Higher body fat in young girls is associated with earlier periods.
Body fat, or “adipose tissue,” is metabolically active and produces hormones, including sex hormones, which can influence the age of menarche.
In an editorial published alongside the current study, Lauren C. Houghton, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, wrote:
“In general, countries with a mean age of menarche above 12 years reflect populations facing undernutrition and higher infectious disease burden; countries with ages younger than 12 years reflect populations with over-nutrition and higher risk for chronic diseases.”
Although the rising weight of children in the U.S. is a significant factor, it does not provide a complete explanation. It also does not clarify why girls from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as Black, Asian, and people of other or mixed races, are experiencing even greater shifts in the age of menarche.
Interestingly, the study’s authors explain that previous research “showed that the biggest decrease in age at menarche occurred before the obesity epidemic in the U.S.”
They outlined some other possible explanations.
The researchers believe that metals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and air pollutants may be affecting the age of menarche. Studies have linked early menarche to exposure to phthalates and triclosan, especially in overweight or obese individuals. It is speculated that certain minority groups face higher exposure to these pollutants, potentially explaining the observed racial disparities.
Diet is a key component, too.
Previous studies revealed that young girls who drink caffeinated and artificially sweetened soft drinks are more likely to get their period earlier. This result remained significant even after the researchers adjusted their analysis to account for BMI.
The sugar in soda triggers insulin release, which can affect sex hormone levels. Although scientists do not understand the precise mechanism, soda’s rise in popularity over recent decades makes it another likely culprit.
Alongside obesity, pollution, and diet, stress and adverse childhood events (ACEs) may play supporting roles, but there is currently less evidence to support these factors.
What can be done?How can parents and young girls navigate this?
You can start by teaching your children to eat a balanced diet, avoid fast foods, and encourage regular exercise and stress management as part of their routine.
Regardless of when the changes occur, communication is crucial.
Make sure the girls in your life feel seen, heard, and valued. Let them know that they aren’t going crazy when all the hormones start revving up.
Help them understand what they are going through. Educate them on hormones and what their body is doing. Have age-appropriate conversations about what they may be feeling and experiencing. And most importantly, do not leave any room for shame or guilt. This is what our bodies are designed to do. It should be cause for celebration, not shame!
This is supposed to be a sacred, beautiful time in a girl’s life. But it seems as though it’s getting more difficult to explain and express how beautiful and sacred our precious girls are. If you have a (grand)daughter, sister, niece, aunt, or friend who needs to be reminded of just how intricately and wonderfully designed she is, take the time to remind them of how beautiful they are.
When these conversations happen, be sure to listen to her. That will tell you a lot about what’s going on inside.
Also, it’s a great excuse to eat some dark chocolate.
Sources:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2819141
https://www.healthline.com/healthy/what-is-menarche
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.119.012406
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33820799/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7386450/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1570677X18302429
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2819142
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6603611/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4325672/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10426011/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6720214/
Is it ADHD or are we expecting too much from young children?
A recent study has found that there is a “relative age effect” (RAE) on the diagnosis and prescription of medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. The relative age effect refers to the impact of a child’s age relative to their peers within the same school year. In many educational systems, children born in the same year are grouped together in the same grade, resulting in potential age differences within the same class.
ADHD is characterized by difficulties with attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The diagnosis and treatment of ADHD have been the subject of ongoing research and debate, particularly in relation to the relative age of children within their school year.
The study found that teachers tend to attribute signs of immaturity in children to ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The results show that the youngest students in a class, who have birth dates close to the school entry cut-off date, are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD or given medication for it.
For this systematic review and meta-analysis, two separate searches were conducted to investigate the effect of relative age within a school year on symptoms, diagnosis, or medication for ADHD or ASD in participants up to 18 years of age. All observational studies were included, regardless of the dates conducted, if they reported on these measures in relation to the participants’ age within a school year, including their month of birth.
In the analysis of 32 studies, younger relative age was linked to higher rates of ADHD diagnosis and medication prescription. Younger children were about 38% more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and 20% more likely to be prescribed medication compared to their peers. This trend was consistent across most studies, except for a few conducted in Denmark and Scotland.
The other two studies investigating Autism Spectrum Disorders found that children who were the youngest in their school year increased the likelihood of being diagnosed with ASD. One study also showed a significant drop in diagnosis rates from a high amonst students with a birthday in August (just before the cutoff) to September (just after the cutoff).
There are several potential explanations for this relative age effect. One theory is that younger children in the same grade may exhibit behaviors that are developmentally appropriate for their age but are mistakenly interpreted as symptoms of ADHD. Likewise, younger children may face challenges in meeting academic and behavioral expectations compared to their older classmates, leading to a higher likelihood of being referred for ADHD evaluation.
It’s important to note that the study’s findings do not imply that all, or even most ADHD diagnoses and medication prescriptions are unwarranted. ADHD is a legitimate neurodevelopmental disorder that can have significant impacts on a child’s academic performance, social interactions, and overall well-being. However, the study underscores the need for careful consideration of age-related factors when evaluating and treating children for ADHD.
Senior author Kapil Sayal, MSc, PhD, professor, School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, said in a news release, “This review shows that adults involved in identifying or raising concerns over a child’s behavior—such as parents and teachers—may be inadvertently misattributing relative immaturity as symptoms of ADHD. The child’s age in relation to their classmates—their ‘relative’ age—needs to [be] considered when making this kind of diagnosis.”
The authors warn that the analysis has limitations, including potential overlaps in study populations, wide variability in assessment tools used in ADHD studies, potential publication bias, and lack of information on teacher training and experience in identifying ADHD symptoms and how long teachers have known the students.
Teachers are crucial in identifying ADHD symptoms in children. Research shows they may be more likely to identify ADHD symptoms in younger students compared to older ones. Lead study author Eleni Frisira, MBBS, from the University of Nottingham’s School of Medicine, hopes the study serves to underscore the importance of considering a child’s relative age in the classroom when ADHD is being considered.
The researchers’ findings begin to shed light on the complex connection between relative age and ADHD diagnosis and treatment in children. Hopefully, continued research and awareness in this area can contribute to more clarity in accurately identifying actual symptoms of ADHD in children, ensuring that those who genuinely require support receive timely and appropriate interventions.
Sources:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-what-you-need-to-know
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_age_effect
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00787-024-02459-x
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/autism/what-is-autism-spectrum-disorder
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1047361
What is it good intentions pave the way to?
A U.S. government report that will likely incite serious debate has concluded that fluoride over double the recommended limit in drinking water is linked to lower IQ in children.
The report, based on an analysis of previously published research, has concluded with “moderate confidence” that higher levels of fluoride exposure are linked to lower IQ in children. The report acknowledges a potential neurological risk from high fluoride levels even though it wasn’t explicitly intended to assess the health effects of fluoride in drinking water alone.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fluoride, a mineral that occurs naturally in water and soil, strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost over time. Scientists found that people with higher natural fluoride in their water had fewer cavities, leading to a push for more Americans to use fluoride for better dental health. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Ashley Malin, a University of Florida researcher who has studied the effect of higher fluoride levels in pregnant women on their children, said,
“I think this (report) is crucial in our understanding” of this risk.” She proclaimed it to be the most rigorously conducted report of its kind.
The much-anticipated report from the National Toxicology Program, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, summarizes a review of studies conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Mexico. The report concludes that drinking water containing more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter is consistently associated with lower IQs in kids.
The report didn’t attempt to specify the exact number of IQ points that might be lost at various levels of fluoride exposure. However, some studies reviewed in the report indicated that IQ was 2 to 5 points lower in children with higher exposures.
In 2015, federal health officials lowered the recommended fluoridation level in water to 0.7 milligrams per liter from the previous 1.2 milligrams per liter. The World Health Organization considers 1.5 milligrams per liter as the safe limit for fluoride in drinking water. A report shows that around 0.6% of the U.S. population, approximately 1.9 million people, are served by water systems with naturally occurring fluoride levels of 1.5 milligrams per liter or higher.
The Environmental Protection Agency has a long-standing requirement that water systems contain no more than 4 milligrams of fluoride per liter. This standard aims to prevent skeletal fluorosis, a disorder that can cause weaker bones, stiffness, and pain.
Malin said that the report raises questions about how to protect people and what makes the most sense. The 324-page report didn’t reach a definitive conclusion about the risks of lower levels of fluoride, stating that more study is needed. It also did not address what high fluoride levels might do to adults.
The American Dental Association, which supports water fluoridation, criticized earlier versions of the new analysis and Malin’s research. A spokeswoman stated that the organization’s experts were still reviewing the report.
A growing body of research indicates a potential link between elevated fluoride levels and brain development. Researchers are particularly concerned about the effects on developing fetuses and young children who consume water mixed with baby formula. Animal studies have shown that fluoride may affect neurochemistry and cell function in brain areas associated with learning, memory, executive function, and behavior.
In 2006, the National Research Council found limited evidence from China suggesting neurological effects in people exposed to high fluoride levels, prompting a call for more research.
Subsequent research prompted the National Toxicology Program to begin reviewing existing studies in 2016 to determine whether new fluoride-limiting measures were necessary.
“Since fluoride is such an important topic to the public and to public health officials, it was imperative that we made every effort to get the science right,” said Rick Woychik, director of the National Toxicology Program, in a statement.
Malin suggested that pregnant women reduce their fluoride intake from water and certain types of tea. She also proposed policy discussions about mandating fluoride content on beverage labels.
If you’re curious about how much and what kind of fluoride your state puts in its water, this site has details.
Sources:
https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/whatwestudy/assessments/noncancer/completed/fluoride
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2818858
https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/prevention/about-fluoride.html
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2019-03/documents/fluoride-risk-assess-factsheet.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6704756/#
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8700808/
https://fluoridealert.org/researchers/states/
We’ve been saying it for years!
And finally, Congress is listening… maybe.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) hosted a Congressional “roundtable” discussion with a dozen doctors and other experts from the health & wellness world. Max Lugavere, Dr. Casey Means, Dr. Marty Makary among them.
But it was Jillian Michaels, best known for her role as a tough-love trainer on “The Biggest Loser,” that received a standing ovation after delivering her passionate speech about the epidemic of chronic diseases linked to obesity impacting multiple generations of Americans.
In her speech, she brazenly called out the companies behind ultra-processed foods (UPFs) for promoting harmful products that have spawned a tidal wave of long-lasting devastating health effects, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, cancer, particularly breast and colorectal, digestive issues, and cognitive decline.
In 2020, approximately 71.5 million Americans, 50 and older, had at least one chronic disease. By 2050, this number is projected to nearly double, increasing by more than 99% to reach 143 million.
Currently, more than 42% of Americans are obese.
“If this current trend is allowed to persist, the stakes will be untenable. We are in the middle of an extinction-level event,” Michaels sternly warns.
She believes the epidemic stems from the combination of Big Pharma, Big Food giants, and industrial agriculture, which use pesticides, herbicides, preservatives, and additives. Michaels argues that these entities have betrayed public trust by promoting products that have perpetually fueled the obesity epidemic.
“It seemed unthinkable to question whether a corporation would poison us for profit [and] it was this betrayal of trust that allowed them to insidiously infiltrate every part of our lives. These monster corporations have mastered the art of distorting the research, influencing the policy, buying the narrative, engineering the environment, and manipulating consumer behavior.”
UPFs undergo multiple stages of processing, adding synthetic ingredients with little nutritional benefit. According to a report in the British Medical Journal, consuming large amounts of highly processed food can increase the risk of developing heart disease by 50%. The research also suggests that eating UPFs raises the risk of obesity by 55%, sleep disorders by 41%, type 2 diabetes by 40%, and depression by 20%.
If that’s not enough, people who ate a diet of primarily UPFs were 9% more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases like dementia, Parkinson’s, ALS, and Huntington’s disease. A different study in the BMJ found that people who ate a diet of mostly UPFs had an overall 4% higher risk of death for any reason, at all times.
But that’s not all! UPFs can also disrupt the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. Changes to the microbiome can promote inflammation, spur tumor growth, hinder carcinogen clearance, and impair the immune system’s ability to fight cancer cells.
Michaels stressed the importance of making lifestyle changes, including regular exercise and healthy eating, to combat the growing epidemic.
She also called for greater awareness and education about the impact of diet and physical activity on overall health, urging people to prioritize preventive measures to reduce their risk of chronic diseases.
She ardently cautioned, “While I have been fortunate enough to pull many back from the edge, over the course of my 30-year career, I have lost just as many, if not more than I have saved. I have watched them slip through my fingers, mothers that orphaned their children, husbands that widowed their wives. I have even watched parents forced to suffer the unthinkable loss of their adult children.”
“They were literally sacrificed at the altar of unchecked corporate greed.”
The entire 4-hour roundtable is available here.
While actual congressional action is unlikely anytime soon, individual action can happen NOW. Take steps today to move more and replace UPFs with whole, single ingredient foods like poultry, fish, fruits and vegetables. It’s not an easy change, but we owe it to the people who love us to take steps to improve our health, one day at a time. We want you to live better, longer.
Sources:
https://rumble.com/v5g8w5x-jillian-michaels-talks-about-americas-chronic-disease-epidemic-and-its-an-e.html
https://askjoedimatteo.com/garbage-in/
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/28/ultra-processed-food-32-harmful-effects-health-review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9881650/
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm
https://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/big_pharmas_business_model_report.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5296687/
https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310
https://www.bmj.com/content/385/bmj-2023-078476
No doubt, you’ve heard of the Mediterranean and DASH diets and their incredible benefits. They get mentioned regularly on Generation Health & Joe talked about them for years on Ask the Pharmacist. That got researchers curious what would happen if they were combined into a hybrid they’re calling the MIND diet.
Prepare to meet your brain’s new best friend.
No, the MIND diet isn’t just another fad. It’s a meticulously fashioned mash-up of the two well-known eating plans. “MIND” stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.
The basics will sound familiar. For starters, you can eat a gorgeous array of leafy greens like spinach and kale, colorful vegetables, whole grains, and a serving of fish or poultry. Then add a handful of nuts, a sprinkle of berries, and a drizzle of olive oil, and you’ve got the makings of a pretty tasty menu.
The diet focuses on consuming brain-boosting foods while restricting less beneficial ones. It should go without saying at this point that it stresses reducing red meat, fast food, fried food, pastries, and sweets. And for those who enjoy alcoholic drinks… Good news! A glass of wine each day is AOK.
For more clarity on the eating plans, you can read this article comparing the differences between MIND, DASH, and Mediterranean diets.
Dr. Russell P. Sawyer and his team from the University of Cincinnati conducted a study published in Neurology to determine if the MIND diet could impact cognitive health. Their study followed 14,145 people, with an average age of 64, over 10 years. The participants were diverse, with 70% White and 30% Black. Dr. Sawyer stated in a media release that they were particularly interested in understanding how diet might influence the risk of cognitive impairment in both Black and White participants.
Participants completed questionnaires about their eating habits over the past year. The researchers then evaluated each individual’s diet based on its alignment with the MIND diet recommendations. Participants were then categorized into three groups based on their adherence to the diet: low, moderate, and high.
After a decade of follow-up, the results were compelling: Among the 4,456 individuals in the low adherence group, 12% developed cognitive impairment. In the middle group of 5,602 individuals, the rate slightly decreased to 11%. However, the group of 4,086 people with high adherence showed the most promise, with only 10% developing cognitive issues.
After considering other factors such as age, high blood pressure, and diabetes, the researchers discovered that people who closely adhered to the MIND diet had a 4% lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who followed it the least.
Curiously, the study found that women following the MIND diet had a 6% lower risk of cognitive impairment, while men didn’t benefit as much. Adhering to the diet also led to a slower decline in thinking skills, especially in Black participants.
Dr. Sawyer noted: “These findings warrant further study, especially to examine these varying impacts among men and women and Black and white people, but it’s exciting to consider that people could make some simple changes to their diet and potentially reduce or delay their risk of cognitive issues,”While the study clearly links the MIND diet to a reduced risk of cognitive decline, it’s important to note that it doesn’t prove the diet prevents cognitive impairment. Like all scientific studies, this one has limitations, such as focusing only on older Black and White individuals, so the results may not apply to all groups. However, due to the alarming increase in the number of people affected by dementia, making simple dietary changes could be a practical way to support brain health as we age!
Sources:
https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/mind-diet
https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209817
https://seniorservicesmadison.com/healthy-eating-ideas/differences-between-the-mind-mediterranean-and-dash-diet-plans/
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/cognitive-impairment
https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/newsroom/news-releases/lancet-public-health-global-dementia-cases-set-triple-2050
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to healthcare, including cancer diagnosis and treatment. One concerning trend is the lower-than-expected cancer diagnosis rates attributed to the pandemic’s impact on healthcare systems and patient behavior. A recent US population-based cross-sectional study revealed that cancer diagnosis rates improved in 2021 after significant disruptions caused by the pandemic. However, the rates have remained lower than expected, resulting in an increased deficit of diagnosed cases. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A previous study by the same research team found that the incidence of all-site cancers in the US was significantly lower than expected from March through December 2020.
You would think all this is good news, but a little deeper analysis will prove otherwise.
The pandemic has led to widespread postponement and cancellation of routine cancer screenings, as well as a decrease in patient visits to healthcare facilities for symptoms that may warrant further investigation. As a result, many individuals with undiagnosed or early-stage cancer may not have had the opportunity for timely detection and intervention.
The investigators found 134,395 potentially undiagnosed cancer cases, indicating a significant unmet need. There were notable variations in cancer diagnosis rates across different cancer stages, specific cancer sites, and population subgroups. It is unclear whether cancer rates have recovered since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study included 1,678,697 reported cancer cases from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 22 (SEER-22) Registries Database. Their final model estimated that the incidence of cancer in all sites was 9.4% lower than expected in 2020 and 2.7% lower in 2021, resulting in a substantial overall reduction of 6.0% across both years.
Regarding missed cases, the investigators found that this decrease in diagnoses resulted in 149,577 potentially undiagnosed cases during the first 2 years of the coronavirus pandemic, with 33,226 undiagnosed cases in 2021 alone.
Diagnosis rates by stage were estimated to be significantly lower than expected for both early—and late-stage disease in 2020. However, early-stage diagnoses had significantly lower rates than late-stage ones. In 2021, there was no serious disruption to either early—or late-stage cancer diagnoses.
In 2021, cancer incidence across all sites had returned to pre-pandemic levels for females, people under 65 years old, and non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islanders. However, it remained significantly lower for males, people 65 and older, Hispanics, as well as non-Hispanic Black and White people.
The drop in cancer diagnosis rates in 2020 was partly due to fears of COVID-19, which was particularly prevalent among women and the younger generations. With the availability of COVID-19 vaccines in the US in 2021, there was a significant increase in cancer diagnosis rates, especially among young women. Researchers emphasized the need for increased investment in nationwide cancer surveillance to improve the speed, quality, and consistency of cancer data.
This delay in cancer diagnoses could have far-reaching implications for those affected, as early detection is crucial for favorable treatment outcomes and survival rates. Healthcare providers need to address the challenges posed by the pandemic.
The investigators concluded by cautioning: “Particular attention should be directed at strategies to immediately increase cancer screenings to make up lost ground and prevent a future surplus of late-stage diagnoses.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Source:
https://jamanetwork.com/searchresults
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22607-cancer-stages-grades-system
https://seer.cancer.gov/registries/terms.html
Our worldwide community is facing an alarming “hidden hunger” that affects more than two-thirds of people, resulting in deficiencies in crucial nutrients and potentially causing severe health problems. Researchers have uncovered a troubling truth about global malnutrition: billions of people are not getting enough of several essential vitamins and minerals in their diets.
The study, published in The Lancet Global Health, offers the first extensive global estimates of inadequate micronutrient consumption. Micronutrients, which include vitamins and minerals, are essential for proper bodily functions, immune system health, and overall well-being. Even minor deficiencies can significantly impact health, productivity, and quality of life.
Experts from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of California-Santa Barbara evaluated dietary data from 185 countries, covering 99.3% of the global population. What they found was shocking!
- Over 5 billion people don’t get enough iodine, vitamin E, or calcium in their diets.
- Almost 5 billion people have inadequate ironintake.
- More than 4 billion people lack sufficient levels of riboflavin, folate, and vitamin C.
Iron deficiency, the most common cause of anemia, is particularly concerning as it can lead to fatigue, weakness, and impaired cognitive function.
“These results are alarming,” says Ty Beal, senior technical specialist at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, in a media release. “Most people—even more than previously thought, across all regions and countries of all incomes—are not consuming enough of multiple essential micronutrients. These gaps compromise health outcomes and limit human potential on a global scale.”
The study found fascinating patterns in nutrient deficiencies between men and women. Women had higher rates of inadequate intake of iodine, vitamin B12, iron, and selenium. Men, however, were more likely to lack magnesium, vitamin B6, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamin, and niacin.
These deficiencies can have wide-ranging consequences. Iodine is vital for thyroid function and brain development, especially for babies in utero and young children. Vitamin E functions as an antioxidant, safeguarding cells from damage. Calcium is crucial for strong bones and teeth, while iron is necessary for producing hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen throughout the body.
The researchers hope to raise awareness among policymakers, health organizations, and individuals about addressing nutritional gaps. The authors stress that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach won’t work and call for customized strategies. They emphasized the need for custom-tailored interventions targeting specific populations and regions. Enriching staple foods, promoting diverse diets, and recommending supplements could be potential solutions.
We may not be able to solve the global micronutrient problems, but we can help you. Start with our aptly named Daily Essentials. From there, getting a simple micronutrient blood panel test can identify areas that need more attention. Whatever you’re missing, we probably have a specialized product to help!
And don’t forget: If you want to translate all of those numbers into actions, Joyce Gibb (MS, CRNP) can help! Just call our office (412) 826-9500 and ask for Terri!
Sources:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(24)00276-6/fulltext
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/micronutrients-have-major-impact-on-health
https://www.healthline.com/health/iodine-uses
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-e/art-20364144
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248958
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287228
https://www.verywellhealth.com/riboflavin-benefits-deficiency-and-more-7508278
https://www.healthline.com/health/folate-deficiency
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anemia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351366
COVID has been upgraded — or downgraded — depending on how you look at it.
After more than four years since SARS-CoV-2 caused a savage global pandemic, U.S. health officials now consider COVID-19 to be an endemic disease.
