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About 40% Of U.S. Smokers Struggle With Disability

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About 2 of 5 smokers in the U.S. suffer from some form of disability, a new study says. And in 1 of 7, their disability is so severe it interferes with their daily lives, researchers report. “The prevalence of disability among adults in the USA who currently smoke cigarettes was more than two times higher when compared with those who have never smoked,” concluded the research team led by Jeanette Novakovich, a writer-editor at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most common disabilities among smokers were mobility and problems with thinking or memory, researchers reported May 29 in the journal Tobacco Control. For the study, researchers analyzed data gathered between 2019 and 2023 by the National Health Interview Survey, an in-person household survey conducted by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The survey asks people whether they are current or former smokers, and also asks a series of questions designed to assess their disability. The research team compared reported disability among around 17,600 current smokers to 37,500 former smokers and just under 91,000 people who never smoked. Results showed that about 40% of the nation’s 25 million current smokers have “some difficulty,” “a lot of difficulty,” or “cannot do at all” when it comes to: Mobility, defined as difficulty walking or climbing up steps. Cognitive difficulty, or difficulty remembering or…  read on >  read on >

Burning Out? An E-Tattoo Can Track Mental Strain

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Ever thought so long and hard on a problem that your forehead grew hot, your brain became frazzled and your eyes grew bleary? A new temporary tattoo can help measure that sort of mental strain, researchers report. The wireless forehead electronic tattoo decodes brainwaves to measure mental strain and potential burnout without bulky headgear, researchers reported today in the journal Device. This e-tattoo could help improve safety among folks in jobs that require constant focus, like air traffic controllers or truckers, researchers said. “We’ve long monitored workers’ physical health, tracking injuries and muscle strain,” researcher Luis Sentis, a professor of engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a news release. “Now we have the ability to monitor mental strain, which hasn’t been tracked,” he continued. “This could fundamentally change how organizations ensure the overall well-being of their workforce.” There’s a cognitive “Goldilocks zone” for humans, where they perform best when they’re neither overwhelmed nor bored, researchers said in background notes. “There is an optimal mental workload for optimal performance, which differs from person to person,” senior researcher Nanshu Lu, a professor of engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a news release. The wireless e-tattoo consists of a lightweight battery back and paper-thin sticker-like sensors, researcher said. The sensors feature wavy loops and coils, which allows them to stretch…  read on >  read on >

Dementia Tied To Heart, Metabolic Diseases

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Heart disease, strokes and diabetes contribute to many dementia cases in the United States, but the risk is not equal everywhere, a new study says. Overall, more than a third (37%) of U.S. dementia cases are linked to eight conditions: diabetes, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, researchers found. The South has the strongest link between these diseases and dementia, researchers reported recently in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. “A substantial number of dementia cases could be eliminated by mitigating modifiable cardiometabolic risk factors, especially in U.S. counties with a high risk of dementia attributed to these risk factors,” senior researcher Dr. Brad Racette said in a news release. He’s chair of neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. For the study, researchers analyzed claims data from Medicare covering nearly 21 million Americans 67 and older, including more than 756,000 dementia cases. Dementia cases were most strongly associated with stroke, with a 2.2-times higher risk, followed by heart failure (2.1 times increased risk) and high blood pressure (78% increased risk), results show. The link between high cholesterol and dementia was the weakest, with a 27% increased risk, researchers found. “Realistically, a 15% proportional reduction in these [eight] risk factors would reduce incident dementia cases in the population by an estimated 6.3 %,” Racette estimates. Looking…  read on >  read on >

Dementia Tied To Heart, Metabolic Diseases

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Heart disease, strokes and diabetes contribute to many dementia cases in the United States, but the risk is not equal everywhere, a new study says. Overall, more than a third (37%) of U.S. dementia cases are linked to eight conditions: diabetes, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, researchers found. The South has the strongest link between these diseases and dementia, researchers reported recently in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. “A substantial number of dementia cases could be eliminated by mitigating modifiable cardiometabolic risk factors, especially in U.S. counties with a high risk of dementia attributed to these risk factors,” senior researcher Dr. Brad Racette said in a news release. He’s chair of neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. For the study, researchers analyzed claims data from Medicare covering nearly 21 million Americans 67 and older, including more than 756,000 dementia cases. Dementia cases were most strongly associated with stroke, with a 2.2-times higher risk, followed by heart failure (2.1 times increased risk) and high blood pressure (78% increased risk), results show. The link between high cholesterol and dementia was the weakest, with a 27% increased risk, researchers found. “Realistically, a 15% proportional reduction in these [eight] risk factors would reduce incident dementia cases in the population by an estimated 6.3 %,” Racette estimates. Looking…  read on >  read on >

