Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

A parent’s mental health appears to influence their kids’ chances of developing anxiety, ADHD and other behavioral disorders, a new study says. Children were more than four times as likely to develop severe ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) if their caregiver had poor or fair mental health, compared to kids of caregivers in excellent mental health, researchers found. Likewise, kids’ chances of severe anxiety were nearly six times higher if their caregiver reported poor mental health, according to results published late last year in the journal Pediatric Reports. “Our study highlights the lasting impact of caregiver mental health on childhood disorders,” particularly anxiety, behavioral problems and ADHD, senior researcher Lea Sacca, an assistant professor of population health and social medicine at Florida Atlantic University, said in a news release. “The COVID-19 pandemic, which increased the time children spent with caregivers, revealed a strong connection between severe childhood anxiety and lower caregiver mental health, suggesting that these effects may be long-term rather than temporary,” she added. The new study aimed to track behavioral, mental and developmental problems among 6- to 11-year-olds between 2019 and 2022, using annual federal survey data on child health. Overall, the survey gathered data on nearly 52,000 children. It found significant associations between caregivers’ mental health and children’s risk of mental or behavioral disorders. For example, 2020 survey data showed that caregivers with poor… read on > read on >

People taking the weight-loss drug semaglutide could be at a slightly increased risk for a potentially blinding eye condition that affects the optic nerve, a new study says. Patients on semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) had a 32% increased relative risk of developing nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) compared to people not taking the drug, researchers reported Feb. 20 in JAMA Ophthalmology. NAION typically causes sudden vision loss in one eye, according to Brigham and Women’s Hospital. It’s thought to occur due to a loss of blood flow to the optic nerve, damaging the neurons that transmit images to the brain. Previous studies also have detected this risk. A 2024 study based at Mass Eye and Ear in Boston reported a more than fourfold increased risk of NAION with semaglutide, researchers said in background notes. That study also appeared in JAMA Ophthalmology. The new study provides “further evidence of an association between semaglutide and NAION but show a smaller risk than that previously reported,” concluded the research team led by Dr. Cindy Cai, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins. However, the new study also found that patients prescribed semaglutide did not have a significantly increased risk for NAION compared with other GLP-1 diabetes medications. More research is needed to confirm this link and to identify why semaglutide might have this… read on > read on >

Fainting can be scary, but it’s often harmless. Known medically as syncope, fainting happens when there’s not enough blood flow to the brain, causing a brief loss of consciousness. But how do you know if it’s just a simple faint or something more serious? Dr. Elijah Behr, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, shares five key facts about fainting: what causes it, how to prevent it and when to see a doctor. Most fainting is harmless, but not always The most common type of fainting is vasovagal syncope, often triggered by emotional stress, pain, illness or dehydration. “In some people, if they have a drop in blood pressure from emotional distress, pain, illness or dehydration, for example, or just generally have a low blood pressure, any provocation causes a reflex in the heart,” Dr. Behr explained in a news release. “Rather than the heart speeding up and pumping more forcefully to maintain the blood pressure, it starts to slow down. The blood pressure drops, the heart rate slows further, and the heart can pause for many seconds; sometimes close to a minute for some people who have more severe fainting episodes.” While simple fainting usually resolves quickly, cardiac syncope — caused by an underlying heart problem — can be more serious. “This is usually a more abrupt loss and return of consciousness than… read on > read on >

Got milk? It turns out, plain cow’s milk, water and a bit of veggie juice are still the best drink choices for kids and teens. That’s the consensus of experts who recently issued healthy beverage recommendations for kids and teens aged 5 to 18. The expert panel — convened by Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — included members from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association. Its recommendations follow a five-month review of scientific literature, according to The Washington Post. Unsurprisingly, the panel said water should be “primary beverage for meeting hydration needs,” with the recommended daily intake ranging from 16 to 88 ounces, depending on a child’s age and sex. Tap water, the panel wrote, is preferred because it’s affordable, eco-friendly and often has fluoride added to prevent tooth decay. Plain pasteurized milk — preferably low-fat or fat-free — was also recommended for its essential nutrients. The panel said 100% fruit or vegetable juice is acceptable but should be limited due to its high calorie content. The panel also said plant-based milks, like almond or oat, lack key nutrients and should only replace dairy if medically necessary. It said flavored and sweetened milk should be avoided or limited. Sugar-sweetened beverages, like sodas… read on > read on >

From Mariah Carey and Jimi Hendrix to Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby, a select group of famous musicians past and present have had have perfect pitch. Now, a new study suggests that you can, too — with proper training. Absolute or perfect pitch is the ability to identify or re-create musical notes by hearing them without any reference or cues. For example, if someone were to play the note C sharp (C#) on a piano, a person with perfect pitch would be able to name the note without seeing which key was struck. Perfect pitch had been considered a rare gift for a few people with special genetic gifts or those who began musical training when they were very young. The new research — published Feb. 12 in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin & Review — debunks this widely held belief. “Our findings provide compelling evidence that absolute pitch is not limited to a select few. With focused training, adults can acquire this remarkable skill, much like how they learn other complex cognitive skills,” study author Yetta Wong, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Surrey in the U.K., said in a news release. For the study, 12 adult musicians with varying levels of musical experience participated in an eight-week online training program. Musicians completed more than 21 training hours. At the end of the training, they were exposed to more than 11 pitches,… read on > read on >

