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Cutting some carbohydrates may help people with type 2 diabetes live longer — as long as they are swapping sugar for vegetables instead of steak, new research suggests. The study, of more than 10,000 U.S. adults with type 2 diabetes, found that those who ate relatively fewer carbohydrates were less likely to die over the next 30 years, versus those with a bigger taste for carbs. But the quality of those lower-carb diets was key: People who ate a moderate amount of carbs but still fit in plenty of vegetables, fruit, fiber-rich grains and beans tended to live longer, versus people with higher-carb diets. Then there were the folks with lower-carb diets that were heavy in meat and dairy. They saw no such survival advantage. Experts said the findings, published in April issue of Diabetes Care, support a familiar piece of diet advice: Limit sugar and heavily processed foods, and eat more plants. More than 37 million Americans have diabetes, the vast majority of whom have the type 2 form, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Type 2 diabetes arises when the body loses its sensitivity to the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin. The disease is often related to obesity, and diet changes, exercise and weight loss are cornerstones of managing it. Low-carb diets are often promoted for weight loss and reining… read on > read on >

Do you ever wonder why you typically feel hungry when it’s time for dinner? Researchers say that’s not just a habit, but a physiological drive, with the human body able to predict the timing of regular meals. “We often get hungry around the same time every day, but the extent to which our biology can anticipate mealtimes is unknown. It is possible that metabolic rhythms align to meal patterns and that regularity of meals will ensure that we eat at the time when our bodies are best adapted to deal with them,” said study author Jonathan Johnston. He is a professor of chronobiology and integrative physiology at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. To investigate if the human circadian system anticipates meals, the researchers worked with 24 men in an eight-day laboratory study with strict sleep-wake schedules. For six days, 12 participants consumed small meals hourly throughout the waking period. The other 12 participants ate two large daily meals at 7.5 and 14.5 hours after waking. After those six days, all the participants were given the same eating schedule for 37 hours. They received small meals hourly in a procedure known to reveal internal circadian rhythms. Researchers measured the participants’ glucose (blood sugar) every 15 minutes during the study. The participants shared their hunger levels hourly during waking hours on days two, four… read on > read on >

Cutting out nutrients such as carbs, fat or protein may be a popular way to shed pounds but doing so can have unintended consequences. Instead, aim for a balance of those macronutrients to fuel your life and activities, said Dr. Elizabeth Albright of University of Michigan Health-West in Wyoming, Mich. In a university news release, she offered some suggestions for a balanced diet that will fit your lifestyle and offer the right fuel. Food is necessary to live, so don’t think of it as “good” or “bad”: Just because certain foods may fuel you toward your goals more effectively doesn’t make other foods bad, Albright said. Like putting unleaded gas in a diesel engine, some foods just aren’t the right fuel for you and can damage your body. Gender, race, genetics, metabolism and hormone levels all affect nutrition needs. Change your mindset: Rather than following a “diet” that has an end date, make your food habits a lifestyle. Pass on processed foods: Reducing your intake of processed foods will improve your general sense of well-being and lead to improvements in chronic disease and often weight loss. The chemicals used to increase foods’ shelf life are often highly inflammatory to the body, Albright said, which can put stress on organ systems and, eventually, cause dysfunction. Choose these foods: Build your menu around lean meats and proteins.… read on > read on >

Paxlovid, a medication that has helped millions of high-risk COVID patients avoid hospitalization and death since late 2021, moved one step closer to getting full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday. An FDA advisory panel voted 16-1 that the Pfizer drug remains a safe and effective treatment and should be given full approval. It has only received emergency use authorization until now, but the FDA is expected to make a final decision on full approval by May, the Associated Press reported. The vote was not a surprise, given that Paxlovid continues to be a well-used treatment while other drugs no longer work against a mutated virus. While data for healthy adults shows the drug makes no meaningful difference, it shows significant benefits for high-risk adults. Paxlovid reduces the chance of hospitalization and death by about 60% to 85% for seniors and adults who have health issues that include obesity, diabetes, lung disease and immune system disorders, the AP reported. “We still have many groups that stand to benefit from Paxlovid, including unvaccinated persons, under-vaccinated persons, the elderly and the immuno-compromised,” said Dr. Richard Murphy, of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Paxlovid could prevent 1,500 deaths and 13,000 hospitalizations each week, according to the FDA. The United States still sees about 4,000 COVID deaths and 35,000 hospitalizations weekly, according to the AP.… read on > read on >

Steering clear of red meat, dairy and processed foods in favor of vegetables, fruits, nuts, extra virgin olive oil and whole grains will do a woman’s heart good, a new review shows. How much good? Australian investigators concluded that women who most closely followed the Mediterranean diet — which also features legumes, fish and shellfish, and moderate amounts of wine — appeared to lower their long-term risk for heart disease and premature death by nearly 25%, compared with women who didn’t. Though not involved in the analysis, Connie Diekman, a food and nutrition consultant and former president of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, said the finding “is not surprising.” For one, Diekman noted that “studies continue to demonstrate the benefit of a plant-based eating plan to reduce inflammation, a likely contributor to disease development. In addition, the limited intake of saturated fats (found predominantly in animal foods) and consumption of unsaturated fats (found in higher amounts in plants) seems to be connected to blood levels of LDL cholesterol (the ‘bad’ cholesterol) and HDL cholesterol (the ‘good’ cholesterol).” Diekman added that past research has also shown that using olive oil and nuts that are high in unsaturated fats — both key foods in the Mediterranean diet — can help lower heart disease risk. Dr. Gregg Fonarow is director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center, co-director of… read on > read on >

