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Stress appears to increase a person’s chances of developing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of unhealthy factors that add up to an increased risk for serious problems, a new study finds. Inflammation driven by a person’s stress levels can make them more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, just as their lifestyle and genetics also contribute to the risk, researchers said. So, simple stress-reduction techniques might be a way to help improve people’s health as they enter middle age, the researchers concluded. “There are many variables that influence metabolic syndrome, some we can’t modify, but others that we can,” said senior study author Jasmeet Hayes, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University. “Everybody experiences stress, and stress management is one modifiable factor that’s cost-effective as well as something people can do in their daily lives without having to get medical professionals involved,” Hayes added in a university news release. People with metabolic syndrome have at least three of five factors that increase the risk of chronic health problems like diabetes or heart disease. These factors are excess belly fat, high blood pressure, low HDL “good” cholesterol and high levels of either blood sugar or “bad” triglycerides, researchers said. For this study, researchers analyzed medical data from nearly 650 people taking part in a study of midlife health in the United States. The study gathered information… read on > read on >

In the middle of winter when sunshine can be hard to come by, it’s tough to get enough vitamin D, but one expert has some advice. “Vitamin D is well known to support bone health, but it also plays a role in the health of your heart as well as your GI tract. It is tougher to get it [in the winter] because a lot of the absorption and how the vitamin gets transformed to a usable substance in our bodies is from the sun,” explained Dr. Mike Ren, an assistant professor in Baylor College of Medicine’s Department of Family and Community Medicine. “You need the sun high in the sky, not when it’s rising or about to set, for your body to effectively absorb sunlight to absorb the vitamin D.” Although vitamin D is found naturally in fatty fishes and seafood, it is not typically found in other foods, so people often don’t get enough vitamin D from their diet, Ren said. So, most folks need to get outside in the sun, even when the temperatures plummet. “The typical adult needs 800 international units of vitamin D per day, which roughly translates to 15 to 30 minutes of good, direct sunlight,” Ren said in a Baylor news release. “There is no need to put on a bathing suit just to get sun. You can… read on > read on >

Drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, which have become a wildly popular way to lose weight or battle diabetes, show no link to suicidal thoughts or actions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday. “Our preliminary evaluation has not found evidence that use of these medicines causes suicidal thoughts or actions,” an FDA review released Thursday stated. Still, the agency noted officials can’t rule out that “a small risk may exist,” and it will continue to look into similar reports involving this class of weight-loss drugs, known as GLP-1 medications. The FDA review comes on the heels of a study funded by the National Institutes of Health that showed people taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in both Ozempic and Wegovy, had a lower risk of suicidal thoughts than those taking other drugs to treat obesity and diabetes. In that study, researchers tracked over 240,000 obese people and more than 1.5 million people with type 2 diabetes. They looked at the risk of suicidal ideation within six months of starting the medicines, as well as at later times. At six months, it found that among people taking the drug for weight loss, semaglutide was linked to a 73% lower risk of first-time suicidal ideation and a 56% lower risk of recurrent suicidal ideation. The drugs that semaglutide was compared to included bupropion, naltrexone, orlistat, topiramate and phentermine.… read on > read on >

Imagine easing a fear of heights by getting over a phobia of spiders. That might sound odd, but it works, researchers report. Folks who use exposure therapy to overcome one phobia can find themselves less afraid of other things, according to the results of a study published recently in the journal Translational Psychiatry. It’s very often the case that people prone to phobias often develop more than one, said lead researcher Iris Kodzaga, a doctoral student with Ruhr University Bochum’s Department of Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience. “Anxiety rarely comes alone,” Kodzaga said in a university news release. “Patients who suffer from one fear often subsequently develop another.” Exposure therapy has proven to be the most effective treatment against phobias, researchers said. By confronting a fear-inducing situation under the supervision of a therapist, patients learn to overcome their fear. However, it has been long assumed that a person with multiple fears would require multiple rounds of exposure therapy, with each round targeting a different phobia, Kodzaga noted. To challenge that assumption, researchers performed exposure therapy treating a fear of spiders on 50 people who also had a fear of heights. Prior to the therapy, participants answered questionnaires and performed tasks to quantify their phobias. For example, researchers noted how close the subjects dared approach a spider, and how far they could climb a high church tower.… read on > read on >

Women who’ve survived breast cancer may want to up their dietary intake of soy, nuts, beans and whole grains, a new analysis finds. A higher intake of soy compounds called isoflavones was especially tied to better odds that cancer would not return, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and elsewhere. The findings can’t yet determine the ideal dosages of isoflavones or other nutrients that appear to prevent recurrence, the authors said, so more research is needed in that area. The study also can’t determine “whether starting to consume them after diagnosis has the same effect as a lifelong dietary habit before diagnosis,” senior study author Dr. Channing Paller said in a Hopkins news release. That’s information that “patients are looking for,” he said. The review of data on nutrition and breast cancer recurrence was conducted by Paller’s group at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, along with researchers at other centers worldwide. Investigators looked at data from 22 major studies that focused on soybeans, lignans (compounds found in a variety of plants such as seeds and nuts), cruciferous vegetables (crunchy veggies like cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower), and green tea. They also looked at the effect of phytonutrients (compounds derived from plants) that are found in these foods. Paller and her colleagues discovered that a high intake of soy isoflavones was linked to a… read on > read on >

