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Many Americans don’t see anything wrong with taking daily low-dose aspirin, even though experts have concluded its risks outweigh its benefits, a new survey has found. Nearly half (48%) of people incorrectly think that the benefits of taking low-dose aspirin daily to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke outweigh the risks, according to the survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. “Habits backed by conventional wisdom and the past advice of health care providers are hard to break,” Kathleen Hall Jamieson, the center’s director, said in a news release. “Knowing whether taking a low-dose aspirin daily is advisable or not for you is vital health information,” she added. For years, healthy seniors were advised to take low-dose aspirin to reduce heart attack and stroke risk. The rationale was that aspirin acts as a blood thinner, reducing the risk that a blood clot could cause a heart attack or stroke by clogging an artery. But in 2019, the leading heart groups — the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association — reversed that recommendation in a set of new guidelines. The groups concluded that daily aspirin for healthy seniors 70 and older wasn’t worth the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. “If you’re over 70, taking aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke could do more harm… read on > read on >

Canadian youngsters are munching loads of ultra-processed foods, increasing their lifelong risk of obesity, a new study says. “We saw that ultra-processed foods contributed to almost half of a child’s total daily energy intake,” senior researcher Kozeta Miliku, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, said in a news release. About 45% of the total daily energy intake for Canadian 3-year-olds came from ultra-processed foods, researchers reported in a new study published Jan. 31 in JAMA Network Open. And higher intake of these foods at age 3 is linked to excess weight, higher body-mass index (BMI) and more body fat by age 5, researchers added. Ultra-processed foods typically are factory-made fare containing high levels of sugar, fat and salt. They’re a patchwork of ingredients, additives and preservatives engineered for flavor and shelf-life. Examples include chicken nuggets, frozen meals, hot dogs, canned soups, potato chips, soft drinks, sugary breakfast cereals, ice cream, packaged breads, flavored yogurts and condiments like ketchup and mayonnaise. As a mother of a 3-year-old, Miliku understands firsthand how hard it is to provide a well-balanced diet while avoiding ultra-processed foods. “Ultra-processed foods are very accessible and a handy solution for busy days,” Miliku said. “We are all doing our best to make sure our children are fed, but there are opportunities for us to improve their diet.” For… read on > read on >

Drugs like blood thinners, cholesterol-lowering statins and blood pressure meds can protect the health and extend the lives of people with heart disease. But only if patients take the drugs — and many around the world aren’t, a new study says. Overall, fewer than half of heart patients from 17 countries who could benefit from these meds are taking them, researchers reported in a new study published Feb. 3 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. “Our research indicates that there continues to be substantial under-utilization of these medications with little improvement over time,” lead researcher Dr. Philip Joseph, a scientist at the Population Health Research Institute, a joint institute of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences in Canada, said in a news release. As a result, many people are likely dying earlier from heart disease or leading sicker lives than need be, researchers said. “Our findings suggest that current secondary prevention strategies continue to leave the majority of people with cardiovascular disease either untreated or undertreated and highlight the general lack of progress being made to increase the use of secondary cardiovascular prevention medications in most parts of the world,” Joseph said. For the study, researchers tracked more than 11,000 people diagnosed with heart disease, heart attack or stroke ranging in age from 30 to 70. Participants entered the study between 2003… read on > read on >

Cold showers or ice baths have become a trendy way to recuperate after a heavy-duty workout, but do they actually help? A new evidence review suggests there’s some science to back up the hype. People report lower stress, improved sleep and better quality of life following cold-water immersion, researchers reported Jan. 29 in the journal PLOS One. However, these benefits often aren’t long-lasting, and in some cases, the body’s response might be bad for chronic health problems like heart disease, the review found. “In this study, we noted a range of time-dependent results,” lead investigator Tara Cain, a research assistant studying health and human performance with the University of South Australia, said in a news release. For example, “we found that cold-water immersion could reduce stress levels, but for only about 12 hours post-exposure,” Cain said. Researchers also noted that participants who took 20-, 60- or 90-second cold showers reported slightly higher quality of life scores. “But again,” Cain added, “After three months these effects had faded.” For the review, researchers pooled data from 11 studies on cold-water immersion involving nearly 3,200 people. Cold-water immersion involves dunking the body partially or fully in chilly water, with temperatures typically ranging from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, researchers said in background notes. In this review, data was only included if exposure was at or above chest level… read on > read on >

A common drug used to prevent migraines might have an additional benefit — protecting women against stroke. Women taking the beta blocker propranolol to ward off migraines have a lower risk of strokes caused by blood clots, according to new research to be presented Thursday at a meeting of the American Stroke Association. The risk of stroke was as much as 52% lower in female migraine sufferers taking propranolol, which is available as a generic drug, researchers said. The drug did not have the same protective effect for men, however. “Migraine is an often-ignored risk factor for cardiovascular issues. Until recently, preventive treatments for people who have migraines were not available,” said lead researcher Mulubrhan Mogos, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, Tenn. About 20% of people suffer from migraines, researchers said in background notes. Migraine headaches occur three times more often in women than men, and they are associated with an increased risk of stroke. Beta blockers are commonly prescribed to help ward off migraine, and also are used to treat high blood pressure. For their study, researchers reviewed more than 3 million electronic health records from two large databases. They identified people with migraine who had a stroke, and then checked who was taking propranolol for migraine. “We initially looked at overall stroke and then ischemic (clot-caused) stroke… read on > read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Journavx, a new pain reliever without the risks of addiction or overdose linked to drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin. The new pill, developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, is intended for short-term pain relief following surgery or injury, the Associated Press reported. While it provides a long-awaited alternative to opioids and over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprofen, research suggests its effectiveness is modest compared to standard opioid treatments. Unlike opioids, which bind to brain receptors to reduce pain but often lead to dependence and addiction, Journavx works differently. The medication blocks specific proteins that trigger pain signals before they reach the brain. “In trying to develop medicines that don’t have the addictive risks of opioid medicines, a key factor is working to block pain signaling before it gets to the brain,” Dr. David Altshuler, Vertex’s executive vice president and chief scientific officer, previously told the Associated Press. Studies of more than 870 patients who took Journavx after foot and abdominal surgery showed that the drug provided more relief than a placebo but was not more effective than a common opioid-acetaminophen combination pill. “It’s not a slam dunk on effectiveness,” Michael Schuh of the Mayo Clinic, a pharmacist who was not involved in the research, told the Associated Press. “But it is a slam dunk in that it’s a very different… read on > read on >

