The long-standing advice is that everyone should get more fiber in their diet, but a new study suggests some benefit more than others. A person’s gut microbiome appears to have some influence over the benefits a person derives from dietary fiber, researchers report in the journal Gut Microbes. Evidence from the study shows that each person has a unique response to eating a resistant starch, which is a form of dietary fiber found in bread, cereals, green bananas, whole-grain pasta, brown rice and potatoes. Some derive great benefit, while others experience little to no effect – and the difference appears to be tied to the diversity and composition of the microbes in their gut. The upshot is that people might do better if doctors gave personalized advice on what type of fiber to eat, based on their gut microbiome, researchers said. “Precision nutrition definitely has a use in determining what dietary fiber we should tell people to eat,” senior researcher Angela Poole, an assistant professor of molecular nutrition at Cornell University, said in a news release. “This is critical because we’ve had public messaging advising people to eat more dietary fiber for decades.” High-fiber diets can help people remain regular, feel fuller longer, reduce high blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugar levels, prior research has shown. For the study, researchers recruited 59…  read on >  read on >

A well-established cholesterol-lowering drug appears to significantly slow the progression of a diabetes-related eye disease, a new trial shows. Fenofibrate (Tricor) has been approved since 2004 as a means of lowering cholesterol. Now, this new study shows that fenofibrate also can reduce the progression of diabetic retinopathy by 27% compared to placebo. The findings were published June 21 in the journal NEJM Evidence and presented simultaneously at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. “Diabetic retinopathy remains a leading cause of visual loss and we need simple strategies that can be widely used to reduce the progression of diabetic eye disease,” said researcher David Preiss, an associate professor at Oxford Population Health in the UK. The results from the new trial “suggest that fenofibrate may provide a valuable addition to treat people with diabetic retinopathy,” Preiss added in a meeting news release. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when elevated blood sugar levels damage blood vessels in the back of the eye. The vessels start to swell and leak, eventually leading to blurry vision, blank spots and blindness. For this study, researchers recruited 1,151 adults in Scotland who had developed early diabetic retinopathy or macular degeneration. They were randomly assigned to take either fenofibrate tablets or a placebo. Over four years, nearly 23% of people taking fenofibrate had their eye disease worsen, compared with 29% on…  read on >  read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision to authorize the first menthol-flavored e-cigarettes has drawn the the ire of health advocates who say the decision undermines efforts to end the youth vaping epidemic in America. In its approval of four flavored vaping products made by Njoy, the agency defended its decision. “Based upon our rigorous scientific review, in this instance, the strength of evidence of benefits to adult smokers from completely switching to a less harmful product was sufficient to outweigh the risks to youth,” Matthew Farrelly, director of the Office of Science in the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in an agency news release announcing the authorization. But that argument did not convince anti-tobacco groups and health advocates. “The FDA’s decision today to authorize the sale of four menthol-flavored e-cigarettes made by Njoy — the first time the agency has authorized the sale of any flavored e-cigarettes — is deeply troubling given the extensive scientific evidence that menthol is a flavor that appeals to kids and the FDA’s repeated conclusions that flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored products, have driven youth e-cigarette use,” Yolonda Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement. “The scientific evidence demonstrates that menthol is a flavor that appeals to kids, and the tobacco industry has a long history of using menthol flavoring to attract…  read on >  read on >

A class of blood pressure medications appears to also help lower seniors’ risk of developing epilepsy, a new study finds. The drugs, called angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), might prevent epilepsy in people at highest risk of the disease, researchers reported June 17 in the journal JAMA Neurology. “This is incredibly exciting because we don’t currently have any medicines that prevent epilepsy,” said senior researcher Dr. Kimford Meador, a professor of neurology at Stanford University School of Medicine. “I hope these initial findings lead to randomized clinical trials.” Epilepsy is most often diagnosed during childhood, but more than 1% of people older than 65 are known to develop the recurring seizures associated with the brain disorder. Stroke is the most common risk factor for developing epilepsy as a senior. About 10% of stroke survivors develop seizures within five years, researchers noted. Hardened arteries and chronic high blood pressure also boost epilepsy risk, whether or not a person has had a stroke, the researchers added. “This can be a very debilitating disorder, and it’s much more common in older adults than people realize,” Meador said in a Stanford news release. A 2022 study of more than 160,000 people in Germany found that people taking ARBs for high blood pressure had a lower risk of epilepsy, researchers said. Those drugs block receptors for angiotensin II, a protein that…  read on >  read on >

Folks dieting to drop pounds should consider eating a fistful of nuts here and there, a new review suggests. People who ate 1.5 to 3 ounces of almonds, peanuts, pistachios or walnuts daily as part of a calorie-cutting diet wound up losing more weight than those on the same diet without nuts, researchers said. In fact, people on “nut-enriched” diets lost an extra 3 to 16 pounds compared to folks on nut-free diets, results show. “People often avoid nuts when trying to lose weight because they think that the energy and fat content in nuts can contribute to weight gain,” said senior researcher Alison Coates, dean of research in allied health and human performance with the University of South Australia. Instead, it looks like nuts might help curb hunger more effectively. “Nuts are rich in healthy unsaturated fats, plant protein and dietary fiber, all of which play a role in promoting satiety and reducing excess calorie consumption,” Coates said in a university news release. “Nuts are associated with improved cardiovascular and metabolic health, better gut health and enhanced cognitive performance.” For the review, researchers analyzed the findings of seven randomized controlled trials involving diets that cut food intake between 240 and 1,000 calories a day. The studies lasted from a month to a year, and involved 676 people who were overweight or obese. None of…  read on >  read on >

