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People with both type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease face a heart health double-whammy, a new study says. Men with both diabetes and kidney disease will develop heart health problems 28 years earlier than those without either condition, researchers reported today at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago. Women with diabetes and kidney disease will develop heart problems 26 years earlier, results show. “Our findings help to interpret the combination of risk factors that will lead to a high predicted cardiovascular disease risk and at what age they have an impact on risk,” lead study author Vaishnavi Krishnan, a researcher at Northwestern University in Chicago and a medical student at Boston University School of Medicine, said in a news release. “For example, if someone has borderline-elevated levels of blood pressure, glucose and/or impaired kidney function, but they don’t yet have hypertension or diabetes or chronic kidney disease, their risk may not be recognized,” Krishan said. For the study, researchers used federal health survey data from 2011 to 2020 to create heart risk profiles for people who have type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, or both. Kidney disease and type 2 diabetes are two of the four components of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CKM), which the heart association defines as the overall health risk that arises from the interplay of heart disease, kidney problems, diabetes and obesity.… read on > read on >

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder can influence a child’s weight in ways that will shape their long-term health, a new study says. Kids with ADHD tend to have lower birth weight, which increases their risk of developmental delays and health problems, researchers in the U.K. found. But these kids also are more likely to develop obesity after age 5, a weight swing that can place even more risk upon their health in adulthood, researchers said. “Children with increased ADHD symptoms are typically lighter at birth than their peers but are later more likely to have obesity,” researcher Claire Reed of the University of Southampton said in a news release. “Research into the ‘when and why’ regarding this turning point is scarce.” For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 7,900 children born between 2000 and 2002. Of those kids, the team compared 442 with ADHD against nearly 5,400 without either an AHDH diagnosis or symptoms of the disorder. Kids in the ADHD group weighed less at birth on average compared with children without ADHD, researchers found. However, those differences in weight vanished quickly, and by 9 months and at 3 years the two groups weighed about the same. Then, from age 5 onwards, the kids with ADHD were significantly more likely to have obesity, after excluding children taking stimulants for their condition, results show. The risk was… read on > read on >

Lives lost to obesity-related heart disease have nearly tripled over the past twenty years, a new study reports. Heart disease deaths linked to obesity increased 2.8-fold between 1999 and 2020, according to findings presented today at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in Chicago. The increase occurred especially among middle-aged men, Black adults, Midwesterners and rural residents, researchers found. “Obesity is a serious risk factor for ischemic heart disease, and this risk is going up at an alarming rate along with the increasing prevalence of obesity,” lead researcher Dr. Aleenah Mohsin, a post-doctoral research fellow at Brown University in Providence, R.I., said in a news release. Ischemic heart disease is caused by clogged arteries, researchers said. Less blood and oxygen can reach the heart, increasing the risk of a heart attack. Obesity contributes to the risk of this form of heart disease by increasing cholesterol levels, promoting high blood pressure, raising the likelihood of type 2 diabetes and causing poor sleep. “It is important for everyone, particularly people in high-risk groups, to take steps to manage their weight and reduce their risk of heart disease,” Mohsin said. “Lifestyle changes are key, such as eating healthier, exercising regularly and working with health care professionals to monitor heart health.” For the study, researchers analyzed public health data to review heart disease trends in recent decades. More than… read on > read on >

It may seem counter-intuitive, but losing weight without even trying may not be a good thing. “It’s not typical to have a noticeable drop in weight without changing how much you’re eating, being more physically active or trying to lose weight,” said dietitian Christine Goukasian. “Unexplained weight loss is a red flag,” she added in a news release. Day to day, weight varies a pound or two because of hormones, water retention and other factors. Anything more may signal an underlying health problem — from cancer and gastrointestinal to mental health disorders. “Weight loss becomes a concern when it’s 10 pounds or at least 5% of your original weight during a six- to 12-month period,” said Goukasian, senior dietitian at the UCLA Division of Clinical Nutrition. And older adults, especially those in community living, have a higher risk. As many as 2 in 10 lose weight unexpectedly — a share that jumps to 6 in 10 in community housing, where folks are more likely to have health issues that lead to unintended weight loss. More than a third of people who consult their doctor about dropping weight without trying have undiagnosed cancer. It is, according to UCLA, the No. 1 cause of unintentional weight loss, and about 4 in 10 cancer diagnoses begin this way. And dropping weight isn’t just a sign of advanced cancer.… read on > read on >