Aaron Hall, deputy director for science at the CDC’s coronavirus and other respiratory viruses division, has said, “At this point, COVID-19 can be described as endemic throughout the world.”
That means that COVID is here to stay in seemingly predictable ways.
The classification doesn’t alter any official recommendations or guidelines for how people should respond to the virus. It does, however, recognize that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID, will continue to spread and cause illness indefinitely.
“It is still a very significant problem, but one that can now be managed against the backdrop of many public health threats and not as sort of a singular pandemic threat,” Hall says. “And so how we approach COVID-19 is very similar to how we approach other endemic diseases.”
Since the global outbreak of the coronavirus, officials have been referring to COVID as a “pandemic,” which occurs when a new infectious disease spreads widely across different countries.
“Endemic” generally refers to a disease that’s become deeply established in a place, like the flu, forcing people to learn how to live with it. In the case of COVID, this means that the virus will likely continue to circulate in the population, causing periodic outbreaks, but at a more manageable level than during a pandemic.
Still, despite the virus spreading widely, daily life has returned to normal for most people, even during this summer’s wave of infections. It is becoming a normal part of life.
Not everyone agrees with this assessment, though. Some epidemiologists believe that COVID may be on the path to becoming endemic, but they caution that the virus is still too unpredictable to reach a definitive conclusion. For instance, the surge of cases this summer started surprisingly early and turned out to be significantly larger than anticipated.
The latest data from the CDC shows high or very high levels of the virus in wastewater in almost every state.
“There’s still a lot of unpredictability with this virus,” says Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist who writes the well-known newsletter Your Local Epidemiologist. “And a lot of scientists, including myself, think it’s going to take at least a decade for SARS-CoV2 to really find this really predictable pattern. I hope that, over time, that it will fade into the background. But we’re just not there yet.”
Hall and Jha agree that COVID remains somewhat unpredictable but argue it’s become predictable enough to be considered endemic.
“The best way to describe COVID right now is as endemic but with these periodic epidemics,” Hall says. “And those epidemics can vary in terms of their timing and magnitude. And that’s exactly why ongoing vigilance and surveillance is critical.”
William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, warns that whether COVID is endemic or not, it will remain a significant problem.
“Endemic doesn’t necessarily mean good,” he admonishes.
He argues that tuberculosis and malaria are endemic in some parts of the world, and “neither of those are good things.”
The virus is still claiming the lives of hundreds of people every week, especially older individuals and those with underlying health conditions. According to a new CDC report, COVID-19 is no longer the third-leading cause of death, but it still holds the rank of the 10th top cause of death. The report projects that COVID-19 will continue to cause close to 50,000 deaths annually.
It’s crucial to continue monitoring the virus’s spread and evolution, especially to detect the emergence of any new, more dangerous variants.
All of this is to say, unfortunately, COVID isn’t going anywhere.
Sources:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/covid-endemic-bill-hanage/
https://www.lung.org/blog/epidemic-pandemic-endemic-covid
https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-currentlevels.html
https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2024.15563
Dementia is a savage syndrome characterized by progressive brain decline, resulting in memory loss, behavioral changes, and mobility issues. While it is true that the risk of dementia increases as we age, it is not the only factor linked to the condition. In truth, about 40% of dementia cases could be prevented through specific lifestyle changes, like quitting smoking and lowering cholesterol levels.
And reducing the amount of time in front of the telly.
Researchers have recently found that the amount of TV a person watches may impact their risk of developing dementia. A study of over 400,000 people in the UK found that individuals who watched more than five hours of TV daily had a 44% higher risk of developing the condition.
The study also concluded that watching TV for more than five hours a day not only increases the risk of getting dementia but Parkinson’s disease and suffering a stroke as well.
In the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, researchers from Tianjin Medical University in China investigated the connection between recreational screen time and brain health in middle-aged and older adults.
Researchers examined data on 407,792 people between the ages of 37 to 73. Among them, 40,000 had a brain scan. Over 13 years, 5,227 developed dementia, 6,822 experienced a stroke, and 2,308 were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
About 61% of participants reported spending between one and four hours on screens daily. The average time spent watching TV was 2.7 hours, with an average of 1.1 hours spent on recreational computer use.
According to the study, participants who watched TV for three to five hours a day had a 15% higher risk of developing dementia than those who watched one hour or less. Those who watched the tube for more than five hours a day were at a 44% higher risk of developing dementia, 12% higher risk of suffering a stroke, and 28% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, the researchers report.
Interestingly, this was not the case for computer screen time, as no associated risks were found with this type of screen use. In fact, computer use is linked to more “mentally challenging behaviour.” On the other hand, participants who watched more than five hours of television experienced reduced amounts of grey matter and smaller memory centers in their brains, both of which are connected to brain diseases.
It’s not completely clear why watching a lot of TV is connected to these effects on the brain. One theory is that TV viewing is associated with sedentary behavior. Low levels of muscle activity, circulation, and reduced energy output have been linked to chronic inflammation and decreased blood flow to the brain. Therefore, it could be that spending a long time sitting and not moving is the cause, rather than TV viewing itself.
One thing the research has made clear: limiting daily TV viewing to three hours is most beneficial for brain health.
So turn off the talking heads on the news channels and do something that challenges your mind and body. Your brain and older adult self will thank you for it.
Sources:
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-and-dementia/what-dementia-symptoms-types-and-diagnosis
https://www.thelancet.com/infographics-do/dementia-risk
https://www.jamda.com/
The new school year has started, and with it may come new anxieties, fears, concerns, and expectations for your kiddo. It can be overwhelming for everyone. But it doesn’t have to be.
To help families ease the transition, NPR’s Life Kit asked teachers, pediatricians, and child development experts for their best back-to-school advice. We’ve added some of our tips as well.
*Remind kids that almost everyone feels a little nervous on the first day (weeks) of school.
Naming and describing an emotion and letting children know you understand how they feel can help them feel more in control over their feelings instead of feeling overwhelmed by them. —Leah Orchinik, pediatric psychologist, Nemours Children’s Health
Help them understand what to expect. As Daniel Tiger sings, “When we do something new, let’s talk about what we’ll do.”Remind them that “grown-ups come back”[at the end of the school day]— and they can share their new experiences at school with their loved ones. –Mallory Mbalia*, director of learning and education at Fred Rogers Productions, producer of the TV show Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.
Talk to your child about how they might handle challenging situations, even if they are not likely to happen. For example, if your son is worried about getting lost in a new school, help him problem-solve by creating a plan about what he would do if that did happen so he feels more prepared and confident. —Leah Orchinik, pediatric psychologist, Nemours Children’s Health*
Make up a special goodbye ritual together. Morning goodbyes can be challenging. But you can create daily memories your child will cherish for years to come. Say, “See you later, alligator! In a while, crocodile!” and do a special handshake or enjoy an extra-long hug. You can also kiss your child’s palm and then hold each other’s hands tightly to “seal it in.” Tell your child to remember they’ll carry your kiss with them all day long, and they can do the same for you! —Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president of U.S. social impact, Sesame Workshop*
Discuss family or classroom conflicts with your child. Have a daily conversation topic such as, “What’s been a good or hard part about your day?” or “What rules do we need to help everyone feel loved and respected?” Then, have a weekly discussion to keep things on track and make kids part of problem-solving. —Thomas Lickona*, author of How to Raise Kind Kids
Pour positive words of affirmation into your children on a daily basis. For example, “I love you. I’m proud of you. It’s going to be a great day. It’s OK to make mistakes.” Parents can leave notes inside their children’s lunch boxes. Or I’ve had parents ask me to write a sticky note on their child’s desk for them. These messages allow a kid to feel powerful and confident throughout the day. —Jarod Renford,* first-grade teacher in Washington, D.C.
Fill their connection cup before and after school. Even if you’re tired in the morning, set that alarm for 15 minutes earlier to have a snuggle session with your child. Read a book together. Have breakfast together. When you pick them up from school, be aware they will need another connection cup top-up. Sometimes, they will present with this after-school meltdown because they’re so depleted. —Vanessa Lapointe, author of Discipline Without Damage*
*Let them have a snack and a nap. The first few days and weeks back can be exhausting. If at all possible, when they get home from a grueling day, let them relax a bit before they dive into homework or extracurriculars. Meltdowns can usually be avoided with a strategically timed snack and nap. This goes for the big-kid teenagers, too. The whole house will thank you for it.
To learn what works best, read this article on Life Kit. It offers wisdom straight from the students themselves.
And, one of the most significant and vital things you can do is…
Pray with your child*** before they leave, get on the bus, or get out of the car. It doesn’t matter if they’re a little one or a baby adult. When parents (or grandparents/caregivers) pray for them, kids feel seen and loved — not just by you, but by The God of the Universe, the One who designed them and created them to be unequivocally unique. Prayer is a powerful weapon to break the effects of fear and anxiety. It will calm nerves and call out destiny. If prayer can move mountains and calm the raging seas, just think of what it can do for your child’s body, mind, and spirit.
If you don’t do anything else from this list, make sure you pray. It’s the most effective, influential, intense, and intimate way to communicate to your child that you love them and will go to battle for them. Add to that the promise that God, their Creator, will never leave or forsake them (Deut 31:6,8; Heb 13:5), and you have set them up to move forward in love and confidence.
Whether your kids are heading to kindergarten or the final year of their school career, they need us to be their advocates. They still depend on us. And we can all take away that snacks, naps, and prayer can save the day!
Sources:
https://blog.nemours.org/author/leahorchinik/
https://www.fredrogers.org/2022/10/25/frp-names-mallory-mbalia-director-of-learning-and-education/
https://sesameworkshop.org/about-us/leadership/jeanette-betancourt-ed-d/
https://drvanessalapointe.com/
https://www.thomaslickona.com/bio
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6335868/
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/18/g-s1-17336/back-to-school-students-education-elementary
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/17/health/benefits-of-prayer-wellness/index.html
Stick out your tongue and say, “AHHH.”
Now, take a picture of it…with your computer camera.
No, we’re not joking.
Your tongue could be key to early disease detection. An AI program can identify ailments from tongue scans with nearly 97% accuracy.
Researchers from Australia and Iraq have developed a cutting-edge system that can diagnose diseases simply by examining the tongue. This innovative approach combines artificial intelligence with traditional Chinese medicine and can potentially transform how we identify illnesses.
For more than two thousand years, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have been using patients’ tongues to gain insight into their overall health. The tongue’s color, texture, and coating can provide valuable information about the body’s internal condition. A team led by Ali Al-Naji, an adjunct associate professor from Middle Technical University and the University of South Australia, has modernized this ancient practice. They have developed a system that employs machine learning algorithms to analyze tongue images and accurately predict potential health issues.
The system, outlined in a recent paper published in the journal Technologies, combines a simple webcam with sophisticated image processing and artificial intelligence to examine tongue characteristics in real-time.
Think about it.
Imagine you’re not feeling well and trying to figure out if you should go see a doctor. Instead of making an appointment or going to urgent care, you could sit in front of your computer, stick out your tongue, and let the AI do its thing. The system captures an image of the tongue, processes it using various color models, and then compares it to a vast database of tongue images associated with different health conditions.
In a matter of seconds, the system can inform you if your tongue appears healthy or if it shows indications of potential issues, such as diabetes, respiratory problems, or even early stages of certain cancers. It is not intended to substitute a proper medical diagnosis, but it could serve as an early warning system, prompting you to seek professional medical attention when needed.
The researchers trained the system using over 5,000 tongue images, categorizing them into seven different colors: red, yellow, green, blue, gray, white, and pink (the color of a healthy tongue). Each color can indicate various health conditions. For instance, a yellow tongue might suggest diabetes or liver issues, while a purple tongue could be a sign of poor circulation or even certain types of cancer.
Ali Al-Naji says in a statement, “The color, shape, and thickness of the tongue can reveal a litany of health conditions,” Ali Al-Naji says in a statement. “Typically, people with diabetes have a yellow tongue; cancer patients a purple tongue with a thick greasy coating; and acute stroke patients present with an unusually shaped red tongue. A white tongue can indicate anemia; people with severe cases of COVID-19 are likely to have a deep red tongue; and an indigo or violet colored tongue indicates vascular and gastrointestinal issues or asthma.”
The system surpasses previous computerized tongue diagnosis attempts because it can adapt to different lighting conditions. Just like lighting can affect how colors appear in photos, it can also impact tongue images. The team trained their algorithms using images taken under various light intensities, creating a system that can accurately evaluate tongue color regardless of ambient lighting.
The researchers tested various machine learning algorithms to determine the most accurate method for classifying tongue colors. The winning technique was Extreme Gradient Boost (XGBoost), which achieved an impressive 98.71% accuracy in identifying tongue colors.
The team conducted a real-world test of their system in hospital settings, examining 60 patients with different conditions at two hospitals in Iraq. The results were impressive: The system correctly diagnosed 58 out of 60 cases, resulting in a real-world accuracy rate of 96.6%.
Of course, as with any new technology, there are limitations and ethical considerations to keep in mind. The researchers emphasized that their system is not meant to replace trained medical professionals. Instead, it is designed to complement them for early detection and monitoring of health issues.
However, the system requires capturing and storing images of people’s tongues, which may be considered sensitive medical information, so it’s crucial to protect and use this data ethically. Despite these concerns, the AI-powered tongue diagnosis system offers enormous potential benefits by combining ancient medical practices with modern technology for quick, non-invasive disease detection.
In the never-ending quest to make healthcare more efficient and accessible, machine learning and AI are an inevitable factor. It’s exciting to see such useful tools coming out so quickly!
Sources:
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7080/12/7/97
https://www.who.int/health-topics/chronic-respiratory-diseases#tab=tab_1
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/7104-diabetes
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-problems/symptoms-causes/syc-20374502
https://www.healthline.com/health/poor-circulation-symptoms-causes
https://www.ibm.com/topics/machine-learning-algorithms
This is alarming news for the over 100 million women who use tampons during their menstrual cycle:
Toxic metals have been found in tampons.
Tampons have generally been considered safe and healthy products. Granted, women who use tampons may be at higher risk for toxic shock syndrome if they are used incorrectly or left in for too long. But, in a recent study, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, analyzed 30 tampons from 14 different brands purchased from stores in New York, Athens, and London and two online retailers between September 2022 and March 2023.
They found “measurable concentrations” of all 16 metals they were testing for, including toxic ones such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium, in at least one sample. Lead, for which there is no “safe” level of exposure, was found in every sample, according to the study.
Although the study does not disclose the brands they tested, they included major and own-brand products, with a small number of organic ones. Each tampon was tested twice to create 60 samples.
Harmful metals found that exist in the soil will often grow into all kinds of products. Heavy metals can enter tampons through various means including through the cotton used in them. The cotton plant can absorb contaminated water, air, or soil… but it’s also possible that manufacturers may intentionally add them as a pigment, the authors say.
As many as 86% of menstrual-age women in the US use tampons every month. While the authors cautioned this could lead to absorption of these harmful substances through their vaginas, they also emphasized the need for further studies to determine whether these metals can actually leach out of tampons and become bioaccessible.
Shocking… But don’t panic yet.
Dr. Andrea Love, a microbiologist and immunologist, is pushing back as she highlighted the study’s limitations online, stating, “If they didn’t determine what would realistically leach out of tampons during real-world use, they certainly can’t make any statements related to potential absorption of those compounds.”
She also claimed that the sample size was “not robust” and “does not represent the millions of tampons on the market.” Dr. Love did say, however, that, “Ideally, we want no arsenic, cadmium, or lead, but the reality is that they’re in the soil and will ultimately creep into all kinds of products. This is one reason we need regulation: so people can understand their cumulative risks.”
Jenni Shearston, the study’s lead author, said, “Despite this large potential for public health concern, very little research has been done to measure chemicals in tampons…To our knowledge, this is the first paper to measure metals in tampons.”
She goes on to say, “I really hope that manufacturers are required to test their products for metals, especially for toxic metals. It would be exciting to see the public call for this, or to ask for better labeling on tampons and other menstrual products.”
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in a statement to NPR that it is reviewing the recent study. The statement mentioned that while the study indicated the presence of certain metals in the tested tampons, it did not evaluate whether these metals were released from the tampons when used. Furthermore, it did not address whether any released metal can be absorbed into the vaginal lining or the bloodstream. The FDA intends to closely evaluate the study and take “any action warranted” to ensure the health and safety of consumers who use these products.
Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024004355?via%3Dihub
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/toxic-shock-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20355384
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic#
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/cadmium/Clinical-Assessment.html
https://www.immunologic.org/mediaquotes/a-new-study-found-toxic-metals-in-tampons-but-the-truth-is-more-complicated
https://www.npr.org/2024/07/11/nx-s1-5036484/tampons-heavy-metals-study
At least 50 million Americans will go to the beach this summer. A growing number of them are becoming concerned about the safety and effectiveness of the sunscreens they are using… And they have valid reasons to be worried!
Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the country, and protecting against sun damage is crucial for reducing the risk. But how do we know that the SPF 5,000 we’re using is actually doing it’s job?
Sunscreens should offer broad-spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays are often associated with skin cancer and aging, while UVB exposure causes sunburns. Despite being labeled ‘broad spectrum,’ some American sunscreens have failed to meet the higher UVA-blocking standards of the European Union, as some studies have shown. Europe has more approved active sunscreen ingredients than the US.
That’s right. European sunscreen is higher-tech than American. But how is that possible? Old laws, of course!
A 1938 law restricts the FDA’s ability to approve such ingredients. The law requires sunscreens to be tested on animals and classified as drugs rather than cosmetics, as in most of the world.
Sunscreen manufacturers argue that the approval standards in the US are unfair. They stress that companies such as BASF Corp. and L’Oréal, which produce newer sunscreen chemicals, have already submitted safety data on these chemicals to the European Union authorities around 20 years ago.
Steven Goldberg, retired vice president of BASF, has pointed out that companies are cautious about the FDA process because of its cost and the possibility of requiring additional animal testing. This concern could potentially result in a consumer backlash in the European Union, where animal testing of cosmetics, including sunscreen, is prohibited.
The companies are urging Congress to modify the testing requirements before entering the US market.
Due to superior testing methods, sunscreens in Europe and parts of Asia currently provide better protection from UVA radiation than those in the US. Newer sunscreen ingredients available elsewhere, such as bemotrizinol, bisoctrizole, DHHB, and octyl triazine, are considered more efficient at absorbing UV rays and less likely to penetrate the skin or cause allergic reactions than US-approved ones.
According to Henry Lim, a dermatologist at Henry Ford Health in Detroit and former president of the American Academy of Dermatology, it is safe to continue using FDA-approved organic and mineral sunscreens based on the available data. However, new FDA research shows that some active sunscreen ingredients are absorbed into the bloodstream, sparking controversy over whether or not they are harmful.
American sunscreens are beginning to catch up, but the FDA has not yet approved newer sunscreen ingredients, except for bemotrizinol, which is currently being evaluated. The FDA has requested data for bemotrizinol from a manufacturer, but its status remains undisclosed. Data has yet to be submitted for the evaluation of other active sunscreen ingredients.
The FDA has not approved a new UV filter for sunscreen in over 20 years, but the US Food and Drug Administration has proposed changes to sunscreen regulations.
So, we wait and see. In the meantime, do what you know to do to keep yourself safe and protected from the sun’s harmful (UVA and UVB) rays while soaking up the life and mood-boosting rays we so desperately need these days.
Sources:
https://pressroom.cancer.org/releases?item=1321
https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/sun-protection/shade-clothing-sunscreen/understand-sunscreen-labels
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36442641/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019096221730035X
https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/changes-science-law-and-regulatory-authorities/part-ii-1938-food-drug-cosmetic-act#
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/08/01/sunscreen-chemicals-safety/
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Bemotrizinol
https://incidecoder.com/ingredients/bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol-methoxyphenyl-triazine
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/cder-conversations/update-sunscreen-requirements-deemed-final-order-and-proposed-order
You’ve undoubtedly heard the sad news by now:
Richard Simmons, known for his seriously short shorts, sparkly tank tops, and frizzy hair, passed away at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 76. He was a universally recognized and beloved fitness personality and icon for over 50 years.
Simmons created a fitness empire beginning in the 1970s, including videos, classes, books, products, infomercials, his own show, and innumerable TV appearances. In his lifetime, he made more than 65 fitness videos, such as “Sweatin’ to the Oldies,” that sold over 20 million copies.
Simmons described himself as a compulsive eater as a young boy. He was bullied and ridiculed because of his weight.
“I grew up without any physical education,” he recalled in an NPR interview. “I was 200 pounds in the eighth grade, and when I graduated high school, I was almost 300 pounds. I was a very unhappy, bewildered teenager who couldn’t figure out what I wanted in life and why I had such a strong relationship with food.”
On his website, he said he tried diets and laxatives but eventually adopted “a lifestyle of balance, moderate eating and exercise.” His life’s work became making exercise fun for all types of bodies.
In 1974, Simmons opened his own studio in Beverly Hills, which catered to people who wanted to lose weight and get in shape. His workout style was upbeat and welcoming. In a commercial for one of his famous “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” videos, he enthused, “If you’re looking for a lively, entertaining, stimulating, humorous, colorful, frolicking, playful, inspiring, safe, low-impact workout that’s full of kicks, thrills, gusto, fervor, passion, fury, bustle, and action you don’t have to look any further. This is it!”
He wanted to make sure everyone felt safe, inspired, and deserving to be there.
Simmons’ philosophy was simple: He preached positivity, portion control, and moving your body for at least 30 minutes every day—a message that resonated with people who didn’t see themselves in the traditional world of fitness and who felt like the last person picked for the team.
He believed exercise was for everyone.
We couldn’t agree more.
No matter where you are in your fitness journey, make moving a priority. Don’t do it because it’s healthy. Don’t do it because you want to lose weight. Don’t even do it because it will help you live longer & better.
