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“Food insecurity” — not having enough money to afford sufficient food — increases the risk of premature death, new research suggests. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 510,000 adults in Canada between 2005 and 2017. Over the study period, nearly 25,500 people died prematurely. The average life expectancy in Canada between 2008 and 2014 was 82, so deaths at or before that age were considered premature. The study found that, compared with adults who had access to enough food, those with food insecurity were 10% to 37% more likely to die early from any cause other than cancer. Rates of premature death from infectious-parasitic diseases, unintentional injuries and suicides were more than twice as high among those with severe food insecurity compared with others, according to the report. Fei Men, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, led the study, which was published Jan. 20 in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Among the adults who died prematurely, those with severe food insecurity died an average of nine years younger than those who were food secure (59.5 years old versus 68.9 years old), the findings showed. “The significant correlations of all levels of food insecurity with potentially avoidable deaths imply that food-insecure adults benefit less from public health efforts to prevent and treat diseases and injuries than their food-secure counterparts,” the… read on >

Most American parents believe their teens spend too much time playing video games, but many underestimate the actual amount, a new survey shows. The poll of nearly 1,000 parents with at least one child aged 13 to 18 found that 86% said their teen spends too much time gaming. Among parents of daily gamers, 54% report their teen plays three or more hours a day, compared with 13% of teens who don’t play every day. Yet, only 13% of parents of daily gamers believe their teen spends more time gaming than other teens, and 78% believe their teen’s gaming is less than or about the same as their peers, according to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, from the University of Michigan. “Many parents of frequent gamers have a misconception that the amount of time their teenager spends playing video games is in line with their peers,” poll co-director and Mott pediatrician Dr. Gary Freed said in a university news release. Twice as many parents said their teen boy plays video games every day compared to parents of teen girls. Teen boys are also more likely to spend three or more hours gaming. Parents said gaming often gets in the way of other aspects of their teen’s life, such as family activities and interactions (46%), sleep (44%), homework (34%), friendships with… read on >

Turning to Facebook for help is probably the wrong move for depressed college students, new research shows. In a small study of 33 students who posted on Facebook about feelings of depression, not one was advised to reach out to a mental health professional for help. Rather, friends sent supportive and encouraging messages. “It makes me concerned that none of the Facebook friends of students in this study were proactive in helping their friend get help,” said lead author Scottye Cash, an associate professor of social work at Ohio State University, in Columbus. “We need to figure out why.” Study participants reported the posts they made and how their friends reacted. They also completed a questionnaire on depression. Nearly half had symptoms of moderate or severe depression and 33% said they had had recent suicidal thoughts. “There’s no doubt that many of the students in our study needed mental health help,” Cash said. Student posts included feelings of loneliness or having a bad day or feeling things couldn’t get worse. Only one student asked for help and only three mentioned “depression” or related words, Cash said. Most indicated their depression through song lyrics, emoji or quotes that expressed sadness. “They didn’t use words like ‘depressed’ in their Facebook posts,” Cash said. “It may be because of the stigma around mental illness. Or maybe they didn’t… read on >

Want to know how to avoid blood clots and varicose veins? One physician offers some tips on how to keep your blood vessels healthy. Arteries and veins are collectively known as the vascular system. Arteries transport oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout the body, while veins carry de-oxygenated, waste-filled blood back to the heart to be renewed, explained Dr. Chelsea Dorsey, a vascular surgeon from University of Chicago Medicine. Problems can occur in both arteries and veins. It’s estimated that 12%-20% of people older than 60 have peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and more than 40% of women have venous insufficiency, the underlying condition that leads to varicose and spider veins. Blood clots in veins can occur at any age, and people at risk include those who are sick, injured or unable to walk for a period of time, and women who take birth control pills. Varicose veins are more common among younger people, and women are twice as likely as men to be affected, Dorsey noted. Problems in arteries — such as atherosclerosis (narrowing or hardening of the arteries) — tend to increase with age. The health of your arteries and veins is influenced by both genetics and lifestyle. For example, the most common risk factors for varicose veins and venous insufficiency include a family history of these conditions, spending long periods of time on your… read on >

(HealthDay News) — One of the simplest ways to maintain healthy vision is to protect your eyes from injury, says the American Academy of Ophthalmology. About 90 percent of eye injuries involve lack of protective eyewear. Whether you’re maintaining equipment or playing sports, wearing appropriate protective eyewear is very important, the doctor’s group says.

