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Bouncing a soccer ball off the head during play could be doing real damage to the brain, a new study suggests. MRI brain scans of male and female soccer athletes suggests that lots of “heading” could damage areas of the brain already known to be linked to debilitating concussion-linked conditions, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). “The potential effects of repeated head impacts in sport are much more extensive than previously known and affect locations similar to where we’ve seen CTE pathology,” said study senior author Dr. Michael Lipton, professor of radiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. “This raises concern for delayed adverse effects of head impacts.” He and his colleagues are slated to present their findings in Chicago next week at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Previous studies have suggested that head impacts of all kinds might be linked to neurological issues such as CTE, according to an RSNA news release. In the new study, Lipton’s groups used a high-tech form of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to track changes in “microstructures” close to the surface of the brains of 352 amateur soccer players and 77 “non-collision” athletes, such as runners. Participants ranged from 18 to 53 years of age. Players who had engaged in a lot of soccer headers showed changes in the brain’s… read on > read on >

The cutting-edge weight-loss drug Zepbound can protect obese people from developing type 2 diabetes, a new clinical trial has found. Zepbound reduced the risk of diabetes in obese prediabetic patients by more than 90% during a three-year period compared to placebo, trial results show. “These results show that type 2 diabetes may be prevented, even in people who are on the verge of it, by using a medicine that causes weight loss,” researcher Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, said in a news release. People with prediabetes have higher-than-normal blood sugar levels, but have not yet developed full-blown type 2 diabetes. Obesity is a risk factor both for prediabetes and for type 2 diabetes. For this clinical trial, more than 2,500 obese people were randomly assigned to receive one of three different doses of Zepbound, or a placebo, for more than three years. Of those patients, more than 1,000 had prediabetes. Zepbound (tirzepatide) in an injectable drug that activates receptors in the body for glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) receptors, researchers said. These receptors help slow digestion, reduce appetite and improve blood sugar control. GLP-1 drugs have been shown to promote significant weight loss. In this trial, patients taking Zepbound had lost 12% to 20% of their initial weight… read on > read on >

Men with heart risk factors tend to lose their brain health more quickly than women with similar heart risks, a new study finds. These men face brain decline as early as their mid-50s, while women are most susceptible from their mid-60s onward, researchers report in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. “These results suggest that mitigating cardiovascular risk is an important therapeutic target in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, and indicate that this should be addressed aggressively a decade earlier in males than in females,” concluded the research team led by senior researcher Paul Edison, a professor of neuroscience with the Imperial College London. Heart disease risk factors like type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and smoking have previously been associated with a higher risk of dementia, researchers said in background notes. However, it’s not been clear when these heart health factors begin to take their toll on brain health, and whether there’s any differences between men and women, researchers noted. For the study, researchers analyzed data on nearly 34,500 participants in the UK Biobank, an ongoing large-scale research project. Imaging scans helped track changes in the participants’ brains over time, and researchers calculated their heart disease risk using their recorded health data. Results showed that heart risk factors, obesity and high levels of belly fat caused a gradual loss of brain volume… read on > read on >

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2024 — Thanksgiving travel is a must for millions of Americans, but those plans will be complicated for some because they’re traveling with a loved one who has Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. “A family trip to visit a loved one, friend, or favorite destination can be a great way to spend Thanksgiving, including for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related illnesses,” Jennifer Reeder, director of educational and social services for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, said in a news release. “Whether traveling near or far, there are preparations and adaptations family caregivers can make to help their loved one feel more comfortable and relaxed throughout the trip,” she added. Some tips to help holiday travel stay focused on family and joy include: Before embarking, family and friends should make sure that their loved one can travel at all, Reeder said. As dementia progresses, travel may become too difficult. It’s worth consulting with their doctor to make sure travel is recommended, based on how long the trip will be and the stage of the person’s illness. If the person can travel, make plans that take their abilities into account. Plan travel to minimize their anxiety and stress — for example, they might travel better at specific times of the day, or travel better by plane or by car. During travel, companions… read on > read on >

The outgoing Biden administration will propose that pricey GLP-1 obesity medications such as semaglutide (Wegovy), and tirzepatide (Zepbound) be covered by Medicare and Medicaid. However, the move would have to be approved by the new Trump administration. Right now, a law passed by Congress two decades ago prevents the Medicare and Medicaid from covering any “weight loss” drug. Under the Biden proposal, that rule would be circumvented by calling the medications treatments for the disease of obesity and its related health issues. “We don’t want to see people having to wait until they have these additional diseases before they get treatment,” Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), told The New York Times. Under the proposed rule, every state Medicaid program would be required to cover the cost of the medications, which currently are priced at more than $1,200 per month before any drug company discounts. According to CMS estimates, passage of the rule would open access to the weight-loss medications to 3.4 million potential new patients under Medicare and another 4 million under Medicaid. But the incoming Trump administration would need to sign off on the new legislation. The person tapped by the president-elect to head the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, has long been a skeptic of the drugs, asserting that weight… read on > read on >

It’s common to find a pitcher soaking their elbow in an ice bucket following a baseball game, in an effort to save their arm for tomorrow’s innings. But athletes about to hit the turf would be better off soaking their aching muscles and joints in a hot tub rather than an ice bath, researchers report in a new small-scale study. A hot soak appears to improve exercise performance among athletes, researchers found. On the other hand, cold soaks are better for lowering inflammation, swelling and fatigue, results show. “While post-exercise [cold water immersion] is common on the sports field, cooling does not always have a positive effect on exercise capacity,” lead researcher Mamoru Tsuyuki, a master’s student in sports and health science at Ritsumeikan University in Shiga, Japan, said in a news release. For the study, researchers asked a small group of endurance athletes to perform 50 minutes of high-intensity interval running, followed by 20 minutes of either a cold-water soak at 59 degrees Fahrenheit or a hot-water tub at 104 degrees F. One hour after the workout, researchers measured the athletes’ jump height and blood levels of enzymes that indicate muscle soreness. The athletes jumped higher after a hot soak compared to a cold soak, results show. “The novel findings from our study are that post-exercise hot water immersion promoted recovery of muscle power… read on > read on >

TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2024 (HeathDay News) — A potentially important form of brain signaling appears to be affected whenever concussion strikes, according to new research involving high school football players. “This study is important because it provides insight into both the mechanisms and the clinical implications of concussion in the maturing adolescent brain,” said study co-lead author Alex Wiesman, assistant professor at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. He and his colleagues are slated to present their findings next week in Chicago at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). As the researchers explained, multiple concussion studies have already examined the effects of head injury on what’s known as periodic or “rhythmic” brain signaling, which is crucial to attention, movement or sensory processing. But much less has been known about non-rhythmic brain signaling. “Most previous neuroscience research has focused on rhythmic brain signaling, which is also called periodic neurophysiology,” explained study lead author Kevin Yu, a neuroscience student at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. “On the other hand, aperiodic neurophysiology refers to brain signals that are not rhythmic.” For a long time, neurologists haven’t paid a lot of attention to aperiodic signaling, considering it mere “background noise” in the brain. But that perspective is beginning to change. “While it’s often overlooked, aperiodic activity is important… read on > read on >

The potential health benefits of GLP-1 diabetes and weight loss meds keep piling up: New research shows they may also shield your kidneys from harm. In the largest study to date on the effects of the drugs on the kidneys, researchers found GLP-1s help the protect the organs in people with or without diabetes. GLP-1s include blockbuster diabetes medicines such as Ozempic and its weight-loss spinoff, Wegovy. “This is the first study to show a clear benefit of GLP-1 receptor agonists on kidney failure or end-stage kidney disease,” said study lead author Dr. Sunil Badve, a kidney specialist and professorial fellow at The George Institute for Global Health in Sydney, Australia. The study suggests that GLP-1s “have a key role in kidney-protective and heart-protective treatment for patients with common medical conditions like type 2 diabetes, overweight or obesity with cardiovascular disease, or chronic kidney disease,” he said in a news release. The research was published Nov. 25 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Badve and colleagues conducted what’s called a meta-analysis — a large review of data from multiple studies, in this case 11 large-scale clinical trials of GLP-1s involving more than 85,000 people in all. Close to 68,000 had type 2 diabetes, while just over 17,600 were overweight or obese with heart disease but did not have type 2 diabetes. The GLP-1 medicines taken… read on > read on >

Preschoolers prone to tantrums appear to have a higher risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by the time they reach school age, a new study says. Young children who struggle to control their emotions and behavior have more ADHD symptoms by age 7, researchers found. Their conduct is more likely to be poor and they are more apt to suffer from emotional problems like sadness or worry by that age, results show. “Emotion regulation skills are acquired from early in life and are thought to strengthen gradually over childhood,” lead researcher Aja Murray, a lecturer in psychology with the University of Edinburgh in the U.K., said in a news release. “Children, however, acquire these skills at different rates and slower acquisition may serve as a marker for neurodevelopmental and mental health issues.” For the study, researchers analyzed data on roughly 19,000 young people born between 2000 and 2002 in the U.K. Results showed that ADHD symptoms are significantly associated with a child’s tendency to have extreme emotional responses and slower development of their ability to regulate those emotions, researchers said. The less able children were able to manage their emotions, the greater their risk for ADHD, results show. This association held even after other risk factors for ADHD and mental health problems were taken into account, researchers said. Based on these results, early testing might be… read on > read on >

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a major tobacco company’s challenge to a federal law that would mandate graphic images on cigarette packs. Some of the proposed images include a woman with a large lump on her neck alongside the message “WARNING: Smoking causes head and neck cancer;” lungs blackened by smoking; and feet darkened by smoking-linked circulatory problems. The R.J. Reynolds tobacco company had filed an appeal with the Supreme Court after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the warnings do not violate the First Amendment, the Associated Press reported. In its appeal, the tobacco company argued that some of the images were misleading — for example, the company claimed that the woman with the lump on her neck would never have let it get that large before going to a doctor. But the Supreme Court justices ruled that the images do, in fact, reflect the very real hazards of smoking. If the images make it to the sides of cigarette packs, the U.S. would join 120 other nations that already mandate such graphic warnings. Studies have shown that images work even better than text warnings in cutting down smoking rates. In a statement, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids called the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the appeal a “tremendous victory for public health.” “Graphic warnings are a best-practice policy to… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Soccer ‘Headers’ Could Pose Danger to Brains

Zepbound Slashes Diabetes Risk in Obese Users

Heart Trouble Harms Men’s Brains Far Sooner Than Women’s

Holiday Travel With a Loved One With Dementia: An Expert Offers Tips

Biden Will Move to Have Medicare, Medicaid Cover GLP-1 Weight-Loss Meds

Cold Plunge or Hot Bath? What’s Best for Ailing Muscles?

Concussions Slow Brain Activity in High School Football Players

Study Finds GLP-1 Meds Can Also Help the Kidneys

Preschoolers’ Tantrums Can Be Early Sign of ADHD

Supreme Court Won’t Hear Big Tobacco’s Challenge to Cigarette Warning Labels