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People who get COVID-19 are at risk for long-term health consequences, but a healthy lifestyle may protect against long COVID, a new study suggests. Women who maintained six healthy habits — a healthy weight, didn’t smoke, exercised regularly, slept and ate well, and drank alcohol in moderation — cut their risk of long COVID by about 50%, compared with women without those healthy habits, researchers found. “If all people adhere to all six healthy lifestyle factors in our cohort, 36% of long COVID could have been avoided,” said lead author Dr. Siwen Wang, a research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Also, those with a healthier pre-infection lifestyle had a 30% lower risk of having symptoms that interfere with their daily life,” she added. One possible explanation, Wang said, is that an unhealthy lifestyle increases the odds of chronic inflammation and immune system problems. Both have been tied to an increased risk of long COVID. This study, however, can’t prove that a healthy lifestyle actually lowers the odds of developing long COVID, only that there is an association between the two. “There is also evidence that people with an unhealthy lifestyle sometimes develop autoantibodies and blood clotting issues that have been associated with increased risk of long COVID,” Wang said. “But more studies are definitely needed to understand how a healthy… read on > read on >

Vitamin D supplements are typically used to guard against bone loss and fractures, but new research offers up another possibility: For folks with pre-diabetes, they may help lower the chances of a full diabetes diagnosis. Across three clinical trials, investigators found that vitamin D supplements were modestly effective in curbing the risk of pre-diabetes progressing to type 2 diabetes. Over three years, just under 23% of study patients using vitamin D developed diabetes, versus 25% of those given placebo pills. On average, the study found, supplements lowered the risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes by 15%. “It’s pretty clear vitamin D has a moderate effect on reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, if you’re at high risk,” said lead researcher Dr. Anastassios Pittas, of Tufts Medical Center, in Boston. The findings do not apply to people at average risk of the disease, he stressed, and it’s still unclear what the optimal dose of vitamin D is for people with pre-diabetes. Plus, Pittas said, no supplement would be a replacement for lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet and regular exercise. “We don’t want the message to be, take a pill and you won’t need to do the hard work of changing your diet and exercising,” Pittas said. Type 2 diabetes arises when the body’s cells no longer properly respond to the hormone insulin, which… read on > read on >

Electric cars are still in the minority on America’s roads, yet researchers are already seeing health benefits from reduced tailpipe pollution. In a new California study, neighborhoods with the most all-electric cars — called zero-emission vehicles — saw a decline in asthma-related emergency room visits. Researchers believe this was a result of lower levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the air. “Results from this study provide some of the first real-world evidence suggesting that switching to zero-emissions vehicles could be a win-win, both reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and potentially improving local air quality and health,” said study co-author Sandrah Eckel, an associate professor of population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. The adoption of electric cars, however, was seen in areas with higher incomes and educational levels, she said. This might be due to their higher cost and the lack of charging facilities in rental properties. “We are concerned about environmental justice because the communities that stand to benefit the most from reductions in air pollution and asthma ER visits are the communities at risk of being left behind in the transition to electric,” Eckel said. “We need to overcome some of these barriers and make sure that the policies that are made can target the populations that stand to benefit the most… read on > read on >

If you are one of the millions of people distressed by low libido, help may be on the way in the form of a new hormone shot. Two new British studies suggest that injections of the hormone kisspeptin could boost sexual desire in men and women. When folks with low sexual desire received kisspeptin shots, areas of their brains charged with feeling sexual desire lit up on scans when they watched erotic videos. “It’s very nice to see something that works in women and men,” said co-senior study author Dr. Alexander Comninos, a consultant in endocrinology and diabetes and an honorary clinical senior lecturer at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London. Kisspeptin may stimulate the release of other reproductive hormones, leading to enhanced desire. “Kisspeptin relieves the brake on true sexual arousal,” Comninos said. More studies in larger groups of people are needed to confirm the findings, and kisspeptin is still considered an investigational treatment. “We are in the early stages, but in five to 10 years, we may be able to use kisspeptin to treat distressing low sexual desire in men and women,” Comninos said. However, not everyone with low libido finds it distressing or concerning. In one study of 32 women aged 19 to 48 with low sexual desire, kisspeptin injections boosted brain activity in key brain parts responsible for arousal while… read on > read on >

It’s a little safer to get into the water: Unprovoked shark attacks dropped to a 10-year low worldwide in 2022, shark watchers say. A total of 57 unprovoked bites occurred in 2022, tying with 2020 for the fewest number of reported incidents during the last 10 years, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File. Of those attacks, five were fatal — down from nine deaths in 2021 and 10 in 2020. Since 2013, there have been an average 74 unprovoked bites a year, researchers say. The 2020 low likely was related to COVID-19 travel restrictions and beach closures, which resulted in fewer encounters between humans and sharks, researchers said. Declining shark populations are one likely cause of the low numbers of bites in 2022, researchers said. “Generally speaking, the number of sharks in the world’s oceans has decreased, which may have contributed to recent lulls,” said Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Florida Program for Shark Research. “It’s likely that fatalities are down because some areas have recently implemented rigorous beach safety protocols, especially in Australia,” Naylor said in a museum news release. The United States had the most bites, with Florida reporting more bites than anywhere else in the world. None of Florida’s 16 unprovoked bites were fatal, but two resulted in amputations. Long Island also experienced… read on > read on >

A new study shows the importance of the messenger when trying to encourage people to get their COVID-19 vaccines. People who know someone who was sickened by the virus or who died from it were twice as likely to get their own vaccinations, researchers report. “This study shows that the messenger matters more than the message: Hearing about the experiences of a trusted person, such as a friend or a family member, can be more effective than vaccine mandates,” said lead author Saurabh Kalra, a doctoral student at the Rutgers School of Public Health in New Brunswick, N.J. “A corollary to this finding is that an influential public figure whom people admire and trust can adversely impact public health if they share misinformation such as the disease is harmless or the vaccines are harmful or unnecessary,” he said in a Rutgers news release. The researchers surveyed just over 1,100 people who were eligible for the vaccine from April 7 to April 12, 2021. They asked whether each person knew family members or friends who had recovered, were still sick or had died from COVID-19. They also asked about COVID vaccination. Certain categories of people were more likely to have received an initial vaccine dose within four months of the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines. These included essential workers, people with… read on > read on >

After living with disabling low back pain for nearly 30 years, Dennis Bassett, 64, finally has a new lease on life. The Hempstead, N.Y., native injured his back in the 1980s when helping a friend. He tried everything to relieve his back pain, from self-medication, acupuncture, and chiropractor work to steroid injections, physical therapy and exercise. “My back only got worse,” recalled the retired real estate professional. “Some days, I could barely make it into the house and up my stairs.” But that was then. Everything changed a few months ago after his doctor suggested a new procedure that involves implanting a muscle-stimulating device called the ReActiv8 into his lower back to activate a dormant and withering core muscle. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave its nod to the device in June 2020. The father of six underwent the procedure at Lenox Health Greenwich Village in New York City several months ago. Now, he is considering moving down South and starting a trucking business. “I feel good enough that I can take a chance,” he said. “I can walk upstairs, sit down and stand up with no problem. I thought, ‘this is too good to be true.’” But when this procedure is paired with the right patient, it’s not too good to be true, said Bassett’s surgeon, Dr. Kiran Vishal Patel, director of pain… read on > read on >

Genes may have a strong influence over whether kids develop an eating disorder marked by extremely limited food choices, a new study finds. The study focused on a condition called avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). It’s a relatively new diagnosis that describes people who severely limit the types or quantity of food they eat — but not over body image concerns or a quest for thinness. Instead, food is the center of the issue. People with ARFID may have a strong aversion to various tastes, smells or textures, have little appetite, or may fear choking, vomiting or suffering an allergic reaction if they eat an unfamiliar food (often based on a past experience). Studies suggest it affects 1% to 5% of the population. Yet researchers still know little about the causes. The new study suggests genetic vulnerability plays a major role. Looking at data on nearly 17,000 pairs of twins, Swedish researchers found that genes seemed to explain 79% of the risk of having ARFID. “This strongly suggests that genetic studies have huge potential to help us understand the biological pathways underlying ARFID,” said lead researcher Lisa Dinkler of the Karolinska Institute’s Center for Eating Disorders Innovation in Stockholm. An eating disorders specialist not involved in the study agreed. The findings help affirm that there are biological processes underlying ARFID, said Kamryn Eddy, co-director… read on > read on >

Researchers have uncovered groundbreaking evidence that pharmacies in tourist areas of Northern Mexico are selling counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamines. The pills, mainly sold to U.S. tourists without a prescription, were passed off as controlled substances, including oxycodone, percocet and Adderall, the study found. This could add to the already high number of overdose deaths from these drugs in the United States and Mexico, U.S.-based researchers said. “These counterfeit pills represent a serious overdose risk to buyers who think they are getting a known quantity of a weaker drug,” said senior study author Chelsea Shover. She is an assistant professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). About 68% of 40 pharmacies studied in four cities in Northern Mexico had at least one controlled substance for sale without a prescription, the researchers found. These were sold in either bottles or as individual pills. The investigators found counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, heroin and/or methamphetamine from 11 pharmacies. Nine pill samples sold as Adderall contained methamphetamine. Eight sold as oxycodone contained fentanyl. Three sold as oxycodone had heroin in them. “It is not possible to distinguish counterfeit medications based on appearance, because identically appearing authentic and counterfeit versions are often sold in close geographic proximity,” the researchers reported. “Nevertheless, U.S. tourist drug consumers may be more trusting… read on > read on >

People who live near traffic noise, especially when it continues at night, are more likely to develop the repetitive whistling or buzzing sounds in their ears known as tinnitus. Danish researchers found a link between the risk of developing the condition and traffic noise, with a vicious cycle of stress reactions and sleep disturbance as a potential cause. Living near a busy road may increase your stress and affect your sleep, they explained, and those who are sleeping poorly and have higher stress may be at greater risk for tinnitus. For the study, the researchers used data from 3.5 million Danes, finding more than 40,000 cases of tinnitus. For every 10 decibels more noise in people’s homes, the risk of developing tinnitus increased by 6%, said researcher Manuella Lech Cantuaria, an assistant professor at the Mærsk Mc-Kinney-Møller Institute and affiliated with the department of clinical research at the University of Southern Denmark. The need exists for more focus on the importance of traffic noise and human health, said researcher Jesper Hvass Schmidt, an associate professor in the department of clinical research and chief physician at Odense University Hospital. Schmidt thinks there are likely even more unreported cases of tinnitus not referred to a hearing clinic by doctors. Tinnitus is ringing, buzzing, whistling or humming sounds that don’t come from an external source. It can be… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Healthy Lifestyle Cuts Odds for Long COVID in Half

Vitamin D Could Be Weapon Against Type 2 Diabetes

Advent of Electric Cars Is Already Improving Health

Kisspeptin: Is Injected Hormone the Remedy for Flagging Libido?

Shark Bites Are Declining Worldwide

Knowing Someone Who’s Been Ill or Died of COVID Pushes Folks to Get Vaccine: Study

His Debilitating Back Pain Lasted Decades, Until a New Implant Changed Everything

Rare But Dangerous Form of Eating Disorder Could Run in Families

U.S. Tourists in Northern Mexico Are Buying Counterfeit Pills Containing Fentanyl

Live Near Busy Traffic? You May Be at Higher Odds for Tinnitus