Babies born preterm face a life of lowered prospects, a new study warns. Adults who were preemies are less likely to achieve higher education or snag a high-paying job, researchers reported Nov. 6 in the journal PLOS One. What’s more, the earlier preterm a baby is born, the worse his or her future prospects appear to be. “Our findings suggest that the development of long-term supports [including psychological, education and vocational resources] that go beyond clinical care may help mitigate the longer-term effects of preterm birth,” said researcher Petros Pechlivanoglou, with The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Preterm birth is known to increase a baby’s risk of intellectual and developmental difficulties, according to the March of Dimes. About 10% of all babies worldwide are born preterm. For the study, researchers analyzed health, education and employment data on all live births that occurred in Canada between 1990 and 1996, a pool of about 2.4 million people. Results showed that babies born before 37 weeks of gestation are 17% less likely to go to college, 16% less likely to graduate with a college degree and 2% less likely to be employed. The average income of adults who were born preterm is 6% lower than those born at term, researchers said. For individuals born at the earliest gestation, 24 to 27 weeks, those associations were even stronger,… read on > read on >

More than a year after its advisory panel unanimously declared the drug phenylephrine to be useless against nasal congestion, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing that it be removed from common over-the-counter decongestants. Products that include phenylephrine as an active ingredient include Sudafed PE, Vicks Sinex and Benadryl Allergy Plus Congestion. In fact, “it is important to note that some products only contain oral phenylephrine as a single, active ingredient,” the FDA said in a statement released Thursday. However, based on the available science, it’s time for consumers to stop throwing their money away on such products, the FDA said. “It is the FDA’s role to ensure that drugs are safe and effective,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, who directs the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), said in the statement. “Based on our review of available data, and consistent with the advice of the advisory committee, we are taking this next step in the process to propose removing oral phenylephrine because it is not effective as a nasal decongestant.” The agency said its experts poured over decades of data on whether or not phenylephrine could ease nasal congestion. They found no evidence to support the claim, nor any evidence to support the notion that phenylephrine might boost the effects of other medicines included in a decongestant, such as acetaminophen or dextromethorphan. At… read on > read on >

The head of the company that makes the diabetes and obesity drugs Ozempic and Wegovy has warned that compounded versions of the active ingredient in those medications have now been linked to at least 100 hospitalizations and 10 deaths. “Honestly, I’m quite alarmed by what we see in the U.S. now,” Novo Nordisk President and CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen told CNN on Wednesday. “Patients who believe that they’re getting access to a safe product, and they believe they’re getting semaglutide … I know for a fact that they are not getting semaglutide, because there’s only one semaglutide, and that’s produced by Novo Nordisk, and we don’t sell that to others.” Compounded drugs are made by pharmacies or manufacturers other than the companies that make approved versions of those medicines, and they typically are allowed when there is a shortage of those drugs. Semaglutide, and other GLP-1 drugs like it, have experienced shortages in the past two years as millions of Americans have turned to the medications for help with significant weight loss. While semaglutide remains on the shortage list, Novo Nordisk noted last week that the last remaining dose in short supply — the lowest dose of Wegovy — is now listed as available, CNN reported. “We’re collaborating with the FDA, and I think they’re looking into what are some of the considerations they have… read on > read on >

