COVID caused more than 20 million Americans to lose their ability to smell and taste, and at least 25% haven’t regained those vital senses, a new study says. Survey responses from nearly 29,700 adults also show a correlation between more severe COVID infection and taste and smell loss, researchers reported recently in the journal The Laryngoscope. “The value of this study is that we are highlighting a group of people who have been a bit neglected,” said study co-author Dr. Neil Bhattacharyya, a professor of otolaryngology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. “Losing your sense of smell or taste isn’t as benign as you may think. It can lead to decreased eating for pleasure and, in more extreme cases, it can lead to depression and weight loss,” he added in a journal news release. One motivation for the study was a patient who lost 50 pounds due to his loss of smell, Bhattacharyya said. “The patient wasn’t eating and became very sick and very depressed because of the loss of smell,” Bhattacharyya said. “When you hear about COVID-related smell loss, you think most people get it back and are fine. But there is a substantial number of people who don’t recover it.” Using data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey, the researchers found that about 60% of participants infected with COVID had a loss of…  read on >  read on >

Sometimes women who survive breast cancer will die from a second cancer, and now new research suggests the risk of that happening is higher for Black and Hispanic survivors than white women. “We believe this to be one of the first studies to comprehensively examine the racial and ethnic disparities in survival outcomes after a second cancer,” said study author Dr. Kala Visvanathan, director of the Cancer Genetics and Prevention Service at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, in Baltimore. “The findings are extremely concerning, given the increasing prevalence of second cancer at a young age among women diagnosed with breast cancers,” she added in a Hopkins news release. For the study, the researchers looked at nearly 40,000 adult survivors, discovering the risk of death from a second cancer was 12% higher in Black women and 8% higher in Hispanic women than it was in white women. Women in these racial and ethnic minority groups were also diagnosed with second cancers up to six years younger than white survivors, and within a shorter time from their first cancer. Black survivors also had a 44% higher risk of cardiovascular disease-related death after a second cancer diagnosis than white survivors did, the investigators found. It’s important to determine risk factors associated with these second cancers, to either prevent them or to diagnose and manage them early, the…  read on >  read on >

Obesity seems to alter the normal way the brain responds to sugar and fat — a problem that may not be corrected by weight loss, a new study suggests. “It could help explain why weight loss and weight-loss maintenance are so hard,” said senior researcher Dr. Mireille Serlie, a professor at Yale School of Medicine. She and her colleagues found that compared with lean adults, those with obesity did not have the same brain responses to infusions of dietary fat or sugar into the stomach. Their brain activity was blunted, and they did not have the normal release of dopamine — a chemical involved in feelings of “reward” from food. “Our interpretation is, there’s a generally reduced nutrient-sensing in people with obesity,” said Serlie. In essence, she said, the brain “was not aligned with what was happening in the gut.” And unfortunately, the study found, that disconnect was not restored when study participants went on a reduced-calorie diet for three months and shed 10% of their starting weight. That does not necessarily mean the brain differences are permanent, according to Serlie. It’s possible that with more time and sustained weight loss, people would regain their nutrient sensing. But even if an improvement is merely delayed, that’s still significant. Research in lab animals has shown that the brain not only responds to the taste and smell…  read on >  read on >

Men typically don’t want to discuss mental health issues, much less get treatment for one. That’s a problem, given how many males struggle with mental health problems: Six million American men suffer from depression every year, while 3 million struggle with anxiety disorder, according to Mental Health America. Beyond that, 90% of those diagnosed with schizophrenia by age 30 are men, and 25% of those with binge eating disorder are males. Unfortunately, men are less likely to seek professional help for their problems. When it comes to suicide, the picture is also troubling. While women are more likely to attempt suicide, it is the 7th leading cause of death among males, and white men over the age of 85 are the most likely to die by suicide. Here, experts describe the most common mental health conditions men experience, the symptoms that may differ in men versus women, and what resources are available for those seeking help and treatment options. Common mental health conditions in men According to Mental Health America, the most common men’s mental health conditions are: Depression Suicide Anxiety Bipolar disorder Eating disorders Schizophrenia Substance abuse “It’s a sign of strength to talk about these issues with your health care provider, counselor or a supportive family member or friend,” Piedmont Healthcare family medicine physician Dr. Siraj Abdullah said in a recent article. “As…  read on >  read on >

For patients battling late-stage lung cancer, prospects for survival have improved significantly since the advent of medications known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. But exactly how long patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) need to be on immunotherapy has not been known. Until now. According to new research involving more than 1,000 patients, those with stable disease can stop the treatment after two years without jeopardizing their survival odds. (“Stable” means their lung cancer shows no sign of progression.) Investigators found that those who stopped at 24 months fared just as well as patients who continued to take the medication indefinitely. Moreover, discontinuing immunotherapy at two years might diminish the risk for downsides that can accompany open-ended inhibitor treatment, the researchers said. “Long-term treatment with immunotherapy carries significant risk for toxicity,” explained study lead author Dr. Lova Sun, an assistant professor of hematology-oncology with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in Philadelphia. Sun pointed out that immunotherapy is also quite expensive, so the longer patients stay on the treatment, the higher their potential out-of-pocket cost, depending on insurance. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, immune checkpoint inhibitors also pose a risk for a wide array of side effects, including rashes, diarrhea and fatigue. In rare cases, the treatment may also trigger widespread inflammation, which can interfere with proper organ function. Targeted immunotherapy…  read on >  read on >

(Healthday News) — Raging Canadian wildfires are still darkening the skies of American cities, and while the dirty air is a hazard for everyone, that’s especially true for folks with asthma. In a statement released this week, experts at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) said, “It’s important for everyone – but especially children and those who suffer from asthma and other respiratory illnesses – to stay indoors in order to not be exposed to smoke from the fires.” Fire smoke poses health threats to the respiratory system and can exacerbate lung conditions like asthma. “Children are especially vulnerable because their lungs are less developed and they are closer to the ground, and thus more likely to take in more smoke,” the ACAAI said. That means that if you know smoke is in the air, the best advice for you and your family is to stay inside whenever possible, the group said. Keeping your asthma under control is always a must, but it’s especially crucial at these times. Keep your medications easily available and if you’re still having trouble breathing, reach out to your allergist for help, the ACAAI advised. Keep the risk for allergens or air pollution low inside the home by avoiding cooking any foods that require frying or grilling. Sometimes going outside is unavoidable, and putting on a simple…  read on >  read on >

Young American adults have doubled their use of non-LSD hallucinogens in just a few years, a new report warns. Researchers found that between 2018 and 2021, U.S. adults aged 19 to 30 increased their use of mescaline, peyote, psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) and PCP, though not LSD. The prevalence of young adults’ past-year use of these drugs was 3.4% in 2018, but it hit 6.6% in 2021. “However, the prevalence of LSD did not see this dramatic increase, and was around 4% in 2018 and 2021,” said study co-author Megan Patrick. She is a research professor at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research in Ann Arbor and co-principal investigator of the Monitoring the Future study, which focuses on substance use and health. The study found that use of these non-LSD hallucinogens was greater for males. White young adults used these drugs at a higher rate than Black people of the same age. Use of these drugs was also greater for those whose parents had a college education, which researchers used as a proxy for socioeconomic status. The Monitoring the Future study does not identify why young adults used these drugs, whether it might be recreational or because they thought there would be therapeutic benefit. Non-medical hallucinogen use is associated with risks of substance use disorders, injury including self-harm and anxiety, the study authors noted…  read on >  read on >