Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

For the growing number of American seniors who live alone, having a beloved dog or cat by their side could help them maintain a healthy brain. New research on more than 7,900 people averaging 66 years of age found that those who lived alone were able to stave off losses in memory and thinking if they had a pet. Pet ownership didn’t seem to affect the cognition of older folks who lived with others, however. Loneliness — or the lack of it — may be key here. Owning a cat or dog “is related to reduced loneliness, a important risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline,” wrote a team led by Ciyong Lu, of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. They published their findings Dec. 26 in the journal JAMA Network Open. The researchers noted that people are increasingly living solo as they age — 2021 data found 28.5% of all Americans were residing in single-person households. Numerous studies have found that “older persons living alone are at high risk of developing dementia,” Lu’s group noted. Could life with a four-legged friend cut that risk? The new study was based on data collected on thousands of British people aged 50 or older whose lifestyles and mental acuity were tracked between 2010 and 2019. Just over half (56%) were women. The team assessed whats known as… read on > read on >

Measles is incredibly contagious, and outbreaks are more common now as people decide against vaccinating their kids. Now, a case involving a rare but fatal brain disease caused by the measles virus may make some rethink that decision. The patient caught measles as a child. It took years for the virus to migrate to their brain, where it mutated and caused the fatal illness, according to Mayo Clinic researchers. “Our study provides compelling data that shows how viral RNA mutated and spread throughout a human organ — the brain, in this case,” said Mayo virologist and study co-lead author Roberto Cattaneo. Reporting Dec. 21 in the journal PLOS Pathogens, Cattaneo’s team explained that while the measles virus initially congregates in the respiratory tract, it can slowly migrate throughout the body years after the illness is over. The brain disease, called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), occurs in about 1 in every 10,000 measles cases, the researchers said. They estimate that it takes about 10 years for the virus to make its way to the brain, where it can begin to mutate. Seizures, memory impairments and mobility issues can signal the onset of SSPE. In the new study, Cattaneo’s team examined the brain of a person who died from the disease. They looked at the genetics of tissues taken from 15 different brain regions. The measles virus’… read on > read on >

The smoke billowing from this summer’s devastating wildfires wasn’t just bad for your lungs. Skin problems also seem to worsen, with dermatology visits rising as air quality deteriorates, a new study says. Visits for eczema spiked at dermatology clinics within the Mass General Brigham health system during the Canadian wildfires this summer, researchers found. “We were inspired to investigate the relationship between air pollution and skin inflammation after listening to patients who kept telling us that their skin conditions like eczema were particularly bad, and in some cases ‘worse than ever before,’ this summer,” senior researcher Dr. Arianne Shadi Kourosh said in a news release. She’s director of community health in the Department of Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “This was strange because typically patients with eczema are more likely to experience worsening symptoms or flares in winter months due to cold dry weather, but we were seeing the opposite: an unusual surge in the summer,” Kourosh said. The MGB hospital system is about 300 miles from the Canadian wildfires, and carbon monoxide (CO) levels peaked in July 2023 as a result of the blaze, researchers found. Researchers compared dermatology visits in 2019 through 2022 to the summer of 2023, and found that the visits tracked with carbon monoxide (CO) levels in the air. Wildfire smoke and chronic air pollution contain substances like… read on > read on >

Are you necessarily at higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease just because you’re 80, and not 75? New research shows it’s more complex than that. The findings suggest that it’s the pace of buildup in the brain of Alzheimer’s-linked amyloid protein plaques that matters most, not age. “Our findings are consistent with studies showing that the amyloid accumulation in the brain takes decades to develop,” said study lead author Dr. Oscar Lopez, a professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh. His team’s findings were published Dec. 22 in the journal Neurology. Neuroscientists have long known that the slow but steady accumulation of amyloid-beta protein plaques within brain tissue is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, although whether it actually causes the illness is still debated. Rates of dementia do rise with advancing age, but is age alone the key factor? To find out, Lopez’ team examined amyloid buildup in the brains of 94 people who were 85 at the time they enrolled in the study. All were tracked for 11 years or until they died, and all received two PET scans of their brains during that time. The researchers compared levels of amyloid buildup seen in those scans to those seen in scans from a younger group of patients (in their 60s) observed in a prior Australian trial. As expected, amyloid plaque buildup rose over time,… read on > read on >

Can’t afford Ozempic? You might soon have another weight-loss option, in the form of an ingestible vibrating capsule that tricks the body into thinking the stomach is full. Animals given the multivitamin-sized pill 20 minutes before eating ate about 40% less than usual, researchers report. “For somebody who wants to lose weight or control their appetite, it could be taken before each meal,” lead researcher Shriya Srinivasan, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Harvard University, said in a news release. “This could be really interesting in that it would provide an option that could minimize the side effects that we see with the other pharmacological treatments out there.” The capsule, developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, takes advantage of the process by which the stomach signals the brain that it’s full, which helps you realize it’s time to stop eating. A stomach full of liquid can also send these signals, which is why dieters often drink a glass of water before eating, researchers noted. The vibrations of the capsule activate the same receptors in the stomach that sense it is stretching as a result of being full of food. As a result of those signals, the brain floods the body with insulin and other hormones that work together to aid digestion and provide a feeling of fullness. At the same time, it reduces… read on > read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has uncovered counterfeit Ozempic shots in the legitimate U.S. drug supply chain, and is warning patients to be on their guard. The FDA said Thursday that it has seized thousands of counterfeit doses of Ozempic, the weight-loss drug manufactured by Novo Nordisk, but warned that more might still be available for purchase. Patients, practitioners and pharmacies are specifically warned not to sell or use Ozempic 1-milligram (mg) injections labeled with lot number NAR0074 and serial number 430834149057, the FDA said. People in possession of Ozempic doses meeting that description can report the counterfeit product directly to the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the agency said. The agency and the drugmaker are testing the seized products, but don’t have any information yet about the fake drugs’ identity, quality or safety. Five people have gotten sick from injections of the counterfeit Ozempic, but no cases have been serious, the FDA said. The sickened patients all suffered side effects consistent with legitimate Ozempic, like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and constipation. The rest of the Ozempic injection package is also counterfeit, including the needles, the injection pen label, the carton and the accompanying doctor and patient information, the FDA said. Because the needles are counterfeit, their sterility can’t be guaranteed and an injection presents an infection risk to anyone using the fake… read on > read on >

