Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

Despite warnings and public education campaigns, kids continue to suffer injuries from swallowing small but strong magnets, according to a new study. Children are also inserting high-powered, rare-earth balls into their ears and noses, even in households where parents fully understand the dangers of the toys, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “High-powered, rare-earth magnetic balls or beads are often sold as fun, stress-relieving toys, but they are among the most dangerous toys when kids eat them. It doesn’t matter what the child’s socioeconomic or racial background is, whether the child is being watched, or if supervising adults know the magnets are dangerous — kids still manage to eat them and many of them need surgery to fix the internal damage caused by the magnets,” Dr. Minna Wieck said in an AAP news release. She is an assistant professor of pediatric surgery at UC Davis Children’s Hospital in Sacramento, Calif. “The only foolproof way to make sure these injuries don’t happen is to keep these types of magnets away from kids,” Wieck added. For the study, the researchers reviewed 2017 to 2019 data from patients aged 21 and younger from a study that included 25 U.S. children’s hospitals. The investigators previously found that these injuries were increasing despite age restrictions, warning labels and educational public health campaigns explaining the dangers. Among more than… read on > read on >

Nutrition is important for your whole body, including those two small organs through which you look at the world. The same diet that’s good for your heart and the rest of your body will also help your eyes, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). The academy offers advice on vision-healthy foods and how to create a diet rich in them. “Some nutrients keep the eye healthy overall, and some have been found to reduce the risk of eye diseases,” Dr. Rebecca Taylor, an ophthalmologist in Nashville, Tenn., said in an article on the AAO’s website. Your eyes rely on tiny arteries for oxygen and nutrients, similar to how your heart relies on much larger arteries, so a diet that’s low in fat and rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is good for them. The AAO suggests including orange-colored vegetables and fruits with vitamin A in your diet. The nutrient gives your retina what it needs to help turn light rays into images and helps your eyes stay moist. Carrots are a well-known source of vitamin A, but sweet potatoes provide even more of the nutrient, Taylor noted in an AAO news release. “A sweet potato has more than 200% of the daily dose of vitamin A doctors recommend,” Taylor said. Cantaloupe and apricots are also good sources. The antioxidant vitamin C is… read on > read on >

E-bikes, e-scooters and hoverboards are everywhere — and injuries related to their use are soaring. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a new report on Tuesday showing that injuries associated with these so-called micro-mobility devices increased nearly 21% in 2022 alone, compared to 2021. Injury estimates were based on data collected between 2017 and 2022 from a nationally representative sample of U.S. hospitals. About 46% of all estimated e-bike injuries from 2017 to 2022 occurred in 2022 alone. Hoverboard injuries were the only type to go against trend, decreasing 26% from 2021 to 2022. Between 2017 and 2022, 233 deaths were associated with these devices, according to the CPSC, although reporting is not yet complete. Kids were a big portion of those injured, with children 14 and younger accounting for 36% of e-bike, e-scooter and hoverboard injuries during those years. That’s double the 18% proportion of the U.S. population that kids comprise. Black consumers represented 29% of injuries on these electric devices, a significantly higher proportion than their 13% of the U.S. population. Additionally, more than 360,000 emergency department visits were related to these devices from 2017 through 2022. Fractures and bruises/scrapes were the two most common injuries. The upper and lower limbs and the head and neck were most frequently injured. Another significant hazard associated with these devices was fires. The CPSC… read on > read on >

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are nearly three times more likely to develop dementia than other adults, a new study suggests. The results also indicate that treatment with ADHD medication may help reduce their dementia risk. No clear uptick in dementia risk was found among ADHD patients who received psychostimulant medication. “More than 3% of the adult U.S. population has ADHD, and most go undiagnosed,” said senior researcher Abraham Reichenberg, a professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in New York City. “There is limited research on this group, and it is important to determine if this group is at higher risk for dementia and if medications and/or lifestyle changes can affect risk, in order to inform caregivers and clinicians and increase awareness of this condition,” he said. Reichenberg emphasized that the study doesn’t prove that ADHD causes dementia, only that there appears to be a link. “If you have ADHD as an adult, you have a higher chance of dementia than someone who does not have ADHD,” he said. Exactly why adult ADHD and dementia seem to be connected is unknown, Reichenberg noted. “It is possible that some of the genetic causes of ADHD and the genetic causes of dementia are the same, and therefore there are similar genetic pathways to both disorders,” he suggested. Many factors can increase… read on > read on >

Women are more likely to develop depression after suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI), a new study shows. The analysis of nine published studies included nearly 700,000 people and found that the risk for depression among women after a TBI was nearly 50% higher than it is for men. “Depression is a known risk factor for poor recovery after TBI,” said lead researcher Dr. Isaac Freedman, an anesthesiology resident at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “In 2019, suicide was the leading cause of TBI-related deaths. In fact, the average suicide rate was more than six times higher in those who suffered a TBI.” It’s well-established that there is an association between TBI and depression, but the mechanisms behind this relationship remain unclear, he said. “One leading theory relates to the critical role of the neurotransmitter glutamate. In the brain, glutamate is one of the most important and wide-ranging neurotransmitters. Glutamate has also been implicated in neuroplasticity — the process by which the brain rearranges its connections and can change over time,” Freedman said. TBI may cause excess glutamate, which can be toxic to cells and cause cell injury or death. An imbalance in glutamate may be responsible for an increased risk of depression, he suggested. It is also unclear why depression disproportionately affects women with or without TBI, Freedman said. “Fluctuations in ovarian hormones are… read on > read on >

