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Vegetarian and vegan diets lead to lower blood levels of cholesterol and fats, according to a major new analysis of all evidence from clinical trials published since 1982. Compared to people eating an omnivorous diet, those following a plant-based diet experienced an average reduction in total cholesterol levels of 7% from levels measured at the start of the studies, a 10% reduction in “bad” LDL cholesterol levels, and a 14% reduction in apoliprotein B, a blood protein used to estimate cholesterol level, the analysis found. Those results showed that plant-based diets can play a significant role in reducing blocked arteries, thereby lowering the risk of stroke and heart attacks, researchers concluded in the review published May 24 in the European Heart Journal. “If people start eating vegetarian or vegan diets from an early age, the potential for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease caused by blocked arteries is substantial,” said researcher Dr. Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, chief physician at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark. “Importantly, we found similar results across continents, ages, different ranges of body mass index, and among people in different states of health,” Frikke-Schmidt said in a journal news release. Vegetarian and vegan diets benefitted people ranging from normal weight to obese, researchers found. For the review, researchers analyzed data from 30 clinical trials, with nearly 2,400 participants, published between 1982 and 2022. Participants… read on > read on >

Depression is a debilitating condition that can leave its millions of sufferers in despair. Globally, an estimated 5% of adults suffer from depression, according to the World Health Organization. Luckily, there are a variety of depression treatments that can help manage and ease symptoms. These can range from medications to lifestyle changes, talk therapy and even newer treatments such as ketamine. Here, experts describe the most common treatments for depression and explain how they work. Depression treatments Depression can be a complex and challenging mental health condition to treat. As James Maddux, emeritus professor of clinical psychology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., told HealthDay recently, “One of the primary challenges of treating depression is that individuals with depression may resist taking advice or seeking help. Often, people with depression have difficulty believing that things will get better, which can make it challenging to motivate them to engage in treatment.” Nonetheless, various options are available that can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. Depression can impact an individual’s quality of life in many ways, such as negatively affecting their work, relationships and overall functioning. Additionally, depression can increase the risk of suicide and other mental and physical health issues, underscoring the importance of effective treatment to manage symptoms. Non-medication depression treatments While medications can be an effective tool for managing depression symptoms,… read on > read on >

Attachment theory sounds like a complicated concept, but when you’re a parent it can sometimes boil down to a crying, clinging child who does not want to be separated from you. Put simply, attachment theory explores the lasting psychological and emotional bonds between individuals. Developed by British psychologist John Bowlby and then expanded by scientist Mary Ainsworth, think of attachment theory as a lasting feeling of connectedness between human beings. Here, experts offer insights into its core principles, stages and attachment styles. Bowlby emphasized the significance of secure infant-caregiver attachments, proposing distinct stages in attachment formation. Ainsworth’s research introduced different attachment styles. Understanding attachment theory can help you navigate relationships and emotions with greater understanding and empathy. What is attachment theory? Attachment theory is explained in a video published by students from McMaster University, in Ontario, Canada. In the video, students explain that the theory of attachment was discovered by John Bowlby, a British psychologist, back in 1969. Bowlby was trying to comprehend the intense distress experienced by infants who had been separated from their parents. Bowlby believed that behaviors such as crying and searching were adaptive responses to separation from a primary attachment figure who provides support, protection and care. Bowlby attachment theory Bowlby’s theory of attachment, as outlined in a recent article published by Simply Psychology, highlights the importance of secure attachments between… read on > read on >

Americans with COVID-19 have been taking Paxlovid since it was approved under emergency use in late 2021. Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the drug. This approval will allow drugmaker Pfizer to sell the medication at market rate once government supplies are used up. Paxlovid is the fourth antiviral drug and first pill approved by the FDA to treat COVID. It’s meant to keep at-risk adults from progressing to severe COVID symptoms, including hospitalization and death. “Today’s approval demonstrates that Paxlovid has met the agency’s rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness, and that it remains an important treatment option for people at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including those with prior immunity,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release. The approval was made using results from the randomized EPIC-HR clinical trial. That trial studied adults who had a lab-confirmed COVID infection and symptoms but were not hospitalized. They each had a risk factor for severe disease, such as obesity or diabetes, or were 60 years and older. These patients had not received a COVID vaccine or been infected before. The study found that Paxlovid reduced odds of hospitalization or death by 86% compared to those given a placebo within five days of symptom onset. The patients… read on > read on >

A federal website intended to help people choose a nursing home not only contains inaccurate information, but those inaccuracies appear to be at least partially driven by race, a new study reports. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established the Nursing Home Care Compare website in the 1990s to publicly report patient safety indicators for every nursing facility in the nation. But the site appears to drastically underreport the number and severity of major injury falls and bedsores suffered by Medicare residents in specific nursing homes. The site relies on self-reported data from nursing homes to track falls and bedsores, but Medicare claims data show that nursing homes are not reporting all of these incidents, said lead researcher Prachi Sanghavi, an assistant professor of public health sciences at the University of Chicago. About 40% of major injury fall hospitalizations and 32% of severe bedsore hospitalizations found in Medicare claims data did not show up on the CMS website, the researchers found. “It’s not just slightly inaccurate. It’s actually very inaccurate,” Sanghavi said. What’s more, Sanghavi and her colleagues found that the underreporting varied based on the racial composition of the nursing homes. Nursing homes with more white residents had higher reporting rates for major injury falls and lower reporting rates for pressure ulcers, and vice versa was true for nursing homes with… read on > read on >