Move because you can.
https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-realized-richard-simmons-workout-was-exactly-what-she-needed-2023-2
https://www.facebook.com/TheWeightSaint/posts/600682371427600
https://www.today.com/popculture/richard-simmons-today-show-no-one-holding-me-my-house-t79821
https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/benefits/index.html
On June 27, 2024, the Supreme Court threw a wrench into efforts to resolve the national opioid crisis by rejecting Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy settlement. The controversial deal, which had been approved by a lower court, offered billions of dollars for addiction treatment and prevention programs but also shielded members of the Sackler family, Purdue’s owners, from any future lawsuits related to the opioid crisis. The 5-4 decision, with a conservative majority siding against the settlement, leaves open questions about how Purdue will proceed with its bankruptcy case and how the Sacklers will be held accountable for their alleged role in the crisis.
Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, a powerful opioid painkiller, filed for bankruptcy in 2019 facing a mountain of lawsuits from states, municipalities, and individuals who accused the company of aggressively marketing OxyContin while downplaying its addictive properties. The proposed settlement, valued at up to $6 billion, would have seen the Sacklers contribute a significant portion of the funds while giving up ownership of Purdue. However, a key aspect of the deal was the inclusion of a broad release of liability, which would have prevented future lawsuits against the Sackler family.
This provision sparked outrage from many critics who argued that the Sacklers, accused of prioritizing profits over public safety, were escaping accountability with a slap on the wrist.
The majority opinion, authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, did not address the specifics of the Sackler family’s actions. Instead, the Court focused on the legality of the broad release granted under the settlement. Gorsuch wrote, “The Code empowers bankruptcy courts to discharge a debtor’s debts, not to extinguish the claims of creditors against third parties.” He argued that the bankruptcy code was not intended to provide such sweeping legal protection to non-debtors like the Sacklers.
The decision has significant implications for future bankruptcy cases, particularly those involving large corporations with potential third-party liability. Legal experts believe it could impact other ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, including the $2.4 billion plan for the Boy Scouts of America, which also includes a release of liability for sexual abuse claims.
This ruling leaves Purdue’s future uncertain. The company could pursue any number of new legal avenues taking additional years to work through the legal system. That means the distribution of funds for things like addiction treatment programs will almost certainly be delayed.
This ruling also paves the way for individual lawsuits against the Sackler (who have distanced themselves from operations with Purdue) family to proceed. These lawsuits could delve deeper into the family’s alleged role in Purdue’s marketing practices and potentially expose them to significant financial penalties. However, such litigation can be lengthy and complex, and again, make years of legal wrangling almost inevitable.
The Supreme Court’s decision comes at a critical juncture in the fight against the opioid crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 500,000 people in the United States have died from opioid overdoses since 1999. The crisis continues to claim thousands of lives each year, devastating families and communities across the country.
The rejected settlement offered a potential source of funding for addiction treatment and prevention programs. With that option now off the table, the onus falls on federal and state governments to increase their own funding for these critical resources.
The Supreme Court’s decision may have thrown a curveball, but the fight against the opioid crisis is far from over. The coming months will likely see renewed efforts to hold Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family accountable, while the search for solutions to this devastating public health emergency continues.
Sources:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/supreme-court-rejects-nationwide-settlement-182142638.html
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-purdue-pharma-opioid-crisis-bankruptcy-9859e83721f74f726ec16b6e07101c7c
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-124_8nk0.pdf
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-purdue-pharma-opioid-crisis-bankruptcy-9859e83721f74f726ec16b6e07101c7c
New research suggests that drinking beetroot juice daily may help protect heart health after menopause. The study, conducted by Pennsylvania State University, found that beetroot juice is high in nitrates, which can improve blood vessel function and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in post-menopausal women.
A small study of 24 women in early and late postmenopause found that daily intake of nitrate-rich beetroot juice improved blood flow, but the positive effect diminished within 24 hours of the last intake. Menopause leads to lower estrogen levels, increasing the risk of heart disease for post-menopausal women.
Jayne Morgan, MD, a cardiologist not involved in the study, further explained that the decline in estrogen levels during menopause results in the loss of estrogen’s protective effects on the heart. Estrogen is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent that helps prevent the development of plaques that can lead to heart attacks. Besides, vasomotor symptoms during menopause, such as hot flashes, are also associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
The researchers initially recruited 54 post-menopausal women from the local community, but the final analysis included only 24 women — 12 in early postmenopause and 12 in late postmenopause as they had very strict health criteria.
During the study, participants followed strict dietary guidelines. They drank two 2.3-ounce bottles of concentrated beetroot juice at the beginning of the study, then one daily for the rest of the week. Each bottle provided the same amount of nitrates as three large beets.
The researchers found that the nitrates in the beetroot juice did improve blood flow, but the effect faded within 24 hours of the last consumption.
While this study looked specifically at beets, it’s the nitrate in the beets that’s most important.
But aren’t nitrates bad?
“It is important,” the study’s senior author, Jocelyn M. Delgado Spicuzza, PhD, of Pennsylvania State University’s College of Nursing, asserted, “to be clear about the types of nitrates that can improve blood vessel function. Plants contain nitrate from the soil, so there is technically only one type of ‘nitrate’ in natural food sources. However, when discussing nitrates as preservatives or additives in animal products, there can be several forms, which some term as ‘nitrates.’ Using the singular form of nitrate is more accurate for describing the benefits of beetroot juice and the results from my research.”
The best sources of healthy nitrate are (unsurprisingly) leafy green vegetables, stem and shoot vegetables, herbs, and root vegetables. Plant-based nitrate is far healthier than meat-based nitrates.
If beets aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other heart-healthy foods for post-menopausal women, such as pomegranate juice, citrus fruits and juices, dark chocolate, berries, olive oil, garlic, fish and omega-3 fatty acids, and green tea.
Whether you like beets or not, the biggest takeaway of the study is this: Your diet plays a critical role in your risk of cardiovascular disease!
Cardiologist Cheng-Han Chen, MD, of Saddleback Medical Center, CA, also not involved in the study, stated that while the study’s premise makes sense, it wouldn’t lead him to recommend beets to post-menopausal women. He emphasized the need for more extensive trials to assess clinical outcomes related to a high-nitrate diet. Chen’s recommendations for a heart-healthy diet include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low salt, avoiding saturated fats, highly processed foods, and excessive sugar. The findings can be found in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6147587
https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/postmenopausal-health
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1359671/full
https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/low-estrogen-symptoms
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1359671/full
Do you remember way back in 2021 when we told you about the $26 billion Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay in a settlement with states to resolve thousands of lawsuits over the country’s opioid crisis?
Well, now, it seems they figured out a way to cause cancer.
The company has agreed to pay $700 million to settle an investigation by 42 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., into its marketing of baby powder and other talc-based products that have been linked to cancer.
The settlement addresses allegations that Johnson & Johnson misled consumers into believing its talc products were safe despite selling them for over a century before discontinuing their production.
J&J did not admit wrongdoing in reaching this settlement with the states, led by Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, and maintains that its talc products are safe and do not cause cancer.
The company announced a settlement in principle in January.
“This is a major advancement for consumer product safety,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a statement. However, J&J still faces tens of thousands of talc lawsuits, including a class action accusing the company of fraudulently concealing the dangers of its talc products from shareholders. As of March 31, about 61,490 people were still suing J&J over talc.
Most of the claimants were women with ovarian cancer, while a smaller number had mesothelioma, a cancer connected to asbestos. The company discontinued global sales of talc-based baby powder last year, transitioning to corn starch as the primary ingredient, and maintains that its products do not contain asbestos.
Despite previously attempting to settle the litigation by placing a subsidiary into bankruptcy to contain its talc liabilities, the courts rejected both efforts. On May 1, Johnson & Johnson proposed a $6.48 billion settlement to resolve most of the litigation through a third bankruptcy filing and has set aside an $11 billion reserve to cover all talc liabilities.
“The company continues to pursue several paths to achieve a comprehensive and final resolution of the talc litigation,” stated Erik Haas, J&J worldwide vice president of litigation, in a statement on Tuesday. “We will continue to address the claims of those who do not want to participate in our contemplated consensual bankruptcy resolution through litigation or settlement,” he added.
While it seems this has taken FAR longer to resolve than it should have, we’re glad these folks may finally be able to close this chapter and move on.
Sources:
https://askjoedimatteo.com/26-billion-dollars/
https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=57364
https://www.reuters.com/legal/jj-advances-6475-billion-settlement-talc-cancer-lawsuits-2024-05-01/
https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/200406/000020040624000049/jnj-20240331.htm
https://www.asbestos.com/companies/johnson-johnson/
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-06-13/j-j-settles-talcum-powder-lawsuits-from-states-for-700-million
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/johnson-johnson-baby-powder-ovarian-cancer/
Your body needs both Omega 3 and 6 fats. These “healthy” fats are critical for cardiovascular and neurological health. Getting enough of both is key to maintaining your health! But as with so much in life, balance seems to be key.
A new study published in eLife Journal with researchers from Cornell, University of Georgia, and others took a look into at how the ratios of these two molecules in your blood could effect your health. What they found was fascinating!
“We found that a higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is associated with a greater risk of dying,” said the studies lead author, Yuchen Zhang. “There is some evidence to suggest that the high omega-6 to omega-3 fats ratio typical of Western diets — 20:1 or even higher, compared to an estimated 1:1 during most of human evolution — contributes to many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and autoimmune disorders,”
That’s right! Your body NEEDS both, but it seems critical to maintain as even of a ratio as possible!
Omega 3’s are most commonly found in fatty fish (think salmon, tuna or sardines), flaxseed, walnuts, or in an excellent supplement like our Omega-3 Complete. Omega 6’s, on the other hand, are common in nuts, seeds, corn, & soy… as well as the various oils we make from those. Those oils are what is believed to account for the MUCH higher rate of omega 6’s to omega 3’s in the blood of most Westerners.
If you’re not actively avoiding unhealthy oils while embracing cold-water fish, there’s a solid chance your ratio could be out-of-whack.
Past studies have had mixed results on the relationship between Omegas and risk of mortality as well as ASCVD risk. Most correlated higher Omega 3 levels with lower risks… but not all. There was still some “noise” in the data. That’s what convinced Zhang and team to investigate the specific balance of fats in the blood to see if that might account for the differences.
Data from over 85k people in the UK was used. After almost 13 years of follow-up, the participants with higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratios were 26% more likely to die from any cause, 14% more likely to die from cancer, and 31% more likely to die from heart disease than those with the lowest ratios.
While the researchers stressed that both 3’s and 6’s are good and necessary, they hypothesize that the anti-inflammatory effects of the 3’s serves to counteract the pro-inflammatory effects of the 6’s. That would explain why improving the balance of the two seems to make such a difference.
The bottom line is this: if you’re like most Americans, you’re probably getting plenty of Omega-6’s and not nearly enough Omega-3’s. If you want to improve your ratios, consider reducing cooking oils (stick with olive for most things), eating more cold-water fish like salmon, and taking our Omega-3 Complete!
Sources:
https://elifesciences.org/articles/90132
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/14/health/omega-3-omega-6-death-risk-wellness/
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an enforcement alert advising water utility systems to take immediate action to safeguard the nation’s drinking water from cyberattacks.
This alert underscores the growing concern about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to malicious cyber activities. The EPA recently reported that 70% of the water systems inspected in the U.S. do not fully comply with the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The agency also found that some of these systems have critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities, such as default passwords that have not been updated and single logins that can easily be compromised.
What could all of this mean? The EPA stated that possible impacts of cyberattacks include disruptions to water treatment and storage, damage to pumps and valves, and alteration of chemical levels to hazardous amounts.
EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe said in a press release, “In many cases, systems are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is to have completed a risk assessment of their vulnerabilities that includes cybersecurity and to make sure that plan is available and informing the way they do business.”
The EPA highlighted additional information in the press release and enforcement alert. The warning stated that China, Russia, and Iran have disrupted some water systems with cyberattacks and may have embedded the capability to disable them in the future.
Late last year, a group linked to Iran called “Cyber Av3ngers” targeted multiple organizations, including a small Pennsylvania town’s water provider. Earlier this year, a group of “hactivists” linked to Russia attempted to disrupt operations at several Texas utilities. Also, according to the alert, a cyber group linked to China, known as “Volt Typhoon,” has compromised the information technology of multiple infrastructure systems, including drinking water, in the U.S. and its territories.
“By working behind the scenes with these hacktivist groups, now these (nation-states) have plausible deniability, and they can let these groups carry out destructive attacks. And that, to me, is a game-changer,” said Dawn Cappelli, a cybersecurity expert with the risk management firm Dragos Inc., in an interview with the Associated Press (AP).
This latest alert is in response to a previous warning issued in March regarding potential cyberattacks against U.S. water systems. The letter, sent by the White House and the EPA to all 50 U.S. governors, highlighted concerns that threat actors affiliated with the Iranian Government Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have carried out “malicious cyberattacks” against U.S. infrastructure, including drinking water systems.
In the March 18 letter, Michael S. Regan, EPA administrator, and White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan wrote to all 50 U.S. governors warning that:
“Drinking water and wastewater systems are an attractive target for cyberattacks because they are a lifeline critical infrastructure sector but often lack the resources and technical capacity to adopt rigorous cybersecurity practices.“
The EPA said it would provide free training for water utilities to address these issues. Water providers should avoid using default passwords, create a cybersecurity risk assessment plan, and have functioning backup systems. Many of the 50,000 U.S. water providers have limited staff and budgets, primarily focusing on meeting basic needs and regulations.
Kevin Morley, from the American Water Works Association, stressed that revamping utility systems is difficult and costly. He stated that community water systems need substantial federal funding to combat cyberattacks. He also noted that small and large water companies have unique and evolving needs, suggesting a reasonable approach for everyone.
All of this just serves as a reminder that it’s a good idea to have a backup or emergency supply of potable water. FEMA & the CDC recommend one gallon per person, per day. In other words, a two-week supply of water for a family of four is at least 56 gallons!
Whether because of a natural disaster, train-derailment, or cyber attack, it’s critical to have a plan B!
Sources:
https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/enforcement-alert-drinking-water-systems-address-cybersecurity-vulnerabilities
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-outlines-enforcement-measures-help-prevent-cybersecurity-attacks-and-protect
https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-03/epa-apnsa-letter-to-governors_03182024.pdf
Know anyone suffering from those little crystalline monsters we call kidney stones? The ones that can take a grown adult to tears in half-a-millisecond?
Well, there may be a secret to getting rid of them that’s actually… fun.
And, it’s according to actual Science.
A study published in 2016 in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association discovered that sitting in the back of a roller coaster can help pass kidney stones more effectively than sitting in the front. Researchers conducted the study by riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disney World 20 times while carrying a 3D-printed kidney with a stone inside. The study revealed that stones passed 64% of the time when sitting in the back, and only 17% when sitting in the front. In addition, the position of the stone affected the passage rate, with stones in the upper chambers (calyces) passing more frequently than those in the middle or lower chambers. Interestingly, the size of the stone did not seem to influence the proportion of stones passed.
Here’s a quick refresher on what kidney stones are — According to the Mayo Clinic, they form when your urine contains more crystal-forming substances such as calcium, oxalate, and uric acid than the fluid in your urine can dilute. The crystals can stick together, creating kidney stones. People with certain medical conditions like hyperparathyroidism or a family history of kidney stones are at risk of forming them, but even being regularly dehydrated can cause them to form. Passing kidney stones can be excruciating as they work their way through your kidney to get out of your body. “Passing a kidney stone is like giving birth to a porcupine,” Wartinger says.
Wartinger didn’t come up with the rollercoaster idea out of thin air. Several of his patients fold him they had passed kidney stones while riding roller coasters. East Lansing, Mich. (where he’s based), becomes a ghost town in the spring as half of the population goes to Orlando for spring break. His patients would come back and tell him that they had passed kidney stones while they were in Orlando. Wartinger started noticing a trend but didn’t think it was legitimate until one patient told him he went on a roller coaster, passed a stone, went on again, and passed three stones in a row. That was a pattern worth exploring!
Wartinger believes that not everyone will respond to the same ride, as each person has a unique kidney passage pattern. Riding a roller coaster can help pass small kidney stones before they become obstructive or require surgery. The researchers aim to test more coaster models to make the findings helpful for patients. And this obviously goes without saying — roller coasters aren’t safe for everyone, especially pregnant women, those with back and spinal issues, and individuals who know they have sensitivities for whatever reason, so if you feel you rollercoasters are an unsafe option — DO NOT RIDE!
If you don’t have easy access to a roller coaster, there are other ways to pass kidney stones. And while passing them super fast is not always the case, you can take these steps to help them find their way out:
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day to increase urine flow and help flush out the stone.
- Eat citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges, which contain citrate and may help dissolve certain types of kidney stones.
- Opt for herbal teas, such as dandelion root or nettle leaf tea, which are believed to have diuretic properties that promote urine production.
- Stay active. Even though you may not feel like it, movement will encourage the stone to go down the urinary tract.
If you experience severe pain or complications, please consult a doctor and seek medical attention immediately.
Of course, the better option is to never develop them in the first place, so here are some tips to prevent kidney stones:
- Drink lots of water to dilute urine and reduce the risk of stone formation.
- Avoid drinking lots of sugary beverages.
- Monitor your salt intake! Salt increases calcium levels in urine, leading to stone formation. Opt for low-sodium alternatives.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight. Follow a balanced diet and engage in regular exercise. Keep moving!
- Routine checkups allow healthcare providers to monitor kidney health and identify potential issues early on.
Now, back to the roller coaster study. Even though it was conducted in 2016, no official human trials have ever been done and it seems to be missing some other key points of data. To that end, Gary Faerber, MD, a urologist at the University of Utah Health, has some opinions. “It’s an interesting study, but it could have been better designed,” he says. “They have no acceleration/deceleration data, which would have been very helpful in understanding the effects of specific G-forces required to dislodge the stones. A discussion about the effects of G-force and what is needed to dislodge a stone are needed to flesh out the findings.”
What’s your opinion? Would you ride on a mid-level roller coaster to dislodge a kidney stone? Would you even feel like riding a rollercoaster if you had a kidney stone that you knew you would be passing soon? Would walking around an amusement park waiting for it to pass be better than sitting at home? We’re curious about your thoughts on this. What say you?
Sources:
https://www.science.org/content/article/roller-coasters-can-help-you-pass-kidney-stone
https://osteopathic.org/2016/09/26/researchers-find-certain-roller-coasters-may-help-small-kidney-stones-pass/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kidney-stones/symptoms-causes/syc-20355755
EVERYONE likes ice cream. You may prefer the basics or go for the fruity stuff… but everyone likes ice cream. Unfortunately, not everything in the “ice cream” aisle is actually what it says…
According to Mordor Intelligence, the United States Ice Cream Market size is estimated at $19.03 Billion (USD) in 2024 and is expected to reach $21.76 billion by 2029. Each American consumes an average of 20.8 liters of ice cream per year. That’s over 5 gallons per person! To meet this demand, U.S. ice cream makers produce an impressive 870 million gallons annually.
Before we go any further, it bears stating the obvious: NOBODY SHOULD EAT THAT MUCH ICE CREAM!
Napkin math says that’s about 160 servings per year… And when was the last time you saw someone eat 1/2 cup of ice cream? We only ask because that’s the actual serving size for most brands.
Nevertheless, when it comes to ice cream, there’s a clear distinction between real and fake. Real ice cream has simple, whole ingredients like milk, cream, sugar, and natural flavorings.
On the other hand, fake ice cream, often referred to as “frozen dessert” or “frozen dairy dessert” and touted as a “diet” option, is typically made with a variety of artificial ingredients and stabilizers, resulting in a longer list of additives compared to traditional ice cream. These substitutes are necessary in part to try to mimic the taste and texture of real ice cream.
In other words, a “frozen dairy dessert” may seem healthier with a lower calorie count or less fat, but it often contains artificial ingredients like sorbitol and artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and acesulfame K. While the FDA considers these safe, studies suggest likely affect the gut microbiome and metabolism, contradicting the goal of choosing a “diet” option.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration states that a product can only be classified as ice cream if it meets the following criteria:
- Contains at least 1.6 pounds of total solids to the gallon
- Weighs no less than 4.5 pounds to the gallon
- Contains no less than 20 percent total milk solids and no less than 10% milkfat solids, except when it contains milkfat at 1% increments above the 10% minimum.
If an item doesn’t meet these requirements, it cannot be labeled as ice cream. In addition to having different compositions, these frozen products can potentially vary in their nutritional content. If you’re interested in reading up on which brands are trying to fake you out and which are the best options for real ice cream, take a look here and here.
The best “diet” option is to skip it altogether or, at the very least, reduce your portion size. If you want something to satisfy the sweet tooth but with REAL nutritional value, give the smoothie recipes Dante & Tyler put together on Instagram! They’re full of protein, healthy fats, and real sugar from whole fruits.
Sources:
https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/united-states-ice-cream-market
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/ice-cream-consumption-by-country
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6693595/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262475
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28594855/
https://www.eatthis.com/grocery-store-ice-creams-that-are-fake/
https://www.eatthis.com/ice-cream-brands-highest-quality-ingredients/
In the United States, the majority of cars use flame retardants in their seat foams, coverings, and other parts of the vehicle cabins. This complies with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS 302) and helps make sure we don’t burst into flame… At least, that’s the theory.
Unfortunately, some studies have shown that exposure to certain flame retardants can lead to a host of health concerns like neurological issues, hormone disruption, and cancer-related death.
According to a recent study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, researchers from Duke University and the Green Science Policy Institute found that the air inside the cabins of certain cars manufactured in 2015 or later contains flame retardants, which could be harmful to human health. Furthermore, the study found that these harmful flame retardants in the air were two to five times higher during summer than in winter.
In this study, 101 American car owners with a model year of 2015 or newer were asked to participate. They were asked to hang a silicone passive sampler on their rearview mirror for seven days. A silicone passive sampler is a tool that can be used to measure various types of pollutants present in the air, including flame retardants such as brominated and organophosphate (OPEs).
According to researchers, OPEs were the most commonly found fire retardant in the silicone passive samplers.
“OPEs are increasingly used as both flame retardants and plasticizers — i.e., chemicals that change the properties of plastics — in various materials,” said Heather M. Stapleton, PhD, Ronie-Richele Garcia-Johnson Distinguished Professor in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and corresponding author of this study.
Car interiors often contain large amounts of plastic components that are sources of OPEs, including foam in the roof lining, seats, and dashboard electronics. A probable carcinogen, TCIPP, was detected in car cabins in 99% of cases, with levels ranging from 0.2 to 11,600 ng/g. TCIPP was also found to be the dominant fire retardant in car seat foam.