More than a few folks are considering a cosmetic skin procedure to enhance their looks heading into 2024. Botox, fillers and lasers are common means to sculpt a person’s appearance, but dermatologists recommend a comprehensive approach under the care of a qualified specialist. “There is no one-size-fits-all or ‘cookie cutter’ approach to combat the signs of aging because aging looks different on everyone,” said Dr. Laura Fine, a board-certified dermatologist in Chicago. “On the flipside, there is no one cosmetic treatment to address all of these changes.” Here is what the most common procedures can do: Botox (botulinum toxin) can diminish frown lines and crow’s feet around a person’s eyes, and is also a treatment for excessive sweating, Fine said. Most people see results within three to seven days, and results can last about three to four months. Fillers can restore lost fullness to the face, lips and hands, and can be used to lessen scars and erase fine lines. They provide immediate results but tend to be temporary, requiring repeated treatments. Lasers can treat a variety of unsightly stretch marks, scars, hair and age spots, Fine said. However, keep in mind lasers can’t fully remove stretch marks or scars, just make them less noticeable. “The best cosmetic outcomes are often achieved with a comprehensive approach, starting with skincare at home, combined with other in-office… read on > read on >

Amid an ongoing shortage of the first-line treatment for syphilis in the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will allow the importation of a different syphilis drug from a French drugmaker. In a letter from Laboratoires Delbert, the Paris-based company said it’s working with the FDA to temporarily import 3.5 million units of Extencilline, which is not approved in the United States. The move was approved by the FDA on Wednesday. Bicillin, a long-acting injectable form of penicillin made by Pfizer that is similar to Extencilline, has been in short supply in the United States since the middle of 2023. It is the recommended treatment for syphilis in adults and it’s the only recommended treatment for pregnant women to prevent syphilis passing from mother to newborn. The National Coalition of STD Directors applauded the FDA’s move. “The delays in treatment that women have faced because of the shortage has placed them and their families at grave risk during the nation’s syphilis crisis,” executive director David Harvey said in a statement. “Today, the administration took meaningful action on our ongoing ask they do anything and everything in their power to address the Bicillin L-A shortage and to provide communities with the resources they need to treat patients and solve this public health crisis.” “We hope this is the first step toward seeing a resolution to… read on > read on >

A spike in the use of ADHD medications during the pandemic likely prompted drug shortages that continue to frustrate patients and doctors today, a new study shows. New prescriptions for stimulants that treat the condition jumped for young adults and women in particular after the pandemic first struck in March 2020, according to a study published Jan. 10 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Meanwhile, prescriptions also soared for non-stimulant ADHD treatments for adults of all ages, found researchers led by Grace Chai. She’s at the Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Why the surge? The mental and emotional strain of the pandemic, coupled with an increased use of telemedicine that made it easier for patients to get help, were big contributors, experts said. Las Vegas psychiatrist Dr. Ann Childress told the Associated Press that more adults started coming to her for help after COVID-19 started sweeping across the country and lockdowns were put in place. Working from home made it clear to some people how easily they get distracted: Childress says she diagnosed a lot of parents, especially moms, who saw it in their children and recognized it in themselves. On top of that, social media has made people more aware of adult ADHD. “People are more open to talking about mental health issues now,”… read on > read on >

Medical marijuana might help ease chronic pain, but it also slightly increases a patient’s risk of a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm, a new study says. Patients treated with medical cannabis had a nearly 1% increased risk of being diagnosed with a heart rhythm problem that required monitoring and possible treatment, results show. The risk was more than double that of chronic pain patients not using cannabis, and occurred within six months of starting medical weed. “I don’t think this research should make patients with chronic pain refrain from trying medical cannabis if other treatment has been inadequate,” said researcher Dr. Anders Holt, a cardiologist at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. “However, these results do suggest some improved monitoring may be advisable initially, especially in patients who are already at increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” he added in a news release. Medical weed is now allowed as a treatment for chronic pain in 38 U.S. states, as well as in several countries in Europe, Holt noted. “This means more and more doctors will find themselves prescribing cannabis, despite a lack of evidence on its side effects,” he said. To better inform these prescriptions, Holt and his colleagues conducted what they believe is the first nationwide study to investigate the heart effects of medical marijuana prescribed for chronic pain. For the study, researchers tracked nearly 5,400 Danish… read on > read on >

Women are far more likely to suffer an early death if they develop depression during or after pregnancy, a new Swedish study has found. Women who developed what’s known as “perinatal” depression were generally twice as likely to die as women who didn’t experience the mood disorder, researchers reported Jan. 10 in the BMJ. They also are six times more likely to commit suicide than women without this form of depression, researchers found. The death risk tied to pregnancy-related depression peaks in the month after a woman is diagnosed with the disorder, but it can remain elevated nearly two decades later, results show. “I believe that our study clearly shows that these women have an elevated mortality risk, and that this is an extremely important issue,” said study co-author Qing Shen, an affiliated researcher at the Karolinska Institute. Perinatal depression is fairly common, affecting 10% to 20% of all pregnant women, the researchers said in background notes. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 86,500 Swedish women diagnosed with perinatal depression, which can occur either during pregnancy or up to a year following childbirth. Six to eight weeks after childbirth, all Swedish women are asked to complete a screening tool used to detect signs of depression. The research team compared those females to more than 865,000 women of the same age who had… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Clues to How Mental Stress Takes Toll on Physical Health

Be Sure to Get Enough of the ‘Sunshine Vitamin’ This Winter

FDA Finds No Link to Suicide With Drugs Like Wegovy, Ozempic

Overcoming One Phobia Might Ease Other Fears, Study Finds

Soy, Nuts, Beans May Help Prevent Breast Cancer’s Return

Cosmetic Procedure in Your Plans for ’24? An Expert Offers Advice

FDA to Import Syphilis Drug From France Amid Shortage

Pandemic-Era Demand for ADHD Meds is Fueling Shortages Today

Could Medical Marijuana Be Bad for Heart Patients?

Pregnancy-Linked Depression Tied to Shorter Life Spans for Women