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Green Spaces Promote Better Brain Development Among Children, Study Says

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Living near lush green spaces appears to reduce a child’s risk of ADHD and autism, even before they are born, a new study says. Children had lower odds of developing brain development problems if they lived near green spaces as infants, or if their moms did before or during pregnancy, researchers report in the August issue of the journal Environment International. “Our findings suggest that enhancing green space access in urban environments may support early childhood neurodevelopment and help reduce the burden of neurodevelopmental delays,” senior researcher Dr. Stefania Papatheodorou, an associate professor at the Rutgers University School of Public Health in Piscataway, New Jersey, said in a news release. Exactly how green spaces might promote healthy brain development in the womb is not fully understood yet, but researchers have their theories. Green space exposure reduces stress and depression, increases social engagement and lowers exposure to noise and extreme temperatures, all of which could benefit development among young children, they speculated. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 1.8 million mother-child pairs enrolled in Medicaid from multiple states. Green space exposure was measured using satellite imaging and the mothers’ residential Zip codes. Results show that children of mothers who lived near green spaces had a 34% lower risk of intellectual disabilities and a 17% lower risk of autism. Kids themselves living near green…  read on >  read on >

Ritz Update: FDA Issues Risk Warning Due to Undeclared Peanuts in Some Cracker Sandwiches

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Ritz peanut butter cracker sandwiches are being recalled due to the possible presence of undeclared peanuts, a major allergen. The affected products contain individually wrapped packs that may have been mislabeled as cheese sandwiches instead of peanut butter ones, according to Newsweek. The outer cartons were labeled correctly and indicated the presence of peanuts. Mondelēz Global LLC announced the voluntary recall on July 8, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Class II risk warning for the sandwiches on July 22. Class II recalls mean consuming the affected product poses a moderate risk to public health, according to the FDA. People with an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts “may risk serious or life-threatening allergic reactions by consuming this product,” Ritz’s maker, Mondelēz Global LLC of East Hanover, N.J., warned in a news release.  No reports of injury or illness associated with consuming the affected cracker sandwiches have been reported to date. Allergic reactions to peanuts range in severity from mild symptoms, such as hives and lip swelling, to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Peanut allergy is the most common cause of life-threatening anaphylaxis due to food, according to the Mayo Clinic. The manufacturer initiated the recall after it discovered that film packaging rolls used to wrap individual peanut butter products might “contain defects due to a supplier error.” Corrective actions are being taken to help ensure this issue does not recur, Mondelēz…  read on >  read on >

Ritz Update: FDA Issues Risk Warning Due to Undeclared Peanuts in Some Cracker Sandwiches

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Ritz peanut butter cracker sandwiches are being recalled due to the possible presence of undeclared peanuts, a major allergen. The affected products contain individually wrapped packs that may have been mislabeled as cheese sandwiches instead of peanut butter ones, according to Newsweek. The outer cartons were labeled correctly and indicated the presence of peanuts. Mondelēz Global LLC announced the voluntary recall on July 8, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Class II risk warning for the sandwiches on July 22. Class II recalls mean consuming the affected product poses a moderate risk to public health, according to the FDA. People with an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts “may risk serious or life-threatening allergic reactions by consuming this product,” Ritz’s maker, Mondelēz Global LLC of East Hanover, N.J., warned in a news release.  No reports of injury or illness associated with consuming the affected cracker sandwiches have been reported to date. Allergic reactions to peanuts range in severity from mild symptoms, such as hives and lip swelling, to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Peanut allergy is the most common cause of life-threatening anaphylaxis due to food, according to the Mayo Clinic.  The manufacturer initiated the recall after it discovered that film packaging rolls used to wrap individual peanut butter products might “contain defects due to a supplier error.”  Corrective actions are being taken to help ensure this issue does not recur, Mondelēz…  read on >  read on >