Rates of anxiety and depression among U.S. adults, especially younger folks, continues to rise, the latest federal data shows. Nearly 1 in every 5 (18.2%) adults reported anxiety issues in 2022, up from 15.6% in 2019, reported Emily Terlizzi and Benjamin Zablotsky, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As for depression, rates among adults rose from 18.5% to 21.4% during the same time period, the new survey found. Young adults were the most affected: More than a quarter (26.6%) of people ages 18 through 29 said they’d struggled with anxiety symptoms over the prior two weeks, compared to about 21% of those aged 30 to 44, just under 16% for those aged 45 to 64, and 11.2% among people 65 or older. For nearly 10% of young adults, their anxiety was rated as moderate or severe, the researchers noted. Age-related trends were similar for depression: nearly 27% of young adults surveyed said they’d felt depressed at some point over the past two weeks, with rates dropping off with increasing age. The rate among seniors, for example, was 18.6%. For almost 10% of young adults, depression symptoms were rated as moderate or severe. None of these statistics will come as a surprise to health experts. In 2021, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a report outlining a “crisis” in mental health… read on > read on >

It doesn’t take much: Adding just five minutes of exercise to your daily routine lowers your blood pressure and might cut your odds for heart disease, new research shows. “The good news is that whatever your physical ability, it doesn’t take long to have a positive effect on blood pressure,” said study lead author Jo Blodgett, from University College London (UCL). “What’s unique about our exercise variable is that it includes all exercise-like activities, from climbing the stairs to a short cycling errand, many of which can be integrated into daily routines.” Her team published its findings Nov. 6 in the journal Circulation. According to the researchers, high blood pressure affects almost 1.3 billion adults globally and is one of the biggest causes of premature death due to stroke and other causes. The new study focused on almost 15,000 adult volunteers who were given activity trackers to chart their daily involvement in six key activities: Sleep Sedentary behavior (such as sitting) Slow walking (less than 100 steps per minute) Fast walking (100 steps per minute or more) Standing More vigorous exercise (such as running, cycling or stair climbing) Each day, the average participant got seven hours of sleep, 10 hours of sedentary behavior such as sitting, three hours of standing, one hour of slow walking, one hour of fast walking and just 16 minutes of… read on > read on >

THURSDAY, Nov.7, 2024Women who take vitamin D supplements during a pregnancy may be giving their kids the legacy of stronger bones, new British research suggests. Children whose moms took vitamin D supplements when pregnant had stronger, denser bones at the age of 7 compared to the kids of women who didn’t, a study from the University of Southampton shows. It’s an head start on bone health that might last a lifetime, said lead researcher Dr. Rebecca Moon. “This early intervention represents an important public health strategy. It strengthens children’s bones and reduces the risk of conditions like osteoporosis and fractures in later life,” said Moon, a clinical lecturer in child health at the university. Her team published its findings in the November issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It’s long been understood that vitamin D — often called the “sunshine vitamin” because human skin manufactures it upon contact with sunlight — plays a key role in bone development and health. As the British team explained, the nutrient regulates the body’s levels of calcium and phosphate — two minerals needed for strong bones, teeth and muscle health. Could maintaining good levels of vitamin D in pregnancy benefit offspring? To find out, Moon’s team randomized over 1,000 pregnant women into two groups. Half got an extra 1,000 International Units per day of vitamin D in supplement… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Diabetes & Kidney Trouble Can Bring Heart Disease Decades Earlier

How ADHD May Influence a Child’s Weight

Obesity-Linked Heart Deaths Nearly Tripled in U.S. Over Past Two Decades

Unexplained Weight Loss and What It Can Mean for Your Health

Being Born Preterm Tied to Lifelong Harms in Employment, Education

FDA Proposes Ban on a ‘Useless’ Decongestant, Phenylephrine

Novo Nordisk CEO Warns of Deaths Linked to Compounded Semaglutide

Rates of Anxiety, Depression Rising Among Americans, Especially the Young

Just 5 Extra Minutes of Exercise Per Day Could Lower Blood Pressure

Vitamin D Supplements in Pregnancy Linked to Stronger Bones in Kids