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A new study links obesity with 21 Alzheimer’s disease-related genes. This may help explain why Alzheimer’s is often more frequent among adults who experienced obesity in midlife, according to researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. To study this, the investigators used data from more than 5,600 participants in the long-running Framingham Heart Study to analyze 74 Alzheimer’s-related genes. Of those genes, 21 were either underexpressed or overexpressed in obesity, the research team found. Gene expression refers to the process by which information encoded in a gene is turned into a body function. The researchers found that 13 Alzheimer’s-related genes were associated with body mass index (BMI), an estimate of body fat based on height and weight. Eight genes were associated with waist-to-hip ratio. “Several of the genes were more strongly related to obesity in midlife versus in late life, and also to obesity in women versus men,” said the study’s corresponding author, Claudia Satizabal of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio. These findings are similar to past research that also suggested midlife obesity may be a factor in women’s Alzheimer’s disease risk, Satizabal said. People who develop dementia tend to lose weight about five to 10 years before the onset of the disease. It’s possible this is an unhealthy weight loss… read on > read on >

It’s a worry for every man: While in the throes of passion, he experiences premature ejaculation. “Premature ejaculation is the most common male sexual disorder,” Waguih IsHak, a psychiatry professor at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said recently in a health blog. Luckily, it’s also the easiest to treat. “The problem is that some men don’t address it, and it ends up complicating relationships,” IsHak added. The Cleveland Clinic states that between 30% and 40% of men are affected by premature ejaculation, and about 1 in 5 males between the ages of 18 and 59 say they’ve experienced it. Premature ejaculation is typically defined as reaching climax within one minute of penetration, and there are several psychosocial factors that can contribute to the condition — many linked to anxiety. Money troubles, job stress and relationship problems can all contribute to premature ejaculation. To make matters worse, anxiety can be both a cause and an effect. To better understand premature ejaculation, it is important to learn about its causes and some key treatments you can try to better manage the condition and lower the likelihood that it happens in the future. What is premature ejaculation? “The official definition of premature ejaculation is controlled and unwanted ejaculation within a minute or less of penetration. Personally, I think this definition is too limiting,” Harvard Health chief… read on > read on >

About 44% of U.S. middle and high schools have student-run clubs that shine a light on issues that touch the lives of LGBTQ+ students. And new research suggests that depression risk among LGBTQ+ students is considerably lower in those schools where such Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), similar to Gay-Straight Alliances, are present and relatively active. “Depression is one of the foremost health concerns among LGBTQ+ youth,” said lead author V. Paul Poteat, a professor in the department of counseling, developmental and educational psychology at Boston College. “While risk of depression has tended to range from 8% to 17% in the general adolescent population, it has ranged from 18% to 23% among LGBQ+ youth,” he noted. GSAs are school clubs that provide a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ teens and their heterosexual cisgender peers to socialize, support one another and learn about LGBTQ+ issues. Typically meeting once a week or every-other-week for up to an hour — either during or after school — GSAs sometimes also advocate for protective and inclusive policies for LGBTQ+ youth, Poteat explained, promoting inclusion and visibility along with socializing and event-planning. He said his team wanted to see whether advocacy work could reduce depressive symptoms by helping lower the risk for loneliness, fearfulness or hopelessness among LGBTQ+ teens. Nearly 1,400 boys and girls in 23 Massachusetts middle and high schools (grades 6 through… read on > read on >

Parents are role models who can teach their kids about healthy food and exercise habits in childhood to help avoid future health problems. “Children who are overweight are more likely to develop diabetes, experience feelings of isolation and struggle with self-esteem,” said Dr. Asma Khan, a pediatrician at OSF HealthCare in Rockland, Ill. Khan offered some tips for giving kids an early start on good health. First, teach them about hunger and fullness cues. It’s easy to eat because of boredom or sadness, but important to recognize when you’re hungry or full. “Starting healthy habits early is the best way to maintain a healthy weight,” Khan said in an OSF news release. Use child-sized plates to make it easier to gauge how much food your child needs in a meal. Half the plate should be filled with fruits and veggies. The other half should be a lean protein, such as fish, chicken or beans, and a whole grain, which might be oatmeal, whole wheat bread or brown rice. Choose healthy snacks such as carrots and hummus, an apple or kale chips. Skip snacks that are high in sugar and fat, such as soda, juice, sports drinks, chips, cookies, candy and cupcakes, except on special occasions. “I also tell parents to limit the junk food that comes into the house. There isn’t as much temptation to… read on > read on >

People who are experiencing anxiety and depression months after a mild case of COVID-19 may have changes affecting the structure and function of their brains, Brazilian researchers report. “There is still much to learn about long COVID, which includes a wide range of health problems, including anxiety and depression, months after infection,” said Dr. Clarissa Yasuda of the University of Campinas in São Paulo. “Our findings are concerning, as even people with a mild case of COVID-19 are showing changes in their brains months later. More studies are needed to hopefully identify treatments to prevent any long-term effects on people’s quality of life,” she added. To understand this, the researchers studied 254 people who had a mild COVID-19 infection. On average, the patients were 41 years old and had COVID-19 three months earlier. Each participant completed tests of anxiety or depression symptoms and had brain scans. In all, 102 people had symptoms of both anxiety and depression and 152 people had none, the investigators found. The researchers then looked for evidence of shrinkage in the brain’s gray matter. Scans were compared with those of 148 people who had not had COVID-19. Those who had COVID-19 and were experiencing anxiety and depression had shrinkage in the limbic area of the brain, which is involved in memory and emotional processing. Those who had no symptoms of anxiety… read on > read on >