People are being maimed by unauthorized fat-dissolving injections meant to tighten up double chins and dissipate flab along the arms, thighs and stomach, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. The shots are supposed to break down fat cells and reduce fat deposits in the areas around the injection sites. But adverse reactions from the unapproved injections are causing scarring, skin deformities, cysts, painful knots, and serious infections, the FDA said in an agency news release. The unapproved injections are being marketed under brand names like Aqualyx, Lipodissolve, Lipo Lab and Kabelline, the FDA said. Common ingredients in the injections include phosphatidylcholine (PPC) and sodium deoxycholate (DC). These ingredients have been used alone or together, and are sometimes referred to as “PCDC injections.” The FDA has received reports of consumers harmed by injections they received at clinics or med spas from attendants who might not have been properly licensed to give the shots. The agency also has heard from some consumers who bought the unapproved shots online and injected the drugs themselves. The FDA has approved only one injectable drug for dissolving fat, a prescription medication called Kybella, the agency said. The drug, which is deozycholic acid, is FDA-approved to treat double chins in adults. Deozycholic acid is a bile acid naturally produced by intestinal bacteria to help break down fats during digestion. The FDA… read on > read on >

No glowing red nose required: Real reindeer don’t need Rudolph’s help to find the Arctic food they love most, new research shows. If you’re a reindeer, your go-to favorite food is a humble moss-like lichen called Cladonia rangiferina, explained researchers at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. Trouble is, in the darkness of a northern winter spotting the lichen can be really tough. Luckily, the eyes of countless generations of reindeer have evolved to see light on the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum. C. rangiferina does not reflect UV light; it instead absorbs it, the researchers pointed out. Reindeer eyes have evolved to pick up on that. “Reindeer are so cool, but many people think about them only at Christmas,” study first author and anthropology professor Nathaniel Dominy said in a Dartmouth news release. “Now is a good time to alert people to their extraordinary visual system.” To the human eye, C. rangiferina appears to disappear into the landscape, especially in hours ruled by darkness. However, working with researchers from St. Andrews University in Scotland, Dominy helped discover that the lichen absorbs UV light. This means that, to the reindeer’s eye, C. rangiferina stands out easily amid other Arctic mosses, lichens and grasses. The lichen appears as darker patches against a light background. “If you can put yourself in their hooves looking at this white landscape, you would… read on > read on >

Screens are everywhere — on desks, in laps, on the wall — and eye strain is a temporary but uncomfortable condition that comes with overuse. Folks spending too much time with screens can develop dry eyes, blurry vision, tearing or watering eyes, or a headache, warns the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). That’s because humans tend to blink less while staring at these devices, the AAO says. People normally blink around 15 times per minute, but this blink rate can be cut in half while staring at screens, the academy says. To reduce eye strain, the AAO recommends taking frequent breaks along the lines of the “20-20-20” rule. Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen and instead look at an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This gives your eyes a chance to reset. People can also: Use artificial tears to lubricate eyes when they feel dry. Sit arm’s length from your screen and adjust its height so you’re looking slightly downward at it. Apply a matte screen filter to reduce glare from glass screens. Adjust brightness and contrast of your screen, and dim lighting near the screen. Wear eyeglasses rather than contact lenses when working on a computer or tablet for longer periods. The AAO notes that blue light from computers have not been shown to increase risk of eye… read on > read on >

Using a weight-loss medication to help you shed pounds gradually appears to help extend life for people with arthritis of the hips or knees, a new study finds. However, folks with arthritis who dropped pounds very quickly showed no benefit in terms of survival, and even a slight uptick in their risk for heart disease, a team of American and Chinese researchers found. The study’s take-home message: “Gradual weight loss by anti-obesity medications may improve the overall wellness of overweight or obesity patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis,” concluded a team led by Jie Wei of Central South University in Changsha, China. The findings were published recently in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology. Obesity can exacerbate arthritis in the joints, and is a known risk factor for an early death. In the new study, Wi’s group tracked outcomes for over 6,500 British people, aged 40 or older, who were overweight or obese and also had knee or hip arthritis. Some took weight-loss drugs to help them shed excess pounds. Wei’s team tracked their outcomes for various health conditions and death over a five-year period. The data was collected between 2000 and March of 2022 — before the advent of blockbuster weight-loss medications such as Wegovy and Zepbound. Instead, patients were taking drugs such as orlistat (Alli), sibutramine and rimonabant (Zimulti) to help them get slimmer.… read on > read on >