A once-rare meat allergy caused by tick bites is dramatically increasing across the United States, researchers said. There’s been a 100-fold increase in positive test results for the allergy, called alpha-gal syndrome, between 2013 and 2024, researchers reported last week at the American College of Gastroenterology’s annual meeting in Phoenix. “Alpha-gal syndrome is unlike any other food allergy we treat,” researcher Dr. Vinay Jahagirdar, a fellow with the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Gastroenterology Fellowship Training Program and Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, said in a news release. “Symptoms often appear several hours after a person eats red meat, making it difficult to connect a meal with an allergic reaction,” Jahagirdar said. Many patients are misdiagnosed or go years without answers.” AGS occurs when a tick bite causes a person’s immune system to develop an allergic reaction to a sugar molecule found in beef, pork or lamb called galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, or alpha-gal, researchers said. Symptoms from an alpha-gal allergic reaction can include hives, swelling, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea or even life-threatening anaphylactic shock, researchers said. The syndrome typically is linked to bites from the lone star tick, researchers said. These ticks have expanded their range north and west in recent years, aided by warmer winters and growing deer populations. “Alpha-gal syndrome has gone from a medical curiosity to a major public health issue…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled over half a million bottles of a widely prescribed blood pressure medication, prazosin hydrochloride, because of concerns about a potentially cancer-causing chemical. New Jersey-based Teva Pharmaceuticals and drug distributor Amerisource Health Services initiated the voluntary recall for more than 580,000 bottles of the capsule drug, CBS News reported. The prazosin capsules may contain nitrosamine impurities in the medication. Nitrosamines are a group of chemicals that, at high levels or over long periods of exposure, are considered potentially cancer-causing in humans. The FDA said these chemicals can form due to a chemical reaction during the drug’s manufacturing process or leaching from packaging. The recall affects 1 mg, 2 mg and 5 mg doses of prazosin distributed by Teva Pharmaceuticals and 5 mg doses distributed by Amerisource Health Services. The pills were districted nationwide within the United States only, according to the FDA. Prazosin is primarily used to treat hypertension by relaxing blood vessels, which improves blood flow. Beyond treating high blood pressure, the medication may be prescribed for other off-label uses. The FDA classified the recall as a Class II risk, meaning the product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences, or that the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote. Patients taking these prazosin capsules should contact their doctor or pharmacist for guidance…  read on >  read on >

Recall due to the presence of nitrosamine impurities, classified as potential carcinogens  read on >

Any boozing can cause your blood pressure to go up, a new study shows. Even slight increases in alcohol consumption are associated with higher blood pressure, researchers reported Oct. 22 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Stopping drinking, or even cutting back, might lead to reductions in blood pressure that would lower a person’s risk of stroke or heart disease, researchers said. The results challenge long-standing assumptions that a drink here or there won’t meaningfully affect a person’s blood pressure, experts said. “Our study shows that when it comes to BP, the less you drink, the better. The more alcohol you drink, the higher your BP goes,” said lead researcher Dr. Takahiro Suzuki, a cardiologist at St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo. “In the past, scientists thought that small amounts of alcohol might be okay, but our results suggest that no alcohol is actually best,” Suzuki said in a news release. “This means that stopping drinking, even at low levels, could bring real heart health benefits for both women and men.” For the study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 360,000 annual check-ups at St. Luke’s between 2012 to 2024. As part of their check-up, patients reported their alcohol intake. Researchers divided the roughly 59,000 patients into two groups: those who were drinkers at the time of their first check-up, and those who…  read on >  read on >

Any boozing can cause your blood pressure to go up, a new study shows. Even slight increases in alcohol consumption are associated with higher blood pressure, researchers reported Oct. 22 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Stopping drinking, or even cutting back, might lead to reductions in blood pressure that would lower a person’s risk of stroke or heart disease, researchers said. The results challenge long-standing assumptions that a drink here or there won’t meaningfully affect a person’s blood pressure, experts said. “Our study shows that when it comes to BP, the less you drink, the better. The more alcohol you drink, the higher your BP goes,” said lead researcher Dr. Takahiro Suzuki, a cardiologist at St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo. “In the past, scientists thought that small amounts of alcohol might be okay, but our results suggest that no alcohol is actually best,” Suzuki said in a news release. “This means that stopping drinking, even at low levels, could bring real heart health benefits for both women and men.” For the study, researchers analyzed data from nearly 360,000 annual check-ups at St. Luke’s between 2012 to 2024. As part of their check-up, patients reported their alcohol intake. Researchers divided the roughly 59,000 patients into two groups: those who were drinkers at the time of their first check-up, and those who…  read on >  read on >