Vitamin D Might Offer Protection Against COVID-19

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Low vitamin D levels might increase a person’s odds of a severe bout with COVID-19, a new study says. People with a vitamin D deficiency are 36% more likely to require hospitalization from a COVID infection, researchers report in the journal PLOS One. “Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating the immune system, so it’s plausible that low levels may influence how the body responds to infections like COVID-19,” investigator Kerri Beckmann, a senior research fellow at the University of South Australia, said in a news release. However, the study also found no increased risk of COVID infection among people with low vitamin D levels. “Our study found that people with a vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency were more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those with healthy levels of Vitamin D – but they weren’t more likely to catch the virus in the first place,” Beckmann said. About 1 in 5 (22%) of Americans are vitamin D deficient, according to a 2022 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 150,000 people participating in UK Biobank, a long-range study of health in the United Kingdom. The team looked at the risk COVID poses among people who are either fully vitamin D deficient or have insufficient levels of the vitamin and compared it to risk seen…  read on >  read on >

Vitamin D Might Offer Protection Against COVID-19

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Low vitamin D levels might increase a person’s odds of a severe bout with COVID-19, a new study says. People with a vitamin D deficiency are 36% more likely to require hospitalization from a COVID infection, researchers report in the journal PLOS One. “Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating the immune system, so it’s plausible that low levels may influence how the body responds to infections like COVID-19,” investigator Kerri Beckmann, a senior research fellow at the University of South Australia, said in a news release. However, the study also found no increased risk of COVID infection among people with low vitamin D levels. “Our study found that people with a vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency were more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those with healthy levels of Vitamin D – but they weren’t more likely to catch the virus in the first place,” Beckmann said. About 1 in 5 (22%) of Americans are vitamin D deficient, according to a 2022 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 150,000 people participating in UK Biobank, a long-range study of health in the United Kingdom. The team looked at the risk COVID poses among people who are either fully vitamin D deficient or have insufficient levels of the vitamin and compared it to risk seen…  read on >  read on >

African Psychedelic Might Help Combat Vets Recover From Traumatic Brain Injury

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Veterans who receive traumatic brain injuries in combat often experience crippling post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression, leaving them hopeless and potentially suicidal. But help might be on the way from an unlikely source – a psychedelic drug called ibogaine. The drug, derived from the roots of an African shrub called iboga, can safely and effectively treat long-term symptoms of traumatic brain injury in veterans, according to findings from a study of 30 vets recently published in the journal Nature Mental Health. The veterans crossed the border into Mexico to receive treatment with ibogaine, which is outlawed in the U.S., researchers said. “Before the treatment, I was living life in a blizzard with zero visibility and a cold, hopeless, listless feeling,” study participant Sean, a 51-year-old veteran from Arizona with six combat deployments, said in a news release. “After ibogaine, the storm lifted.” Scans reveal that ibogaine alters brain activity in ways that can lower stress and help veterans better process their trauma, researchers found. “No other drug has ever been able to alleviate the functional and neuropsychiatric symptoms of traumatic brain injury,” senior researcher Dr. Nolan Williams, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine in Palo Alto, Calif., said in a news release. “The results are dramatic, and we intend to study this compound further.” People who take ibogaine often…  read on >  read on >

African Psychedelic Might Help Combat Vets Recover From Traumatic Brain Injury

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Veterans who receive traumatic brain injuries in combat often experience crippling post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression, leaving them hopeless and potentially suicidal. But help might be on the way from an unlikely source – a psychedelic drug called ibogaine. The drug, derived from the roots of an African shrub called iboga, can safely and effectively treat long-term symptoms of traumatic brain injury in veterans, according to findings from a study of 30 vets recently published in the journal Nature Mental Health. The veterans crossed the border into Mexico to receive treatment with ibogaine, which is outlawed in the U.S., researchers said. “Before the treatment, I was living life in a blizzard with zero visibility and a cold, hopeless, listless feeling,” study participant Sean, a 51-year-old veteran from Arizona with six combat deployments, said in a news release. “After ibogaine, the storm lifted.” Scans reveal that ibogaine alters brain activity in ways that can lower stress and help veterans better process their trauma, researchers found. “No other drug has ever been able to alleviate the functional and neuropsychiatric symptoms of traumatic brain injury,” senior researcher Dr. Nolan Williams, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford Medicine in Palo Alto, Calif., said in a news release. “The results are dramatic, and we intend to study this compound further.” People who take ibogaine often…  read on >  read on >