Calorie labels on restaurant menus are harming people with eating disorders, a new evidence review claims. These labels are meant to make it healthier to eat out at restaurants, by informing customers of the calorie content of food choices. But people diagnosed with eating disorders tend to respond poorly when presented with a menu featuring calorie labels, researchers reported Jan. 28 in the BMJ Public Health. Unhealthy responses included avoiding restaurants altogether, triggering harmful thoughts associated with eating disorders, and obsessing over the calorie counts. Some said that seeing these menu labels actually reinforced the beliefs behind their eating disorders, researchers added. “It’s definitely set my recovery back by a long way and I only feel safe eating at home now,” a patient with an eating disorder said in one of the studies included in the review. “Our study highlights that people with lived experience of eating disorders are frustrated at being left out of the conversation around calorie labels,” senior researcher Tom Jewell, a lecturer in mental health nursing at King’s College London, said in a news release. The obesity epidemic has caused policymakers to act without any thought to the impact on people with eating disorders, Jewell added. “Striking a balance between the positive and harmful impacts of calorie labels on menus is vital in any public health policies,” he said. “Policymakers should… read on > read on >

Most community crisis services did not expand following the launch of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, potentially blunting the effectiveness of the hotline, a new study says. Walk-in psychiatric services, mobile crisis response units and suicide prevention programs all declined following the launch of the 988 line in July 2022, researchers reported in a new study published Jan. 29 in JAMA Psychiatry. “The lack of meaningful growth in most crisis services may limit the long-run success of 988, in particular if callers feel that reaching out to 988 fails to result in access to appropriate sources of care,” lead investigator Jonathan Cantor, a policy researcher at the nonprofit research organization RAND, said in a news release. The 988 Lifeline provides a single easy-to-remember phone number for people in a suicidal or mental health crisis. It replaced the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which had been reachable through a 10-digit 800 number. The line is intended to help counsel people in crisis and, if necessary, connect them with a variety of mental health services. However, researchers suspected that mental health emergency response systems might not have been able to rapidly beef up their operations to handle the potentially increased workload from an easier-to-use crisis line. For example, the U.S. continues to have a shortage of psychiatric beds in many regions, as well as a limited and… read on > read on >

Weight-loss surgery can protect the liver health of patients with obesity and fatty liver disease, a new study reports. Patients had a 72% lower risk of developing serious complications of liver disease after undergoing weight-loss surgery, researchers reported in Jan. 27 in the journal Nature Medicine. They also had an 80% lower risk of their liver disease reaching an advanced, life-threatening stage, researchers found. These results show that the sort of weight loss associated with bariatric surgery can make a major difference in people with fatty liver disease, also called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), researchers said. “Currently, lifestyle intervention (diet and exercise) is the only therapeutic recommendation for compensated MASH-related cirrhosis,” senior investigator Dr. Steven Nissen, chief academic officer of the Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, said in a news release. “However, lifestyle changes alone rarely provide the weight loss and metabolic changes needed to reduce the risk of liver complications in this patient population,” he added. Obesity and diabetes are the leading cause of MASH, which is the most common form of chronic liver disease in the U.S., researchers said in background notes. The livers of people who are obese start accumulating fat, triggering a cascade of events ultimately leading to liver scarring, researchers said. An estimated 3 million people in the U.S. have liver scarring related to fatty liver disease. For… read on > read on >

Seniors whose cholesterol levels spike and plummet year-to-year could be at increased risk of dementia and failing brain health, a new study suggests. Those whose cholesterol fluctuated the most had a 60% increased risk of dementia, researchers report in findings published Jan. 29 in the journal Neurology. They also had a 23% increased risk of mild cognitive impairment, an early stage of brain aging that can lead to dementia, researchers found. “These results suggest that fluctuating cholesterol, measured annually, may be a new biomarker for identifying people at risk of dementia, providing more information than the actual cholesterol levels measured at a single time point,” lead investigator Zhen Zhou, a research fellow at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, said in a news release. High cholesterol levels in middle age have been identified as a risk factor of cognitive decline and dementia later in life, researchers mentioned in background notes. However, research into the impact of cholesterol on brain health in seniors has yielded mixed results. Some studies have said cholesterol has no impact on the brain in old age, while others have found that low cholesterol might actually increase dementia risk. For this study, researchers tracked the brain health of more than 9,800 people 65 and older who started off with no dementia or other memory problems. The participants’ cholesterol levels were measured at the… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Many Americans Misguided On Daily Aspirin, Survey Finds

Ultra-Processed Foods Make Up Nearly Half of Calories for Canadian Kids

Heart Patients Aren’t Taking Lifesaving Meds

Cold Water Plunges Might Offer Some Benefit

Beta Blocker Might Reduce Migraine Stroke Risk

FDA Approves First New Non-Opioid Pain Pill in Decades

Calorie Labels Harmful For People With Eating Disorders

Crisis Services Haven’t Adapted To New 988 Suicide Hotline

Weight-Loss Surgery Protects Liver Health

Cholesterol Changes in Seniors Linked to Brain Health