Weekly Gravy « Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Toxic chemicals that develop from car exhaust, smoking and backyard grilling might increase your risk of developing the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis, a new study suggests. These chemicals are called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). They form as coal, oil, gas, wood or tobacco burn. Flame grilling of meat and other foods also contribute to PAH formation, the researchers said. “While more studies are needed, the findings suggest that polyaromatic hydrocarbons may be a significant contributor to rheumatoid arthritis,” said lead researcher Chris D’Adamo, director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “People at risk of rheumatoid arthritis should be cautious of polyaromatic hydrocarbons and consider minimizing modifiable sources of exposure.” Blood and urine samples from nearly 22,000 adults revealed those with the highest PAH levels had the highest risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease that primarily affects the joints, causing tissue damage and long-lasting pain. Joints may become deformed, and people with the disease may be unsteady on their feet. Women develop rheumatoid arthritis more often than men. The cause isn’t known, but is thought to involve genes, sex and age, and environmental factors, such as smoking, nutrition and lifestyle. D’Adamo said this study can’t prove that PAHs cause rheumatoid arthritis, only that there appears to be an association. “While the findings… read on > read on >

Finding out that you or a loved one has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be alarming and may leave you with a lot of questions. Though COPD has no cure, it’s a condition that can be managed with the right treatments and medications, according to the American Lung Association (ALA). Here’s what you need to know about COPD, including what it is, its causes, symptoms, stages and risk factors, plus the many treatment options available to those living with the condition. What is COPD? COPD is a group of progressive, chronic diseases that constrict airflow in and out of the lungs so that less oxygen moves through the body. “It’s three different illnesses, all of which create the same fundamental problem, which is you can’t blow out as fast as you should,” explained Dr. Scott Eisman, a pulmonary disease and critical care medicine specialist at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas in California. “And those three illnesses are asthma and chronic bronchitis and emphysema — and they’re all different,” he noted. Causes and risk factors According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the cause of most cases of COPD is smoking. However, as many as 25% of people in the United States with the disease have never smoked cigarettes. “If you talk about chronic bronchitis and emphysema, the most common cause is cigarette… read on > read on >

Artificial intelligence (AI) research and development should stop until its use and technology are properly regulated, an international group of doctors and public health experts said. Certain types of AI pose an “existential threat to humanity,” the experts wrote in the May 9 issue of the journal BMJ Global Health. The group — led by Dr. Frederik Federspiel of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom — included experts from the United States, Australia, Costa Rica and Malaysia. AI has transformative potential for society, including in medicine and public health, but also can be misused and may have several negative impacts, they said. The experts warned that AI’s ability to rapidly clean, organize and analyze massive data sets, which may include personal data and images, make it possible to be used to manipulate behavior and subvert democracy. There are already examples, they noted. AI was used in this way in the 2016 U.S. presidential election; in the 2017 French presidential election; and in elections in Kenya in 2013 and 2017, the experts reported. “When combined with the rapidly improving ability to distort or misrepresent reality with deep fakes, AI-driven information systems may further undermine democracy by causing a general breakdown in trust or by driving social division and conflict, with ensuing public health impacts,” the authors warned. AI-driven surveillance can… read on > read on >

Men who were overweight as boys may have infertility issues in adulthood, according to new research. Researchers studying the issue of male infertility, often a mystery, looked at health data from 268 young people between 2 and 18 years of age. They had been referred to the University of Catania in Sicily for weight control. “Although the prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing worldwide, the impact of obesity and associated metabolic disorders on testicular growth is not well known,” said study co-author Dr. Rossella Cannarella, a research fellow at the Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute in Cleveland. For the study, published May 10 in the European Journal of Endocrinology, the researchers collected data on testicular volume, body mass index and insulin resistance. They found that boys with normal weight had testicular volume that was 1.5 times higher than those who were overweight or obese before puberty. Young people in the study with normal insulin levels had 1.5 to 2 times higher testicular volume compared to those with hyperinsulinemia, which is often associated with type 2 diabetes. Lower testicular volume is a predictor of poorer sperm production in adulthood, the researchers said. About 48 million couples struggled with infertility in 2010, according to the World Health Organization. Male infertility is a contributor in about half of all infertility cases, researchers said, but its cause is often… read on > read on >

It’s easy to keep your skin safer in the summer sun if you have the right sunscreen. UCLA Health offers some tips for picking the best type and SPF level. Getting sunburned just five times in a lifetime doubles the risk of getting melanoma, the most serious skin cancer, so making sure you’re protected is worth the effort, the experts at UCLA Health said in a news release. Types of sunscreens can be divided into two categories: mineral and chemical. Each type has its pros and cons. Mineral sunscreen sits on the skin’s surface. It physically blocks ultraviolet (UV) light before those rays can penetrate the skin. While offering instant protection, it can be harder to rub in, needs to be applied more frequently and tends to leave a white film on the skin. Yet, it’s also gentler than chemical sunblock, making it a good choice for sensitive skin, according to UCLA Health. Mineral sunscreen contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, both recognized as safe and effective by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Chemical sunscreens allow UV light to penetrate skin, after which the chemicals convert the UV light into heat. This is released from the skin. The downsides are that chemical sunscreens need to be applied at least 20 minutes before sun exposure and there are concerns about the ingredients in chemical sunscreens,… read on > read on >