Heavy Grief Nearly Doubles Bereaved’s Risk Of Early Death

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People intensely grieving a loved one are nearly twice as likely to die within a decade of their loss, a new study says. Those whose grief remained persistently high in the first years following a loss have 88% increased odds of dying within 10 years of their loved one’s passing, according to results published in Frontiers in Public Health. They also are nearly three times more likely to receive mental health care like talk therapy, greater than five times more likely to be prescribed antidepressants, and more than twice as likely to receive sedatives or anxiety drugs, results show. “This is the first study to investigate the long-term use of health care and patterns of mortality over a decade after bereavement in a large-scale cohort,” lead researcher Mette Kjaergaard Nielsen said in a news release. She’s a postdoctoral researcher at the Research Unit for General Practice in Aarhus, Denmark. For the new study, researchers recruited more than 1,700 bereaved men and women in Denmark with an average age of 62. Among them, 66% had lost their partner, 27% a parent and 7% another loved one. The study participants were given a questionnaire that assessed their levels of grief during the first three years after losing a loved one. About 6% of participants had levels of grief that remained high despite the passing of time, and…  read on >  read on >

Heavy Grief Nearly Doubles Bereaved’s Risk Of Early Death

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People intensely grieving a loved one are nearly twice as likely to die within a decade of their loss, a new study says. Those whose grief remained persistently high in the first years following a loss have 88% increased odds of dying within 10 years of their loved one’s passing, according to results published in Frontiers in Public Health. They also are nearly three times more likely to receive mental health care like talk therapy, greater than five times more likely to be prescribed antidepressants, and more than twice as likely to receive sedatives or anxiety drugs, results show. “This is the first study to investigate the long-term use of health care and patterns of mortality over a decade after bereavement in a large-scale cohort,” lead researcher Mette Kjaergaard Nielsen said in a news release. She’s a postdoctoral researcher at the Research Unit for General Practice in Aarhus, Denmark. For the new study, researchers recruited more than 1,700 bereaved men and women in Denmark with an average age of 62. Among them, 66% had lost their partner, 27% a parent and 7% another loved one. The study participants were given a questionnaire that assessed their levels of grief during the first three years after losing a loved one. About 6% of participants had levels of grief that remained high despite the passing of time, and…  read on >  read on >

For the Win: College Student Powerlifts Past Breast Cancer

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LaShae Rolle, 27, is a competitive powerlifter capable of squatting 441 pounds, benching 292 pounds and deadlifting 497 pounds. Last year, breast cancer tried to derail Rolle’s dreams of going up against the best of the best. But Rolle steamrolled her cancer, keeping up an intense strength training program throughout her treatment. And then she wrote a paper about it. Rolle, a pre-doctoral fellow in public health sciences at the University of Miami, made herself the focus of a first-of-its-kind study documenting elite-level strength training while undergoing chemotherapy, a mastectomy and radiation treatment. The study challenges long-held notions that cancer patients should stick to low- or moderate-intensity exercise, according to her report in the journal Lifestyle Medicine. “Strength training has been central to my identity as both an athlete and a rising lifestyle oncology researcher,” Rolle said in a news release. “During cancer, it became a way to stay connected to who I am and to feel in control of my body and mind.” By the end of treatment, Rolle had kept herself in contention, retaining nearly all the strength she’d built prior to her cancer diagnosis, results show. “I’m proud I kept going,” she said. “Modifying my sessions around chemotherapy cycles helped me keep training safely, and physically, it gave me moments of normalcy even when everything else felt uncertain.” Previous studies have shown…  read on >  read on >