If you want to slow down the aging process, it might not hurt to replace whole milk with skim, new research suggests. The study of over 5,800 U.S. adults found that those who regularly indulged in higher-fat milk had shorter telomeres in their cells — a sign of accelerated “biological aging.” The findings do not prove that milk fat, per se, hastens aging, stressed researcher Larry Tucker, a professor of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. But the study does lend support to what U.S. dietary guidelines suggest for adults: If you’re going to drink cow’s milk, opt for low-fat or skim, Tucker said. Telomeres are bits of DNA that sit at the tips of your chromosomes — like the plastic caps at the ends of a shoelace. In essence, they help keep the chromosomes from fraying and sticking together. As people age, their telomeres gradually get shorter, and research has linked shorter telomere length to a higher risk of developing and dying from infections, cancer and heart disease. “A variety of lifestyle factors are also related to telomere length,” Tucker said. Obese people, for example, tend to have shorter telomeres than lean people, as do smokers versus nonsmokers. And people who eat lots of fiber, vegetables and fruit typically have longer telomeres than those who shun those foods. So for the… read on >

From carpal tunnel to a stiff neck, too much time on the computer can cause a slew of health problems. But what if you ditch the keyboard and mouse for virtual reality? New research from Oregon State University in Corvallis showed that even stepping into virtual reality may be bad for the body. Virtual reality isn’t just for playing games. It’s also used for education and industrial training. In most cases, a headset is worn and users are expected to perform full-body movements. But common virtual reality movements can result in muscle strain and discomfort, the study found. “There are no standards and guidelines for virtual and augmented reality interactions,” said study author Jay Kim, assistant professor in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences. “We wanted to evaluate the effects of the target distances, locations and sizes so we can better design these interfaces to reduce the risk for potential musculoskeletal injuries.” For the study, the researchers placed sensors on participants’ joints and muscles during virtual reality sessions, and asked them to point to specific dots around a circle or to color in an area with their finger. The tasks were repeated at varying degrees above and below eye level. At all angles, extending the arm straight out caused shoulder discomfort in under 3 minutes, the study found. Over the long-term, virtual reality… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that often occurs in people who wear damp socks or tight shoes, says Mayo Clinic. The infection is contagious and is spread by contact with an infected person or contaminated surfaces. To help prevent athlete’s foot, the clinic suggests: Keep your feet dry, especially between your toes. Change socks regularly. Wear light, well-ventilated shoes. Alternate pairs of shoes. Protect your feet in public places. Treat your feet with antifungal powder. Don’t share shoes.

For people with the mysterious chronic pain condition fibromyalgia, researchers say nerve stimulation may offer some relief. In a recent study, use of TENS — transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation — during movement or activity was shown to significantly reduce pain associated with fibromyalgia after just four weeks. Dr. Lesley Arnold, who was not involved with the new study, lauded its outcomes. “The improvements in pain and fatigue were remarkable,” she said. Arnold, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, suggested that the study may help guide physicians in use of TENS for symptom management. TENS uses a battery-operated machine to deliver electrical currents via electrodes attached to the skin. This is believed to activate nerve pathways that inhibit pain. People with fibromyalgia are encouraged to engage in physical activity as a way to manage their symptoms. But, paradoxically, movement can be painful for them. In the study, researchers randomly divided more than 300 women with fibromyalgia into three groups: active TENS; placebo (sham) TENS; or no TENS. Those in the TENS groups were instructed to use the device over four weeks, at home, for two hours daily during activity. The patients were told to apply the device’s electrodes to two specific areas along the back — one upper and one lower — and to activate the machine… read on >

In another step toward using artificial intelligence in medicine, a new study shows that computers can be trained to match human experts in judging the severity of prostate tumors. Researchers found that their artificial intelligence system was “near perfect” in determining whether prostate tissue contained cancer cells. And it was on par with 23 “world-leading” pathologists in judging the severity of prostate tumors. No one is suggesting computers should replace doctors. But some researchers do think AI technology could improve the accuracy and efficiency of medical diagnoses. Typically, it works like this: Researchers develop an algorithm using “deep learning” — where a computer system mimics the brain’s neural networks. It’s exposed to a large number of images — digital mammograms, for example — and it teaches itself to recognize key features, such as signs of a tumor. Earlier this month, researchers reported on an AI system that appeared to best radiologists in interpreting screening mammograms. Other studies have found that AI can outperform doctors in distinguishing harmless moles from skin cancer, and detecting breast tumor cells in lymph node samples. The new study looked at whether it’s possible to train an AI system to detect and “grade” prostate cancer in biopsied tissue samples. Normally, that’s the work of clinical pathologists — specialists who examine tissue under the microscope to help diagnose disease and judge how… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Canadian Study Probes Links Between Food Access and Early Death

What Parents Overlook When Their Teen Is a Heavy Gamer

Facebook Falls Short for College Kids Battling Depression, Study Finds

How to Keep Those Blood Vessels Pumping

Health Tip: Preventing Eye Injuries

Could a Switch to Skim Milk Add Years to Your Life?

Virtual Reality Can Bring Real-Life Pain

Health Tip: Preventing Athlete’s Foot

Nerve Stimulation Therapy Could Cut Fibromyalgia Pain

AI Might Help Spot, Evaluate Prostate Cancer