“TCIPP is a chlorinated organophosphate flame retardant that has been used extensively in some textiles, building insulation, and furniture,” Stapleton said. “It has been increasingly used following the phase-out of its close chemical cousin, which is considered a probable human carcinogen.”
“New data suggest that TCIPP may also be carcinogenic. Some recent epidemiology and toxicology studies also suggest TCIPP may be neurotoxic at high exposures and impact thyroid hormone regulation.”
They also found that the presence of TCIPP in foam resulted in almost nine times higher concentrations during the summer months.
Chemicals are released from plastics at higher rates in warmer areas, which means that the concentration of these chemicals in the cabin air of a vehicle parked in such areas will be higher.
What’s more, using flame retardant chemicals in car seats has not been proven to save lives. In fact, data shows that such chemicals in seat foam lead to the generation of more smoke and toxic chemicals during a fire.
“It’s also important to note that these chemicals do not stop materials from burning; they only slow the rate at which they burn, and while they burn, they are creating dangerous conditions — i.e., more smoke and toxic chemicals,” Stapleton explained. “We need to address fire safety with different technologies and approaches, such as using inherently non-flammable materials or redesigning flame retardants so they do not escape from materials over time.”
Ventilating your car during the hot summer months can help reduce the risk of exposure to flame retardants and other possible carcinogens.
“And if possible, park your car in the shade or use a sun visor to minimize the car interior temperature during the day,” she continued. “I also recommend that people open the car windows and ventilate the air before getting into the car to drive. If you have an automatic starter, it would be best to start the car for a few minutes before driving and put the air conditioner on to cool the interior temperature.”
Many vehicles also allow the ability to recirculate air within or utilize outside air when heating/cooling. Consider avoiding using the recirculating air feature.
The research raises awareness about potential environmental exposures to harmful compounds. Identifying these exposures is an important first step in clinical practice, as defining absolute risks for cancer development remains challenging. Millions of people drive or travel daily, and this exposure is obviously toxic. Research is needed to modernize regulations for material requirements in vehicles and develop alternative materials that do not contain harmful compounds.
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/flame_retardants
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/tp-302-03.pdf
https://www.saferstates.org/priorities/toxic-flame-retardants/
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.3c10440
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36326529/
Update The FDA has continued dairy products and has reaffirmed the safety of pasteurized dairy. You can read the latest from the FDA as they update here.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has conducted initial tests on pasteurized milk purchased from grocery stores in areas where cows have tested positive for H5N1 influenza or bird flu. The tests indicate that the milk is not infectious and cannot make people sick. The FDA used the “gold-standard” egg inoculation tests to determine whether live virus was present in the milk samples. The test results are reassuring, as the virus did not grow in the fertilized eggs. The FDA also tested infant and toddler formula made with powdered milk, and no traces of the H5N1 virus were detected.
According to an announcement last Thursday, the FDA has found that around 1 in 5 milk samples taken from grocery stores have tested positive for gene fragments of the virus. The agency also stated that it had found more positive samples in areas where infected herds are present, but it didn’t reveal the locations where the milk samples had tested positive.
“These results reaffirm our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe,” the FDA said in an update Friday.
The FDA has clarified that the presence of the H5N1 virus in milk does not necessarily mean that it is harmful to humans. In the United States, most milk is pasteurized, which involves heating it briefly to eliminate pathogens, including viruses like H5N1. However, the FDA is conducting more tests to ensure that the pasteurization process is effective in this case.
“To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe. Results from multiple studies will be made available in the next few days to weeks,” the agency said.
Not everyone is reassured, though.
Dr. Eric Topol, founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said the finding of viral particles in milk on grocery store shelves means the outbreak is more widespread than we’ve known.
“The dissemination to cows is far greater than we have been led to believe. The FDA assurance that the dairy supply is safe is nice, but it’s not based on extensive assessment yet, which they acknowledge, and won’t engender trust and confidence because it comes in the wake of USDA mishandling,” he added.
In late March, highly pathogenic avian influenza was found in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, marking the first time the virus had been detected in cattle. Infected cows have since been found in over 30 farms across nine states. Scientists have criticized the USDA for lacking transparency and being slow to share information.
Infected cows showed decreased appetite and discolored milk with the virus present in their mammary glands. Researchers are still investigating the source of infection and transmission between animals. Cats living on the same farms have died, possibly due to exposure to infected cow’s milk.
The FDA said Tuesday that milk from sick cows is being “diverted or destroyed” while milk sold in interstate commerce is being pasturized in order to eliminate pathogens… but pasteurization doesn’t make milk sterile, so the agency tests milk samples from grocery stores.
The FDA stated, “Even if the virus is detected in raw milk, pasteurization is generally expected to eliminate pathogens to a level that does not pose a risk to consumer health.”
It is worth noting that the FDA does not recommend drinking unpasteurized or raw milk due to the health risks from germs.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service maintains a list of diseases that must be reported in animals. Although bird flu or avian influenza must be reported in poultry and wild birds, it is not obligatory in cattle. In other words, all reports of sick cattle have been voluntary.
“No one ever thought it was going to be in cows,” said Dr. Richard Webby, director of the World Health Organization’s coordinating center for studies on the ecology of influenza at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
“You wouldn’t even think of an H5N1 in cows being something you’d ever have to worry about, and I think that’s where it’s fallen through the cracks a little bit.”
Farmers are compensated for birds & eggs that are destroyed to contain outbreaks like this. That further incentivizes farmers to be forthcoming with information. No such policies are in place for other livestock.
One major concern is that the current outbreak could potentially spread to pigs, as farms that raise cows also typically keep other types of animals.
The flu viruses enter cells through sialic acids, which act as entry points. For now, the H5N1 virus has yet to learn to access the human version of the sialic acid receptor efficiently.
Pigs have the same sialic acid receptors as both birds and humans in their respiratory tracts. If H5N1 causes a large outbreak in pigs, it would give the virus a perfect opportunity to learn to attach to human sialic acids.
“Pigs are a more efficient mixing bowl,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, a professor of pediatrics, molecular virology, and microbiology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “The one thing about where we are in Texas is that, besides those cattle, Texas is the epicenter of the feral hog population.”
“In the United States, we have 30% of the nation’s feral hogs, 2 to 3 million feral hogs, and so that to me is a potential risk, as well,” he said.
The CDC is currently keeping an eye on emergency department data and flu testing data in areas where H5N1 viruses have been detected in dairy cattle. Their aim is to detect any unusual trends in flu-like illness, flu, or conjunctivitis. According to a statement compiled by CDC officials, these data remain within expected ranges, and so far, no unusual trends or activity have been observed through surveillance systems. Jason McDonald, a CDC spokesperson, stated that 23 people with exposures to H5N1 have been tested, including one person in Texas who previously tested positive. No other people have tested positive in the current outbreak.
Sources:
https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/updates-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-
https://www.ktsm.com/news/fda-1-in-5-retail-milk-samples-test-positive-for-bird-flu-virus/?0=utm_source=ground.news&1=utm_medium=referral
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/surveillance/reportable-diseases
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3177912/
What age is “old?”
It depends on who you ask… but the trend is, well, older.
A new study conducted by a team of researchers from Germany and the United States and published in the journal Psychology and Aging reveals that the definition of “old age” is changing.
People now consider themselves “old” later in life compared to past generations.
The German Ageing Survey analyzed data from 14,000 people born between 1911 and 1974. Participants were asked one single question: “At what age would you describe someone as old?”
The team’s research shows that individuals in their mid-60s typically perceive “old age” as beginning at around 75. However, this perception varies significantly across different generations or “birth cohorts.” People born after 1935, in particular, tend to raise the age at which they consider someone old. In other words, over time, the threshold for being considered “old” has shifted upwards.
According to Dr. Markus Wettstein from Humboldt University in Germany, life expectancy has increased, which may result in people perceiving the onset of old age later than before. Certain aspects of health have improved over time, causing individuals of a particular age who were once considered “old” to no longer be regarded as such.
Various factors contribute to the shifting perspective of “old age.” As people live longer, the definition of old age naturally gets pushed further out. Changes to retirement age can also play a role in this shift. For instance, in Germany, the retirement age has been gradually increasing from 65 and is set to reach 67 by 2031. In the US, the retirement age is 65 for men and 63 for women. If individuals are working for longer periods, it is understandable that they may not consider themselves “old” until later in life.
The researchers found that delaying old age has become a growing trend in recent decades, but it may have reached a plateau. The perception of when old age starts has changed significantly between people born from 1911 to 1935 and those born from 1936 to 1951. However, there was little difference between the latter group and those born from 1952 to 1974. The researchers speculate that this may be due to a slowdown in life expectancy increases. Dr. Wettstein notes that this trend is not linear and might not continue in the future.
The study shows some notable differences in how people perceive old age based on demographics. On average, women believe that old age begins two and a half years later than men. This gender gap has become more pronounced in younger generations. People living in former East Germany, who have a lower life expectancy, think that old age starts earlier than their counterparts in West Germany. Moreover, the perception of old age starting sooner is linked to feeling lonely, having more chronic diseases, and having poorer self-rated health.
But why does it matter when you think old age starts? Our perception can impact our health and well-being. Research has shown that people who believe that old age starts later tend to have better self-rated health and lower risks of heart disease and other illnesses. On the other hand, perceiving the onset of old age as earlier is associated with worse health outcomes.
The researchers warn, though, that if we delay “old age” too much, it may have the opposite effect of making people less prepared for the challenges that come with aging. There could be an optimum balance between health and well-being. Additionally, the study highlights how individual factors and our cultural and historical context influence our perceptions of aging. As life expectancy has increased and the health of older adults has generally improved, outdated ideas of what it means to be “old” are being updated.
“It is unclear to what extent the trend towards postponing old age reflects a trend towards more positive views on older people and aging, or rather the opposite — perhaps the onset of old age is postponed because people consider being old to be an undesirable state,” explains Dr. Wettstein.
Aging is personal, and there’s no fixed age at which you should consider yourself “old.” Delaying old age reflects a shift towards a better perception of aging, but our perception can only impact so much. We must prepare for the unique challenges and joys of growing older and focus on living well at every age.
No matter where you are in life, there’s always room for improvement! Pick an area of your life that you think could be improved and make small, reasonable steps toward it. Every day of life is a gift and we owe it to the giver to try and make the most of it!
Sources:
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2024-72013-001?doi=1
https://www.statista.com/chart/2266/life-expectancy-by-world-region/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20United%20Nations,rise%20to%2077.3%20by%202050.
https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/money/retirement-age#:~:text=The%20SSA%20provides%20a%20retirement,each%20birth%20year%20through%201959.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/06/15/feeling-younger-aging-good-health/
Scientists have finally discovered why specific bacterial strains are so deadly: they’re vampires! No, really! They literally have a thirst for human blood. Washington State University researchers discovered that the world’s deadly bacteria consume nutrients in the blood as food, including common infections like salmonella and E. coli.
Scientists have discovered that certain bacteria are drawn to the serum in human blood, a behavior they have coined “bacterial vampirism.” These bacteria are attracted to the amino acid called serine, which is present in human blood and is an ingredient in protein drinks. This discovery provides valuable insight into how bloodstream infections can quickly become life-threatening. Medical professionals can now better understand the mechanism behind the rapid spread of these infections.
“Bacteria infecting the bloodstream can be lethal,” says Arden Baylink, a professor at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, in a university release. “We learned some bacteria that most commonly cause bloodstream infections actually sense a chemical in human blood and swim toward it.”
A recent study published in eLife found that three types of bacteria are naturally attracted to human serum. These bacteria are Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Citrobacter koseri. Salmonella and E. coli are common infections people often get from consuming contaminated food. Citrobacter koseri, on the other hand, can cause urinary tract infections and is present in wounds and cases of sepsis.
These bacterial strains are a major cause of death in people with Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Intestinal bleeding provides a gateway for bacteria exit the GI and enter the bloodstream… And now we know why they do that!
Arden Baylink, a professor at Washington State University, invented a microscope system called the Chemosensory Injection Rig Assay. The system was designed to study how bacteria move towards human blood in the event of intestinal bleeding. The experiment found that bacteria could find and consume the serum in less than a minute.
The team also discovered that salmonella has a unique protein called Tsr. This protein gives the bacteria the ability to detect and move towards serum. The team used a protein crystallography technique to observe this protein’s atoms, which also target serine.
“By learning how these bacteria are able to detect sources of blood, in the future we could develop new drugs that block this ability. These medicines could improve the lives and health of people with IBD who are at high risk for bloodstream infections,” concludes WSU Ph.D. student Siena Glenn, the study’s lead author.
Likewise, Salmonella is responsible for over 1.3 million infections every year in the United States, according to the CDC. These infections lead to the hospitalization of over 26,000 people and cause more than 400 deaths annually.
This understanding has so much potential to save life and minimize suffering. We can’t wait to see the novel treatments that are developed. Step by step, we’re moving closer to a future with less disease, less suffering, and much longer lives!
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1615/serine
https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/93178v2
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3623383/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/e-coli/symptoms-causes/syc-20372058
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/citrobacter-koseri
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/inflammatory-bowel-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353315
https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/index.html
It’s more than just difficult to sleep next to. It could be dangerous.
We’re talking about snoring.
Snoring can be a warning sign and cause life-threatening effects on the heart… and many don’t even know they’re doing it.
When we’re asleep, the muscles and tissues in our nose, sinuses, mouth, and upper throat tend to relax. This reduces the air that can pass through to and from the lungs. The air that flows through the limited space causes the relaxed tissues to vibrate, which produces noise. The narrower the airway, the more tissue vibration occurs, resulting in louder noise.
Snoring can range from light to heavy, with some being too mild to wake the snorer or their sleeping partner. If the snorer gets a healthy seven to nine hours of sleep each night without tossing and turning, it’s unlikely to threaten health… but still worth investigating.
Excessive and harsh snoring is often associated with the sleep disorder called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
Warning signs that may indicate OSA:
- Snoring is so loud it disrupts your sleep
- Seeing your partner have pauses in breathing
- Excessive sleepiness during the day
- Morning headaches
OSA is characterized by loud snoring followed by pauses in breathing. These pauses can cause the snorer to wake up with a loud snort. People with OSA may experience these episodes up to five times per hour.
The anatomy of the mouth, alcohol consumption, nasal problems, sleep deprivation, and sleep position can all contribute to snoring. Being male, overweight or obese, and having a family history of sleep apnea are all risk factors for snoring.
OSA can put the snorer at risk for serious health conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease, and stroke. Daytime sleepiness caused by OSA can lead to an increase in the risk of motor vehicle accidents. In children, OSA may cause behavior problems, especially aggressiveness or learning difficulties.
To evaluate snoring, a thorough history and physical exam are conducted by the physician. The doctor may also want to speak to the partner of the snorer or the parent of a snoring child. In addition, imaging tests such as X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs may be done to check the structure of the airway. Often, a sleep study is performed to assess brain waves, blood-oxygen levels, heart and breathing rates, sleep stages, as well as eye and leg movements. Many sleep studies can be done at home for convenience.
The treatment for sleep apnea usually involves changes in lifestyle, such as weight loss, avoiding alcohol before bedtime, treating nasal congestion, avoiding sleep deprivation, and avoiding sleeping on the back. If those don’t solve the problem, more invasive steps might be recommended including:
- Nasal decongestants like steroid sprays
- Oral appliances that advance the position of the jaw, tongue, and soft palate
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which uses a mask over the nose and mouth for delivery of air during sleep and
- Upper airway surgery, where excess tissue can be removed, or the jaw can be moved forward
It’s important to remember that sleep apnea and snoring aren’t just annoying, they could be life threatening. If someone you love snores, don’t just “sleep” on it! Encourage them to talk to a doctor and get checked for sleep apnea!
Sources:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/snoring/is-snoring-harmless
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obstructive-sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20352090
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29489216/
For years, birth workers and maternal advocates in the US have been horrified by the rates of maternal mortality reported yearly. How could the best funded healthcare system in the world be failing mothers so badly?
New research by Rutgers Health and other universities suggests that it may not be. In fact, they believe the numbers have been catastrophically miscalculated due to flawed surveillance techniques.
According to the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), maternal death rates have tripled over the last twenty years. In 2021, the reported rate reached 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, significantly higher than in any other developed country.
But, according to this new study published on March 12 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, maternal mortality rates in the United States have remained constant and are comparable to those in other developed nations.
Maternal deaths refer to deaths that occur during pregnancy, childbirth, or shortly after due to conditions that are directly related to or worsened by pregnancy or birth. Deaths caused by accidents or unrelated to the deceased’s pregnancy or recent delivery should not be included in the maternal death rate. Unfortunately, the researchers believe a critical flaw in the reporting methodology of the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) often results in those unrelated deaths being added in.
Cande Ananth, the Chief of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is the study’s senior author. According to Ananth, “The CDC has acknowledged in the past that errors were artificially inflating numbers, but their efforts to correct those errors haven’t worked.”
“On the contrary, official estimates show maternal death rates nearly doubling between 2018 and 2021, which clearly hasn’t happened. Still, many media outlets have reported these figures as correct, and it’s important to set the record straight,” Ananth added. “Accurate numbers are important to know where we stand and how we need to allocate money and effort to make improvements going forward.”
The study finds that improvements in obstetrical care have actually decreased death rates, but deteriorations in patient’s general health have offset those gains, resulting in keeping the overall death rate stable.
So what’s the flaw?
In 2003, the inclusion of a simple pregnancy checkbox on U.S. death certificates led to an increase in maternal death rate estimates. An errant checkmark was all that was necessary to cause a death to be included. Even when the deceased woman was over 85 years old or biologically male, if the death certificate with had a positive pregnancy checkbox, it was added to maternal rates. It was these errors resulted in the CDC discontinuing the reporting of maternal death rates entirely between 2007 and 2017.
As of 2018, the NVSS restricts the use of checkbox information to women aged between 15 and 44. However, the NVSS still categorizes a significant number of non-maternal and incidental deaths as maternal deaths.
“If you’re pregnant and die in a car crash, that’s not a maternal death,” Ananth said. “A big change driving recent increases in the official numbers stems from the tendency to include more and more cancers unrelated to pregnancy in maternal death rates. A woman who had a diagnosis of breast cancer before conception and then died after the pregnancy ended or – a woman who would have died if she’d never gotten pregnant – will be counted as a maternal death.”
The study’s authors calculated maternal death rates for two distinct periods: 1999 to 2002 and 2018 to 2021. They used two approaches to arrive at these rates. Firstly, they employed the methodology stated by the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) and obtained figures that almost matched the officially published rates. Secondly, they limited maternal deaths to those cases where pregnancy was listed as a cause of death at least once on the death certificate.
According to the CDC method, the maternal death rate was 9.65 per 100,000 live births during the 1999-2002 period and increased to 23.6 during the 2018-2021 period. However, the alternative method calculated the death rates at 10.2 and 10.4 per 100,000 live births, respectively. These statistics radically contradict the previously held belief that maternal death rates in the United States have been increasing. Fortunately, as stated by Ananth, this does not seem to be the case.
Researchers found that healthcare during pregnancy and after delivery has improved in many areas. There was a significant reduction in maternal deaths caused by infections, hypertensive disorders, and other treatable causes. Although there was a slight narrowing of differences in death rates by race, significant differences remain, with Black women having the highest death rate and Hispanic women the lowest.
“Our study, which identified maternal deaths using a pragmatic definition-based methodology, showed stable rates of maternal mortality and a reduction in deaths from obstetrical complications,” said K. S. Joseph, lead author of the new study and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of British Columbia, Canada. “Moreover, the analysis by cause-of-death provides evidence that can enable focused prevention initiatives targeted at high-risk and vulnerable subpopulations.”
This is fantastic news. If our goal is zero deaths as a result of pregnancy complications, we cannot make accurate decisions about how to change care without accurate information. We’re excited to see further improvements in care as a result of this better data.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/deaths.htm
https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(24)00005-X/fulltext
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr69/nvsr69-02-508.pdf
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide and is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in adults in the United States. While early detection can prevent over 90% of those deaths, more than one-third of the population eligible for screening are not up to date. Often, the discomfort and embarrassment of a colonoscopy is the hinderance.
But that may be changing.
A new study has found that a simple blood test can accurately detect CRC, potentially revolutionizing how this cancer is diagnosed.
The study, published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, involved a blood test that measures the levels of a biomarker called methylation in circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Methylation is a process that modifies DNA and is known to be involved in the development and progression of cancer.
The researchers analyzed blood samples from 620 individuals, including 167 with CRC, 253 with other gastrointestinal conditions, and 200 healthy controls. They found that the blood test accurately detected CRC with a sensitivity of 91.2% and a specificity of 88.7%.
This means the blood test correctly identified 91.2% of individuals with CRC and correctly excluded 88.7% of individuals without CRC. Better still, the blood test also detected early-stage CRC, which is typically more difficult to diagnose.
That early stage detection could mean far more lives saved.
“We undertook this study to prevent colorectal cancer-related deaths and sought to do this by addressing the need to improve compliance with CRC screening,” explained William Grady, MD, study author and gastroenterologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. “People tend to prefer blood-based screening tests over other types of screening tests, like colonoscopy and stool tests, so we set out to create such a test for CRC.”
The researchers suggest that the blood test could be used as a non-invasive screening tool for CRC, particularly for individuals at high risk of developing the disease. It could also be used to monitor patients with CRC for disease recurrence and response to treatment.
Further research is needed to validate these findings and to determine the optimal use of the blood test in clinical practice, but this is an exciting step in a healthier direction!
Everyone age 45-75 should get screened for colorectal cancer. Stool testing is suggested at least every 3 years, but a colonoscopy is still the “gold standard” for screening. If a colonoscopy is performed and no precancerous changes or abnormalities are found, it is generally recommended that they be repeated only every 10 years.
Not all people with colorectal cancer experience symptoms such as fatigue or changes in bowel habits. For this reason, it is critical to keep up on recommended screening. While the promise of a blood test will may make screening compliance higher in the future, individuals should get screened with whatever means are available as soon as a doctor recommends.
