Governors of California, Oregon, and Washington announced the alliance in response to recent leadership changes and other actions they say have ‘undermined’ the CDC read on >
Products may be contaminated with bacteria that can cause serious infections read on >
The weight-loss drug Wegovy may lower the risk of heart attack, stroke or death more than similar medications, according to new research from its maker, Novo Nordisk. In a study of more than 21,000 patients with obesity and heart disease but no diabetes, those taking Wegovy — which contains the active ingredient semaglutide — saw a 57% greater reduction in heart-related risks compared to people taking tirzepatide, the ingredient in Eli Lilly’s weight-loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound. The findings were presented at a medical conference and have not yet been peer-reviewed or published. As such, they should be regarded as preliminary. “This data confirms that semaglutide stands apart as the only available GLP-1-based medication with proven cardiovascular benefits for people living with obesity and cardiovascular disease, without diabetes,” Ludovic Helfgott, Novo Nordisk’s head of product and portfolio strategy, said in a news release. The real-world study looked at medical records rather than results from a controlled clinical trial. Patients taking 2.4 mg of Wegovy had 15 cardiovascular events — about 0.1% of participants — compared with 39 events (0.4%) among those taking tirzepatide when treatment lasted more than 30 days, the study found. Even when researchers included patients who paused their medications for more than 30 days, Wegovy users still saw a 29% lower risk of heart attack, stroke or death compared with those using… read on > read on >
Expert consensus on the treatment of preschoolers diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is clear: Try behavioral therapies for six months before prescribing medications. However, a new study found this guideline was followed in only 14.1% of U.S. cases involving children ages 3 to 5. “We found that many young children are being prescribed medications very soon after their diagnosis of ADHD is documented,” said study lead author Dr. Yair Bannett, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford Medicine in California. “That’s concerning, because we know starting ADHD treatment with a behavioral approach is beneficial; it has a big positive effect on the child as well as on the family,” he explained. Immediate use of stimulant meds such as Adderall or Ritalin can bring one other downside, since preschoolers’ bodies do not metabolize the drugs as easily as older childrens’ can. That could lead to increased side effects from stimulants — such as aggression or irritability — that can turn parents off from ever opting for the beneficial meds again, the Stanford team said. “We don’t have concerns about the toxicity of the medications for 4- and 5-year-olds, but we do know that there is a high likelihood of treatment failure, because many families decide the side effects outweigh the benefits,” Bannett said in a Stanford news release. His team published its findings Aug.… read on > read on >
Expert consensus on the treatment of preschoolers diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is clear: Try behavioral therapies for six months before prescribing medications. However, a new study found this guideline was followed in only 14.1% of U.S. cases involving children ages 3 to 5. “We found that many young children are being prescribed medications very soon after their diagnosis of ADHD is documented,” said study lead author Dr. Yair Bannett, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Stanford Medicine in California. “That’s concerning, because we know starting ADHD treatment with a behavioral approach is beneficial; it has a big positive effect on the child as well as on the family,” he explained. Immediate use of stimulant meds such as Adderall or Ritalin can bring one other downside, since preschoolers’ bodies do not metabolize the drugs as easily as older childrens’ can. That could lead to increased side effects from stimulants — such as aggression or irritability — that can turn parents off from ever opting for the beneficial meds again, the Stanford team said. “We don’t have concerns about the toxicity of the medications for 4- and 5-year-olds, but we do know that there is a high likelihood of treatment failure, because many families decide the side effects outweigh the benefits,” Bannett said in a Stanford news release. His team published its findings Aug.… read on > read on >
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, and a new study says that’s absolutely true as far as bone health is concerned. Folks who skip breakfast have a greater risk of broken bones from osteoporosis, researchers reported Aug. 28 in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. “We found skipping breakfast and having late dinners was associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis,” said lead researcher Dr. Hiroki Nakajima of Nara Medical University in Japan. “Furthermore, these unhealthy eating habits were found to be linked with the accumulation of other lifestyle risk factors such as physical inactivity, smoking and insufficient sleep,” Nakajima added in a news release. For the study, researchers analyzed health claims and checkup data from more than 927,000 people in Japan age 20 and older. The team looked for associations between lifestyle and people’s risk of a hip, arm or leg fracture due to osteoporosis. Results showed that skipping breakfast increased a person’s risk of a broken bone from osteoporosis by 18%, smoking by 11% and eating dinner late by 8%. If a person both skipped breakfast and ate late dinner, their risk of osteoporosis and a bone break rose to 23%, researchers found. Other unhealthy habits that increased risk of broken bones included daily alcohol consumption, a lack of exercise and bad sleep, researchers said. “These results… read on > read on >
