Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

Heading the ball can be a dramatic, game-changing play during a soccer match. Unfortunately, soccer players pay a price every time they make this move, a new study argues. Bouncing a soccer ball off your head disrupts a person’s brain even if it doesn’t result in a concussion, researchers reported June 18 in Sports Medicine-Open. MRI scans of soccer players reveal that heading subtly alters chemistry and nerve function in the brain, and causes slightly elevated levels of proteins that have been associated with brain injury, researchers found. “These findings suggest that even routine, symptom-free heading can produce subtle changes in the brain,” senior investigator Danielle McCartney, a postdoctoral research associate with the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, said in a news release. “The next step is to understand whether these changes accumulate over time, and what that might mean for player health in the long run,” McCartney continued. “In the meantime, we’re adding to calls for soccer players to exercise caution and perhaps consider whether extensive heading is necessary, particularly in training.” For the new study, researchers asked 15 male soccer players to head a ball 20 times in 20 minutes. The balls were launched at a constant speed from a machine, and each player also spent a second round kicking the ball to provide a means of comparison. MRI scans… read on > read on >

Dozens of people in northeastern England have developed a rare and dangerous illness after receiving Botox injections, according to health officials in the U.K. At least 28 people have reported symptoms of botulism, a potentially deadly illness that attacks the nervous system, after undergoing cosmetic procedures, the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on June 20, CNN reported. Investigators at the agency said that “evidence so far does not suggest that the product used has been contaminated. Symptoms are being reported a few days up to four weeks after injection.” The type of botulism in the recent cases is called iatrogenic botulism, and it can result when too much Botox is injected. The agency is also investigating possible illegal sales of Botox-like products. Botulism is caused by toxins made by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which can lead to muscle weakness and even paralysis. “These toxins (but not the bacteria) are the active ingredient in Botox and similar products,” Dr. Joanne Darke, a health protection consultant at UKHSA, told CNN. It’s “important to go to a licensed practitioner.” People affected have experienced droopy eyelids, double vision, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and fatigue, CNN reported. Botulism is rare but can be fatal in 5% to 10% of cases, according to the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS). If left untreated, it can spread to the muscles that control breathing.… read on > read on >

Weighted vests have been touted as a potential means of warding off osteoporosis while losing weight. The idea is that the extra weight will promote new bone growth even as people are walking or jogging to lose weight. But this idea isn’t backed up by results, a new clinical trial says. Seniors with obesity who wore weighted vests did drop excess pounds, but the vests did not significantly prevent bone density loss, researchers reported June 20 in JAMA Network Open. “We hoped that replacing lost weight externally or increasing mechanical loading through exercise would preserve bone, but our findings show that these strategies alone may not be enough,” said lead researcher Kristen Beavers, a professor of internal medicine, gerontology and geriatric medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. Weight loss is encouraged among heavy seniors to help protect their heart and joint health, but it also can lead to bone loss, researchers said in background notes. To see if weighted vests might help, researchers recruited 150 seniors with obesity. Their average age was 66. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups, all of whom took part in a weight-loss diet. One group received the diet alone, which included a partial meal replacement program along with regular nutrition classes. A second had the diet plus regular resistance training. The third… read on > read on >

A new Chinese-developed GLP-1 weight loss drug could prove a new competitor to blockbuster drugs Ozempic/Wegovy and Zepbound, clinical trial results show. Ecnoglutide helped people lose between 9% to 13% of their body weight on average after 40 weeks of treatment, according to phase 3 trial findings published June 21 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. That average weight loss rose to more than 15% by week 48 on the heaviest dose of ecnoglutide, researchers reported in updated trial results presented Saturday at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting in Chicago. Overall, nearly 93% of trial participants lost 5% or more of their body weight, nearly seven times the weight loss achieved by a control group given a placebo, researchers said. Those results outperformed the Chinese clinical trials of semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Zepbound), which helped 85% to 88% of participants lose 5% of more of their weight, researchers noted in their paper. Participants “continued to have weight loss at week 48 without reaching a plateau, indicating that even greater weight loss might be achievable with extended ecnoglutide treatment,” lead researcher Dr. Linong Ji of the Peking University People’s Hospital in Beijing said in a news release. “Considering the high potency of ecnoglutide, it might also serve as a viable option for individuals who do not achieve sufficient weight reduction with existing GLP-1 receptor agonists… read on > read on >

Want to lose weight and reverse type 2 diabetes? Trade your diet soda for a tall glass of water, a new small-scale study argues. Women were more likely to drop pounds and see their type 2 diabetes go into remission if they drank water rather than diet beverages, according to a study presented Sunday at a meeting of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). “These findings challenge a common belief in the U.S. that diet drinks have no potential negative effects for managing weight and blood sugar,” lead researcher Dr. Hamid Farshchi, CEO of D2Type Health, said in a news release. About 1 in 5 Americans imbibe a diet drink on any given day, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although they’re calorie-free, diet sodas might have other effects on the body, researchers said in background notes. A July 2023 study in the journal Diabetes Care found that people who consumed more artificial sweeteners were more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. In that paper, researchers speculated that artificial sweeteners might disturb blood sugar and body fat metabolism, alter the gut bacteria that play a role in digestion, or cause increased hunger. For the new study, 81 women with type 2 diabetes and excess weight completed a six-month weight-loss program followed by one year on a weight maintenance program. Half the women… read on > read on >

The first two years of a baby’s life are critical for brain development, and how the brain grows during that time may help predict future learning, behavior and health. That’s according to experts at Cedars-Sinai, who are working to better understand how brain connections and genetics influence a child’s development. “We want to use advanced imaging as a tool to detect deviations as early as possible so that we can hopefully bring them back to the normal trajectory,” said Wei Gao, director of Neuroimaging Research at Cedars-Sinai and a professor of biomedical sciences. Gao said a baby’s brain first develops areas that control movement and senses, followed closely by social and emotional skills. “The first year is where you need to pay very special attention to the social-emotional development of the baby,” Gao said in a news release. “You want to provide sensitive support to the baby so the baby can develop a secure attachment with you as a caregiver. That has long-term impacts to their later achievements and quality of life.” He and his team created one of the first detailed maps showing how parts of the brain connect during early childhood. In a new study, they are tracking more than 7,000 children from birth through age 10. By combining brain scans with information about each child’s environment and genetics, researchers hope to learn… read on > read on >