Encouraging parents to introduce peanuts to their infants early has led to a significant drop in new allergy diagnoses, according to researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Their study —  published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics — is the first large-scale analysis to show the real-world impact of the new feeding recommendations and a successful public health intervention. Anaphylactic food allergies — in which the immune system overreacts to foods like milk, egg or peanut — affect about 4% of children and can cause immediate, severe reactions such as hives, swelling and difficulty breathing.  Peanut is among the most common causes of these reactions, which are also known as immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated. The shift in public health policy was driven by the 2015 Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) trial, which found that regularly feeding peanut products to high-risk infants (those with severe eczema or egg allergy) reduced their risk of developing a peanut allergy by 81%. Following the LEAP trial, major pediatric and allergy organizations released guidelines in 2015 and 2017 focused on high-risk children.  These were broadened in 2021 to support having caregivers introduce major food allergens like peanut and egg at 4 to 6 months of age for all children without a history of a prior reaction. “Everyone has been wondering whether these landmark public health interventions have…  read on >  read on >

Encouraging parents to introduce peanuts to their infants early has led to a significant drop in new allergy diagnoses, according to researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Their study —  published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics — is the first large-scale analysis to show the real-world impact of the new feeding recommendations and a successful public health intervention. Anaphylactic food allergies — in which the immune system overreacts to foods like milk, egg or peanut — affect about 4% of children and can cause immediate, severe reactions such as hives, swelling and difficulty breathing.  Peanut is among the most common causes of these reactions, which are also known as immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated. The shift in public health policy was driven by the 2015 Learning Early About Peanut Allergy (LEAP) trial, which found that regularly feeding peanut products to high-risk infants (those with severe eczema or egg allergy) reduced their risk of developing a peanut allergy by 81%. Following the LEAP trial, major pediatric and allergy organizations released guidelines in 2015 and 2017 focused on high-risk children.  These were broadened in 2021 to support having caregivers introduce major food allergens like peanut and egg at 4 to 6 months of age for all children without a history of a prior reaction. “Everyone has been wondering whether these landmark public health interventions have…  read on >  read on >

Hidden deposits of fat deep inside the abdomen and liver can quietly increase your risk of stroke and heart attack, even if you appear to have a healthy weight. Results from a new study showed that both liver fat and the visceral fat packed around internal organs increase risk for hardened and clogged arteries in the neck, researchers reported Oct. 17 in Communications Medicine. People can have this sort of “skinny fat” even if their body mass index (BMI) is in the healthy range, researchers said. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight. “You can’t always tell by looking at someone whether they have visceral or liver fat,” senior researcher Dr. Sonia Anand, a vascular medicine specialist with Hamilton Health Sciences in Ontario, Canada, said in a news release. “This kind of fat is metabolically active and dangerous. It’s linked to inflammation and artery damage even in people who aren’t visibly overweight,” Anand said. “That’s why it’s so important to rethink how we assess obesity and cardiovascular risk.”  For the new study, researchers analyzed MRI data from more than 33,000 adults in Canada and the U.K., looking at both their fat deposits and the health of their neck arteries. Arteries in the neck feed blood to the brain, and their narrowing is a key predictor of stroke and heart attack,…  read on >  read on >

Hidden deposits of fat deep inside the abdomen and liver can quietly increase your risk of stroke and heart attack, even if you appear to have a healthy weight. Results from a new study showed that both liver fat and the visceral fat packed around internal organs increase risk for hardened and clogged arteries in the neck, researchers reported Oct. 17 in Communications Medicine. People can have this sort of “skinny fat” even if their body mass index (BMI) is in the healthy range, researchers said. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight. “You can’t always tell by looking at someone whether they have visceral or liver fat,” senior researcher Dr. Sonia Anand, a vascular medicine specialist with Hamilton Health Sciences in Ontario, Canada, said in a news release. “This kind of fat is metabolically active and dangerous. It’s linked to inflammation and artery damage even in people who aren’t visibly overweight,” Anand said. “That’s why it’s so important to rethink how we assess obesity and cardiovascular risk.”  For the new study, researchers analyzed MRI data from more than 33,000 adults in Canada and the U.K., looking at both their fat deposits and the health of their neck arteries. Arteries in the neck feed blood to the brain, and their narrowing is a key predictor of stroke and heart attack,…  read on >  read on >

Kiwis may be more than a healthy snack — they could also help get your digestive system moving.  New evidence-based dietary guidelines from the British Dietetic Association say kiwis, rye bread and certain supplements may help people manage chronic constipation without on medication. These guidelines focus specifically on diet-based constipation treatment rather than pharmaceuticals, according to lead author Eirini Dimidi, a registered dietitian and associate professor at King’s College London. She hopes that “people themselves with constipation can access now evidence-based information, feel empowered to take control of the symptoms and improve a condition that has a tremendous impact on quality of life.” Chronic constipation affects roughly 16% of adults worldwide. In the U.S. alone, constipation leads to about 2.5 million doctor visits each year, according to the American College of Gastroenterology. Constipation is defined as having fewer than three bowel movements per week, lasting for more than three months. Common symptoms include hard or lumpy stools, bloating, abdominal discomfort and nausea. “If you’re chronically constipated, you may not be able to even participate in physical activity, because you feel bloated, you’re in pain, you’re achy, it may affect your mood,” Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told NBC News. Researchers analyzed numerous clinical trials to determine which foods and supplements offer the best benefits. The recommendations…  read on >  read on >