Half of the people given the option to undergo screening with a stool-based test or colonoscopy declined both.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colon-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20353669
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2304714
https://www.unitypoint.org/news-and-articles/5-colon-cancer-symptoms-that-are-easy-to-overlook
A bizarre Twilight Zone-like era has come to an end. The NIH is halting guidance on COVID treatment.
In recent times, if you contract COVID-19 and are at risk of developing serious complications, you can opt for treatments such as Paxlovid pills or antiviral infusions. These medicines have proven effective in keeping patients with mild to moderate symptoms out of the hospital. The availability of COVID-19 treatments has improved rapidly in the last four years, thanks to the accumulation of data and the efforts of scientists and doctors who have analyzed every piece of information to create evidence-based guidelines for the care of COVID-19 patients. The COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are highly influential guidelines viewed over 50 million times and used by doctors worldwide.
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) formed a panel of over 40 experts to create the first set of guidelines. Those guidelines became a reference for doctors worldwide. According to Dr. Cliff Lane, co-chair of the panel and the director of the clinical research division at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the next few years were an “all hands on deck” effort. The panel members met several times a week to review the latest scientific literature and discuss data in preprints. They frequently updated their official guidance, sometimes two or three times a month.
The development of new COVID-19 treatments has slowed considerably, prompting the guideline group to rethink its efforts. “I don’t know that there was a perfect moment [to end it], but … the frequency of calls that we needed to have began to decrease, and then on occasion, we would be canceling one of our regularly scheduled calls,” says Dr. Lane. “It’s probably six months ago we started talking about — What will be the end? How do we end it in a way that we don’t create a void?”
It’s interesting to note that the last version of the NIH’s COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines was issued back in February. The guidelines are available online until August. They document how scientific understanding and technological progress evolved during the pandemic. According to Lane, specialty doctors groups like the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America will be responsible for COVID-19 treatment guidance going forward. They are the usual stewards of best-practice guidelines, and it makes sense for them to take charge. The panel members believe that the evolution of COVID-19 treatments offers valuable lessons for dealing with new emerging infectious diseases.
During the spring of 2020, the first wave of COVID-19 patients filled up hospitals in different parts of the United States. At that time, medical professionals were still in the process of understanding how the disease progressed. The first guideline, published in April, acknowledged that they did not have enough knowledge about what worked or didn’t work. However, they quickly learned what treatments were effective, especially for hospitalized patients. By June 2020, data supported a treatment plan for severely ill patients. This involved using steroids like dexamethasone to prevent the immune system from attacking itself and combining them with antivirals to stop the virus from replicating.
Remdesivir is another antiviral drug that has been shown to be quite effective in treating mild to moderate cases of COVID-19. However, it’s administered intravenously, which makes it harder for patients to access. The drug company Gilead attempted to develop it into a pill, but unfortunately, that approach was unsuccessful.
Jenny Shen, a research scientist at the CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health, has found that the obstacles that come with outpatient treatments have led to low usage rates among the patients they’re designed to help. Shen’s study used data from 2021-2022, when the federal government purchased Molnupiravir and Paxlovid from manufacturers and made them available to states, health centers, and pharmacies for free. According to the study, during the peak of the pandemic, only 2% of COVID-19 patients reported receiving Molnupiravir, while 15% reported using Paxlovid among those considered eligible for the medications. Shen notes that since late 2023 after the drugs were moved to the commercial market, usage rates have most likely decreased further since they are no longer free and often require co-payments.
It can be challenging to manage outpatient treatments if a patient has other health problems, which is why doctors can be hesitant to prescribe them, according to Shen. And many patients with risk factors do not believe they will become seriously ill, which presents yet another challenge. “A dilemma we have observed is that patients want to see how severe their disease may become,” but in waiting, they become ill beyond the point where the treatment would help, Shen says.
Even still, when around 13,000 people are being hospitalized with COVID-19 weekly, more patient education on how the drugs work and when they’re most effective could help those who are sick make better-informed decisions, she says.
According to Dieffenbach, another COVID-19 drug, a pill course developed by the Japanese company Shionogi, is in late-stage clinical trials and showing promise. It is being tested for its efficacy against both acute and long-term COVID-19. Dieffenbach is looking forward to seeing how the trials turn out. However, he also mentions that this is the last drug in the pipeline for the near future.
Like any crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and our responses, societally & governmentally, has plenty to teach us. Hopefully, some of the lessons we learned will allow us to minimize or mitigate whatever the next crisis to come along may be. The NIH handing the reigns back to specialty groups is an important milestone indicating that the immediate crisis really has passed… and that’s something we can all celebrate.
Sources:
https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/
https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/about-the-guidelines/whats-new/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10854389/
https://aspr.hhs.gov/COVID-19/Therapeutics/Pages/COVID19-Tx-Transition-Guide.aspx
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#maps_new-admissions-rate-county
https://www.shionogi.com/global/en/news/2024/03/20240305.html
If you’re married, chances are good that you SHARE health challenges!
A study was published in December 2023 in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA), which examined patterns of hypertension in four different countries, namely China, England, India, and the United States. The main aim of this study was to investigate the likelihood of both married or committed partners having the same health issues, known as health concordance. The study involved a large sample size, including 6,514 Chinese, 1,086 English, 22,389 Indian, and 3,989 American individuals. The research found that in almost half of the couples, both partners had hypertension. Interestingly, this was the case regardless of their place of residence, level of education, or income.
This study suggests implementing couple-centered strategies could improve hypertension diagnosis and management in middle-aged and older adults.
Concordant hypertension refers to hypertension in both partners of a married couple. This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that couples tend to share similar environments, meals, and social activities, which can either contribute to or alleviate the development of hypertension. Additionally, people often look for partners with comparable preferences and characteristics, known as “assortative mating.”
Researchers have studied strategies that focus on couples to manage various health conditions. Adopting healthy habits like regular exercise, reducing stress, and making better dietary choices can be challenging if someone’s spouse or partner is unwilling to make similar changes. Collaborating with your spouse can significantly influence healthcare outcomes. These findings emphasize the importance of discussing health-related issues with spouses and adopting shared approaches for better management of hypertension.
Healthcare providers often provide care for multiple family members (thus, the “family doctor”). They may listen to each other’s concerns about their partner’s health. Pharmacists can educate couples on controlling blood pressure to avoid complications. They can emphasize that if complications such as stroke occur, the spouse’s overall health is likely to decline. Caregiving can be stressful and often leads to anxiety and depression.
And it’s not just hypertension! There is evidence suggesting that the cardiometabolic risks of married couples overlap. If one partner has type 2 diabetes or heart disease, the other partner’s risk doubles.
While the JAHA study focused hypertension, this study adds to the understanding that there are many ways in which partners’ health is interconnected. Sharing a life together often means sharing health challenges AND victories. A stable and satisfying relationship helps with accountability, emotional support, and motivation.
If you’re blessed enough to have special someone, consider ways to improve your health together. It’s easier to stay motivated when you’re doing things for someone else, especially someone you love!
Sources:
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/JAHA.123.030765
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373410
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.19.484997v1.full
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3325449/
It is an almost humorous understatement to say the Bubonic plague had an enormous negative impact on humanity, but researchers have started to uncover a silver lining we didn’t expect!
Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for bubonic plague, once caused millions of deaths around the world and wiped out a third of Europe’s population.
Even today, the words “bubonic plague” evoke both fear and fascination. Thankfully, the disease is now exceedingly rare in the US and Europe, primarily due to lifestyle changes that make it more complicated to spread to humans from infected fleas. Better still, when it does occur, it can typically be treated with simple antibiotics.
Researchers have long wondered whether plague outbreaks have left any permanent imprint on the human immune system, as they were so catastrophic. In particular, one theory suggests that the Black Death could have created a form of natural selection, with some of the individuals who survived it passing on genetic quirks that helped them do so to future generations.
Gathering data to answer this question has recently been a lot of work. Sequencing DNA from ancient plague victims’ skeletons found in mass burial sites is challenging, as scientists often have to work with tiny fragments of DNA, many of which are highly contaminated.
However, experts have discovered one piece of the skeleton called the bony labyrinth, where intact human DNA can still be reliably found. It lies within the inner ear and is one of the densest parts of the human body. This has helped to yield new insights into who survived past plague outbreaks and why over the last three years.
The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system is a set of genes that encode proteins on the surface of our cells, playing a critical role in coordinating the immune response. Certain HLA variants acted as a natural protection against Covid-19 for some asymptomatic individuals due to some sort of genetic lottery.
In 2021, researchers demonstrated that HLA variants could’ve played a role in determining who survived medieval plague outbreaks. They found that the present-day inhabitants of the German town of Ellwangen had various HLA gene differences that likely rendered their ancestors more capable of fighting off Yersinia pestis. Two years ago, a study showed that medieval Londoners and Danes carrying a specific ERAP2 variant were twice as likely to have survived the Black Death.
Researchers found that a gene called ERAP2, which helps immune cells fight pathogens like Yersinia pestis, has two variants. People with the full-sized protein variant were twice as likely to have survived the Black Death. By the end of the 14th century, 50% of Londoners and 70% of Danes carried this variant. However, more research is needed to understand whether this adaptation became widespread and integrated into our DNA.
“Any genes that had a protective effect against this outbreak could have had quite a boost in frequency after such an event,” he says. “But this may have only been over a few generations.”
Skoglund even wonders whether diseases such as smallpox, which was even more persistent and virulent than plague, killing many hundreds of millions of people, could have had a more significant impact on shaping modern immune systems.
Studying past plagues can provide valuable insights. Hendrik Poinar from McMaster University believes investigating plague strain evolution is crucial to understanding the development of problematic strains. David Skoglund’s study of 4,000-year-old plague victims in the UK found Yersinia pestis had not yet developed the ability to be transmitted by fleas.
“We can see in the DNA that the bacteria lacked a genetic factor that allows this flea-based transmission,” he says. “But by evolving that, it had a drastic impact on human health. But we can also learn from how evolution dealt with problems in the past, how it came up with biological mechanisms to battle those diseases thousands of years ago. That’s vital because we can use that to help us with vaccines and drug development today.”
Sources:
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/cmr.00044-19
https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(20)30792-0/fulltext
https://apnews.com/us-news/plague-oregon-general-news-6d5a71b8a45e5e38ec321fd48fdb9576
https://www.britannica.com/science/bony-labyrinth
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06331-x
If taking vitamins is part of your daily routine, you have biochemist Casimir Funk to thank. He’s the brainiac behind the whole vitamin boom.
Funk was a genius who made several contributions to the field of biochemistry and is known for his work on the nature of enzymes and vitamins, a term he coined when he referred to them as “vital amines.”
Casimir was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1884. He studied chemistry and medicine at the University of Bern in Switzerland. After completing his studies, he worked in several research labs in Europe before moving to the United States in 1912.
During his time in the United States, Casimir Funk made significant contributions to science by studying beriberi, a disease common in Asia caused by a deficiency of essential nutrients. Funk discovered that the disease could be cured by consuming a substance found in rice husks. Later, this substance was identified as thiamine, one of the essential B vitamins. Funk also emphasized the importance of supplementing certain vitamins to prevent conditions like scurvy (caused by a vitamin C deficiency) and rickets (caused by a lack of vitamin D).
Ultimately, through his research, Funk identified the existence of vitamins B1, B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), C, and D, all of which are crucial for good health.
In his later research, Funk studied animal hormones and contributed to the knowledge about hormones of the pituitary and sex glands, emphasizing the importance of balance between hormones and vitamins.
His family described him as a “driven and curious child” who pursued his education with passion despite facing obstacles as a Jewish student in Europe during a time of rising anti-Semitism. He earned his doctorate at the University of Bern in Switzerland when he was only twenty. Throughout his career as a biochemist, he worked at several hospitals and institutions, including the University of Berlin and the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
Dr. Funk passed away in Albany, NY, in 1967, but his health and science contributions continue to impact our daily lives. It was his groundbreaking work that laid the foundation for modern nutritional science, and made the efforts of people like Dr. Joe DiMatteo possible.
Thank you, Dr. Funk!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_Funk
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Thiamin-HealthProfessional/
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Riboflavin-HealthProfessional/
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Niacin-HealthProfessional/
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
Adding bananas, particularly frozen ones, to a smoothie is one of the best ways to make it taste more like a milkshake. They’re sweet and have a creamy texture. Best of all, they’re full of potassium and fiber! But what else should you put in that smoothie? If you said berries for the antioxidants, you might want to think twice.
Researchers from the University of California Davis (UCD) suggest that bananas could neutralize the antioxidants you’re looking for in berries.
The antioxidants in question are called flavonols, which are present in plant-based foods like berries, tea, cocoa, apples, pears, and peaches. Unfortunately, many of us don’t consume enough of these antioxidants in our daily diet.
When consuming food rich in flavonols, these compounds are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and processed. These metabolites are associated with several benefits, such as improved cognitive function and cardiovascular health.
However, recent experiments reveal that adding a single banana to a mix of berries reduces the abundance of these metabolites. In a controlled and blinded study conducted by researchers at UCD, eight participants were given a flavonol-rich berry smoothie or a simple flavonol capsule. Subsequent tests showed increased levels of flavonol metabolites in their blood.
After consuming a banana-berry smoothie, the metabolites in the volunteers’ blood were 84% lower compared to a pure dose of flavonol.
“We were really surprised to see how quickly adding a single banana decreased the level of flavonols in the smoothie and the levels of flavanol absorbed in the body,” says nutritionist Javier Ottaviani from UCD.
“This highlights how food preparation and combinations can affect the absorption of dietary compounds in foods.”
When we consume bananas, our body’s antioxidants may not fully utilize the flavonols in them. This is because of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (PPO) that causes bananas to turn brown when peeled. The antioxidants in our body react with PPO instead of performing their beneficial functions. Essentially, when exposed to the banana, the antioxidants ‘mop up’ PPO, preventing them from doing all that good work inside our bodies.
In experiments, a banana-berry smoothie with high levels of PPO was found to have fewer flavonols than a pure berry smoothie after an hour of being left at room temperature. However, when the PPO in the bananas was inhibited, the flavonols remained unchanged. This suggests that PPO can restrict the availability of flavonols before humans consume them.
The researchers also conducted a study investigating whether bananas can affect the absorption of antioxidants in the stomach. They asked 11 participants to drink a banana smoothie and a berry smoothie at the same time. This was done to prevent the interaction of the flavonols with PPO before ingestion. Despite this, the researchers found that the flavonol metabolites were present in lesser amounts in the participants’ bloodstreams after consuming the smoothies separately compared to when they drank only the berry smoothie.
The study was published in Food and Function and was conducted with a limited number of male participants. However, the researchers at UCD believe that their initial findings warrant further scientific attention.
Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/flavonol
https://caes.ucdavis.edu/news/researchers-issue-dietary-recommendation-food-compound-support-heart-health
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2023/fo/d3fo01599h
Do we really need our appendix? Most experts believe our ancestors used it to digest tough food like tree bark. We don’t eat tree bark anymore, so is it necessary to keep the tail-like end of the large intestine? And, if a life-altering disease could originate in it, is it wrong to want it removed?…
We’ve known that hearing loss is strongly linked to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. What has been unclear is whether it is a symptom, cause, or just common comorbidity. A new study out of John Hopkins University has determined that wearing a hearing aid can reduce mental decline by almost half in people at risk of dementia.
Experts estimate that up to 8% of dementia cases could be prevented by stopping hearing loss.
“As everyone lives longer, the number of people with dementia over time are going up,” said co-principal investigator of the study, Dr. Frank Lin, professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health, “These results provide compelling evidence that treating hearing loss is a powerful tool to protect cognitive function in later life, and possibly, over the long term, delay a dementia diagnosis. But any cognitive benefits of treating age-related hearing loss are likely to vary depending on an individual’s risk of cognitive decline.”
The researchers looked at more than 3,000 people from two populations: healthy community volunteers and older adults from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, a longstanding observational study of cardiovascular health. Participants were between the ages of 70 and 84 and were asked to carry out tests of executive function, language, and memory completed at the start of the study and then three years later.
Participants were randomly assigned to either a control group that received counseling in chronic disease prevention or an intervention group that received treatment from an audiologist and hearing aids, according to the study. Researchers followed up with the groups every six months for three years. At the completion of the study, they were given a score from a comprehensive neurocognitive test.
In the total group, hearing aids did not appear to reduce cognitive decline, the study said. The minor change in the total population could be because the healthy, less at-risk participants weren’t seeing a cognitive decline much at all, which meant the hearing aids couldn’t do much to slow it down.
“We can’t slow down something that’s already really not changing,” Lin said.
But when researchers looked at just the older group at higher risk, they found a significant reduction in cognitive decline, calling into question whether governments and individuals should prioritize hearing health to reduce dementia risk, Lin explained.
In fact, those who were most at risk of cognitive decline through lower education and income, higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure, or who lived alone saw 48% less cognitive decline if they wore a hearing aid. Experts said the findings added further evidence to the importance of keeping the brain active.
Everyone’s hearing declines with age, Lin said. But why does that increase the risk of dementia?
Researchers think there may be three mechanisms at play:
1) The Cochlea wears out over time. Lin said that the inner ear may send garbled signals to the brain, which has to work harder to redistribute brain power to understand what it’s hearing.
“That’s why people always say it sounds like people are mumbling at me,” he added.
2) Hearing loss may have structural impacts on the brain’s integrity, and parts may be atrophying or shrinking faster — and that is not good for the brain, Lin said.
3) If you can’t hear very well, you might be less likely to go out and participate in social activities.
“We’ve long known that … staying really engaged in commonly social activities is very important for maintaining our cognitive health as well,” Lin noted.
If you’re unsure about your hearing, it’s important to get it checked out NOW, before things start to deteriorate. It would help if you used an aid even with mild hearing loss, according to Dr. Benjamin Tan, Dean’s Fellow at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore.
“It is a simple, effective and practically risk-free method to preserve your cognition as much as possible,” he added.
That said, Tan said that not everyone in the United States has access to regular consultation and treatment with an ear, nose, and throat doctor or an audiologist. In those cases, lower cost over-the-counter hearing aids — available without a prescription — may be a good option.
“Even though you will not have experts diagnosing the cause of your hearing loss or fine-tuning your device, it is probably still better to use a hearing aid than none at all,” he said.
The study also showed the importance of maintaining physical health to prevent cognitive decline. That means checking in with a primary care provider regularly, getting regular physical activity, prioritizing eating leafy greens, berries, and omega-type fatty acids, getting good sleep, and keeping your brain sharp by learning new things.
With cognitive decline and dementia, getting ahead of the problem is the only option. There are no treatments around that can restore cognitive function once it slips away.
If you or someone you know is aging or showing signs for cognitive decline, take action NOW! Don’t wait for things to get worse. Every intervention is a worthwhile one, especially when it’s as simple as a hearing aid!
Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37478886/
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(23)00048-8/fulltext
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/science/atherosclerosis-risk-communities-aric-study
We haven’t talked about vitamin D in a while. It needs to get more attention. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, one of the main building blocks of bone. It also plays an important role in your nervous, muscle, and immune systems. And with all its benefits, like fighting diseases, regulating mood and reducing depression, and supporting weight loss, it’s a big deal.
Really, we’re a lot like houseplants with emotions.
And just like a houseplant, not getting enough sunlight & vitamin D means we start to break down. The technical name is Vitamin D deficiency.
You may not shrivel up and wilt, but being deficient has been shown to be directly linked to dozens of different health challenges!
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to osteoporosis and bone fractures. In children, severe vitamin D deficiency can also cause rickets. Rickets is a rare bone disease in children that causes weak bones, bowed legs, and other bone deformities. In adults, severe vitamin D deficiency leads to osteomalacia, which causes weak bones, bone pain, and muscle weakness.
It’s surprisingly easy to become deficient in vitamin D for different reasons:
- Not eating enough vitamin D rich foods.
- Not absorbing enough the vitamin D in your food.
- Not enough exposure to sunlight
- Your liver or kidneys can’t convert vitamin D to its active form.
- Certain medications may interfere with your body’s ability to convert or absorb vitamin D.
There are several groups at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency:
- Breastfed infants since human milk is a poor source of vitamin D.
- Older adults don’t make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight as efficiently as when younger skin.
- People with dark skin cannot produce vitamin D from the sun.
- People with conditions that make it difficult to absorb nutrients from food, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and celiac disease.
- Obese people because their body fat binds to some vitamin D and prevents it from getting into the blood.
- People with chronic kidney or liver disease.
There are several ways to get Vitamin D naturally. First is through your skin, by getting enough exposure to sunlight (but be careful that you don’t get too much sun as that can be dangerous for a multitude of reasons). The second is through natural food like:
- Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel
- Beef liver
- Cheese
- Mushrooms
- Egg yolks
You can also get vitamin D from fortified foods. Some that often have added vitamin D include:
- Milk
- Breakfast cereals
- Orange juice
- Other dairy products, such as yogurt
- Soy drinks
And the third way is through supplements… And we can help with that!
If you are tested and find you are actually deficient, the treatment is usually an “all of the above” approach. Get outside. Eat more fish. Use one of our supplements.
Check with your provider (like Joyce!) about how much, how often, and how long you need to take it.
Of course, there is too much of a good thing! Though comparatively rare, very high levels of vitamin D can damage the kidneys, leading to a host of other issues. Most cases of vitamin D toxicity happen when someone overuses vitamin D supplements. Again, work with a professional practitioner that can help you track levels and make corrections as needed.
