New research suggests that older adults, particularly Generation X women, have high rates of addiction to ultra-processed foods, such as fast food, sugary drinks and packaged snacks. These products — made with high levels of fat, salt and sugar to maximize their appeal — appear to be catching up with the very first generation, now in their 50s and early 60s, to consume them widely since childhood. The research, published Sept. 29 in the journal Addiction, found that 21% of women and 10% of men in Gen X and the last wave of Baby Boomers, met the criteria for ultra-processed food addiction.  (Boomers are folks born between 1946 and 1964, while Gen X spans 1965 to 1980.) This is substantially higher than among 65- to 80-year-olds, where rates drop to 12% for women and 4% for men, the University of Michigan researchers reported. Their study used a modified version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale, a tool based on criteria used to diagnose substance use disorders. It assesses experiences like intense cravings, repeated attempts to quit and withdrawal symptoms when highly-rewarding ultra-processed foods are the “substance.” Lead author Lucy Loch, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Michigan, noted the significance of studying this age group. “Today’s older adults were in a key developmental period when our nation’s food environment changed,” she said…  read on >  read on >

New research suggests that older adults, particularly Generation X women, have high rates of addiction to ultra-processed foods, such as fast food, sugary drinks and packaged snacks. These products — made with high levels of fat, salt and sugar to maximize their appeal — appear to be catching up with the very first generation, now in their 50s and early 60s, to consume them widely since childhood. The research, published Sept. 29 in the journal Addiction, found that 21% of women and 10% of men in Gen X and the last wave of Baby Boomers, met the criteria for ultra-processed food addiction.  (Boomers are folks born between 1946 and 1964, while Gen X spans 1965 to 1980.) This is substantially higher than among 65- to 80-year-olds, where rates drop to 12% for women and 4% for men, the University of Michigan researchers reported. Their study used a modified version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale, a tool based on criteria used to diagnose substance use disorders. It assesses experiences like intense cravings, repeated attempts to quit and withdrawal symptoms when highly-rewarding ultra-processed foods are the “substance.” Lead author Lucy Loch, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Michigan, noted the significance of studying this age group. “Today’s older adults were in a key developmental period when our nation’s food environment changed,” she said…  read on >  read on >

Nearly everyone who suffers a heart attack, stroke or heart failure had at least one warning sign that cropped up years before, a new study says. More than 99% of patients had one or more risk factors prior to their heart emergency, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, poor blood sugar control or smoking, researchers reported Sept. 29 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The study refutes the common belief that heart disease often strikes without warning, researchers said. “We think the study shows very convincingly that exposure to one or more nonoptimal risk factors before these cardiovascular outcomes is nearly 100%,” said senior researcher Dr. Philip Greenland, a professor of cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “The goal now is to work harder on finding ways to control these modifiable risk factors rather than to get off track in pursuing other factors that are not easily treatable and not causal,” he added in a news release. For the study, researchers analyzed health records for more than a decade for more than 9 million adults in South Korea and nearly 7,000 people in the United States. The team looked for four major heart risk factors — blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and tobacco use. The team used the American Heart Association’s guidelines for heart health, which included as risk factors:…  read on >  read on >

Nearly everyone who suffers a heart attack, stroke or heart failure had at least one warning sign that cropped up years before, a new study says. More than 99% of patients had one or more risk factors prior to their heart emergency, including high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, poor blood sugar control or smoking, researchers reported Sept. 29 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The study refutes the common belief that heart disease often strikes without warning, researchers said. “We think the study shows very convincingly that exposure to one or more nonoptimal risk factors before these cardiovascular outcomes is nearly 100%,” said senior researcher Dr. Philip Greenland, a professor of cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “The goal now is to work harder on finding ways to control these modifiable risk factors rather than to get off track in pursuing other factors that are not easily treatable and not causal,” he added in a news release. For the study, researchers analyzed health records for more than a decade for more than 9 million adults in South Korea and nearly 7,000 people in the United States. The team looked for four major heart risk factors — blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and tobacco use. The team used the American Heart Association’s guidelines for heart health, which included as risk factors:…  read on >  read on >