Smallpox vaccines, which were routinely given into the 1970s, seem to provide protection from mpox, a new study says. The mpox virus, responsible for a worldwide outbreak last year, could surge again this summer, public health experts have warned. It was previously called monkeypox. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden wondered whether the smallpox vaccine would offer some level of immunity against mpox due to a residual memory response. Mpox is among orthopoxviruses that have similarities to smallpox, which was eradicated in the mid-1970s. “The findings from our study demonstrate that this holds true, indicating that the memory cells exhibit remarkable longevity and possess the ability to identify closely related viruses like the mpox virus,” said co-author Marcus Buggert, a researcher at Karolinska’s Center for Infectious Medicine. “They can offer overlapping immunity or cross-reactive protection,” Buggert added in an institute news release. The team examined T-cell immune response in 105 healthy blood donors, finding that people born before 1976 had a notably robust immune response against both viral types. They then evaluated the immune response in 22 men who recently contracted mpox, finding that they also had a vigorous immune response to the virus. The authors said this suggests the potential for future immunity among those individuals. The sample size was insufficient for researchers to determine how much protection prior vaccination offered, but a… read on > read on >

Ketamine may be an alternative to shock treatment for people with treatment-resistant major depression, a new study suggests. Currently, patients with major depressive disorder who don’t find a medication or therapy that works may undergo electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as shock therapy. But researchers have also been studying intravenous ketamine — a powerful anesthetic that’s also long been used as an illicit ‘party’ drug — as a potential antidepressant. They say the results of a new study were surprising. “I have to say it was a wow,” said principal investigator Dr. James Murrough, director of the Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. That isn’t to say that ketamine is superior to ECT, Murrough cautioned. This study wasn’t assessing that. What it does mean is that in this comparative effectiveness trial, “by the numbers ketamine performed very well,” Murrough said. The findings apply to patients who don’t have psychosis but have treatment-resistant major depression that has not been helped through two or three earlier medications. The main takeaway, Murrough said, is that for doctors treating these patients, ketamine is something they could consider as an alternative to ECT. “The take home from this study is there’s another option that’s in that conversation now that really wasn’t before in a meaningful way,”… read on > read on >

One potential solution to reducing chronic pain: Get moving. A new Norwegian study finds that physically active folks have greater pain tolerance compared to sedentary types. Those with higher levels of activity also had higher pain tolerance, according to the report published online May 24 in PLOS ONE. “Becoming or staying physically active over time can benefit your pain tolerance. Whatever you do, the most important thing is that you do something,” study author Anders Årnes, a PhD student at University Hospital of North Norway, and colleagues said in a journal news release. For the study, the investigators analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults who participated in a large population survey conducted periodically in Norway. Using data from two rounds of the study — 2007 to 2008 and 2015 to 2016 — the researchers examined participants’ self-reported levels of physical activity and their levels of pain tolerance. Pain tolerance was tested by submersing a hand in cold water. Those who reported being physically active in either round of the study had higher pain tolerance than those who reported a sedentary lifestyle in both rounds. Also, participants with higher total activity levels had higher pain tolerance. Those with higher activity in the second round than in the first round had a higher overall level of pain tolerance, the findings showed. The researchers did not find… read on > read on >

The problem of “food deserts” in many parts of the United States has gained attention in recent years. Now, researchers are highlighting a similar issue: play deserts. In a recent study, investigators at the University of Georgia found that in many areas of the country — particularly the South — families have few safe, free parks and playgrounds for their kids to enjoy. That’s a problem, experts said, because when kids lack those opportunities, they’re more likely to stay inside and stare at screens. It’s well known that there are communities nationwide where people have a hard time getting to a grocery store or any other source of fresh, nutritious food. Those places have been dubbed food deserts, and an estimated 10% of the United States falls into that dubious category. The new findings show that a similar percentage can be considered play deserts, according to researcher Lan Mu, a professor of geography at the University of Georgia, Athens (UGA). Many play-deficient counties are clustered in the Southeast, where a lack of options and the quality of existing play areas are often problems, the study found. The Southwest was another hotspot for play deserts, and a common issue was affordability: Some places require a membership or fee to enter. It’s not enough that parks or playgrounds merely exist in a community, said lead researcher Jue… read on > read on >

Older Americans are increasingly likely to log into “patient portals” to access their health care information — but confidence levels vary. About 78% of people aged 50 to 80 now use at least one patient portal, according to the new University of Michigan (U-M) National Poll on Healthy Aging. Five years ago, just 51% in this age range used patient portals, the researchers said. The poll also found that 55% of those who used patient portals had done so in the past month. About 49% had accounts on more than one portal. This surge is partly due to the increase in use of telehealth visits, said Denise Anthony, the U-M School of Public Health professor who worked on the poll. “This change makes access to secure portals even more important for older adults who want to see their doctors and other health care providers virtually. It also makes the disparities we found in our poll even more troubling,” Anthony said in a Michigan Medicine news release. Older adults with annual household incomes below $60,000, and those who were Black or Hispanic, had lower rates of portal use. These groups were also less likely to say they’re comfortable using a portal. People in fair or poor health physically or mentally were also much more likely to say they’re not confident about their ability to log in… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Switching to Plant-Based Diet Helps Your Heart, Major Study Finds

Depression Treatments: Medications, Lifestyle Changes & More

Attachment Theory: What It Is, Stages & the Different Attachment Styles

FDA Grants Full Approval to Paxlovid to Treat COVID-19

U.S. Nursing Homes Fail to Report Many Serious Falls, Bedsores: Study

Got Smallpox Vaccine as a Child? You’re Probably Immune to Mpox

Ketamine Beats Shock Therapy in Easing Tough-to-Treat Depression

Exercise Might Boost Your Tolerance for Pain

Nowhere Safe to Play: ‘Play Deserts’ Keep Kids from Fun Physical Activity

More Older Americans Use Online ‘Patient Portals’ to Access Care