Weekly Gravy « Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Yes, rare cases of vision issues have arisen in people taking popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs, but the jury’s out on whether the medications caused the eye trouble, according to a new small study. The study reviewed the cases of nine people who developed sight-robbing issues, such as dysfunction in blood vessels around the eye’s optic nerve, after taking a GLP-1. “We’re trying to elucidate if being on these drugs can increase your risk,” said study co-author Dr. Norah Lincoff. She’s a neuro-ophthalmologist and professor of neurology at the University at Buffalo. The study, published recently in JAMA Opthalmology, focused on nine patients, all in their 50s or 60s, who were taking GLP-1s such as semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound). Seven of the nine patients developed a condition known as nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). This occurs when blood vessels fail to supply enough blood to the optic nerve, which is crucial for sight. In NAION, damage to the nerve can lead to a sudden and permanent partial loss of vision. Lead study author Dr. Bradley Katz, of the John A. Moran Eye Center at University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City, first noted the issue in a patient who experienced a sudden and painless loss of vision in one eye after starting seamglutide. The patient briefly halted use of the drug, but when… read on > read on >

Appalachia has a rich history and gorgeous landscapes, but it has also experienced rates of cancer incidence and death that outstrip those of much of the rest of America. However, new data offer hope to the 26 million people living in the region: Cancer rates are falling, although not as steeply as elsewhere in America. Still, “there are reasons for hope and opportunities to increase access to preventive care in at-risk populations throughout Appalachia,” said study senior author Dr. B. Mark Evers, who directs the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky. He believes experts can “learn from this data where to focus on some of these problems that have been persistent for decades.” The new data were published Feb. 6 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The research team defined Appalachia as 423 counties across 13 states near the eastern seaboard, from Mississippi to southern New York. Evers and colleagues looked at data on cancer incidence and death for the region from 2004 through 2021. The data came from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Cancer Statistics Incidence Analytics Database and the National Center for Health Statistics. Some of the findings were grim: For example, between 2017 and 2021, Americans living in Appalachia were 5.6% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and 12.8% more likely to… read on > read on >

It’s long been known that certain complications of pregnancy can raise a woman’s risk for heart trouble years later. But new research shows that even the sisters of these women can be at higher heart risk — suggesting risks may be genetically shared within families. “It may be important to identify [all of] these women early to offer preventive treatment for pregnancy complications as well as lifestyle counseling and follow-up for cardiovascular disease risk,” study lead author Ängla Mantel said. She’s an associate professor in clinical epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute in Solna, Sweden. Conditions such as premature delivery and preeclampsia — spikes in blood pressure — are common but dangerous complications of pregnancy. And numerous studies have shown that experiencing these issues places a woman at higher risk of heart disease later in life. Mantel’s team wondered what the role of genetics might be in this predisposition. To find out, they looked at the medical records of more than 1.2 million Swedish women, all of who were free of heart disease when the study began. Most had never had any complication of pregnancy, but the study also included nearly 166,000 women who did have a history of such issues, as well as about 61,000 of their sisters who had never had pregnancy complications. The team looked at medical records for a median 14… read on > read on >

Turns out, looking on the bright side may do more than lift your mood! It could also help you save money, especially if you’re on a tight budget. A study published recently in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people who are more optimistic about the future tend to save more money over time, even after accounting for income, personality traits and financial literacy. “We often think of optimism as rose-colored glasses that might lead people to save less for the future,” lead author Joe Gladstone of the University of Colorado Boulder, said in a news release. “But our research suggests optimism may actually be an important psychological resource that helps people save, especially when facing economic hardship.” The study analyzed data from more than 140,000 people across the U.S., the U.K. and 14 European countries. Researchers examined survey responses measuring “dispositional optimism” where participants rated statements like “Overall, I expect more good things to happen to me than bad,” or “In uncertain times, I usually expect the best.” What did they find? Higher optimism was linked to greater savings, even among folks with lower incomes. And even a slight improvement in optimism scores was linked to $1,352 in savings. The link between optimism and savings remained even when researchers controlled for other factors like age, gender, relationship status, parental status, childhood… read on > read on >

Heavy weed use may be far more dangerous than people realize, according to a pair of studies published in JAMA Network Open. People diagnosed with cannabis use disorder (CUD) may face nearly triple the risk of death over five years compared to those without the disorder, according to a large study published Feb. 6. The study, conducted in Ontario, Canada, found that people treated for CUD in hospitals or emergency rooms were 10 times more likely to die by suicide than those in the general population. They were also significantly more likely to die from trauma, drug poisoning and lung cancer, researchers found. A separate study — published Feb. 4 — linked rising cases of psychosis and schizophrenia in Canada to CUD since the country legalized recreational marijuana in 2018. Researchers suspect C.U.D. is even more widespread than the data indicate. When they analyzed Ontario health records from 106,994 people diagnosed with CUD during a hospital or emergency room visit between 2006 and 2021, researchers found: 3.5% of people with CUD died within five years of treatment, compared to 0.6% of a similar group of people without CUD. CUD patients still had a 2.8 times higher risk of death than the general population even after other risk factors like mental illness, heart disease, cancer and other substance use were considered. Young adults aged 25 to… read on > read on >