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Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-vitamin-d
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351968
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8301330/
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/malabsorption
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Vitamin-D-Overdose.aspx
Acid reflux sufferers, listen up! According to a recent study, researchers have found a link between elevated risk of dementia and long-term use of certain prescription acid reflux medications. Acid reflux happens when a muscle in the lower end of the esophagus relaxes at the wrong time and allows stomach acid to back up into…
Millions of US men suffer from low amounts of the sex hormone testosterone. In fact, you likely know someone who may struggle with low testosterone levels. Low levels can make it difficult to maintain muscle mass and cause low libido, but that’s not all. But experts have dubbed low testosterone “male menopause” and are now…
We know that multivitamins have many benefits, but for a long time, they’ve been considered controversial and received mixed reviews from the medical and scientific community. While many studies have shown improvements in blood-markers and benefits in lowering the risk of cancer and other diseases, some research seemed to suggest they did almost nothing. But…
By now, you’ve heard of the popular type-2 diabetes injectable drug Ozempic being used off-label for weight loss. Wegovy (a similar drug) has been cleared by the FDA. Both drugs have gotten a ton of attention for helping the obese to lose weight. It gave hope to tens of thousands of people exhausted by yo-yo…
Do you want to hear some delightful news that will do your heart some good? Recently Abby and Erin Delaney of North Carolina graduated from kindergarten! So what? Well, the girls just proved their doctors wrong by defying their 2% chance of survival and earning their first diplomas! Heather Delaney learned at just 11 weeks…
Researchers have added one more convincing reason to get us up and moving: a greater ability to handle pain. A recent study published in the journal PLOS One found that regular exercise effectively reduces or prevents chronic pain without medication. Researchers analyzed a sample of 10,732 participants from the Tromsø study, Norway’s largest population study. …
AI is helping New York doctors in new ways. Several University doctors and hospital executives are using an artificial intelligence (AI) computer program to predict whether newly discharged patients will soon be sick enough to be readmitted. The AI program “NYUTron” reads physicians’ notes to evaluate a patient’s risk of dying and the potential length…
Have you seen the movie Awakenings with Robin Williams? It’s based on a true story about a doctor who figured out a way to wake up patients from their catatonic state. Well, it’s happened again! April Burrell was catatonic for over 20 years after suddenly becoming unresponsive at just 21 years old. To say this…
A deadly bacteria that kills up to 50% of people it infects has now been declared an endemic along the US Gulf Coast. Dr. Julia Petras, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who made the warning, said Burkholderia pseudomallei, which can cause potentially lethal melioidosis if not treated, is now…
US health officials have detected an atypical case of “mad cow disease” in a beef cow at a slaughter plant in South Carolina, they announced in a statement on Friday, May 19. The US Department of Agriculture said the animal “never entered slaughter channels and at no time presented a risk to the food supply…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given final approved to a new nonhormonal medicine, Fezolinetant, for hot flashes.
For decades, women who can’t or choose not to take hormones to alleviate hot flashes, a common symptom in menopause, have always had no effective treatment options. But now there’s a new alternative.
Developed by Astellas Pharma, Veozah is the second nonhormonal drug cleared for hot flashes in the United States. Research suggests that it will be beneficial in reducing hot flashes and night sweats.
“We need better nonhormonal therapies for those women who can’t or who choose not to take hormone therapy,” says JoAnn Pinkerton, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and the director of the midlife health center at the University of Virginia Health in Charlottesville.
More than one million American women enter menopause each year, according to StatPearls in 2022. This happens when estrogen levels drop, and women stop menstruating.
According to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), as the production of hormones estrogen and progesterone decrease in the years leading up to menopause and afterward, a wide range of symptoms may occur, including mood swings, joint pain, vaginal dryness, insomnia, and memory problems. In addition, vasomotor symptoms, or hot flashes and night sweats, occur in roughly 75 percent of women going through menopause.
While the exact cause of hot flashes and night sweats isn’t known, Dr. Pinkerton says decreased estrogen levels are thought to interfere with normal body temperature regulation processes in the brain.
Fezolinetant is the first drug in a new family of medicines known as neurokinin 3 receptor antagonists, which are designed to block activity in the brain’s hypothalamus region that causes the body’s internal thermostat to malfunction.
According to the company, Veozah will be available in pharmacies within the next few weeks, and the cost will be around $550 for a one-month supply. They also plan to offer a financial support program to make the medication more affordable.
Sources:
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-novel-drug-treat-moderate-severe-hot-flashes-caused-menopause
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hot-flashes/symptoms-causes/syc-20352790
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/report/menopause
https://www.astellas.com/en/news/27756
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507826/
https://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopause-faqs-hot-flashes
This is terribly disconcerting — especially if you have young women in your life.
It is worth the read. It’s a delicate subject, but it needs to be discussed. NOW.
Earlier this month, the feminine hygiene company Thinx settled a class-action lawsuit for $5 million over using PFAS in its products. The company used PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, to improve the performance of its period underwear. Studies have linked PFAS to fertility problems, certain cancers, and other health risks. Consumers who purchased Thinx products between November 12th, 2016, and November 28th, 2022, had until April 12th, 2023, to submit an online claim to be eligible for partial cash reimbursement or a voucher for 35% off a single purchase.
The class-action lawsuit focused on misleading marketing by the manufacturer, who claimed in advertisements that its products were sustainable, organic, and reusable. As part of the settlement, Thinx is required to change its marketing language and ensure that PFAS are not intentionally added to its products in the future.
Jessian Choy is credited with uncovering high levels of PFAS in Thinx products in 2020. Choy asked Dr. Graham Peaslee, a University of Notre Dame nuclear scientist, to test Thinx products. The testing uncovered that one pair of Thinx underwear contained 3,264 parts per million, and another contained 2,053 ppm of the forever chemicals.
In 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency updated its recommendations of lifetime exposures for four types of PFAS in drinking water but has yet to set a limit for other sources of PFAS exposure, such as food and consumer products. However, a 2017 Commission for Environmental Cooperation study revealed that PFAS could migrate from textiles into spit, sweat, and laundry water. And, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, about 97% of the United States population has PFAS in their bloodstream.
Consumer activist site Mamavation found 65% of period underwear tested had detectable levels of fluorine in either the outer or inner crotch layer.
The site sent 17 pairs of underwear from 14 different brands to an Environmental Protection Agency-certified laboratory to determine amounts of fluorine in the material over 10 parts per million.
Eleven pairs had detectable fluorine in them.
Dr. Ken Spaeth, chief of the division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Northwell Health, said that the presence of PFAS “would typically be a manufacturing issue.” And that “PFAS has some use in settings where a barrier is intended to be created for blocking moisture, so that may be the issue.'”
The health risks of PFAS appear to be far-reaching but are not fully understood. Links have been made to high blood pressure, cancer, and even infertility. The specific ways in which PFAS chemicals damage people’s health are unclear, but the fact that they affect a number of organ systems in the body is widely accepted. Dr. Spaeth remarked, “We don’t know the exact mechanisms; we just know the results of contamination. The full mechanism of injury is not fully known, but their ability to injure is certainly recognized nonetheless.’
“The ability for these chemicals to disrupt the signaling is part of its endocrine disruption activities. And it appears to be directly damaging of the cells of the liver and some of the other organ systems. The cancer-causing pathways seem to relate to a number of different cell toxic pathways of inflammation and potential damage to genes.”
PFAS in period underwear is particularly worrying, Dr. Spaeth said.
“In consideration of the fact that this is underwear, the genitalia are particularly susceptible to absorption. The skin in and around the vagina become potential areas of uptake. Given some of the preliminary numbers, in terms of the levels that are found in some of these products, they would suggest that they’re quite high, so the potential for a substantial uptake has to be considered.”
The evidence for PFAS’ effect on fertility is mixed. Dr. Spaeth explains, “There is certainly some evidence to suggest that infertility may be an issue… These chemicals are endocrine disrupting. One of the ways that they are disturbing the endocrine system relates to the normal pathways and normal activities of hormone signaling, including estrogen and some of the other hormones that are critical in reproductive health for women. So there’s certainly that potential, but it’s not clear exactly the extent to which that would impact fertility in particular.”
PFAS can also be dangerous during several stages of pregnancy, including to the developing baby. They can also enter the body through the skin, as the particles are so small. Dr. Spaeth again explained, ‘Once they’re in the body… they can travel in the bloodstream and therefore potentially reach anywhere in the body.”
Authors of a 2016 review said that half of the studies they looked at found that PFAS exposure led to an increased time for women to get pregnant.
On the other hand, a study in Minnesota in 2020 found that removing PFAS-contaminated water supplies led to fewer premature births, fewer babies born with low weight, and an increased fertility rate.
And researchers in Sweden found that women with double the amount of PFAS in their blood compared to other participants were 50% more likely to suffer a miscarriage.
Dr. Spaeth says, “It’s an additional exposure to a chemical that’s already in our bodies from a variety of sources. We’re all walking around with measurable levels of these PFAS chemicals in us already. Adding to that can only increase the risk of health effects. So in situations where one can identify additional exposures, it’s concerning for sure.” He added, “At the very least, these kinds of chemicals should not be in used in such ways that individuals are being exposed without some word of warning about it.”
Unfortunately, PFAS are here to stay. There’s little we can do about that.
But what we CAN do is be aware and make conscious and intentional efforts to watch what choices we make as consumers. Here are several ways to reduce PFAS in our homes:
- Read labels — research ingredients.
- Specifically, look for products that include “fluoro” or “perfluoro.”
- Avoid or reduce the use of non-stick cookware
- Consider filtering your drinking water
- TRY finding cosmetics that are trying to go PFAS-free.
There are other steps that can be taken. Have a look at this list for a few more in-depth ideas.
It might not seem like much, but it’s being proactive, and being proactive is a big deal.
Sources:
https://www.consumernotice.org/news/pfas-thinx-lawsuit/
https://www.ewg.org/what-are-pfas-chemicals
https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2023/exposure-to-chemicals-found-in-everyday-products-is-linked-to-significantly-reduced-fertility
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/pfas-after-thinx-underwear-settles-class-action-lawsuit-96660638
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-new-drinking-water-health-advisories-pfas-chemicals-1-billion-bipartisan
http://www.cec.org/files/documents/publications/11777-furthering-understanding-migration-chemicals-from-consumer-products-en.pdf
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc/index.cfm
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12403-022-00496-y
https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-020-00591-0
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-82748-6
https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/superfund/files/2019/10/PFAS-and-Water-Filtering-fact-sheet-10-14-19_final.pdf
https://www.ehn.org/pfas-in-makeup-2656887006.html
https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/02/13/massachusetts-pfas-risk-harm-tips
This is new. Remember us telling you about the antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in supermarket meats a few weeks ago? Well, now it seems those little buggers have figured out how to go global — by hitching a ride on clouds.
Researchers from Université Laval in Quebec and Université Clermont Auvergne in France showed, for the first time, that bacteria carrying antibiotic-resistant genes can be harbored and carried in the atmosphere.
A new study has found that bacteria resistant to antibiotics can not only live on the surfaces of plants or within the soil, but they can also survive in clouds, meaning they can travel thousands of miles and potentially invade new environments.
“Considering that the atmosphere is a system that is pretty harsh for the bacteria, (the number they found) is quite a lot, actually,” said Florent Rossi, first author of the study and postdoctoral fellow at Université Laval’s Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Antimicrobial resistance genes are a naturally occurring phenomenon everywhere in nature, he explained, adding that the scientific community has long known that these genes can exist in the air (which can be carried from the ground to the atmosphere by the wind).
However, “what we didn’t know is how high they can be and how far they can travel. And the fact that we found them in clouds highlights that they can travel for long distances,” Rossi stated.
The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has made it more and more challenging to effectively treat a developing number of bacterial infections, including pneumonia, tuberculosis, and foodborne illnesses. This trend has resulted in longer hospitalizations, higher medical expenses, and elevated mortality rates, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Antibiotic resistance has become so prevalent that the WHO has classified it as one of humanity’s 10 global public health threats.
Because of its prevalence in nature, Rossi and his team wanted to understand how far antibacterial resistance genes can travel.
The researchers sampled clouds at the Puy de Dôme summit, a dormant volcano in south-central France. Working from an atmospheric research station 1,465 meters (4806 feet) above ground, scientists conducted 12 cloud sampling sessions over two years using high-flow rate “vacuums.”
After reviewing these samples, the team found they contained about 8,000 bacteria per milliliter of cloud water, on average. The study found between 5-50% of these bacteria could be alive and potentially active.
It’s unclear exactly how far the antibiotic-resistant genes can travel. Still, because clouds can be as far up as six kilometers (3.7 miles) into the sky, Rossi estimated they can spread “over thousands of kilometers.”
“We don’t know whether the bacteria in the atmosphere can grow when it lands in soil when it rains, and we don’t know if those bacteria can spread their antimicrobial resistance genes,” Rossi added.
According to a 2022 report by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), antibiotics are used for medicine, but mainly in agriculture, to prevent disease and to improve growth production. The agency estimated that in 2020, 82% of all antibiotics used in Canada were related to livestock.
As the use of antibiotics increases, bacteria can develop resistance to one or more of them, explained Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Disease Centre. The problem will get worse if antibiotics are used inappropriately for extended periods. As a result, bacteria can evolve to become resistant to multiple antibiotics.
Because of the risk, Conway believes the Université Laval’s study is crucial in highlighting “another way in which these bacteria can spread from one location to another.” But, he warns, “Perhaps it teaches us that in places where there haven’t necessarily been cases of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that have spread from one person to another, this is a way in which they could be introduced into an environment.”
The study, he stressed, emphasizes the importance of minimizing the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which he hopes can be achieved by reducing the use of antibiotics in both medical and agricultural contexts.
Sources:
https://askjoedimatteo.com/thats-gross/?fbclid=IwAR3aEhktfhagIY0EHCe2TzJbf8soou4aoOltHXQFisbnqL-U8987Rlj5GBE
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969722083681?via=ihub
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antibiotic-resistance
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/drugs-health-products/canadian-antimicrobial-resistance-surveillance-system-report-2022.html
Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have manipulated stem cells to mimic the development of the human heart, resulting in a sort of “mini-heart” known as an organoid. It will enable the study of the earliest development phase of the heart and further research on diseases.
Amazingly, the human heart starts formingless than three weeks after conception,when women are often unaware of their pregnancy. That’s one reason we still know little about how the heart is formed. And, findings from animal studies are, at best, only partially transferable to humans. However, the organoid developed at TUM could prove valuable to researchers.
The team, led by Alessandra Moretti, Professor of Regenerative Medicine in Cardiovascular Disease, developed a method for making a sort of “mini-heart” using pluripotent stem cells where around 35,000 cells are spun into a sphere in a centrifuge. Then, over several weeks, different signaling molecules are added to the cell culture under a fixed protocol. “In this way, we mimic the signaling pathways in the body that control the developmental program for the heart,” explains Alessandra Moretti. The group has now published its work in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
The resulting organoids are about half a millimeter in diameter. Although they do not pump blood, they can be stimulated electrically to contract like human heart chambers. Prof. Moretti and her team are the first researchers in the world to successfully create an organoid containing both heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) and cells of the outer layer of the heart wall (epicardium). The first organoids previously created only had cardiomyocytes and cells from the inner layer of the heart wall (endocardium).
“To understand how the heart is formed, epicardium cells are decisive,” says Dr. Anna Meier, the first author of the study. “Other cell types in the heart, for example, in connecting tissues and blood vessels, are formed from these cells. The epicardium also plays a very important role in forming the heart chambers.” The team has befittingly named the new organoids “epicardioids.”
Through the analysis of individual cells, the team has determined that precursor cells of a type only recently discovered in mice form around the seventh day of the development of the organoid. The epicardium forms from these cells. “We assume that these cells also exist in the human body — if only for a few days,” says Prof. Moretti.
These insights also offer clues as to why the fetal heart can repair itself, a capability almost entirely absent in the heart of an adult human. This understanding could help to find new treatment methods for heart attacks and other conditions.
The team also showed that the organoids can be used to investigate the illnesses of individual patients. For example, the researchers manufactured organoids that emulated characteristics of the condition in a Petri dish using pluripotent stem cells from a patient suffering from Noonan syndrome. Over the coming months, the team plans to use comparable personalized organoids to investigate other congenital heart defects. In addition, with the possibility of imitating heart conditions in organoids, medications could be tested directly on them in the future. “It is conceivable that such tests could reduce the need for animal experiments when developing drugs,” says Alessandra Moretti.
The team has registered an international patent for the process of creating heart organoids. The Epicardioid model is one of several organoid projects at TUM. Work groups from various departments and chairs will collaborate at the Center for Organoid Systems. They will conduct interdisciplinary research into pancreas, brain, and heart organoids with state-of-the-art imaging and cellular analysis to study the formation of organs, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases and achieve progress for medicine with human 3D systems.
While this may not sound like much, it is a HUGE step that will hopefully lead to even bigger jumps in our understanding and abilities. It’s not hard to imagine being able to use something like this technique to grow new, specifically matched organs for people that need transplants. Does no more donor list, and no more rejection issues sound good to anyone?
Sources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/organoid
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545195/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-023-01718-7
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/noonan-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20354422
As our society becomes more health-conscious, we are constantly bombarded with new information about what we should and shouldn’t be consuming. Two topics that have been in the spotlight recently are sweeteners and statins, both of which play a significant role in our diets and overall health.
On one hand, artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes have become increasingly popular as people look for ways to reduce their sugar intake. There is still some debate over whether these sweeteners are better for us than regular sugar. Some studies have suggested that consuming too many artificial sweeteners can actually lead to weight gain and other health issues.
On the other hand, statins have been touted as a miracle drug for those with high cholesterol. These medications work by blocking an enzyme in the liver that produces cholesterol, thereby lowering overall cholesterol levels in the body. Unfortunately, while they can be very effective, statins do come with some potential side effects, including muscle pain and possibly even liver damage.
And what about the cost of these medications? It’s no secret that healthcare costs in the United States are skyrocketing, and prescription medications are no exception. In fact, some of the most expensive prescription drugs on the market today are cholesterol-lowering medications like statins.
So we throw our hands up because CLEARLY, these companies are trying to kill us.
No.
As with nearly everything, the truth is more complicated than that.
Replacing large amounts of sugar with sugar substitutes is almost certainly going to be a net positive to your health, despite the potential long-term side effects. Of course, eliminating foods sweetened beyond the average fruit would be the best solution, but most people aren’t interested in that solution!
Similarly, controlling cholesterol from early adulthood on through diet, exercise, sleep, and all the rest would be the BEST solution… but if that ship has sailed, statins will actually help most people to live longer. Do they have trade offs? Of course. Everything does. There simply isn’t a perfect solution.
But now the million dollar question: Should I be using these things?
That’s a decision everyone needs to make for themselves. It’s important to do your research and talk to your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your diet or medication regimen. Everyone’s health situation is different. Combinations of past habits, lifestyle, disease states, age, and a million other factors mean everyone needs to weigh both the potential side effects against the benefits.
At the end of the day, your health is your most valuable asset. By staying informed and making wise choices about your diet and medications, you can take control of your health and live the best life possible. Every single one of us has room to improve. Don’t put it off. Take action TODAY!
And if you want to hear our discussions about these topics, check out episodes 5 and 7 of Generation Health!
Sources:
https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2022/09/not-so-sweet-study-shows-artificial-sweeteners-health-harms
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/interactive/2023/sugar-substitutes-health-effects/
https://medlineplus.gov/statins.html
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/statins/side-effects/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2022/09/26/why-healthcare-costs-rise-amid-inflation/8093216001/?gnt-cfr=1
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/01/30/drug-price-increases-2023/11084913002/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/
Say “Good-bye” to steak tartare!
In a new study, researchers say they found drug-resistant bacteria in 40% of meat samples at supermarkets in Spain. Namely, they found E. coli bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. The team presented their findings at Denmark’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
E.coli causes severe illness, often including severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting. In addition, some people may have a fever, which usually is not very high (less than 101˚F/38.5˚C). Most people get better within 5 to 7 days.
The findings are amplifying concerns about foodborne illness and the overuse of antibiotic drugs.
Tyler Williams, the chief technical officer of ASI Food Safety, one of North America’s largest food safety service providers, said, “Most consumers assume that everything they buy from a grocery store is guaranteed to be safe, but this is far from the truth.”
The research team out of the University of Santiago de Compostela-Lugo in Lugo, Spain, tested 100 meat products, including chicken, turkey, beef, and pork which were selected randomly from supermarkets in Oviedo, Spain.
They found that although 73% of the supermarket meat contained levels of E. coli that are considered safe for consumption, half of the samples contained multidrug-resistant and/or potentially pathogenic E. coli, whichproduced enzymes resistant to most beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillins, cephalosporins, and the monobactam aztreonam.
About 27% of samples contained pathogenic extraintestinal E. coli (ExPEC), which can cause dangerous infections outside the intestinal tract. They also found drug-resistant E. coli in 68% of turkey, 56% of chicken, 16% of beef, and 12% of pork samples.
It’s a huge concern.
Every year, infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria kill an estimated 700,000 worldwide. And if current trends continue, that number is projected to reach 10 million by 2050.
The study authors appealed to governments to regularly assess levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in meat products and limit the use of antibiotics in farm animals.
“As we continue to rely on antibiotics to ensure that animals maintain acceptable health, we’re continuing to expose microbiological communities in the environment to residual antibiotics,” Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, the author of “150 Food Science Questions Answered. remarked”
“While not all varieties of E. coli are pathogenic, bacteria are capable of transferring resistance across subspecies, and we are just going to keep seeing more antibiotic-resistant food pathogens over time,” he added.
“The challenge is that our food system has a lot of momentum in doing things the same way as before,” said Le. “There isn’t a lot of innovation, so until the problem becomes unacceptable to the public and political spheres, the food and agricultural industry will continue to apply these low-cost antibiotic approaches to dealing with animal diseases, despite the long-term risks. And unfortunately, we as consumers will be burdened with the consequences of these resistant microorganisms.”
If this problem is bad and getting worse, what can we do to protect ourselves? That’s easy:
Cook your food to safe minimum temperatures!
Additionally, be sure to:
- Don’t break the cold chain from the supermarket to home.
- Store food properly in the refrigerator.
- Disinfect knives, chopping boards, and other cooking utensils used to prepare raw meat appropriately to avoid cross-contamination (going from uncooked meat to veggies, for instance).
But what happens if we eat meat with multi-drug-resistant bacteria in it?
If you’ve cooked it properly, NOTHING. The minimum temperatures are based on what’s required to kill bacteria. If you’re not certain about your cooking times (or just want to be sure), buy an instant-read meat thermometer. They’re cheap AND make sure your dinner isn’t undercooked!
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/index.html
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/documents/no-time-to-wait-securing-the-future-from-drug-resistant-infections-en.pdf
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart
Spring has officially sprung! And with it comes the itchy throat, watery and burning eyes, the sneezing, and the ever-present post-nasal drip.
But spring seems a bit early every year.
Does it seem like that to you?
When did you start sneezing?
When did you first start noticing the pollen everywhere?
Researchers think they may know the reason why.
