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Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States, particularly among older adults. It’s also a quick way for seniors to hurt themselves, unless they watch their form and warm up properly, experts say. “We are seeing an epidemic of pickleball Achilles tendon injuries,” said Dr. Timothy Charlton, an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “Pickleball is really fun, and I encourage anyone to play it, but it’s important to do so in a healthy way,” Charlton added in a Cedars-Sinai news release. “We’re seeing many injuries because new athletes are returning to the court after a long time away or are starting to play competitively without proper training. This creates an environment where injuries are more likely to occur.” More than 13 million people have picked up pickleball, with a 200% increase in participation in the past three years, Cedars-Sinai experts said. Unfortunately, with that has come an increase in injuries. Pickleball injuries in the United States accounted for more than $350 million in medical costs in 2023, experts said. In particular, doctors are seeing a significant number of Achilles tendon ruptures among people ages 60 to 70, particularly among women, Charlton said. “This increase in injuries is largely due to the rapid rise in the number of people playing pickleball, often without adequate preparation or conditioning,” Charlton said. The Achilles… read on > read on >

Added sugar can cause your cells to prematurely age, a new study warns. Each gram of added sugar is associated with an increase in a person’s cellular age, even when they eat healthy otherwise, researchers found. On the other hand, a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients can help a person have a younger biological age on a cellular level, results show. Overall, the better a person eats, the younger their cells look, the study concluded. “We knew that high levels of added sugars are linked to worsened metabolic health and early disease, possibly more than any other dietary factor,” said researcher Elissa Epel, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). “Now we know that accelerated epigenetic aging is underlying this relationship, and this is likely one of many ways that excessive sugar intake limits healthy longevity,” Epel added in a UCSF news release. For the study, researchers analyzed food records for 342 Northern California women with an average age of 39. The research team then compared their diets with their “epigenetic clock,” using a saliva test that can estimate a person’s biological age as compared to their calendar age. On average, women in the study consumed an average 61 grams of added sugar daily, although the range was large between individuals, running from… read on > read on >

Losing someone close to you can make you age faster, a new study finds. People who lost a parent, partner, sibling or child showed signs of older biological age compared with those who hadn’t experienced such a loss, researchers reported July 29 in the journal JAMA Network Open. “Our study shows strong links between losing loved ones across the life course from childhood to adulthood and faster biological aging in the U.S.,” said lead researcher Allison Aiello, a professor of health longevity with the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, in New York City. Biological aging involves the gradual decline in how well your cells, tissues and organs function. Scientists measure this type of aging using DNA markers known as epigenetic clocks, and they can compare it against a person’s calendar age to see how much different factors cause premature aging. For this study, researchers analyzed data on nearly 4,500 people who provided blood samples for DNA testing as part of a long-term study on health. The participants were tracked from their teenage years into adulthood. Researchers tracked deaths among people close to the participants, to see how these losses might relate to their biological age. People who had experienced two or more losses during their lifetime had older biological ages, based on epigenetic testing, researcher found. Further, two or more losses in adulthood… read on > read on >

Paris officials said Sunday they are confident the Seine will be clean enough for Olympic triathletes to swim in the storied river this week, despite the fact that officials had to cancel a practice run Sunday over worries about water quality. The men’s triathlon is scheduled for Tuesday, while the women are set to compete Wednesday. The triathletes were supposed to have a chance to familiarize themselves with the course on Sunday, but organizers said they nixed the swimming leg after officials met to discuss water quality tests, the Associated Press reported. Water quality in the Seine is closely linked to the weather. The decision to cancel the test swim was made after heavy rain fell during the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday and the stormy weather continued Saturday. Since no more rain is forecast, officials expect athletes will get the experience of racing in the Seine. “We’ve seen what were the dynamics of the Seine over the past few weeks, and that’s what makes us confident,” Paris Deputy Mayor Antoine Guillou said during a news conference on Sunday, the AP reported. After similar recent rains, the river’s water quality has returned to safe levels within 24 to 48 hours, he noted. Olympic organizers echoed that confidence. “We are still very confident with the weather forecast for the next 48 hours, the water quality will improve,” said Paris… read on > read on >

A new test gauging levels of key proteins in the blood was far more accurate than doctor assessments in spotting Alzheimer’s disease in people with early-stage illness. The test, called APS2 (the amyloid probability score 2), was 91% accurate in diagnosing Alzheimer’s in people with mild cognitive decline or early dementia, compared to the 61% success rate of primary care doctors who examined the same patients. The test isn’t yet approved for routine use. But Dr Teresa D’Amato, director of geriatric emergency medicine at Northwell Health in Forest Hills, NY, called the new data “very exciting.” “This blood test would be great as a first round of diagnostic testing because it it looks like it’s pretty accurate,” said D’Amato, who wasn’t involved in the new study. The findings were published July 28 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They were published simultaneously at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philapdelphia. An accurate, easily administered blood test for Alzheimer’s could be a game-changer, according to a team of dementia experts who wrote an editorial accompanying the research. “Diagnosing Alzheimer’s is challenging, especially in primary care. Having a reliable blood test is essential to help primary care physicians make an early and accurate diagnosis,” the editorialists said. They included Dr. Stephen Salloway, of Brown University, Dr. Christopher Rowe, of the University of Melbourne, Australia, and… read on > read on >