Living with the potential for gun violence takes a “cumulative physiological toll” on people in Chicago and across the country, said researchers whose new study found that half of that city’s residents had witnessed a shooting by age 40. The study followed Chicagoans from childhood and adolescence in the 1990s over the course of 25 years. Of the more than 2,400 study participants, about 56% of Black and Hispanic residents had seen at least one shooting by the time they turned 40. About 25% of white Chicagoans had witnessed a shooting by that time. The average age that Chicago residents first witnessed a shooting was 14. Some weren’t just seeing the gun violence, but experiencing it. More than 7% of Black and Hispanic people had been shot before turning 40, compared to 3% of white people. The average age for being shot was 17. “We expected levels of exposure to gun violence to be high, but not this high. Our findings are frankly startling and disturbing,” said study lead author Charles Lanfear, from the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology in the U.K. “A substantial portion of Chicago’s population could be living with trauma as a result of witnessing shootings and homicides, often at a very young age,” Lanfear said in a university news release. “It is clear that Black people in particular are often… read on > read on >

Androstenedione is one of those supplements that was peddled to athletes for years as a quick path to bulging muscles and high testosterone levels, but it comes with some serious side effects. Also known as “andro,” the dietary supplement was once touted to enhance athletic performance by stimulating muscle growth and boosting testosterone levels. But once it enters the body, it acts like a steroid and can pose similar health risks. In October 2004, President George Bush signed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act, which reclassified androstenedione from a supplement to an anabolic steroid, making it and other steroid-based drugs a controlled substance. They are currently banned in sports. This was because a small number of studies of androstenedione led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to believe that its use may increase the risk of serious health problems because of its conversion in the body to the hormones testosterone and a particular form of estrogen. While over-the-counter androstenedione supplements are now banned, doctors can still prescribe it for medical purposes. According to a study published online recently in the journal Molecules, doctors can offer androstenedione shots for preventing or treating certain chronic diseases. Side effects of andro According to the Mayo Clinic, long-term use of androstenedione supplements by men can result in testicular atrophy, impotence and the development of female characteristics such as breast enlargement.… read on > read on >

Does where you live affect your risk for lung cancer? Just possibly, experts warn. Although cigarette smoking is the principal cause of most lung cancers, new research has found evidence that Americans who live in areas where air quality is poor may be at greater risk for the most common cancer killer in the United States. The finding is based on mapping that zeroed in on Detroit and surrounding Wayne County, Michigan, to see how lung cancer incidence over nearly 40 years stacked up against air quality in different areas. “The main takeaway is that there is a relationship between incidence of lung cancer and specific environmental pollutants,” said lead author Dr. Hollis Hutchings, a thoracic surgery research resident at Detroit’s Henry Ford Health. Hutchings and her team reviewed data gathered between 1985 and 2018 by the Michigan Cancer Registry. Over that period, nearly 59,000 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in Wayne County. Thirty-seven percent of patients identified as members of a racial minority (average age, 67.8 years). The air pollution status of different areas of the county was then gleaned from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data collected between 1980 and 2018. On the positive side, most markers of air pollution (though not all) across Wayne County did improve over that time. But the three areas with the highest rates of lung… read on > read on >

As the seasons change and the weather shifts, it’s not uncommon to experience symptoms like sneezing, coughing and congestion. But how do you know if you’re dealing with a common cold or allergies? The two can have similar symptoms, making it tough to tell an allergy from a cold. Here, experts offer tips on how to discern the difference. Cold vs. allergy symptoms: What are the differences? Understanding allergy versus cold symptoms is vital in determining which one you’re dealing with. While the two can share some similarities, there are also some differences to watch out for. Based on information from the Mayo Clinic and Atlantic Health System, here’s a list of common symptoms of a cold and allergies to help you differentiate between the two: Symptoms of a common cold include: Runny or stuffy nose Congestion Cough Sore throat Sneezing Headache Fatigue Body aches Symptoms of allergies include: Runny or stuffy nose Sneezing Itchy or watery eyes Congestion Postnasal drip Headache Fatigue “Both allergies and colds can cause inflammatory responses in the nasal passages and upper airways,” Dr. Gabrielle Samuels, a doctor of osteopathic medicine with Atlantic Health System, said in a recent article. “Inflammation in these areas can lead to similar symptoms, even though the causes might be very different.” There are, however, some symptoms that are unique to each condition. With allergies,… read on > read on >

As a U.S. Food Drug Administration advisory panel prepares to weigh whether to recommend that a birth control pill be sold over the counter in this country, a coalition of advocates on Monday called attention to the safety and effectiveness of the medication. If approved, Opill, a daily progestin-only birth control pill, would become the first such drug sold over the counter in the United States. Opill was first approved by the FDA in 1973. During a media briefing on the coming decision, the Free the Pill coalition said it hopes this pill will be fully covered by insurance and available to people of all ages and backgrounds without a prescription. Meanwhile, the FDA’s expert panel will hold a two-day meeting, starting on Tuesday, to decide whether to recommend allowing the Opill to be sold without a prescription. There is no precise information available on how much Opill will cost if sold over the counter, but Opill manufacturer Perrigo said in a recent statement that it is committed to making it affordable. The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and other medical organizations support over-the-counter access to hormonal contraception without age restrictions. The Free the Pill coalition has been advocating for over-the-counter status for birth control pills since 2004, citing the many barriers that… read on > read on >

Weekly Gravy

Look Good – Feel Good – Feed Good

A little about: Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Toxins From Grilling, Smoking & Car Exhaust Could Raise Odds for Rheumatoid Arthritis

COPD: Causes, Symptoms & Treatments

International Group of Health Experts Raise Alarm About Dangers of AI

Overweight Boys May Be Grow Up to Be Less Fertile Men

Summer’s Near: What’s the Best Sunscreen for You?

Half of Chicago’s Residents Have Witnessed a Shooting by Age 40

The Side Effects of ‘Andro,’ The Banned Supplement Androstenedione

Dirty Air & Lung Cancer: Detroit Study Shows How Your Neighborhood Matters

Cold vs. Allergies: Which Do You Have? Here’s How to Tell the Difference

FDA Experts to Consider First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill