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Getting regularly scheduled, moderate physical activity can help extend the lives of people with colon cancer, according to a new study. Exercise is even helpful for obese cancer patients, reducing inflammation and improving the bacterial communities of the gut’s microbiome, the findings showed. “Inflammation is a key process that drives colorectal cancer. We know a high BMI [body mass index] causes inflammation around the body,” explained study co-author Cornelia Ulrich. She’s executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. “Obesity is on the verge of becoming the No. 1 cause of cancer in the United States, surpassing smoking. More than 13 cancers are linked to obesity,” Ulrich said in an institute news release. “It’s important we understand that moderate exercise can help colorectal cancer patients reduce inflammation, improve their gut health, and live longer — even if they are overweight or obese.” Researchers found these benefits for patients independent of their BMI. The study was conducted as part of the ColoCare Study of newly diagnosed colon cancer patients. Researchers in Germany as well as Utah assessed stool samples of 179 patients with stages 1-4 colon cancer enrolled between October 2010 and March 2018. They found that higher physical activity levels were associated with greater gut microbiome diversity, an indicator of a healthy gut. The findings were published in… read on > read on >

In a finding that illustrates just how deeply racial disparities permeate the U.S. health care system, a new government report finds that suicide rates dipped slightly among white Americans while they rose for Black and Hispanic Americans. “Although the recent decline in suicide rates for non-Hispanic white persons is encouraging, the continued increase for non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic persons is concerning,” said study author Sally Curtin, a researcher for the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. “Suicide has declined recently for white persons, in total, and for those involving the three leading methods — firearms and suffocation, including hangings, and poisoning,” she added. “Rates continued to increase for Black and Hispanic persons for those involving firearms and suffocation. These differing trends deserve our attention.” Suicide rates for white people increased from 2000 to 2018, but then dropped from 18 per 100,000 people to 17 per 100,000 in 2020. But among Black and Hispanic people, the suicide rate continued to increase to nearly 8 per 100,000. Still, the decline in suicide rates among white people appears to be short-lived, Curtin noted. Preliminary data for 2021 indicate suicide rates for all three race and ethnicity groups increased from 2020 to 2021, although the increase was less for white people (3%) compared with Black (13%) and Hispanic (8%) people, she said. “It is well documented that COVID increased… read on > read on >

Regular aerobic exercise improves blood flow to the brain, which should help keep seniors sharper as they age, a new trial has revealed. At least a half-hour of power walking or jogging four to five times a week promoted better blood flow in and out of the brain among a small group of older adults, said study co-author Rong Zhang. He directs the cerebrovascular laboratory at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, a collaboration between UT Southwestern and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. “The intensity was like if you’re rushing to a meeting where you are 10 minutes late,” Zhang said. “You’re brisk walking, and you feel a shortness of breath.” The brain requires about 20% of the body’s total blood flow to maintain its function as an organ, he said. But as people age, blood starts to flow less freely in and out of the brain, a condition called cerebrovascular impedence. Less blood flow means the brain is receiving lower levels of oxygen and nutrients, Zhang said. It also means that toxins could build up in the brain, since reduced blood flow is less able to carry away waste products generated by the brain’s high metabolism. To see whether regular exercise could help people maintain healthy blood flow to their brain, Zhang and his colleagues recruited 72 people between the ages of 60… read on > read on >

Babies born via cesarean section may not mount as strong an immune response after some childhood vaccines compared to babies delivered vaginally, researchers suggest. Antibody levels can be checked in blood or saliva, and babies born vaginally had higher levels of antibodies in their saliva to pneumonia shots at one year and meningococcal shots at 18 months, a new study showed. But the study authors are quick to caution that their findings are not a reason to skip recommended childhood vaccinations. “Vaccines are one of the best ways that you can protect your child against disease,” said study author Debby Bogaert, a clinical fellow and honorary consultant in pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. “Although we observed differences in how the two different groups of babies responded to the vaccines, there was still enough of an immune response in both groups to provide protection against infection.” The findings also can’t be inferred to say whether babies born via C-section are more likely to develop other infections such as COVID-19, flu or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), all of which are circulating now. “Our research only focused on vaccines that are currently given in early childhood that protect against certain lung infections and meningitis,” Bogaert said. The study took place in the Netherlands, where vaccine schedules and recommendations differ from the United States.… read on > read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration appears poised to approve certain naloxone products for over-the-counter use, a move that would help fight the nation’s opioid epidemic. Naloxone (Narcan, Evzio) can save lives when administered soon after the first signs of an overdose from opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone or morphine. On Tuesday, the FDA issued a Federal Register notice that could lead to some prescription naloxone products getting approved for over-the-counter sales. The notice could also encourage development of new nonprescription naloxone products. “Today’s action supports our efforts to combat the opioid overdose crisis by helping expand access to naloxone,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf in an agency news release. “The agency will keep overdose prevention and reduction in substance use disorders as a key priority and area of intense strategic focus for action as rapidly as possible.” The notice cites a preliminary assessment that a naloxone nasal spray and an autoinjector “may be approvable as safe and effective for nonprescription use.” However, it isn’t a final decision or a mandate to make naloxone products available without a prescription. The FDA said it still needs more data, including packaging and labeling information, before it makes a final recommendation. In 2021, there were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly… read on > read on >

