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Chances are you know at least one person who’s given up eating gluten. Maybe you’ve even given it up yourself. But who can really benefit from a gluten-free diet? “Gluten is one of the main proteins found in wheat, barley and rye,” said Dr. Joseph Levy, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, in New York City. “It’s actually a group of proteins and not a single component, but gluten is the general term.” In baking, it plays a key role. “Gluten is responsible for the way dough is able to rise when you put yeast in it,” Levy explained. “It’s the structure of gluten that makes baked goods light and crispy. If you try to cook with gluten-free flour it won’t have the same airiness. The dough is heavier, and the finished product will be flat and heavy.” But though gluten might make for a flaky croissant, it can cause a number of problems for certain people. New York City-based nutritionist Rachel Begun said that three types of people may not be able to eat products containing gluten: people with celiac disease, people with gluten sensitivity or intolerance and people with a wheat allergy. “Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, and when gluten is eaten, the body triggers an attack on the intestines,” Begun said. “Damage occurs over time, and nutrients… read on > read on >

Using a weight-loss medication to help you shed pounds gradually appears to help extend life for people with arthritis of the hips or knees, a new study finds. However, folks with arthritis who dropped pounds very quickly showed no benefit in terms of survival, and even a slight uptick in their risk for heart disease, a team of American and Chinese researchers found. The study’s take-home message: “Gradual weight loss by anti-obesity medications may improve the overall wellness of overweight or obesity patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis,” concluded a team led by Jie Wei of Central South University in Changsha, China. The findings were published recently in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology. Obesity can exacerbate arthritis in the joints, and is a known risk factor for an early death. In the new study, Wi’s group tracked outcomes for over 6,500 British people, aged 40 or older, who were overweight or obese and also had knee or hip arthritis. Some took weight-loss drugs to help them shed excess pounds. Wei’s team tracked their outcomes for various health conditions and death over a five-year period. The data was collected between 2000 and March of 2022 — before the advent of blockbuster weight-loss medications such as Wegovy and Zepbound. Instead, patients were taking drugs such as orlistat (Alli), sibutramine and rimonabant (Zimulti) to help them get slimmer.… read on > read on >

Even Valentine’s Day apparently doesn’t trump the start of a brand new year when it comes to getting frisky. Sales of the morning-after pill surged across the U.S. after New Year 2022, new research shows. Nearly 41,000 extra pills were sold in the following week, a period linked to increased risks of unprotected sex. Sales of emergency contraception also rose after other holidays such as Valentine’s and Independence Day but not as much, a team led by Brandon Wagner of Texas Tech University report in the Christmas issue of the BMJ. While the annual New Year’s sale spike might seem funny, Wagner’s team points out in a journal news release that “it is indicative of unmet contraceptive need that calls for further attention” amid tightened restrictions on abortions in many U.S. states. The increased sexual activity associated with New Year’s is less likely to be protected due to increased drinking, they point out. New Year’s Eve has also been linked to increased rates of sexual assault and limited access to other forms of birth control because clinics, medical offices and shops close early or altogether. For the new study, researchers analyzed retail scan data for levonorgestrel, an over-the-counter medication available without age restrictions. While effective when taken within as many 96, and possibly 120, after unprotected sex, it’s more likely to work the sooner it… read on > read on >

At least 205 cases of lead poisoning linked to contaminated fruit puree pouches have now been reported in the United States, federal health officials report. That’s up from 125 cases in the last weekly tally, with 33 states now reporting poisonings, the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention said in its latest update. States reporting new cases to CDC include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington. How many cases have been reported in each state is unclear because the CDC has withheld state-specific counts, pointing to patient privacy, CBS News reported. The median age for cases in the investigation “is nearly 2 years old,” a CDC spokesperson told CBS News, though reports have come in for children as old as 9. Federal officials have urged state health departments to seek out cases of lead poisoning, which could be missed if children who ate the lead-tainted applesauce don’t get blood tests from their doctor for the toxic metal. AustroFoods, which makes the now-recalled WanaBana, Weis and Schnucks brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches, said Monday it will reimburse customers for up to $150 for lead tests. Meanwhile, the FDA reported this week that cinnamon samples gathered at a facility in Ecuador linked to the tainted fruit puree pouches were found to contain levels of toxic lead that were 2,000 times… read on > read on >

Head injuries related to football might be tied to markers of dementia like brain shrinkage and decreased blood flow to the brain, a new study of former pro and college players reports. The study looked at signs of injury to the brain’s white matter, called white matter hyperintensities. These are caused by reduced blood flow to white matter, which functions as the information highway connecting different parts of the brain. “Studies have shown that athletes exposed to repetitive head impacts can have increased white matter hyperintensity burden in their brains,” said researcher Michael Alosco, a neuropsychologist at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. “White matter hyperintensities are easily seen on MRI as markers of injury of various causes,” he continued in a news release. “We know these markers are more common as people age and with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, but these results provide initial insight that they may be related to multiple aspects of brain damage from repetitive head impacts.” For the study, Alosco’s team compared brain scans of 120 former pro football players and 60 former college players against 60 men who never played football and had no history of concussion. They found that the relationship between white matter hyperintensities and stroke risk was more than 11 times stronger in former football players than in those who never… read on > read on >