Peak asthma month is upon parents as summer draws to a close, experts warn. “September is known as Asthma Peak Month because kids have returned to school, and viruses are being passed around,” said allergist Dr. Gailen Marshall, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “September also sees higher levels of environmental allergens like mold and ragweed. In addition, children may have stopped their regular asthma management routine over the summer,” Marshall added in a ACAAI news release. “Generally, allergists see an increase in patients in September — more asthma attacks and more hospitalizations — especially in children.” But there are ways parents can help their kids keep their allergy and asthma symptoms at bay as the school year resumes, Marshall said. Find an allergist. A pre-school appointment with a board-certified allergist can arm parents with an allergy or asthma action plan that identifies triggers and prepares prescriptions. Asthmatic kids under the care of an allergist have a 77% reduction in lost time from school, Marshall said. Teamwork helps. It’s important to work with a child’s teacher regarding their allergies and asthma, Marshall said. Most teachers have experience helping kids with asthma. Parents should be sure to share their child’s treatment plan with school staff, including their asthma triggers and any treatments or medications they use. Avoid viruses. Respiratory viruses like the… read on > read on >

An additional cinnamon product sold in the United States has been found to contain high levels of lead, health officials are warning. In a health alert issued Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the ground cinnamon product, sold as El Servidor, joins a growing list of cinnamon products that have contained high levels of lead. Through testing, the cinnamon was found to have elevated lead levels at 20 parts per million. Although the FDA doesn’t set limits for lead levels in spices, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has a proposed international safety standard of 2.5 parts per million of lead for bark spices like cinnamon, NBC News reported. The FDA noted that it has asked the distributor to recall the product. Lead in cinnamon products has become a growing problem: In March, the FDA warned about lead in fruit puree products sold at Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and other stores. Those products had levels of lead ranging from 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million. The cinnamon identified in the new alert was sold at a supermarket in New York City, although it’s unclear whether it was distributed more widely. Leigh Frame, director of integrative medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, told NBC News that the new recall was “alarming.” “We sort of assume things are safe until proven otherwise,” Frame… read on > read on >

Bad news for Olympians headed to Paris — high levels of ozone pollution and grass pollen are likely during the upcoming games if hot, sunny weather prevails, researchers said. Ozone levels in Paris and its environs tend to exceed World Health Organization (WHO) recommended thresholds about 20 days per month between July and September, according to an analysis of air quality monitoring data from recent years. “Air quality in Paris during the summer can be characterized mainly by high ozone levels in the afternoon, especially on sunny and hot days,” concluded the research team led by Valerie Bougault, an associate professor with the University Cote d’Azur in Nice, France. Highly allergenic grass pollen will also be filling the air, although researchers noted those levels tend to fall between July and September. Researchers said they undertook the study to help Olympic athletes and spectators best prepare for the games. “By comparing these [air quality] levels with those in their area, athletes and spectators can see if they need to take steps to avoid or reduce their exposure,” the researchers wrote. “They can discuss this with their doctor and plan their activities to avoid the times and types of places where pollution is highest.” For the study, researchers analyzed air pollution readings from Paris and its suburbs taken between 2020 and 2023, as well as pollen counts… read on > read on >

Americans’ risk of dying in a firearm accident depends in large part on where they live in the United States, a new study finds. People in Southeastern states like Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama run the greatest risk of a gunshot accidentally killing them, researchers said. Meanwhile, the risk of accidental gun death is much lower in Northeastern states like Massachusetts, New York, Maryland and Connecticut, results show. “Crude rates in the states with the highest rates, clustered mostly in the Southeast, were about 10 times the rates in the states with the lowest rates, located mostly in the Northeast,” concluded researcher David Schwebel, a professor of psychology with the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Nationwide, more than 12,300 people died in gun accidents between 2001 and 2021, Schwebel found in his analysis of firearms deaths data maintained by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers also found that specific factors within a state increased the risk of death in a firearms accident. Unsurprisingly, states with more gun owners carried a higher risk of accidental gun death. But the study, published July 25 in the journal Injury Prevention, also found that having a higher percentage of families living below the poverty line is associated with an increased risk of accidental death. Any solution to this risk is not going to be easy, Schwebel… read on > read on >

People diagnosed with one of the most common inherited heart arrhythmias, called Long QT syndrome (LQTS), can safely engage in vigorous exercise without any added risk for sudden death or cardiac arrest, a new study finds. “Arrhythmic events were low in these appropriately treated individuals with LQTS in both those exercising vigorously and those exercising moderately or who were sedentary,” concluded a team led by Dr. Rachel Lampert, a professor of cardiology at Yale University School of Medicine. According to the Cleveland Clinic, LQTS involves delays in “recharging” the heart’s electrical system, which in turn can lead to a potentially dangerous irregular heartbeat. Medications, implanted devices and surgery are used to help control the condition, which is often inherited. According to one European study, LQTS occurs in about 1 in every 2,500 people, making it “the most commonly detected genetic electrical abnormality” of the heart, Lampert’s team said. Prior studies had suggested that vigorous exercise might help trigger cardiac arrest in people with LQTS, but as the researchers pointed out, those studies largely involved patients whose LQTS was only diagnosed after such a heart event. What about people who already know they have LQTS and are being appropriately treated? To find out, her team tracked outcomes over three years for 1,413 people diagnosed with LQTS at 37 medical sites in five countries. These people ranged… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Pickleball: A Tendency for Tendon Injuries

Avoiding One Nutrient Can Keep Your Cells Young

Grief Can Truly Age People, Study Finds

Will Olympians Soon Be Swimming in the Seine? Paris Officials Track Water Quality

Blood Test 91% Accurate at Predicting Alzheimer’s, Outperforming Doctors

September is Peak Asthma Month: Is Your Child Ready?

Toxic Lead Found in Cinnamon Product, FDA Says

Athletes Can Expect High Ozone, Pollen Counts for Paris Olympics

Your Odds for Accidental Gun Death Rise Greatly in Certain States

Tough Workouts Won’t Trigger Cardiac Arrest in Folks With Long QT Syndrome