TUESDAY, Oct. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) – A proposed rule from federal regulators that would ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars has been sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final review. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration first announced the proposed rule in April. The agency said then that the rule had “the potential to significantly reduce disease and death,” reduce “youth experimentation and addiction” and increase the numbers of smokers who quit. “Once finalized, rules to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars rule will be the most significant actions that the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products has taken in its 14-year history. The American Lung Association [ALA] is eager for these lifesaving rules to be implemented and urges the White House to finalize these rules before the end of the year,” ALA President and CEO Harold Wimmer said in a statement. “The science and data are clear. Ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars will save lives. It will also help reduce the unjust disparities in tobacco use caused by the tobacco companies targeting certain communities with menthol cigarettes,” Wimmer added. While numbers of smokers have dropped, those who smoke menthols has increased, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The menthol flavor is appealing to new smokers, making cigarettes more… read on > read on >

A new trial demonstrates the power of the diabetes drug Mounjaro in fighting obesity, helping folks who used the medication lose about 60 pounds. “In this study, people who added tirzepatide [Mounjaro] to diet and exercise saw greater, longer-lasting weight reduction than those taking placebo,” Dr. Jeff Emmick, senior vice president of product development at drug maker Eli Lilly, said in a company news release. “While intensive lifestyle intervention is an important part of obesity management, these results underscore the difficulty some people face maintaining weight loss with diet and exercise alone.” While approved since May 2022 to treat diabetes, Mounjaro has been used “off-label” to treat obesity. Tirzepatide works by targeting two hormones that regulate appetite and a feeling of fullness. The difference between Mounjaro and other popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy is that Mounjaro targets two hormones while the others target one. The Mounjaro study included 800 overweight and obese people who also had a weight-related health complication but did not have diabetes. Study participants weighed about 241 pounds to start and had a body-mass index of approximately 38. More than 200 participants left trial after three months of intensive diet and exercise for varying reasons, including failure to lose weight. Meanwhile, researchers randomized the other 600 to receive tirzepatide or a placebo via weekly injections for about 16 months. Nearly… read on > read on >

New research uncovers troubling trends for lung cancer in young and middle-aged women. Cancer incidence in young women is higher than it is in men, a continuing trend, and now that extends to women over age 50, reversing historical patterns. “These findings are very concerning,” said study lead author Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president of surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society. “We don’t know why lung cancer incidence rates among younger and middle-aged individuals are now higher in women than men, reversing the historical pattern,” Jemal noted in a cancer society news release. “Cigarette smoking prevalence, the major risk factor for lung cancer in the United States, is not higher in younger women than younger men, as are other established risk factors such as occupational exposures.” For the study, the researchers analyzed population-based data on lung and bronchus cancers diagnosed from 2000 to 2019 from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. This program covers nearly 50% of the U.S. population. The investigators found declines in lung cancer incidence rates between 2000-2004 and 2015-2019 were greater in men than women, leading to higher incidence in women aged 35 to 54. In people aged 50 to 54, the rate per 100,000 person-years decreased by 44% in men compared to 20% in women. (Person years is a measurement… read on > read on >

After a massive five-year effort, researchers have unveiled an “atlas” that gives an unprecedented look at the intricacies of the human brain. The atlas, which will be available to researchers everywhere, can be seen as similar to the atlases we all know: a book of maps. But this one catalogues human brain cells and their striking diversity and complexity. Going forward, the atlas will help other researchers “navigate” the brain, said Bing Ren, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, who was part of the research effort. The atlas encompasses more than 3,000 types of brain cells, and gives insight into how they vary from one person to another, how they differ from non-human primates’ brain cells, how particular brain cell types are related to specific diseases, and more. The ultimate goal, Ren and other experts said, is to better understand the workings of the human brain — and what goes wrong in the range of neurological and psychiatric conditions that plague humans, from Alzheimer’s to depression to schizophrenia. The publication of the brain cell atlas, Ren said, “is just the beginning.” The work is detailed in a collection of 21 papers being published Oct. 13 in the journals Science, Science Advances and Science Translational Medicine. In all, the project involved hundreds of scientists from different countries, brought together under the U.S. National… read on > read on >

Severe inflammation very early in childhood might hamper the development of key brain cells, perhaps setting the stage for conditions such as autism or schizophrenia, new research suggests. The origins of many neurodevelopment disorders remain mysterious. But the new study of postmortem brain tissue from children who died between the ages 1 and 5 shows how inflammation affects brain cells. In their research, the team from the University of Maryland School of Medicine targeted a portion of the brain known as the cerebellum, using a cutting-edge technology called single nucleus RNA sequencing. “We looked at the cerebellum because it is one of the first brain regions to begin developing and one of the last to reach its maturity, but it remains understudied,” said study co-leader Seth Ament, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Maryland. The cerebellum is key to psychiatric research because it’s responsible for higher cognitive functions such as those employed in language, social interactions and the regulation of emotion. Prior studies have shown that infants with abnormalities in their cerebellum often develop neurodevelopment disorders. In animal research, exposing the brain to inflammation before birth also seems to raise the odds for those types of conditions. In their research, published Oct. 12 in Science Translational Medicine, Ament and co-lead author Margaret McCarthy noticed consistent genetic patterns in the cerebella of deceased… read on > read on >