A recent study published in Nature Communications found that pollen allergy season has grown more intense and ramped up in recent years — it could start up to 40 days earlier and last 19 days longer by the year 2100, with the annual pollen count jumping anywhere from 40% to 200% above baseline. The researchers at the University of Michigan developed a predictive model to analyze climate change’s impact on 15 of the most common pollen types. They proposed that rising global temperatures are to blame for the predicted increased intensity of seasonal allergies as trees, weeds, and grasses spring up earlier with more severity.
Seasonal allergies usually start around St. Patrick’s Day, but in recent years, they have started closer to Valentine’s Day. A recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicated that much of the US experienced record or near-record warm temperatures in March as the national average rose 2.7 degrees above the 20th-century standard. Previous research has also shown that pollen seasons have grown longer — and more potent — in recent years and are expected to continue on that path.
With temperature and weather changes alone, annual pollen emissions are forecasted to increase by 40%.
“Pollen-induced respiratory allergies are getting worse with climate change,” said the study’s first author, Yingxiao Zhang, a University of Michigan graduate student, and research assistant who studies climate and space sciences in the College of Engineering.
Warmer winters and earlier springs can be tough for the 30% of adults and 40% of children who suffer from allergies in the US and especially brutal for the 25 million Americans with asthma.
We may not be able to control the average global temperature or when spring starts, but you can do a few things to make allergy season more bearable:
- Stay indoors when pollen counts are high. You can check the pollen count for your area online or on the weather forecast.
- Use an over-the-counter allergy medication. There are many different types of allergy medications available, so talk to your doctor (Or pharmacist!) about which one will work for you.
- Use a nasal rinse. A nasal rinse can help to flush out allergens and mucus from your nasal passages. This can help to relieve congestion and other allergy symptoms.
- Use a humidifier. A humidifier can add moisture to the air, which can help to relieve dry, itchy eyes and skin. They can also help to pull pollen out of the air by weighing it down.
- Change your clothes when you come indoors. If you’ve been outside on a high-pollen day, change your clothes as soon as you come indoors. This will help to remove allergens from your clothing.
- Support your body’s ability to fight! Our All Season Support Package has all of our best products designed specifically to help support your body in its seasonal fight.
Sources:
http://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28764-0
https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/pollen
https://www.noaa.gov/news/warm-february-wrapped-up-warm-winter-for-us
https://aafa.org/allergies/allergy-facts/
https://aafa.org/asthma/asthma-facts/
Extraordinary news!
Scientists have identified the exact moment that healthy brain proteins are shocked into the tangled mess that becomes what’s commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers are hopeful that the new approach responsible for the discovery could be used to directly study the ‘never-before-seen’ early stages of many neurodegenerative diseases.
Tau proteins are prolific in the human brain. The proteins look like tiny pieces of string inside neurons at first glance. But, as they fold and tether together with structural components called microtubules, they construct a skeleton of sorts for brain cells to help them function properly.
Unfortunately, this folding of tau can sometimes backfire. Although not all, oddly tangled tau proteins are a sign of numerous cases of Alzheimer’s.
In this twisted-up state, known as a neurofibrillary tangle, tau proteins are suspected of suffocating neurons from the inside out, interfering with cell function, and leading to cell death. Still, some other experts argue that tau tangles aren’t toxic but actually protective, produced in response to other underlying issues.
Watching tau as it tangles in the lab could facilitate researchers in clarifying the protein’s role in brain degeneration. It could also prove a valuable model for testing up-and-coming treatments.
An interdisciplinary team of scientists at UCSB has now proposed a way to do just that.
With little less than a volt of electricity, researchers have demonstrated they can trigger out-of-control tangling among a specific type of tau protein.
This current, designed to mimic the molecular signals that naturally cause the ‘hyper-folding’ of tau proteins in the brain, allows researchers to watch in real-time as tau proteins pass a critical ‘tipping point’ and shift from healthy to diseased states.
Biochemist Daniel Morse from UCSB explains,
“This method provides scientists a new means to trigger and simultaneously observe the dynamic changes in the protein as it transitions from good to bad. Because we can turn on and fine-tune the process at will, we can use this system to see what molecules could interdict or block specific stages of folding and assembly.”
Tau proteins include a group of several variants, but the one used in this study is called K18, a core peptide containing the microtubule-binding domain.
Shockingly enough, the researchers found that when K18 was exposed to a volt of electricity over a long period (hours or days), it led to rapid and irreversible tangling.
But even with just 15 minutes of quick exposure, tau proteins began to gather into knots, albeit ones that were more manageable and easier to untangle with a reverse voltage — a sign that tau tangling can progress over time, just as the symptoms of Alzheimer’s seem to do.
Researchers say that the transition from a healthy to diseased tau protein could be “a gradual one rather than the result of a single all-or-none switch.” In addition, the authors reported that the technology could also be used as a tool to more rapidly test and identify drugs and antibodies potentially useful for prevention or treatment of Alzheimer’s and other amyloid diseases. “Because we can turn on and fine-tune the process at will,” Morse explained, “we can use this system to see what molecules could interdict or block specific stages of folding and assembly.”
That is extraordinary!
The study was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Sources:
https://www.alz.org/media/Documents/alzheimers-dementia-tau-ts.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/microtubules
https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/alz.12321
https://www.news.ucsb.edu/2023/020841/tipping-point-toward-alzheimer-s
https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(23)00143-6/fulltext
Nuts are an excellent replacement for highly processed and less healthy snacks, but one is continuing to distinguish itself as the best!
A cupful of walnuts may be just what the doctor ordered to keep your heart and — your gut — healthy. Recent research shows that walnuts, in particular, can lessen a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
It’s long been determined that nuts are beneficial for our health. Still, researchers out of Texas Tech University in Lubbock and Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA, wanted to learn more about how walnuts, in particular, may benefit the heart and their impact on the gut microbiome. They were curious as to whether or not it was possible that the heart benefits actually started in the gut.
The researchers assigned specific diets to three groups of participants. The first was dubbed the “walnut diet” group, consisting of participants who ate 57–99 grams of walnuts daily, or roughly 1 cup of walnuts.
The second group ate the same amounts of omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid present in walnuts without eating walnuts. They were called the “matched walnut control diet” group.
The third group was assigned to supplement ALA with oleic acid — again, while not eating walnuts — and was referred to as the “oleic acid replaces ALA in diet without walnuts” group.
At the end of the 6-week diet periods, the researchers collected stool samples from the participants and analyzed the samples with metatranscriptomics “to investigate the gut microbiota composition and functionality.”
The findings showed that people who consumed the diet with walnuts had higher levels of the amino acid L-homoarginine in their guts. This is good news since people with lower levels of homoarginine are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. The results showed that it might be possible to improve heart health by making dietary changes that affect the gut.
The study results were presented at Discover DMB, which is the annual meeting of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Dr. Ernst von Schwarz, a cardiologist and professor at UCLA, not involved in this study, said the findings also support the idea of promoting “the concept of a Mediterranean-type diet as the most heart-healthy diet, which in some studies even has been shown to result in a regression of atherosclerosis (calcification/hardening) of the blood vessels in the heart, the brain, and even in the sexual organs. Even though we are aware of the long-term benefits of a Mediterranean diet, we do not know the exact mechanisms,” Dr. von Schwarz continued. “Therefore, this study — among others — helps us to understand possible biochemical pathways that are affected by dietary ingredients, including walnuts.”
Sources:
https://www.nmcd-journal.com/article/S0939-4753(22)00302-7/fulltext
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/types-of-fat/omega-3-fats/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4350958/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/oleic-acid
Not too long ago, we looked at green and blue spaces and how they can affect our health, but have you heard about “blue zones” and what they could mean for our longevity? Could they really hold the secret to a longer life?
What are Blue Zones anyway?
According to a review published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, a ‘blue zone’ is a nonscientific term given to geographic regions where people supposedly have higher longevity.
Researchers first outlined the longevity hotspot concept in a 2004 study published in the journal Experimental Gerontology when they identified the Italian island of Sardinia as the region with the highest concentration of male centenarians or people who live to be 100 or older.
National Geographic fellow Dan Buettner and author of “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest,” along with other researchers, identified four more blue zones. Although the regions are geographically and culturally detached, these longevity hotspots share many characteristics, which may be the key to understanding why their inhabitants tend to live longer.
Where are the Blue Zones?
- Icaria: A small Greek island in the Aegean sea
- Ogliastra, Sardinia: A region of an Italian island in the Mediterranean
- Okinawa: An island off the coast of Japan
- Nicoya Peninsula: A peninsula in eastern Costa Rica
- The Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda: A community in the hilly valleys of California
What do they have in common?
According to Buettner, Blue Zones share nine common features:
Physical activity: We talk about this all of the time on Generation Health; Blue Zone centenarians sustain high physical activity levels and regularly engage in manual labor. For example, it is common in Sardinia’s community of shepherds to walk more than 5 miles daily.
Purpose: Okinawans call it “ikigai,” and Nicoyans call it “plan de vida,” both of which communicate the idea of “why I wake up in the morning.” This sense of purpose has been deemed the source of life satisfaction, contributing to a longer and happier life.
Sleep: Blue Zones centenarians prioritize rest and sleep. For example, Ikarians are known to take midafternoon naps, while the Loma Linda community recognizes the Sabbath, or a day of rest and worship, once a week.
The 80% rule: People living in Blue Zones do not tend to overeat. The rule’s name stems from an old Okinawan mantra spoken before meals, which reminds people to stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full.
Plant-based diet: The diet of Blue Zone centenarians is based mainly on plants.
Moderate alcohol consumption: Moderate alcohol consumption of some Blue Zone centenarians contributed to their long life span.
Sense of community: Strong community ties promote longevity, according to Buettner. For example, Okinawans are known to create secure social networks that financially and emotionally support community members.
Loved ones first: Strong family ties are the cornerstone of Blue Zones communities. The Seventh Day Adventists live in tight-knit communities where children care for their aging parents.
Social encouragement: Blue Zones centenarians live in social networks that promote healthy behaviors, thus making it easier to stick to a healthy lifestyle.
However, science suggests people in the Blue Zones don’t necessarily live longer. For instance, according to a 2012 study in the journal Gerontology, while people in Japan, on average, have the highest longevity of any country in the world, men in Okinawa don’t live as long as their counterparts elsewhere.
But, some of Buettner’s overall conclusions still hold up. He contended that lifestyle factors are more important for human longevity than genetics, which is largely supported by evidence. MedlinePlus suggests that genes contribute about 25% to differences in lifespan between people, while in a 2018 article published in the journal Genetics, the heritability of human longevity may be as low as 10%.
However you want to look at it, there are definitely longevity hotspots across the globe with some spry centenarians who know the secrets of living life to the fullest. So maybe we should take a few notes from them?
Sources:
https://askjoedimatteo.com/green-blue/
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1559827616637066
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2004.06.016
https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/topics/centenarians
https://askjoedimatteo.com/you-need-sleep/
https://nchmd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/80-percent-rule.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.118.301613
https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/traits/longevity
Like the rest of our bodies, the brain goes through extensive changes as we age. A new systematic review of 144 studies dealing with the brain and its functioning as we age has helped us to get a clearer picture on what is happening and what we can do about it!
While very young, the brain undergoes massive and rapid changes. It gains new neural pathways and is constantly reorganizing that for greater efficiency and usefulness. When a baby first learns to walk, the act requires concentrated, focused attention on every aspect of the body, balance, sight, etc. As we practice, that process becomes more automated leaving our brain free to focus on other things. That is a tiny example of what our brain continues to do throughout life in nearly every area.
While that sort of optimization is critical for maturation and normal development, somewhere in the third or fourth decade of life, that process becomes less helpful. As the researchers put it:
“Older adults tend to show less flexible thinking, such as forming new concepts and abstract thinking, lower response inhibition, as well as lower verbal and numeric reasoning.”
That’s not a good thing.
Eventually, this lack of flexibility compounds and becomes what we often think of as cognitive decline.
So what can we do to slow this process? A few things!
1) Sleep – As we age, we tend to sleep less. That reduction in sleep seems to be linked with accelerated brain atrophy and a reduction in the connections between different parts of the brain. Get your full 8 hours!
2) Diet – Eating a wide variety of live, whole foods has a direct impact on neuroplasticity, ESPECIALLY foods rich in omega 3’s and other fats. There are plenty of good options for eating styles, but the mediterranean seems to be a clear standout with it’s focus on nuts, healthy fats, and high-fiber veggies. Conversely, hyper-processed & hyper-palatable foods have a negative impact on our neuropathways leading to inflammation and (eventually) neurodegenerative diseases.
3) Exercise – That’s right! New research shows we CAN create new brain cells, and exercise helps to encourage that process! What’s more, this has been shown to work well into your 70s (where researchers stopped looking). It’s never too late to start moving!
4) Use It – Like so many other things in life, mental flexibility has to be practiced to be maintained. Anything that challenges your existing knowledge-base fits the bill. Start ballroom dancing! Take up painting! Learn a new language! Read books on a topic you know nothing about! Doing these things forces your brain to re-engage and re-map itself… and that’s a good thing! Never, EVER stop learning!
While this isn’t to say we can diet and exercise our way out of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, it DOES mean we don’t have to give in and accept “getting old and forgetful” without a fight!
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Dylan Thomas
SOURCES
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/psyp.14159
https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/neuroscience-intelligence-focus-mental-agility-aging-stay-smarter-as-you-age.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8126018/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21282661/
https://casatondemand.org/2020/02/21/aging-alzheimers-and-alcohol-closing-in-on-the-truth-about-how-alcohol-and-other-drugs-impact-brain-health/
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.726662/full
Can doctors see into the future?
Possibly.
At least when it comes to epileptic seizures.
In a groundbreaking project from the University of TX Health Science Center at Houston, scientists say they can now predict seizures more than 30 minutes before they occur among patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.
The team, led by Sandipan Pati, MD, associate professor in the Department of Neurology with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, has developed the possibility of a new therapy using electrodes that could also stop seizures before they even start.
In a media release, Pati, senior author of the study and a member of the Texas Institute for Restorative Neurotechnologies at UTHealth Houston Neurosciences, said,
“The ability to predict seizures before they occur is a major step forward in the field of epilepsy research. “These findings are significant because they suggest that we may be able to develop more effective therapies for epilepsy, which could greatly improve the quality of life for patients who suffer from this condition.”
Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common seizure disorder. In fact, estimates show that it affects about 50 million people globally. The brain has two temporal lobes, one on each side of the head behind the temples. Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, which accounts for around 80% of all temporal lobe seizures, involves seizures beginning in or around a part of the brain called the hippocampus. It is responsible for controlling memory and learning. Neocortical or lateral temporal lobe epilepsy involves seizures starting in the outer region of the temporal lobe.
As far as treatments go, surgery is usually pretty standard, but when a patient’s seizures affect more extensive areas of the brain, surgically removing part of the brain isn’t an option. So instead, neuromodulation therapy could be an alternative solution for many patients with these seizures, according to Pati.
Previous research concentrating on continuous electroencephalography (EEG) suggested seizures in people with focal-onset epilepsies often occur during heightened risk periods, typified by pathologic brain activities referred to as “pro-ictal states.” EEG-based detection of pro-ictal states is vital to the success of adaptive neuromodulation because early detection allows for the use of electrodes to the patient’s seizure onset zone and thalamus.
Pati’s team evaluated 15 patients diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. They underwent limbic thalamic recordings and routine intracranial EEG for seizure localization. They ended up analyzing 1,800 patient hours of continuous EEG.
The researchers successfully detected pro-ictal states in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy at least 35 minutes before seizure onset. What’s more, in 13 of the 15 participants, the team predicted pro-ictal states at least 45 minutes before seizure onset. In the other two patients, they predicted seizures up to 35 minutes before they presented.
Scientists still have to confirm this theory through clinical trials. However, Dr. Pati believes that modulation of these brain regions during pro-ictal periods may be an effective therapeutic approach to treating temporal lobe epilepsy. These findings could also lead to the development of drugs that prevent seizures altogether.
“This study was made possible by the collaboration of a team of experts in neurology, neurosurgery, and neuroscience,” Pati concludes. “It highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research in advancing our understanding of brain disorders.”
The study is published in NEJM Evidence,
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/temporal-lobe-seizure/symptoms-causes/syc-20378214
https://www.uth.edu/news/story/study-seizures-can-be-predicted-more-than-30-minutes-before-onset-in-patients-with-temporal-lobe-epilepsy
https://radiopaedia.org/articles/mesial-temporal-lobe
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/hippocampus
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23027092
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/epilepsy/treatment
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/eeg/about/pac-20393875
https://www.epilepsy.com/what-is-epilepsy/seizure-types/focal-onset-aware-seizures
https://evidence.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/EVIDoa2200187
If you’re excited about our new podcast, Generation Health, but not sure how to listen, we’re here to help! Most Ask The Pharmacist fans listened on the radio. Podcasting is just a modern version of that, but better! You don’t have to be in the car at just the right time. With podcasts, you can listen or watch whenever you want.
VideoYouTube:
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Click on the link to the official Generation Health YouTube channel.
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Click the “Subscribe” button (right hand side, under the banner).
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Click that same button a second time to select “ALL” for notifications.
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Enjoy!
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After watching, be sure to give EACH episode a “thumbs up”!
AudioApple Podcast (iphone/ipad):
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On your device, click on this Apple Podcasts link. It should automatically open the Apple Podcasts app.
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Once you see this, just click +Follow to subscribe and be notified whenever a new podcast goes live.
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Enjoy!
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Once you’ve listened, don’t forget to give us 5 stars in the Apple Podcast ratings page!
Google Podcasts (Samsung/Google/Etc):
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On your device, click on this Google Podcasts link. It should automatically open the Google Podcasts app.
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Click the + Subscribe button.
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A pop-up will come from the bottom of your device giving you different options. We suggest hitting both sliders.
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“Auto Download” make sure you have new episodes ready to listen to even when you don’t have internet access.
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“New Episode Notifications” lets your phone tell you when a new episode is out.
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If this is your first time subscribing to a podcast, a new pop-up will ask if you want to allow Google Podcasts to send you notifications. Tapping Yes makes sure you know whenever a new episode is out!
Spotify:
If you preferSpotify, you probably already know how to do this. But just incase…
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On your device, click on this Spotify link. It should automatically open the Spotify app.
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Click Follow and the Bell to receive notifications.
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Enjoy!
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After listening, click the Rating button and give us 5 stars!
We are so excited, we can barely contain ourselves! We hope you’re excited too! We need your help to get the word out. The more subscribers we have in every app and platform, the better! Tell everyone you know to listen to the podcast! Share this post! Use a letter if you need to… but help us get the word out!
And Just incase you’re not already, here are a few more ways to stay in the loop:
- Subscribe to our newsletter.
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Let’s get straight to the big news:Generation Health, a weekly video and audio podcast, will begin airing on March 7th, 2023!In the six years since Joe DiMatteo’s passing, the team tried to figure out how to fill his impossibly large shoes. They have tried… and failed, learning quickly that nobody could do things the way Joe did. Between his two decades of experience doing live radio and four behind a pharmacy counter, he set a very high bar.
Joyce Gibb (MS, CRNP) was the first to step into the gap left by Joe’s absence. Her years in nursing, natural health, & working in private consultation directly with Joe put her in the perfect spot to add her voice. She began making videos in early 2018 and hasn’t stopped.
Soon, Joey DiMatteo (PharmD, CCN) added his voice to the videos, and not long after that, Dante DiMatteo (PharmD, CSCS) did as well. Product reviews, articles, and blog posts were being produced, but despite all of that, they never stopped being asked, “When are you guys going to start a new radio show?”
Without Joe, live radio just didn’t work.
Dante & Joey looked for solutions, but nothing quite clicked… until summer of 2022.
At dinner one night, behind-the-scenes team member Tyler Andrews brainstormed a show idea with the brothers. The idea was not to replace the classic radio show, but to update it to fit their personalities and unique shared history. They could keep the same mission (covering complex health topics, research in pharmacology and natural health, and directly answering listener questions) but in a new format: roundtable video podcasting.
From that summer until now, there have been hundreds of hours of planning, practicing, and research. Episodes were recorded and scrapped. More were produced and scrapped again. Pieces were clipped out and teased. Variations were tested and critiqued. The idea was refined and polished. It took longer than anyone had guessed, but it’s finally here.
Generation Health starts on March 7th, 2023.
If you’re as excited by this as we are, please help us spread the word!
- Subscribe to the Generation Health YouTube channel and click the bell to be notified.
- Subscribe to the Generation Health audio podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, or Amazon.
- Subscribe to our newsletter.
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- TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW!
This is horrifying, and how it’s being handled by “the officials” is downright infuriating.
It’s almost as if a 2022 movie adaptation of the 1985 Don DeLillo novel “White Noise.” is playing out in real life.
Because it IS happening in real life.
In that story, a train derails and spills chemicals, causing an “airborne toxic event” that forces the evacuation of a small, Midwestern college town.
The horrifying part…
On Feb. 3, the train that derailed in the village of East Palestine set off evacuation orders, a chemical scare, and a federal investigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating, said in a Feb. 14 press release that 38 cars derailed, and a fire ensued, which damaged another 12 cars.
The smoke cloud, filled with multiple toxic chemicals, covered the entire town. The train, operated by Norfolk Southern, was carrying chemicals and combustible materials, with vinyl chloride, a toxic flammable gas, being of most concern to investigators.
Vinyl chloride boils at 8° Fahrenheit. Allowing it to combust could have caused a MASSIVE explosion. Instead, authorities carried out a “controlled release” of the chemical, then lit it on fire to burn it off in a “safer” way than risking the explosion.
Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio ordered residents on both sides of the Ohio-Pennsylvania border to evacuate.
Local and federal officials started an investigation that involved the N.T.S.B. and the Environmental Protection Agency. The N.T.S.B. said its investigation included examining tank car fittings, the locomotive event data recorder, and surveillance video from a residence that showed what appeared to be the failure of a wheel bearing moments before the derailment.
The agencies said they would have a preliminary report by the end of the month.
For most, however, the accident itself isn’t what people are angry about. Instead, concerns are very high about air, soil, and water pollution.
Chemicals including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate, and ethylene glycol monobutyl ethers were “known to have been and continue to be” released to the air, surface soil, and surface waters, the E.P.A. said.
