Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

Headed to the beach or park for a little fresh air? Don’t forget your sun protection, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, affecting one in five Americans, but many don’t protect themselves from harmful UV rays. Sixty percent of respondents to an AAD survey said they had had such a bad sunburn their clothes were uncomfortable, and 43% hurt too much to sleep. “Sunburns are highly preventable, but each year, one in three U.S. adults gets sunburned,” said AAD president Dr. Bruce Thiers. “As dermatologists, we know that unprotected exposure to the sun’s harmful UV rays is a major risk factor for skin cancer,” he said in an academy news release. “It only takes a few simple steps to protect yourself from the sun, and it can reduce your risk of getting sunburns, skin cancer and premature skin aging, such as wrinkles and age spots.” To protect yourself, the AAD recommends: Seek shade when the sun’s rays are strongest, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Rule of thumb: If your shadow is shorter than you are, seek shade. Wear sun-protective clothing, including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses with UV protection. Use a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher on areas not covered by clothing.… read on >

(HealthDay News) — The drug Tagrisso could offer hope to patients battling a form of lung cancer that typically hits people with little or no history of smoking, a new trial finds. Taken after surgery to remove the lung tumor, Tagrisso (osimertinib) greatly extended the average survival of people battling a non-metastatic form of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which makes up the vast majority of lung cancers. The NSCLC tumors that were the focus of the new trial were characterized by the presence of an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation on cells. This subset of tumors “are present in roughly 10% of Caucasian patients, with much higher estimates of other patient populations, such as Asian patients,” said Dr. Kevin Sullivan, a lung cancer specialist who wasn’t involved in the new trial. “Most patients with these mutations are non-smokers or former very light smokers,” noted Sullivan, who works in the division of medical oncology at Northwell Health Cancer Institute in Lake Success, N.Y. Typically, he said, patients diagnosed with these tumors get surgery followed by standard chemotherapy — if the cancer hasn’t already spread beyond the lung. That standard follow-up chemotherapy “provides a small but significant survival benefit — meaning, it improves the cure rate,” Sullivan explained. And if the cancer comes back, which it often does, it can prove incurable. The new study,… read on >

An Alzheimer’s diagnosis is devastating, no matter your sex. But the disease strikes far more women than men. Journalist and author Maria Shriver is determined to help researchers figure out why women make up two-thirds of those with Alzheimer’s disease. And why certain races and ethnicities are harder hit, too. “Some of the biggest research challenges in terms of gender disparity reach back to the many years of neglect by researchers to include women in their studies,” said Shriver, 64. “The lack of female representation in scientific research has left critical gaps in knowledge about the gender differences that exist in our unique bodies and responses to treatment. So we’re starting out from behind,” she explained. To address some of these issues, Shriver founded the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM). In partnership with AARP, her group just released a new report called “It’s Time to Act: The Challenges of Alzheimer’s and Dementia for Women.” Seventy-five Alzheimer’s and dementia researchers contributed to the report, which includes a 10-year strategic plan for researchers, policymakers and caregivers. During a virtual meeting to announce the report, Jo Anne Jenkins, CEO of AARP, said, “The lifetime risk for women to develop Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia after age 45 is estimated to be one in five. For men it’s one in 10.” And the report noted that by the time… read on >

Carrying excess pounds can be painful, literally. A new study finds that being overweight or obese ups the risk of pain in people with musculoskeletal disorders. “Pain, osteoarthritis and weight share a complicated relationship,” said study author Dr. Diana Higgins. She’s a researcher with the VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine. “Overall, the more weight a patient with a musculoskeletal disorder carries, the more likely they are to report experiencing pain, which may affect functioning and quality of life,” Higgins said in a VA news release. Researchers analyzed data on nearly 2 million U.S. veterans with musculoskeletal disorders, such as non-traumatic joint disorder; arthritis; low back, back or neck pain. Overall, 58% said they had pain. Nearly eight in 10 patients were overweight or obese. The higher a patient’s body mass index (BMI), the more likely they were to report pain. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on weight and height. Compared to those of normal weight, those with moderate obesity (BMI of 35 to 39) were 9% more likely to report pain. And those with severe obesity (BMI of 40 or higher) were 23% more likely. The connection between excess weight and increased risk of pain was strongest in patients with arthritis, with 40% of overweight patients and 55% of severely obese patients reporting pain. The association between… read on >