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, and a new study says that’s absolutely true as far as bone health is concerned. Folks who skip breakfast have a greater risk of broken bones from osteoporosis, researchers reported Aug. 28 in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. “We found skipping breakfast and having late dinners was associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis,” said lead researcher Dr. Hiroki Nakajima of Nara Medical University in Japan. “Furthermore, these unhealthy eating habits were found to be linked with the accumulation of other lifestyle risk factors such as physical inactivity, smoking and insufficient sleep,” Nakajima added in a news release. For the study, researchers analyzed health claims and checkup data from more than 927,000 people in Japan age 20 and older. The team looked for associations between lifestyle and people’s risk of a hip, arm or leg fracture due to osteoporosis. Results showed that skipping breakfast increased a person’s risk of a broken bone from osteoporosis by 18%, smoking by 11% and eating dinner late by 8%. If a person both skipped breakfast and ate late dinner, their risk of osteoporosis and a bone break rose to 23%, researchers found. Other unhealthy habits that increased risk of broken bones included daily alcohol consumption, a lack of exercise and bad sleep, researchers said. “These results… read on > read on >
Fatty foods might contribute to asthma in children, a new study says. Fats found in certain foods are linked to neutrophilic asthma, a non-allergic type of asthma triggered by microbial and bacterial proteins, researchers reported Aug. 27 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Specifically, a type of saturated fatty acid called stearic acid – often found in animal fat and processed foods – appears to start a chain reaction that can lead to neutrophilic asthma, researchers said. “Prior to this study, many suspected that childhood obesity was causing this form of asthma,” said senior researcher Dr. David Hill, an attending physician in allergy and immunology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “However, we were observing neutrophilic asthma in children who weren’t obese, which is why we suspected there might be another mechanism,” Hill said in a news release. “What we found in both preclinical work and studies in children was that diets containing certain saturated long chain fatty acids can cause neutrophilic asthma independent from obesity.” Neutrophilic asthma is more difficult to treat than allergic asthma, researchers said in background notes, and more likely to cause symptoms severe enough to land patients in a hospital. Work with laboratory mice revealed that stearic acid can cause an accumulation of lung macrophages, a type of white blood cell that coordinates immune function during inflammation, researchers report. On the… read on > read on >
Fatty foods might contribute to asthma in children, a new study says. Fats found in certain foods are linked to neutrophilic asthma, a non-allergic type of asthma triggered by microbial and bacterial proteins, researchers reported Aug. 27 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Specifically, a type of saturated fatty acid called stearic acid – often found in animal fat and processed foods – appears to start a chain reaction that can lead to neutrophilic asthma, researchers said. “Prior to this study, many suspected that childhood obesity was causing this form of asthma,” said senior researcher Dr. David Hill, an attending physician in allergy and immunology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “However, we were observing neutrophilic asthma in children who weren’t obese, which is why we suspected there might be another mechanism,” Hill said in a news release. “What we found in both preclinical work and studies in children was that diets containing certain saturated long chain fatty acids can cause neutrophilic asthma independent from obesity.” Neutrophilic asthma is more difficult to treat than allergic asthma, researchers said in background notes, and more likely to cause symptoms severe enough to land patients in a hospital. Work with laboratory mice revealed that stearic acid can cause an accumulation of lung macrophages, a type of white blood cell that coordinates immune function during inflammation, researchers report. On the… read on > read on >
Eli Lilly says its new once-daily pill, orforglipron, helped people lose significant weight and lower blood sugar in a late-stage clinical trial. The company plans to seek global regulatory approval later this year. The study included people with overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Participants who took the highest dose of the drug (36 milligrams) lost an average of 22.9 pounds — about 10.5% of their body weight — after 72 weeks. The pill also lowered A1C levels — a measure of blood sugar control — by 1.8% on average, CNN reported. Those results, which have not been peer-reviewed, were lower than weight loss figures announced earlier this month, when the company reported that the highest dose helped patients shed an average 27.3 pounds, or 12.4% of their body weight. Unlike Rybelsus, the only semaglutide pill currently available, orforglipron doesn’t require strict fasting or limited water intake. The pill offers an alternative to injections, which some people find difficult or unpleasant. Eli Lilly says side effects were mostly mild to moderate, with upset stomach being the most common. If approved, orforglipron could offer millions of people with obesity or type 2 diabetes another treatment option. The company is also testing whether the pill may help with other conditions, including high blood pressure and sleep apnea. With earlier promising trial results, the company has been mass-producing… read on > read on >