Believe it or not, your spinal cord may be a pathway to better mood and even an end to depression, new research suggests. Investigators at the University of Cincinnati stressed that their pilot study — to see whether tweaking the spinal cord can ease depression — is in its very early stages. However, 20-minute sessions did seem to bring mental health benefits to participants, the team said. As the scientists explained it, the spinal cord serves (among other functions) as a kind of neuronal highway, transmitting information from throughout the body to the brain’s mood centers. The Cincinnati researchers theorized that an informational “overload” on this pathway might overwhelm the brain, playing a role in depression. So, study lead author Dr. Francisco Romo-Nava designed a noninvasive spinal cord stimulation method that he has patented. Using this technology, he and his colleagues hoped to decrease the “noise” traveling along the spinal cord, offering some relief to an overtaxed brain. “Spinal cord stimulation is thought to help the brain modulate itself as it should by decreasing the noise or decreasing the hyperactive signaling that may be in place during a depressive syndrome,” explained Romo-Nava, a research associate professor in the university’s department of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience. The current trial was small, just 20 patients diagnosed with depression. Three times a week for eight weeks, half of… read on > read on >

Dozens of over-the-counter lubricating eyedrops and artificial tears faced recall in 2023, due to contamination and unsafe manufacturing practices. “This year, we’ve seen an especially large number of recalls in ophthalmologic products,” said Gary Novack, a clinical professor with the UC Davis Health Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences in Davis, Calif. People who regularly use eye drops to fend off dry eyes or help with contact lenses should be aware of these recalls, and take steps to protect themselves, Novack said. “Now that the public health emergency phase of the pandemic is over, the FDA is doing more inspections and they are finding a number of issues at manufacturing plants,” Novack explained in a university news release. The recalls began in February with three brands taken off shelves, including one linked to serious infections, vision loss and four deaths, Novack said. “It’s very rare to get infections from eye drops. However, what we learned this year is that it can happen,” Novack said. “It’s serious not only for potentially losing vision, but in some rare cases patients developed systemic infections and died.” Additional recalls followed in August, October and November, leaving consumers confused about whether any over-the-counter eye drops are safe to use. Products like eye drops are particularly tricky to manufacture because they need to be sterile and germ-free, and they must be… read on > read on >

Kids with emotional problems or ADHD can find the holidays a very challenging time, as all the routines that provide a sense of order are jumbled in a whirl of activities. The kids are home from school and restless, their parents are hauling them along to Christmas shopping and holiday gatherings, and they’re eating lots of heavy meals and sugary treats. But there are ways to limit the stress that the holidays can place on kids with depression, anxiety, an eating disorder or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), said Melissa Meyer, a child psychiatry specialist at DMG Children’s Rehabilitative Services in Phoenix. Communication is key when it comes to outings, Meyer said. Knowing what will happen can help decrease a child’s anxiety. For example, let children know what’s going to be happening ahead of time – how long you’ll be out, who will be with you, what kind of food they can expect. And don’t be afraid to share with your child if you’re feeling stressed, tired or anxious, Meyer said. “He or she will take comfort in knowing that even adults get nervous and stressed during the holidays,” Meyer said. Sleep is another important component to maintaining your child’s mood, Meyer said. Kids with emotional issues need good sleep, at least eight to 10 hours a night. Meyer also cautions against using screens as a… read on > read on >

A new treatment appears to reduce food allergies in children and teens, according to interim clinical trial results. A lab-made monoclonal antibody called omalizumab (Xolair) significantly increased the amounts of common foods that children could eat without sparking an allergic reaction, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reported. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now reviewing an application for omalizumab to treat food allergies, based on these interim results. The data was collected on 165 children ages 17 and younger who have an allergy to peanut and at least two other foods, NIAID said in a news release. Those who received omalizumab injections could consume more peanut, egg, milk and cashew products without allergic reactions than those who received a placebo jab, results showed. Kids receive the drug in biweekly or monthly injections, according to an NIAID description of the clinical trial. These first-stage results have given NIAID the confidence to launch the next stage of clinical trials, which will be conducted at 10 locations across the United States. Omalizumab has already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat allergic asthma, chronic hives and nasal polyps, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In 2017, a small study of 48 people found that 83% of participants could consume 2 grams of two food allergens after receiving omalizumab injections,… read on > read on >

Kids are home for the holidays, but the wonders of the season can pose problems for children with asthma. Sources of joy like Christmas trees, a Yule log burning or Grandma’s pet dog can all be unexpected asthma triggers, warns the American Lung Association. Parents should talk with their kid’s doctor about creating an asthma action plan based on their plans for the holidays, the ALA says. Such a plan could alert them to early warning signs and help them manage symptoms during a flare-up. They also should keep the following holiday hazards in mind while crafting such a plan. Holiday scents Popular holiday-scented items like candles, dried potpourri, scented pine cones and cinnamon brooms all pose a similar risk to children with asthma as air fresheners do year-round, the ALA warns. Cinnamon brooms in particular create a powerful asthma-triggering scent. Parents should refrain from hanging cinnamon brooms in their home, and instead bake cinnamon-, vanilla- or citrus-laced goodies to provide a festive aroma. Parents who crave the ambiance of candlelight should opt for either non-scented candles or battery-operated flameless candles, the ALA adds. Christmas decorations A live Christmas tree might be one of the ultimate holiday traditions, but a pine tree can harbor asthma triggers like mold and pollen, the ALA warns. Even the strong smell of pine can be a trigger. Parents should… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Is a Gluten-Free Diet Right for You?

Gradual Weight Loss Using Meds Helps Folks With Arthritis Live Longer

‘Morning After’ Pill Sales Surge on Day After New Years’ Eve

Over 200 Lead Poisoning Cases Now Linked to Tainted Fruit Puree Pouches

Former Pro Football Players Show Troubling Brain Changes

Could Spinal Cord Stimulation Ease Depression?

Eye Drop Recalls: What You Need to Know

Holidays Can Be Tough on Kids With ADHD, Anxiety: Some Tips for Parents

Injected Xolair Therapy Could Prevent Food Allergies in Kids

Candles, Trees, Pets: All Holiday Hazards for Kids With Asthma