Los Angeles County residents are still recovering from the devastation of the Palisades and Eaton fires, and new data show that emergency department (ED) visits for wildfire-related issues jumped eight-fold in the days after the fires broke out. In fact, the new data “likely underestimate the prevalence of wildfire-associated ED encounters,” a team led by Emily Kajita of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) concludes. Fueled by bone-dry conditions and winds reaching gusts of 100 mph, the Palisades and Eaton fires roared through tens of thousands of acres, destroying more than 16,000 structures and killing 29 people. The fires took weeks to put out completely and dirtied the air Los Angelenos breathed during that time. Kajita and colleagues looked at LACDPH data on ED encounters occurring in 90% of hospitals across the county. Overall, ED visits actually dropped by 9% in the first six days after the fires broke out, compared to the three weeks prior. The researchers note that this is in keeping with ED trends during natural disasters generally, as people focus more on moving away from affected areas; schools and businesses are shut down; and many folks take added precautions around their health. However, between Jan. 7 and 12 there was a sharp spike in ED encounters for illnesses and injuries linked directly to the fires. Rates for… read on > read on >

Ahead of this weekend’s Super Bowl, some good news for the athletes: NFL players are largely avoiding opioid-based pain relievers when injuries strike. A new study of data from the 2021 and 2022 seasons finds the National Football League’s efforts to curb addictive opioid use is working, with the drugs comprising less than 3% of all pain meds prescribed. “Moreover, only 10 percent of NFL athletes received even a single prescription for an opioid during a one-year period,” noted study co-author Dr. Kurt Kroenke, a researcher-clinician at the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine, in Indianapolis. “I think there’s been much greater attention to what can be done in the training room for NFL athletes for their injuries and pain that doesn’t rely on medicines,” he added. Many Americans fall prey to opioid misuse and addiction when they are prescribed the drugs to ease pain from injury or another cause. Even the toughest athletes can be vulnerable. “Professional football is a very physical sport,” Kroenke said in a Regenstrief news release. “But anyone who watches professional hockey or NBA basketball or big league soccer and even college and high school sports, realizes how these players also are prone to injuries and pain.” When it comes to pro football players, he added, “there’s always been a concern from a safety and health perspective about… read on > read on >

Set, hut! Super Bowl Sunday is almost here. But it’s not just about big plays and bad calls, it’s also a sodium tsunami. On average, foods advertised during NFL games contain 40% of the daily recommended sodium intake, researchers reported recently in JAMA Network Open. “We proved what probably a lot of people have long suspected, and that is that foods advertised during NFL games … are frequently high in sodium and calories and fat content,” senior study author Dr. Paul Hauptman, dean of the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and chief academic officer for Renown Health, told CNN. His team analyzed 10 NFL games from September to November 2023 and found that 10% of commercials featured food products. And the sodium content in those foods ranged from 220 mg to 1,872 mg — nearly half the recommended daily limit, CNN reported. The median was 910 mg, meaning half had more sodium, half had less. Fast food ranked No. 1 in sodium, researchers noted. Eating too much salt is linked to high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke. “Blood pressure is directly related to stroke, cardiovascular disease — even to death from cardiovascular disease and heart failure,” Dr. Stephen Juraschek told CNN. He’s a hypertension specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and associate professor of nutrition at Harvard Medical School… read on > read on >

Many seniors suffer long-term health issues after a hip fracture, even after hip replacement surgeries. Now, research shows that a patient’s mental health could be crucial to how well they bounce back in the years after these injuries. “Addressing overall mental health during the recovery process from hip fractures is crucial,” concludes study senior author and Harvard University researcher Dr. Sarah Berry. More than 300,000 older American adults are rushed to emergency departments each year for hip fracture, according to the researchers, and more than 500,000 hip replacement surgeries each year involve fractures as a contributing cause. About 1 in 4 patients who’ve fallen and suffered a hip fracture will require long-term care in the year after their fall. The new research looked at data on 129 women over the age of 64 who’d recently undergone a surgery to repair a fractured hip. The data were collected as part of a study led by Dr. Ellen Binder of Washington University in St Louis. Berry and colleagues’ new analysis looked specifically at patient “resilience” following their hip fracture. They looked at numerous mental health factors, including a patient’s education, thinking skills, mental health and depressive symptoms as measured on various tests. Lower patient scores on what’s known as the Geriatric Depression Scale, as well as higher marks on the Global Mental Health Score, were each associated… read on > read on >

Many women may opt for a breast reduction if they encounter issues such as recurrent neck, back and shoulder pain. However, a new study suggests a link between these procedures in teens and young adult women and later weight gain. “These patients should be targeted for healthy lifestyle changes to prevent weight gain,” said study lead author William Doyle Jr., a medical student at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He and his colleagues published their findings in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Excess weight can raise risks for complications after breast-reduction surgeries (mammaplasty), especially among teens, according to background information from the researchers. For that reason, overweight patients are advised to lose weight prior to these procedures. But what about weight gain after these surgeries? To learn more, Doyle’s team tracked outcomes for 56 patients under the age of 22 (average age: 18.6 years) who had breast reduction surgeries between 2015 and 2019. Prior to their surgeries, about 29% were determined to be at a healthy weight, while the rest had BMIs in the overweight or obese range. BMI, shorthand for body mass index, is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. The researchers tracked fluctuations in patients’ weight for an average of almost two years post-surgery. They found that 39.3% of patients had any decrease… read on > read on >

Weekly Gravy

Look Good – Feel Good – Feed Good

A little about: Weekly Gravy

All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Can GLP-1 Meds Harm Your Eyes?

Cancer Rates Are Falling in Appalachia, But Not Enough

Sister Study Shows Link Between Pregnancy Complications, Heart Risks

Being Optimistic May Help You Save More Money, Study Finds

Study Links Heavy Cannabis Use To Higher Death Risk, Psychosis

ER Visits for Burns, Eye Issues Rose 8-Fold During Recent L.A. Fires

NFL Players Are Now Avoiding Opioids for Pain, Study Finds

Super Bowl Food Ads Are Loaded With Salt, Study Finds

Good Mental Health Could Be Key to Hip Fracture Recovery

Breast Reduction Can Spur Weight Gain in Young Women