People with physically demanding jobs take more sick leave. They also have higher unemployment rates and shorter work lives, a new Danish study finds. “This study showed that high physical work demands are a marked risk factor for a shortened expected working life and increased years of sickness absence and unemployment,” study co-author Lars Andersen and colleagues wrote. Andersen is with the National Research Center for the Working Environment in Copenhagen. For the study, the researchers looked at people ages 30, 40 and 50 in Denmark who had a job as of November 2013. The investigators examined their periods of sick leave, unemployment and disability pension payments until 2017. More men than women had physically demanding jobs, such as carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, cleaning and manufacturing. Men with such jobs were an average of nearly three years younger than men in physically undemanding jobs, while women in physically demanding jobs were about 10 months older than those in physically undemanding jobs. For both men and women, physically demanding jobs were strongly associated with shorter work life (years worked until retirement), and more sick leave and unemployment, compared with physically undemanding jobs. For men age 30, working life would be expected to last almost 32 years for those with physically demanding jobs and nearly 34 years for those with physically undemanding jobs. Among women, the figures… read on >

With many beaches and parks opening in time for Memorial Day, the American Cancer Society is reminding people to practice sun safety. Overexposing yourself to the sun increases your risk for skin cancer, which is the most common cancer in the United States, with almost 5.5 million cases each year. That’s more than breast, colon, lung and prostate cancers combined. “COVID-19 has forced Americans to remain indoors, and many people are anxious to get back to outdoor activities with some stay-at-home orders being lifted,” said Dr. Laura Makaroff, senior vice president of prevention and early detection at the American Cancer Society (ACS). “As more people get outside, practicing social distancing and avoiding crowded areas is still very important to reduce the risk of COVID transmission, and it is also important to not forget the risks of sun exposure and sunburn and take appropriate steps to protect your skin,” Makaroff said in an ACS news release. One of every 5 Americans will have some type of skin cancer in their lifetime. Melanoma, the deadliest type accounts for about 1% of all skin cancer cases, the ACS said. But skin cancer is very preventable. More than 90% of skin cancers are caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun or indoor tanning. You can reduce the risk of skin cancer by: Not intentionally getting a sunburn… read on >

Mindfulness training may help counter the thinking and emotional difficulties caused by multiple sclerosis. In a small test study, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who had four weeks of mindfulness training emerged with better emotional control and faster thinking. Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. This interferes with communication in the brain and between the brain and body, leading to worsening mental and physical problems. An estimated one million people in the United States are affected. “Emotional upheaval is part and parcel of living with multiple sclerosis — there’s no cure, per se,” said Nicholas Larocca, a National Multiple Sclerosis Society consultant. “You can look at someone who has mild multiple sclerosis. They can have cognitive problems much more than physical problems,” he added. In a pilot study, Ohio State University researchers tested 47 women and 14 men with MS on emotional control, mental speed and short-term memory. For four weeks, the study participants were divided into three groups. One group received mindfulness training; a second received computerized “adaptive cognitive” training aimed at focusing their attention; and a control group received no training until the study ended. Mindfulness training teaches people to stay focused in the present, helping them look at problems objectively and accept without judgment, said study leader Ruchika Prakash, director… read on >

The more pregnancies losses a woman has, the greater her risk of developing diabetes, a new study suggests. Researchers examined data on nearly 25,000 Danish women who were born between 1957 and 1997 and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 1977 to 2017. The women were compared with a control group of nearly 248,000 women with the same ages and educational levels who didn’t have diabetes. Compared to women who’d never miscarried, those who had one, two or three lost pregnancies had an 18%, 38% and 71% higher risk, respectively, of developing type 2 diabetes. The study was published May 20 in the journal Diabetologia. “We cannot rule out that the psychological distress related to pregnancy loss can initiate lifestyle changes that increase BMI and thereby the risk of type 2 diabetes,” wrote researcher Pia Egerup, of Copenhagen University Hospital, and colleagues. BMI is short for body mass index, an estimate of body fat based on weight and height. The researchers only had BMI information for 12% of the diabetes group and 17% of the control group. Even so, they said: “Our subgroup analysis in which we adjusted for obesity still showed a significant association between pregnancy loss and type 2 diabetes, with more losses leading to a higher risk. This subgroup analysis indicated that the higher risk for type 2 diabetes in women with… read on >

As New York City officials grapple with the sudden appearance of a rare inflammatory condition in children exposed to COVID-19, a new Italian report describes similar cases that have cropped up in that country. The researchers say their findings provide “the first clear evidence” of a link between the new coronavirus and this inflammatory condition. Between Feb. 18 and April 20, there were 10 cases of young children hospitalized with an inflammatory condition that resembles Kawasaki disease in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. In the five years leading up to the middle of February, only 19 children in the region had ever been diagnosed with the condition. Those recent cases represent a 30-fold increase in the number of cases, but it’s difficult to draw firm conclusions with such small numbers, the scientists noted. Eight of the 10 children hospitalized after Feb. 18 were found to have antibodies to the new coronavirus. All 10 children survived, but they had more severe symptoms than those diagnosed with Kawasaki disease in the previous five years. “We noticed an increase in the number of children being referred to our hospital with an inflammatory condition similar to Kawasaki disease around the time the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak was taking hold in our region,” said study co-author Dr. Lucio Verdoni, from the Hospital Papa Giovanni XXIII in Bergamo, Italy. “Although this complication… read on >