If you’re over 40, regular exercise may not only keep you fit — it might keep you out of the hospital, too, a large new study suggests. Researchers found that among nearly 82,000 British adults, those who regularly exercised were less likely to be hospitalized for various health conditions in the coming years. The list included such common ills as pneumonia, stroke, diabetes complications and severe urinary tract infections. The findings suggest that if middle-aged and older people added just 20 minutes of exercise to their daily routine, they could cut the risk of those hospitalizations by anywhere from 4% to 23% over seven years. Experts said the study expands on what people typically see as the benefits of exercise — like a trimmer body, improved fitness and healthier heart. “It could also help keep you out of the hospital. And that matters to people,” said Peter Katzmarzyk, a professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. Katzmarzyk, who was not involved in the study, said it aligns with what’s generally recommended to Americans to improve their health: Get at least 150 minutes of moderate “cardio” exercise, or 75 minutes at a vigorous intensity, each week. That means exercise that gets the heart pumping and works up a sweat: Moderate-intensity includes things like brisk walking, biking on level ground or yard work. Running,… read on > read on >

You’re in your doctor’s office, and the nurse checks your blood pressure as a matter of course. But your numbers are high, and the doctor steps in with some advice, and possibly a prescription for medications that can lower it. So, now that you have high blood pressure, what is it and what can you do about it? The American Heart Association (AHA) describes blood pressure as the measure of the force pumping blood through the arteries, which carry blood from the heart throughout the body. Measured by two numbers, the top number (the systolic pressure) is the force of the blood when your heart pumps, and the bottom number (diastolic pressure) is when your heart is resting and filling with blood. Normal blood pressure can vary from individual to individual, and it can rise and fall throughout the day, said Dr. Michael Blaha, a Johns Hopkins cardiologist. He recommends regularly measuring blood pressure at home and keeping track of trends. Generally, blood pressure is considered healthy when it is 120/80 or less. “As a physician, I’m much more interested in what a patient’s blood pressure looks like at home, under their normal conditions, than what it looks like at a single point in time in my office,” Blaha said. “Knowing your blood pressure over time best helps your doctor identify whether you have a… read on > read on >

For reasons that can’t always be explained, some women experience pain in their external genital area. Called vulvodynia, this term encompasses everything from localized pain at a specific spot, such as on the outer or inner labia, for example, to pain throughout the area. It might feel like burning, aching, rawness, swelling or just irritation, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Although pain in this area is common, when it lasts for three months or more without an infection, skin disorder or other medical condition to explain it, that’s vulvodynia, according to ACOG. The pain can be severe or mild and it can last forever. It’s also treatable, according to a blog post from University of Texas Health Austin. “You know, women don’t often come in saying, I have pain. They say things like, ‘I have burning, irritation, pain during sex at times, pins and needles feeling,” Teresa Reed, a former physician assistant at UT Health Austin, said in the blog post. “When they come in, we rule out all those other things that can cause those conditions. By definition, vulvodynia is the absence of physical findings, it is a musculoskeletal, neuropathic condition.” What is vulvodynia? The National Vulvodynia Association (NVA) describes the condition as “chronic vulvar pain without an identifiable cause.” Although descriptions vary, most women say they have a… read on > read on >

Sticking to a consistent sleeping routine may help keep your arteries clear as you age, new research suggests. Conversely, older adults who slept for a varying number of hours each night and tended to fall asleep at different times were more likely to develop hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart attack or stroke, the researchers reported. “Sleep is super important to our overall health and well-being, and anything we can do to improve sleep will improve our [heart health] and overall well-being and happiness,” said study author Kelsie Full. She is an assistant professor of medicine in the division of epidemiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. The study wasn’t designed to show how sleep irregularity causes heart disease, but researchers have some theories. “One potential mechanism is that sleep irregularity may lead to a disruption of our circadian function, which can lead to inflammation, a known risk for heart disease,” Full said. (Circadian rhythm is the 24-hour internal clock that controls the release of the hormone melatonin to encourage sleep.) What’s more, irregular sleep patterns may also travel with unhealthy behaviors such as late-night eating, poor diet or lack of exercise, she noted. Her advice? “Set a regular bedtime, and just pay attention to how much you are sleeping each night, and strive for sleep that is as regular… read on > read on >

It’s not always necessary to lower a child’s fever, but parents often do. A new poll from Michigan Medicine found that about one-third of parents reach for fever-reducing medicines too quickly. “Often parents worry about their child having a fever and want to do all they can to reduce their temperature. However, they may not be aware that in general the main reason to treat a fever is just to keep their child comfortable,” said Dr. Susan Woolford, co-director of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at University of Michigan Health, in Ann Arbor. “Some parents may immediately rush to give their kids medicine, but it’s often better to let the fever run its course,” Woolford said in a university news release. “Lowering a child’s temperature doesn’t typically help cure their illness any faster. In fact, a low-grade fever helps fight off the infection. There’s also the risk of giving too much medication when it’s not needed, which can have side effects.” The poll surveyed nearly 1,400 parents of children aged 12 and under between August and September 2022. The results showed that even though parents recognize the benefits of a low-grade fever for fighting off infection, about one-third would still give their child fever-reducing medication at temperatures below 100.4. Half would do so at a temperature between 100.4 and 101.9,… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

21 Genes Could Link Midlife Obesity & Alzheimer’s Risk

Understanding Premature Ejaculation

LGBTQ+ Support Groups in Schools Boost Students’ Mental Health

6 Ways to Helping Your Child to a Healthy Weight

Even Mild COVID Might Change Your Brain

Over 40? Just 20 Minutes of Daily Exercise Can Keep You Out of the Hospital

High Blood Pressure: Here’s What to Know

Vulvodynia: What It Is, Symptoms, Treatment & More

Bad Sleep Can Raise Heart Risks for Seniors

Many Parents Too Quick to Give Fever Meds to Kids: Poll