Americans are eating more food additives, according to a new study that found about 60% of foods they purchase contain coloring or flavoring agents, preservatives and sweeteners. That’s up by 10% from 2001. “Our research clearly shows that the proportion of ultra-processed foods with additives in Americans’ shopping carts increased significantly between 2001 and 2019,” said study leader Elizabeth Dunford, a nutrition researcher at the Gillings Global School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). “We observed this trend across all food and additive categories.” This is important, according to the study, published recently in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, because the health consequences of food additives are not fully understood. Assessing exposure to these additives is a key to understanding any role they play in weight gain, negative changes to the gut microbiome and other adverse health outcomes that are associated with ultra-processed foods, according to researchers. More than half of the overall packaged food and beverage products bought by U.S. households contained three or more additives in 2019, according to the research. A 22% higher percentage of baby food purchases were ultra-processed and contained additives. “These findings give us reason for concern, given the growing evidence linking high consumption of processed foods with adverse health outcomes,” Dunford said in journal news release. One… read on > read on >

(HealthDay News) – Migraine sufferers will soon have a new treatment option that works more quickly and may be safer for people at risk of heart attack or stroke. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Pfizer Inc.’s zavegepant (Zavzpret), a nasal spray meant to treat severe headache pain, the company announced Friday. “The FDA approval of Zavzpret marks a significant breakthrough for people with migraine who need freedom from pain and prefer alternative options to oral medications,” Angela Hwang, chief commercial officer and president of Pfizer’s global biopharmaceuticals business, said in a company news release. “Zavzpret underscores Pfizer’s commitment to delivering an additional treatment option to help people with migraine gain relief and get back to their daily lives.” Pfizer expects the nasal spray to be in pharmacies by July, but it didn’t release pricing information. “We’ve been waiting for this medication to come out,” Dr. Timothy Collins, chief of the headache division at Duke University Medical Center’s neurology department, told the New York Times. “It’s a really helpful addition to migraine management.” The FDA approval was based largely on the results of a clinical trial published this month in the journal Lancet Neurology that found those who took the medication were more likely to return to normal within 30 minutes to two hours. The medication worked for about 24% of those who… read on > read on >

Planning for a safe summer camp experience requires some extra steps if your child has asthma or allergies. An allergy expert noted that it’s a huge concern for parents. “Most kids heading off to summer camp for the first time wonder how they’ll cope sleeping in a cabin with 10 other kids, if they’ll make friends, and what exactly is in the bug juice,” said allergist Dr. Kathleen May, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). “Meanwhile, parents of kids with allergies and asthma are wondering if the camp is prepared to handle an emergency situation should one arise,” May said in a college news release. ACAAI offered some tips for a safe camp experience: Consider a camp focused on kids with food allergies or asthma. These camps provide specialized medical staff who are trained in treating allergic diseases. An internet search may help you find one nearby. Make sure prescriptions are up to date, symptoms are under control and your child’s medication dosage hasn’t changed. If your child has a prescription for an epinephrine auto injector because of a severe allergy, be sure you have a ready supply. Ask your child’s doctor about updating his or her COVID vaccination before camp. Talk to camp personnel about your child’s health needs well in advance. Let the camp know if asthma would… read on > read on >

New U.S. federal regulations will require mammography facilities to tell women if they have dense breasts, a description of how the tissue looks on the X-ray. It can be more difficult to detect cancer in dense breast tissue on a mammogram. Having dense breasts is also a risk factor for developing breast cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration update amends regulations issued under the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) of 1992 (MQSA). “Today’s action represents the agency’s broader commitment to support innovation to prevent, detect and treat cancer,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hilary Marston. “Since 1992, the FDA has worked to ensure patients have access to quality mammography,” she said in an FDA news release. “The impact of the Mammography Quality Standards Act on public health has been significant, including a steep decrease in the number of facilities that do not meet quality standards. This means that more women have access to consistent, quality mammography. We remain committed to advancing efforts to improve the health of women and strengthen the fight against breast cancer.” The update also strengthens the FDA’s oversight and enforcement of facilities and helps doctors better categorize and assess mammograms. The original act was designed to ensure quality mammography, an important tool for early breast cancer detection. About half of U.S. women over 40 have dense breast tissue. The amendments… read on > read on >

Elderly adults who eat plenty of leafy green vegetables, fish and other healthy fare may take years off their “brain age,” a new study suggests. Researchers found that seniors with either of two healthy eating patterns — the Mediterranean and MIND diets — showed fewer brain “plaques,” abnormal protein clumps that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, people with the highest Mediterranean or MIND scores had brains that were up to 18 years younger than their counterparts with more of a burger-and-fries diet. Experts said the findings do not prove that spinach and fish will ward off dementia. But they do add to a growing body of evidence linking healthy eating to slower brain aging. Lead researcher Puja Agarwal called the results “exciting,” because they suggest that even a simple dietary change could make a substantial difference. Based on the findings, older people who eat, say, a cup of leafy greens a day could have a brain that’s four years younger, versus their peers who shun the likes of kale and spinach. The study, published March 8 in Neurology, builds on past research into diet and dementia. Both the Mediterranean and MIND diets have already been linked to slower mental decline and a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers said in background notes. Now the new findings connect the diets to fewer… read on > read on >