Belly Fat Linked To Psoriasis

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Belly flab appears to be a stronger warning sign for psoriasis than fat located elsewhere on the body, a new study says. Fat around the abdomen is more strongly linked to psoriasis risk that total body fat, particularly in women. “Our research shows that where fat is stored in the body matters when it comes to psoriasis risk,” lead researcher Dr. Ravi Ramessur, a dermatologist at the St. John’s Institute of Dermatology at King’s College London, said in a news release. Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition in which the body overproduces new skin cells, churning them out in days rather than weeks, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The overabundant cells pile up, creating thick, scaly patches that itch like the dickens. Many people with psoriasis have excess weight, and it’s well-established that increasing levels of body fat raise a person’s risk of psoriasis, researchers said in background notes. However, it hasn’t been clear if the fat distribution on a person’s body matters when it comes to psoriasis risk, researchers said. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 330,000 participants in the U.K. Biobank, a large-scale health research project, including more than 9,000 people with psoriasis. The team examined 25 measures of body fat using traditional methods and advanced imaging techniques to see how each was associated with psoriasis. It turned…  read on >  read on >

Belly Fat Linked To Psoriasis

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Belly flab appears to be a stronger warning sign for psoriasis than fat located elsewhere on the body, a new study says. Fat around the abdomen is more strongly linked to psoriasis risk that total body fat, particularly in women. “Our research shows that where fat is stored in the body matters when it comes to psoriasis risk,” lead researcher Dr. Ravi Ramessur, a dermatologist at the St. John’s Institute of Dermatology at King’s College London, said in a news release. Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition in which the body overproduces new skin cells, churning them out in days rather than weeks, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The overabundant cells pile up, creating thick, scaly patches that itch like the dickens. Many people with psoriasis have excess weight, and it’s well-established that increasing levels of body fat raise a person’s risk of psoriasis, researchers said in background notes. However, it hasn’t been clear if the fat distribution on a person’s body matters when it comes to psoriasis risk, researchers said. For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 330,000 participants in the U.K. Biobank, a large-scale health research project, including more than 9,000 people with psoriasis. The team examined 25 measures of body fat using traditional methods and advanced imaging techniques to see how each was associated with psoriasis. It turned…  read on >  read on >

Pizza, Soup and Chicken Among Top Sources of Sodium for All Americans

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These days Americans can agree on few things, but unfortunately, pizza, soup and chicken aren’t among them, a new study says. Those three foods are some of the main sources of sodium for Americans of all racial and ethnic groups, contributing to high blood pressure and heart disease in the U.S., researchers reported May 28 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. But beyond the common love for pizza, soup and chicken, the ways different groups of Americans consume too much sodium vary widely, researchers found. For example, Asian American adults are more likely to add salt in their cooking, but less likely to sprinkle it at the table, results show. Meanwhile, Black Americans are more likely to try to reduce their salt intake, often on the advice of their doctor, researchers say. The average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, far above the American Heart Association’s (AHA) recommended 2,300 mg. for healthy people and 1,500 mg. for those with high blood pressure, researchers said in background notes. “The World Health Organization calls sodium reduction one of the most cost-effective strategies for addressing chronic conditions such as heart disease,” said lead researcher Jessica Cheng, a postdoctoral research fellow in epidemiology at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “High sodium intake can even affect non-heart-related diseases like…  read on >  read on >

Pizza, Soup and Chicken Among Top Sources of Sodium for All Americans

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These days Americans can agree on few things, but unfortunately, pizza, soup and chicken aren’t among them, a new study says. Those three foods are some of the main sources of sodium for Americans of all racial and ethnic groups, contributing to high blood pressure and heart disease in the U.S., researchers reported May 28 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. But beyond the common love for pizza, soup and chicken, the ways different groups of Americans consume too much sodium vary widely, researchers found. For example, Asian American adults are more likely to add salt in their cooking, but less likely to sprinkle it at the table, results show. Meanwhile, Black Americans are more likely to try to reduce their salt intake, often on the advice of their doctor, researchers say. The average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, far above the American Heart Association’s (AHA) recommended 2,300 mg. for healthy people and 1,500 mg. for those with high blood pressure, researchers said in background notes. “The World Health Organization calls sodium reduction one of the most cost-effective strategies for addressing chronic conditions such as heart disease,” said lead researcher Jessica Cheng, a postdoctoral research fellow in epidemiology at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. “High sodium intake can even affect non-heart-related diseases like…  read on >  read on >

Shedding Pounds in Middle Age Could Add Years to Your Life, Study Finds

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Losing just 6.5% of body weight in midlife may lower later risk of disease and premature death, new research shows. Researchers found that people who lost about 6.5% of their body weight — without using weight loss drugs or surgery — reaped big health benefits later in life, CNN reported. For someone who weighs 180 pounds, that’s just shy of a 12-pound weight loss. “Although correcting midlife overweight without surgical or pharmacological treatment is challenging, our results suggest that it is feasible and may be associated with decreased long-term risk of cardiovascular diseases, other chronic conditions, and mortality outcomes associated with overweight,” the study, led by Dr. Timo Strandberg, a professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Helsinki in Finland, concluded. Published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open, it looked at data from nearly 23,000 adults across three time periods, going back to the 1960s.  Researchers grouped folks based on their body mass index (BMI) at the start and whether they gained, lost or maintained weight. (BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight.) Then, they checked hospital and death records. People who lost weight were less likely to suffer from heart attacks, strokes, cancer, asthma and lung diseases like COPD, the study found. They were also less likely to die from any cause over the next 35 years. It’s worth…  read on >  read on >