This is where it goes from unfortunate to infuriating…
On Feb. 12, the E.P.A., after monitoring the air, said it had not detected contaminants at “levels of concern” in and around East Palestine, although residents might still smell odors.
Working with Norfolk Southern and the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency, the E.P.A. had screened the air inside about 290 homes as of Feb. 13. It said it had “not detected” vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride, which could cause life-threatening respiratory issues.
The agency said that 181 homes were still awaiting screening as of Feb. 13.
The West Virginia subsidiary of American Water, which provides water services in 24 states, said on Feb. 12 that it had “not detected any change to raw water at the company’s Ohio River intake, though as a precautionary measure, the company has enhanced its treatment processes.” So, they installed a secondary intake on the Guyandotte River “in case an alternate source was needed.”
“There is a slim chance that we will detect contamination from this spill at our site because our structure is around 700 river miles away from the spill,” said Ella Johnson-Watson, a spokeswoman for The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility in Indiana, said.
In a news conference on Tuesday, Tiffani Kavalec, the surface water division chief for the Ohio E.P.A., said that testing had detected two chemical contaminants in some Ohio River tributaries. Water treatment processes should filter the contaminants out, she said.
“We’re pretty confident that these low levels are not getting passed onto the customers,” she said.
Gov. DeWine, however, said that if he lived in the affected area, he would drink bottled water.
There have been no reports of injuries or deaths from the derailment. Still, some residents posted pictures on social media of fish and frogs that were dying in local streams, and people shared images of dead animals or said they smelled chemical odors around town. Reports of indoor pets dying are even starting to circulate.
And the arrest of a reporter during a news conference about the derailment led to online criticism of the law enforcement response.
On Feb. 6, Gov. DeWine extended the evacuation order to include anyone in a “one-by-two-mile area surrounding East Palestine, including parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania.” Only two days later, on Feb. 8, the governor’s office announced that residents could return home after air quality samples measured contaminants below levels of concern. In addition, the East Palestine Water Treatment Plant said it had not seen “adverse effects.”
As numerous residents of the area have complained of headaches and feeling sick since the derailment, a federal lawsuit filed by two Pennsylvania residents is seeking to force Norfolk Southern to set up health monitoring for residents in both states, The Associated Press reported, and to pay for related care for those in a 30-mile radius.
The E.P.A. informed Norfolk Southern on Feb. 10 that it might be responsible for costs associated with the cleanup of the site. However, the agency did not offer details about when the site might be “considered completely” returned to normal.
Who knows if it will ever “return to normal?” We’re sure the good people of East Palestine and the surrounding areas aren’t going to feel that way for a while… and that’s to say nothing of potential cancer risks and continued adverse health effects just from living in the area.
Our prayers are that they heal — body, soul, and spirit — quickly from this.
UPDATE – Employees at Norfolk Southern have now said that the train car responsible had actually failed two days prior to the accident but was still allowed to run.
UPDATE – It has now been brought to public attention that vinyl chloride, when burned as it was, breaks down into (among other things) phosgene. Phosgene was used as a chemical weapon during World War I. We are speechless.
Sources:
https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20230214.aspx
https://response.epa.gov/sites/15933/files/
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3859080
https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/wcm/connect/gov/ff9d920b-59ae-43b0-a47e-5ec0ddc4606d/vinyl-chloride_20171211.pdf
https://www.nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/0278.pdf
https://www.nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/0843.pdf
https://www.ilo.org/dyn/icsc/showcard.display?
https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=15933
https://www.amwater.com/press-room/press-releases/
https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=15933
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/08/us/ohio-train-derailment-reporter-arrested.html
https://apnews.com/article/legal-proceedings-pennsylvania-ohio-health-business-820cf081c0e068a47db2e141a3f988e6
A recent study has found that women 65 and older are dying of cervical cancer at an increasing rate, and researchers are beginning to raise their eyebrows at screening guidelines for older women.
The study, conducted by UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers, shows that despite the guidelines that recommend most women stop screening at 65, an alarming number of California women are facing late-stage cervical cancer diagnoses and dying from the disease.
“Our findings highlight the need to better understand how current screening guidelines might be failing women 65 and over,” said Julianne Cooley, a UC Davis senior statistician. “We need to focus on determining the past screening history of older women as well as lapses in follow-up care. We must utilize non-invasive testing approaches for women nearing age 65 or those who need to catch up on their cervical cancer screenings.”
The study, published in January in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, showed that almost one in five new cervical cancers diagnosed from 2009-2018 was in women 65 and older. 71% of older women presented with the late-stage disease compared to 48% of younger women. The number of late-stage diagnoses increased up to age 79.
The five-year relative survival rate for late-stage was lower for women 65 and over (23.2%-36.8%) compared to patients under 65 (41.5%-51.5%). Women 80 years and older had the lowest survival of all age groups.
“Our study found worsening five-year relative survival from cervical cancer with each increasing age category for both early and late-stage diagnoses,” said co-author Theresa Keegan, a professor in the UC Davis Division of Hematology and Oncology.
The study applied large population-based data from the California Cancer Registry. This state-mandated cancer surveillance system has collected data on cancer incidence, patient demographic, and diagnostic and treatment information since 1988. It identified all women 21 years and older diagnosed with a first primary cervical cancer in California from 2009-2018 — the 10 most recent years complete data was available.
Among women 65 and older, those with comorbidities were more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage disease.
“Interestingly, prior studies of younger women have found increased late-stage cervical cancer diagnoses among young Hispanic/Latina and Black women,” Cooley said. “Our study did not observe these associations and instead found that older Hispanic/Latina women were less likely than non-Hispanic white women to be diagnosed late-stage.”
Unsurprisingly, women who are uninsured or poor, are less likely to report being up to date with cervical cancer screening. Previous studies have shown that 23.2% of women in the U.S. who are over 18 are not up to date on recommended cervical cancer screening.
“Scheduled screenings may also decrease as women approach 65, increasing the likelihood that women have not been adequately screened prior to the upper age cutoff,” co-author and senior epidemiologist Frances Maguire said.
The American Cancer Society recommends cervical cancer screening with an HPV test alone every FIVE years for women from age 25 until age 65.
Like all cancers, cervical cancer is more treatable when it is detected early! Make regular screenings a part of your health habit. There are too many cancers we simply can’t screen for on a regular basis. Don’t let this one, that can easily be caught, go undetected!
Sources:
https://health.ucdavis.edu/news/headlines/study-finds-increase-in-women-65-and-older-dying-of-cervical-cancer–/2023/01
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cervical-cancer.html?
https://aacrjournals.org/cebp/article/32/1/91/712614/Cervical-Cancer-Stage-at-Diagnosis-and-Survival?searchresult=1
https://www.ccrcal.org/learn-about-ccr/
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/supracervical-hysterectomy
https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2020/cervical-cancer-screening-hpv-test-guideline#:
Of course, we all know that we should eat healthier for our heart, but what exactly is a heart-healthy diet?
Well, it’s DASH.
Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are finally providing some heart-healthy diet specifics. Their study found that both the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, cut heart disease risk scores by about 10 percent over eight weeks.
The researchers said that focusing on fruits and vegetables can do a satisfactory job. Still, the DASH diet offers even more benefits for women and Black adults, especially when compared to a Western diet. The typical Western diet contains a nominal amount of fruits and vegetables and lots of fat and sodium. The DASH diet is all about lowering blood pressure and features tons of foods rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
Research like this is essential because cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death in the United States, killing about 697,000 people in the United States annually. Shockingly, one person dies every 34 secondsfrom it. Unfortunately, although it’s common knowledge that healthy eating help deters cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension and high cholesterol levels, there’s little conclusive research indicative of one specific diet for heart-conscious eaters.
“While physicians and patients rely on the extensive data available when choosing appropriate pharmacologic therapy to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, there’s limited evidence to inform expectations for risk reductions from established lifestyle interventions,” says corresponding study author Stephen P. Juraschek, MD, Ph.D., a clinician-researcher in the Department of Medicine at BIDMC, in a media release. “Our study suggests that the benefits associated with these diets may vary by sex and race. While a diet rich in fruits and vegetables produced reductions in risk for women and Black participants, the effect with the DASH diet was twice as large in women and four times as large in Black adults.”
The study authors analyzed a dataset of 459 adults between the ages of 22 and 75 who participated in the original DASH trial between 1994 and 1996 to determine the influence of different diets on an individual’s risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. That group included roughly 50 percent of women and African Americans. They followed one of three diets for eight weeks.
The control diet was a typical Western diet, consisting of lots of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. The fruit and veggie diet provided more produce but did not otherwise significantly differ from the control diet. Finally, the DASH diet provided more fruit and vegetables but emphasized more whole grains, lean proteins, nuts, and low-fat dairy, all while cutting down on fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sugar.
That original DASH project, first published in 1997, demonstrated that among adults with elevated blood pressure and hypertension, the DASH diet not only reduced systolic blood pressure but also helped lower HDL cholesterol levels compared to the control diet. In addition, the fruit and vegetable diet was also able to reduce systolic blood pressure, albeit to a lesser degree, and improve HDL cholesterol levels.
When the research team compared datasets, they cited that the DASH and fruit and vegetable diets lowered participants’ 10-year risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by roughly 10 percent overall. However, the effect was not consistent across all demographics; the DASH approach to eating lowered 10-year risk scores among women by nearly 13 percent, compared to just over six percent for men. Additionally, the DASH diet reduced the 10-year risk score by close to 14 percent among Black adults, as opposed to just three percent among non-Black adults.
Author Sun Young Jeong, MD, MPH, an internal medicine resident at BIDMC, explains,
“The findings could have major implications for clinical practitioners and policymakers alike. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, and hypertension is also more strongly linked with heart failure and death in women than men. We also know women are less likely to receive risk factor modification therapies, such as statins, so our finding that DASH may be more efficacious among women are relevant for lifestyle counseling in this group.”
Dr. Juraschek added, “Similarly, disparities in access to healthy foods has been a major focus of policy efforts to promote higher intake of fruits and vegetables among Black adults. Our study suggests that the DASH dietary pattern may offer Black adults more prevention benefits than the emphasis on fruits and vegetables alone. This is particularly relevant as dietary pattern has been identified as one of the most important mediators of hypertension risk among Black adults.”
You can find the study in The American Journal of Cardiology if you care for a leisurely read.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/dash-diet/art-20048456
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-does-potassium-do
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248958
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/magnesium-benefits
https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/2022/11/diet-can-lower-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease-by-10-percent
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9099655/
https://www.ajconline.org/article/S0002-9149(22)01111-0/fulltext
Has bad weather kept you inside for too long?
You may need some time out in a green or blue space.
Getting outside for a walk or a jog or along a lake or a tree-lined area may reduce the need for medication for anxiety, asthma, depression, high blood pressure, or insomnia, a new study found. Green spaces included forests, gardens, parks, cemeteries, moors, natural grasslands, wetlands, and zoos. Blue spaces included lakes, rivers, and the sea.
The study published in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine found that visiting nature three to four times a week was associated with 36% lower odds of using blood pressure pills, 33% lower odds of using mental health medications, and 26% lower odds of using asthma medications.
Study coauthor Anu Turunen, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, said, “Physical activity is thought to be the key mediating factor in the health benefits of green spaces when availability or active use of green space are considered.”
Lincoln Larson, an associate professor in the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, who was not involved in the study, remarked that “The analysis can reveal key associations, but we can’t say for certain whether it was the greenspace proximity or use that led to reduced use of medications.” He added
“Perhaps people who were healthier to begin with (and less likely to take prescription drugs) were more likely to get outdoors in the first place.”
For the study, researchers interviewed approximately 6,000 random people in three of the largest cities in Finland about their use of green and blue spaces within a kilometer of their homes.
Prior studies have found that people who live near green and blue spaces reap major health benefits.
A study from 2019 found that among people who had spent little or no time in parks, beaches, or woods within a span of seven days, almost half reported low levels of life satisfaction. And one in four said they were in poor health.
In a 2016 study, researchers compared the amount of plant life and vegetation near the homes of almost 100,000 women. After eight years, the researchers found having access to the most green space reduced the women’s death rate by 12% — and improved their mental health.
And a 2019 study of green spaces around the globe found people who live near them are less likely to die prematurely.
This new study also explored the impact of viewing green or blue spaces from home while on medications. Simply observing nature while indoors didn’t seem to work.
“Just seeing nature didn’t really move the needle, but experiencing it did. Other research points to similar conclusions,” said Larson, who has studied the benefits of public parks across the United States on the well-being of urban dwellers.
“If you want to reap the full health benefits that nature can provide, you have to immerse yourself in those settings,” he said.
While research hasn’t been able to prove a true association yet (correlation is not causation), Larson still believes in the benefits of seeing and experiencing nature.
Even something as small as putting a plant on your desk may impact your health. A 2019 study found taking care of plants in the workplace slightly reduced stress for Japanese workers — unless their plant died. According to that study, 27% of the workers showed a significant decrease in their resting heart rate.
As for seeing the most impactful benefits, you need to go outside, especially if the weather is nice and cooperates with you. There is nothing that compares to being out in nature. Filling your lungs with fresh air, feeling the land beneath your feet, smelling the fragrance of flowers, and hearing the songs of the forest (or park) birds beats staying inside any day.
Take some time whenever you can to hang out with some woodland creatures. Or maybe just go for a walk or run and notice the wildlife around you in whatever green or blue space you find yourself!
Sources:
https://oem.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/oemed-2022-108491
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44097-3
https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp.1510363#tab2
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(19)30215-3/fulltext
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0153211
https://journals.ashs.org/horttech/view/journals/horttech/30/1/article-p55.xml
Does anyone need an artificial pancreas?
That may soon become a reality for people with type 2 diabetes in the United Kingdom.
Researchers from the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge developed an artificial pancreas that they tested on patients with type 2 diabetes who were on dialysis due to end-stage renal failure. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that occurs when the body cannot process insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionTrusted Source, the “pancreas makes more insulin to try to get cells to respond…eventually your pancreas can’t keep up, and your blood sugar rises, setting the stage for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.”
Obesity is a significant precursor to developing type 2 diabetes.
Sometimes making healthier lifestyle changes can improve the symptoms, but some people with type 2 diabetes may need to take medications to keep their blood sugar levels stable.
The CDC notes that around 37 million people in the United States have diabetes, with 90–95% of these cases being type 2 diabetes.
Back to the study–
When the researchers found that the artificial pancreas worked well with the dialysis group, they wanted to determine whether it could be effective in other people with type 2 diabetes. With the number of people living with type 2 diabetes on the rise, researchers are always looking for more efficient treatments. They hope this could be it.
The artificial pancreas is not an artificial organ that requires surgical implantation but a technological device the user wears on the body that mimics how the pancreas works. It combines an insulin pump and glucose monitor, which link to an app that uses an algorithm to analyze blood glucose levels and deliver insulin as needed to keep levels stable.
For this study, the researchers observed 26 people with type 2 diabetes. The scientists divided the participants into two groups.
The first group used the artificial pancreas for eight weeks and then switched to eight weeks of standard therapy. The second group started by receiving standard injection therapy for eight weeks and then switched to the artificial pancreas.
The goal was to see how much time patients of each group spent with their glucose in the target range of 3.9 and 10 millimoles per liter (mmol/L), the glucose range considered acceptableTrusted Source for people with diabetes.
By the end of the trial, the participants who used the artificial pancreas stayed in their target glucose range for twice as long as they did without the device.
The authors wrote, “The present study shows that fully closed-loop insulin delivery is a safe and effective approach to improve glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes during 8 weeks of use in the outpatient setting.”
They also noted that one area of concern using an artificial pancreas was the risk of hypoglycemia, which is when the body’s blood sugar is too low. Fortunately, that did not happen.
Co-lead author of the study, Dr. Charlotte Boughton, points out, “Many people with type 2 diabetes struggle to manage their blood sugar levels using the currently available treatments, such as insulin injections.”
The artificial pancreas can provide a safe and effective approach to help them, and the technology is simple to use and can be implemented safely at home.”
Dr. Boughton is hopeful that the device will be available within the year, stating, “Our main message from this study is that this fully automated closed-loop system is a safe and much more effective way for people living with type 2 diabetes to manage their glucose levels than current standard treatment with insulin. The device has been submitted for regulatory approval in the U.K. and we anticipate that this may be commercially available for people with type 2 diabetes in the next 12 months.”
Dr. Ishita Prakash Patel, an endocrinologist with Texas Diabetes and Endocrinology in Austin who was not involved in this study, commented on the successful trial. She called the study an “interesting topic”. She noted that “the fully automated — vs. the hybrid currently available — closed-loop insulin pump is the next step we are all looking toward with excitement in the insulin pump world.”
While Dr. Patel is excited about this step, she cautioned that the study was “a small single-center study over a short time period.” Nevertheless, she commented, “In the future, it will be exciting to see multicenter data over longer periods of time, which will certainly come. It will also be interesting to see type 1 diabetics studied, as they typically have more insulin sensitivity, to see if hypoglycemia rates are increased in this population. The diabetic device research field is moving steadily toward fully automated closed-loop insulin pumps. This is a very exciting frontier for our insulin-dependent patients.”
“We have already seen great success with the hybrid models of pumps, but these newer models will not require input of carbohydrate intake,” she noted. “Once optimized, this will make the disease more manageable and less time-consuming while improving blood sugar control in our patients.”
Who knows what that means for us over here across the pond? Maybe more efficient treatments like this one are on our horizon as well. I suppose only time will tell.
Sources:
https://diabetes.org/diabetes/type-2
https://www.healthline.com/health/dialysis
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/end-stage-renal-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354532
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/type2.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01453-z
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7645943/
Not too long ago, we told you about the ongoing dangers of PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” leaking into our waterways for years. It’s been an issue for a while. Now, it’s become a problem for shareholders, namely their profits.
It turns out that money (or losing it) gets things done.
Investors from some of the world’s largest firms are pressuring chemical companies to end the production of toxic PFAS, which shareholders say represent an enormous and growing threat to manufacturers’ bottom lines.
They say lawsuits over PFAS compounds linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders, birth defects, and other serious health issues represent a growing threat to companies’ profits.
A letter circulated late last year among 54 chemical companies and signed by largely European Union investment firms holding $8 TRILLION (yes, you read that right) in assets cites an avalanche of recent lawsuits against PFAS manufacturers. In the letter to CEOs of the biggest chemical companies coordinated by Aviva Investors and Storebrand Asset Management, the 47 asset managers wrote:
“We encourage you to lead, not be led, by phasing out and substituting these chemicals. In addition to the financial risks associated with litigation, producers of persistent chemicals face the risk of increased costs associated with reformulating products and modifying processes, which can have significant implications for company performance.”
Erik Olson, a senior strategic director with the non-profit Natural Resources Defense Council, said that liability for PFAS contamination “of the entire planet is expanding.” The letter was made public ahead of a decision by 3M, one of the world’s largest PFAS manufacturers, to discontinue making the chemicals by the end of 2025.
Olson continued, “There has got to be concern in boardrooms and among knowledgable and savvy shareholders that continuing to manufacture these chemicals that are creating the Superfund sites of tomorrow is really risky for them financially. If people getting sick and dying of exposure to these chemicals wasn’t enough, the liability should be.”
The investors demand that the industry develop a plan to end their manufacture and share production data with ChemSec, a non-profit that tracks the chemical industry.
3 M’s 2021 annual report showed about $1.3 billion in PFAS sales. It also details dozens of lawsuits it faces from states, local municipalities, water utilities, school districts, other companies, along with residents. 3M was named in an average of more than three PFAS-related lawsuits a day last year, and its legal liabilities could cost well over $30 billion.
With staggering independent science showing the chemicals’ danger and strong evidence that 3M regularly hid those threats from customers, the company has already started settling. In late 2019, 3M agreed to pay Minnesota $850m over PFAS pollution and settled for another $50m over contamination in Delaware the following year.
“The pressure is mounting from every direction,” said Sonja Haider, senior business and investment adviser with ChemSec, which helped coordinate the campaign. “The lawsuits won’t go away – the companies will have to cover that – and the regulatory pressure is coming.”
For now, few companies seem willing to follow 3 M’s lead. A ChemSec analysis found just four PFAS producers – Solvay, Indorama, Sabic, and Yara – have plans to phase out “hazardous chemicals,” though the plans are not specific to PFAS.
Still, “chemical manufacturers are still lagging behind expectations when it comes to transparency and accountability,” with North American and Asian companies faring the worst, ChemSec found.
The non-profit also identified 100 major chemical producers’ downstream customers who plan to phase out their use of PFAS. Among a growing number of clothing brands no longer using the chemicals is Levi’s, while an expanding list of restaurant chains are using PFAS-free food packaging.
“If your customers want alternatives, then you should hurry up and produce the alternatives,” Haider said.
Support for the campaign to phase out PFAS has doubled since its launch when 23 investors with $4.1 trillion called for similar action in 2021.
“If you get questions by huge investors who are asking, ‘Why are you doing this and do you have a phase-out plan?”, and those investors are discussing a divestment – that makes you act,” Haider said.
Let’s hope they do, and as soon as possible!
Sources:
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc/index.cfm
https://askjoedimatteo.com/cleaner/
https://askjoedimatteo.com/no-amount-is-safe/
https://chemsec.org/investors-with-8-trillion-call-for-phase-out-of-dangerous-forever-chemicals/
https://news.3m.com/2022-12-20-3M-to-Exit-PFAS-Manufacturing-by-the-End-of-2025
https://s24.q4cdn.com/834031268/files/doc_financials/2021/ar/3M_2021_Annual_Report_Web-(3).pdf
https://toxicfreefuture.org/mind-the-store/retailers-committing-to-phase-out-pfas-as-a-class-in-food-packaging-and-products/
https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/investors-push-worlds-top-chemicals-companies-over-hazardous-substances-2021-12-13/
Classic Episode – Health Talk 11/2/22 This is a rebroadcast of a previously aired episode from the Ask The Pharmacist radio show. Joseph DiMatteo, NMD, CCN, DHPh, RPh
Classic Episode – Health Talk 10/17/22 This is a rebroadcast of a previously aired episode from the Ask The Pharmacist radio show. Joseph DiMatteo, NMD, CCN, DHPh, RPh