TUESDAY, Feb. 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) – Juice cleanses are a popular way to kickstart a health journey, but these diets may do more harm than good in as little as three days. A study published recently in the journal Nutrients found that consuming vegetable and fruit juice-only diets for three days triggered detrimental gut and oral bacteria changes linked to inflammation, memory and thinking problems. Exactly how juice-only cleanses trigger such changes is not fully understood, but researchers suggest it may owe to the lack of fiber in juice. “Most people think of juicing as a healthy cleanse, but this study offers a reality check,” said study author Dr. Melinda Ring, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “Consuming large amounts of juice with little fiber may lead to microbiome imbalances that could have negative consequences, such as inflammation and reduced gut health,” she said in a news release. When fruits or veggies are juiced, much of the fiber is stripped away. Fiber feeds good bacteria that produce anti-inflammatory compounds. Without fiber, sugar-loving or bad bacteria can multiply, disrupting the balance of good and bad bacteria — known as the microbiome — in the gut and mouth. To see how juicing affects the gut and oral microbiomes, researchers studied three groups of healthy adults. One group… read on > read on >

Love doesn’t fade when one member of a family develops Alzheimer’s disease, but times of intimacy like Valentine’s Day can become tougher. Experts at the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) acknowledge that a loved one living with dementia can have trouble expressing their feelings or remembering things as they did in the past. However, if partners and families follow the AFA’s H.E.A.R.T guidelines, navigating Valentine’s Day can be a bit easier. Those guidelines are: Help a loved one reminisce. Trying going through old photos together, describing them and reminding your loved one who individuals are and what events they partook in. Don’t ask “Do you remember this?”, but do talk over fun vacations, parties or other events you’ve shared. Enjoy flowers. Smells are one of the most fixed memory-triggers in the brain, and bringing a bouquet of Valentine’s blooms into the home can be joyful while helping to stimulate the brain, the AFA says. Adapt intimacy. Dementia can rob people of the ability to verbalize emotions as they once did, but simple, shared activities can help. Sharing a meal, watching a favorite movie or taking a walk together can foster feelings of closeness. Nonverbal forms of communication — touching, smiles, eye contact — also enhance those feelings. Reaffirm feelings. An act such as reading a Valentine’s card aloud can communicate love and connection to… read on > read on >

Yet another study is supporting the notion that the blockbuster GLP-1 drug Ozempic can help problems drinkers curb their intake. The research found that, compared to placebo, weekly injections of semaglutide (also marketed for weight loss as Wegovy) helped reduce cravings in people with alcohol use disorders. The drug also seemed to reduce the quantity and frequency of alcohol intake, researchers said. There’s a real need for new approaches to treat alcoholism, said study lead author Christian Hendershot. He directs clinical research at the University of Southern California’s Institute for Addiction Research. “Two drugs currently approved to reduce alcohol consumption aren’t widely used,” Hendershot said in a university news release. “The popularity of Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists increases the chances of broad adoption of these treatments for alcohol use disorder.” His team published its findings Feb. 12 in JAMA Psychiatry. Links between GLP-1 meds and reductions in alcohol dependence aren’t new: Patients taking GLP-1s for diabetes or weight loss quickly realized their appetite for booze fell after commencing the therapy. However, Hendershot called the new study the first randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to investigate this effect. The trial involved 48 adult problem drinkers who were otherwise not actively seeking treatment to cut down on their drinking. Female participants drank more than seven drinks per week, while men drank 14 or more weekly.… read on > read on >

It was a bit safer to go into the water last year: Unprovoked shark attacks worldwide fell by about a third in 2024 compared to the year before, new data show. The United States continues to be the most likely country in which to get bitten by a shark, according to the annual International Shark Attack File from the Florida Museum of Natural History. Twenty-eight of the 47 unprovoked shark attacks recorded in 2024 occurred in U.S. waters. Shark attacks typically average about 70 per year over a 10-year period, so 2024 numbers were unusually low. Australia ranked second on the list, with multiple bites reported, followed by reports of one attack each from Egypt, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, the Republic of Maldives, Mozambique, French Polynesia, Thailand, and Turks and Caicos. Four of the 47 attacks recorded worldwide in 2024 proved fatal, which is also a marked decline, the Florida team said. Unprovoked attacks do not include injuries that arise after a person intentionally or unintentionally initiates contact with a shark, including spearfishing and releasing sharks from nets or hooks. Within the U.S., Florida had the most shark bites on record last year, at 14, and eight of those occurred in Volusia County, where Daytona Beach is located. Volusia County has long been dubbed the “shark bite capital of the world.” “Many of… read on > read on >

Yes, rare cases of vision issues have arisen in people taking popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs, but the jury’s out on whether the medications caused the eye trouble, according to a new small study. The study reviewed the cases of nine people who developed sight-robbing issues, such as dysfunction in blood vessels around the eye’s optic nerve, after taking a GLP-1. “We’re trying to elucidate if being on these drugs can increase your risk,” said study co-author Dr. Norah Lincoff. She’s a neuro-ophthalmologist and professor of neurology at the University at Buffalo. The study, published recently in JAMA Opthalmology, focused on nine patients, all in their 50s or 60s, who were taking GLP-1s such as semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound). Seven of the nine patients developed a condition known as nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). This occurs when blood vessels fail to supply enough blood to the optic nerve, which is crucial for sight. In NAION, damage to the nerve can lead to a sudden and permanent partial loss of vision. Lead study author Dr. Bradley Katz, of the John A. Moran Eye Center at University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City, first noted the issue in a patient who experienced a sudden and painless loss of vision in one eye after starting seamglutide. The patient briefly halted use of the drug, but when… read on > read on >