The number of people severely sickened after consuming mushroom edibles sold as Diamond Shruumz-brand chocolate bars, cones or gummies has risen, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. “As of June 17, 2024, a total of 26 illnesses have been reported from 16 states,” the FDA noted in an updated advisory. That’s up from 12 cases in 8 states reported a week ago. “Twenty-five of the 26 people have reported seeking medical care; 16 have been hospitalized,” the FDA added, noting that “no deaths have been reported.” The exact cause of the illnesses isn’t clear, but the FDA said its “investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of these illnesses and the appropriate next steps.” Symptoms have included “seizures, central nervous system depression [loss of consciousness, confusion, sleepiness], agitation, abnormal heart rates, hyper/hypotension, nausea and vomiting,” the agency added. The Diamond Shruumz-brand mushroom edible products are being marketed online and at smoke/vape shops, legal CBD/THC shops and other retail outlets nationwide. The FDA is asking retailers to stop selling the products. “FDA has been in contact with the firm about a possible voluntary recall, but these discussions are still ongoing,” the agency noted. The edibles pose a special danger to kids, the FDA added.“This product may appeal to children and teenagers as it is marketed as a candy,” the FDA noted. “Parents and caregivers…  read on >  read on >

After a recall was issued last year for lead-tainted applesauce pouches linked to illnesses in over 500 children, the discount retailer Dollar Tree failed to remove all products from store shelves for too long, federal officials said Tuesday. In a warning letter sent to the company, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said WanaBana apple puree products remained in stores in several states through late December, two months after Dollar Tree was first told about the recall. Officials at the Virginia-based company told the agency that it refused sales of the products at registers, but the FDA said that was “not an effective measure” because at least one child in Washington state ate a recalled fruit pouch in a store before a purchase was made. The recall effort first began in October 2023, when WanaBana recalled its fruit pouches over concerns about lead and chromium contamination. Chromium is a carcinogen, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a seller of the pouches, Dollar Tree was notified of the recall. However, subsequent checks of stores “revealed that you continued to offer the recalled WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches on store shelves well after the recall was initiated, despite FDA’s numerous attempts to bring this serious issue to your attention,” the agency said in its warning letter. “Exposure to lead at the levels found…  read on >  read on >

 The average American diet has only improved modestly over the past two decades, despite tons of research tying unhealthy food to obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, a new study finds. The percentage of U.S. adults with a poor diet decreased from 49% to 37% between 1999 and 2020, based on data from a regular federal survey of American dietary patterns. Americans with intermediate diet quality increased from 51% to 61% during the same period, showing some improvement. But the proportion of Americans with an ideal diet remained starkly low, rising only from 0.7% to 1.6%, researchers at Tufts University in Boston found. “While we’ve seen some modest improvement in American diets in the last two decades, those improvements are not reaching everyone, and many Americans are eating worse,” said researcher Dariush Mozaffarian, cardiologist and director of the university’s Food is Medicine Institute. “Our new research shows that the nation can’t achieve nutritional and health equity until we address the barriers many Americans face when it comes to accessing and eating nourishing food,” Mozaffarian added in a Tufts news release. For the study, researchers analyzed federal diet survey data for more than 51,700 adults. Diet quality was measured using a scoresheet developed by the American Heart Association. Results show people are eating more nuts and seeds, whole grains, poultry, cheese and eggs, researchers found.…  read on >  read on >

The number of pregnant women with chronic high blood pressure doubled during the past decade and a half, but treatment remains low among them, a new study found. About 3.7% of pregnant women were diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2021, up from 1.8% in 2008, researchers said. However, prescriptions handed out to pregnant women for high blood pressure remained about the same, with only 60% getting drugs that could lower their blood pressure. “While the rate of hypertension in pregnancy has doubled, the use of medication for treatment remained stable at only 60%, which we believe is likely below what it should be if patients are treated according to clinical guidelines,” said lead researcher Stephanie Leonard, an epidemiologist with Stanford University School of Medicine. For the study, published June 17 in the journal Hypertension, researchers analyzed a database of private health insurance claims for 2007 to 2021, reviewing records for 1.9 million pregnancies during that period. They found that the frequency of high blood pressure diagnosis during pregnancy continued to rise steadily over the past decade and a half. However, the researchers were surprised to find no spike in diagnoses following a 2017 guideline update that lowered the threshold for early-stage high blood pressure. “We had hoped to see some impact from the 2017 guideline, which reduced the blood pressure threshold for treatment of…  read on >  read on >

In countries where gender equality is becoming more of a reality, men’s meat consumption tends to rise relative to women’s, a new study shows. The phenomenon was seen mainly in richer countries in North America and Europe, and was not seen at all in large but less affluent China, India and Indonesia. Why? Researchers believe it’s due to men in wealthier, more gender-equal nations having more control over their meal choices — and choosing meat more often. The trend is “more likely to be driven by more extensive meat consumption among men in developed countries, in which greater wealth creates more opportunities for men to choose meat, than by lower meat consumption among women,” the researchers concluded. The study was led by Christopher Hopwood, a professor of psychology at the University of Zurich, in Switzerland. It was published June 13 in the journal Scientific Reports. The researchers started off with one longstanding statistic: Almost everywhere, men tend to eat more meat than women. But would that carnivore gender gap close once women made gains in equality with respect to men? To find out, Hopwood’s team looked at survey data collected in 2021 from almost 21,000 people from 23 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Participants reported their gender and how frequently they ate meat. As expected, in most countries (with the exception…  read on >  read on >