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has eased, a mental health crisis persists, a nationwide survey of U.S. psychologists reveals. And growing demand for help with depression, anxiety and substance use issues means many psychologists across the United States are unable to take on new patients, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2022 COVID-19 Practitioner Impact Survey “The national mental health crisis continues,” said Arthur Evans Jr., chief executive officer of the APA. “If you are struggling, know that you are not alone. Psychological science shows that social support is key to developing resilience, so if you are having difficulty accessing care in a timely way, reach out to others to find support and identify ways to cope.” Close to 2,300 licensed psychologists nationwide responded to the APA’s third annual practitioner survey in late September and early October. About 60% said they no longer can take on new patients and 72% said they have longer waitlists than before the pandemic. On average, psychologists said 15 people a week contact them seeking new care. In all, 79% said they have seen more patients with anxiety disorders since the pandemic began. About 66% have seen increased demand for depression treatment; 47% for substance use treatment, and 64% for trauma. About two-thirds of psychologists said patients’ symptoms are more severe this year. Young people, especially 13- to 17-year-olds, represented the… read on > read on >

Americans aged 25 to 44 — so-called millennials — are dying at significantly higher rates from three leading killers than similarly aged people just 10 years ago, the latest government data shows. Looking at data collected between 2000 and 2020, the new report from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) finds the biggest jump in deaths from injuries, heart disease and suicide occurred after 2019, when the pandemic began. Death rates among millennials for “unintentional injuries” — which would include drug overdoses, fatal accidents and homicides — “experienced the greatest annual increases from 2019 to 2020,” the new report found. As usual, race mattered: Between 2019 and 2020, Black Americans experienced a 47% rise in deaths from unintentional injuries; Hispanic Americans charted a 30% uptick; while white Americans saw a lower (but still significant) 23% rise in these fatalities. Death rates for the number two killer, heart disease, also shot up sharply among millennials, rising about 15% overall between 2019 and 2020, regardless of ethnicity or race. For suicides — the third leading killer of people aged 25 to 44 — rates rose sharply during the past few years among Black and Hispanic Americans, but not white people, the report found. Both Black and Hispanic Americans had seen a long period of relative “stability” in suicide rates since 2000, the researchers noted. However,… read on > read on >

Getting bariatric surgery may significantly help prevent heart attacks, strokes and angina in very obese people, a new study finds. The study participants were also affected by what’s known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is often linked with obesity. While studying patients who had a body mass index (BMI) higher than 40 and NAFLD, researchers from Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Ohio State University found these patients were 50% more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes and angina. But the new findings “provide evidence in support of bariatric surgery as an effective therapeutic tool to lower elevated risk of cardiovascular disease for select individuals with obesity and NAFLD,” said study author Dr. Vinod Rustgi, director of the Center for Liver Diseases and Liver Masses at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. “These finding are tremendously impactful for many reasons.” Rustgi and his colleagues used a medical insurance database for the years 2007 to 2017. They found nearly 87,000 adults ages 18 to 64 who had obesity and NAFLD, about 64% of whom were women. About 35% of these patients had bariatric surgery, while 65% received nonsurgical care. The patients who had bariatric surgery had a 49% decrease in the risk of developing heart attacks, heart failure or ischemic strokes (those caused by a blockage). They were also far less likely to… read on > read on >

One in 5 privately insured American adults hospitalized for a traumatic injury end up with medical bills they can’t pay, a new study finds. Among more than 3,100 working-aged insured adults who suffered a traumatic injury, the risk of incurring co-pays and deductibles they couldn’t afford was 23% higher than among similar adults without traumatic injuries. These patients were also more likely to be hounded by collection agencies, the study showed. “The amount of medical debt in America is $88 billion, and this is on top of what patients are already paying, so this is what they can’t pay,” said lead researcher Dr. John Scott. He is an assistant professor of surgery and a member of the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. “And we accept this system where there’s nearly $100 billion of excess debt on the backs of the sick and the injured, who are unable to pay — that’s just the normal everyday America that we live in,” Scott said. On average, those with outstanding bills owed more than $6,000 and had a 110% higher bankruptcy rate compared to uninjured patients. For the study, Scott’s team used Blue Cross Blue Shield and credit report data. The study doesn’t reveal patients’ credit scores or how much debt they had before getting hurt, so researchers can’t… read on > read on >

Comedian Jay Leno, former host of “The Tonight Show” and an avid car collector, suffered burn injuries when one of his cars burst into flames last weekend. Leno, 72, is recovering at the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles, where he is in stable condition and being treated for “burns that he received to his face and hands from a gasoline accident in his garage over the weekend,” hospital spokeswoman Aimee Bennett said in a statement, CNN reported. “I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire. I am OK. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet,” Leno told Variety, according to CNN. Leno had been expected to perform at The Financial Brand Forum conference in Las Vegas on Sunday, an opening night event for attendees who purchased a gold pass. “His family was not able to provide us very many details, but there was a very serious medical emergency that is preventing Jay from traveling,” read an email sent to conference attendees. “All we know is that he is alive, so our prayers go out to him and his family tonight.” Leno had been working on one of his cars at the time of the accident, CNN reported. “He is in good humor and is touched by all the inquiries into his condition and well wishes,” Bennett said. “He… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Exercise Can Help Fight Colon Cancer, Even If Patient Is Obese

Suicide Rates Declining for White Americans, But Not for Minorities

Aerobic Exercise Reinvigorates the Aging Brain

Kids Born by C-Section May Have Weaker Response to Vaccines

FDA Moves Toward Making Overdose Antidote an Over-the-Counter Drug

Demand for Mental Health Care Has U.S. Psychologists Overwhelmed: Survey

Pandemic Saw Big Rise in Deaths to Millennials From Multiple Causes

Weight-Loss Surgery Slashes Odds for Heart Attack in Very Obese People

Many Insured Americans Are an Injury Away From Bankruptcy: Study

Jay Leno Recovering After Serious Burn Injuries