Health/Fitness « Weekly Gravy

Older American adults who live in warmer regions are more likely to have serious vision impairment than those who live in cooler places, new research finds. Living with average temperatures of 60 degrees Fahrenheit or above — think South Florida, for example — created much higher odds of blindness or trouble seeing even with glasses, according to a new study of 1.7 million people. “This link between vision impairment and average county temperature is very worrying if future research determines that the association is causal,” said co-author Esme Fuller-Thomson, director of the University of Toronto’s Institute of Life Course and Aging. “With climate change, we are expecting a rise in global temperatures. It will be important to monitor if the prevalence of vision impairment among older adults increases in the future,” she added in a school news release. Compared with those who lived in counties with average temperatures of less than 50 degrees F, the odds of severe vision impairment were 14% higher for those who lived in counties with average temperatures from 50-54.99 degrees, according to the study. The risk was 24% higher for those in places where temps averaged 55-59.99 degrees. For those basking in even warmer territory, the odds of vision loss were 44% higher. Even with differences in age, sex and income, the relationship held. “It was powerful to see that… read on > read on >

People are using “browning lotions” to tan quickly, but experts are questioning the safety of this trend driven by social media influencers. Browning lotions work with the sun’s UV rays to darken skin faster. “It is important to know that a tan is never considered to be healthy and exposure to UVA and UVB radiation can cause skin cancer, that’s the first issue I have,” said dermatologist Dr. Alexis Young of Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. “A tan is a warning flag or a sign of sun damage, and the second problem I see is that products like this might make it seem as though people are somewhat protected from the sun’s UV rays when they are not,” she said in a center news release. The best and only way to protect exposed skin from sun is to use broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, even on cloudy days, experts agree. “Apply a broad spectrum sunscreen containing either titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide, which provides protection from both UVA and UVB rays, liberally to all uncovered skin, especially your nose, ears, neck, hands, feet and even your lips,” Young advised. Reapply sunscreen every two hours and after going in the water, she urged. In addition, wear photoprotective clothing, wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses to further protect yourself from the sun.… read on > read on >

Pickleball has burst onto the scene, inspiring people of all ages to pick up a paddle. But as with any sport, it’s possible to get hurt. Some best practices can help prevent injuries, according to a sports medicine expert. For pickleball players, the most common injury is to the rotator cuff tendon in the shoulder. This can cause shoulder pain, especially with movement and use. Problems range from tendonitis and bursitis to a tear of the tendon itself. Bigger tears can create weakness. Someone might not be able to use their arm. “The unfortunate reality of the rotator cuff is that everyday use can cause tearing and damage,” said Dr. Bruce Moseley, an orthopedic surgeon from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “You don’t necessarily have to do anything wrong or abnormal to get a rotator cuff tear — in many instances it just happens as a consequence of living.” Most adults who use their shoulders are at risk. For many people, rotator cuff damage appears over time. In pickleball, reaching overhead requires a lot of force from this tendon, which can worsen rotator cuff injuries. These tears are not preventable. But the shoulder does better when it’s flexible and strong. Moseley suggests stretching and doing light to moderate strengthening. “If you warm up and stretch before your activity and ice down afterwards, your shoulder… read on > read on >

The trendy weight-loss drug Ozempic could be dangerous for a patient undergoing anesthesia for an operation, according to a new warning from the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and other drugs of their class known as GLP-1 receptor agonists cause digestion to slow down, which decreases hunger and reduces how much people eat. That food left in the stomach increases the risk you will vomit while under anesthesia, said ASA President Dr. Michael Champeau. “We’ve had reports of people vomiting immediately preoperatively when there shouldn’t be any food in their stomach,” Champeau said. “As soon as we started hearing anecdotal reports and case reports, the mind immediately goes to how the drug works and what it does.” The ASA is recommending that people on a GLP-1 agonist like Ozempic stop taking it prior to surgery. If you take such a drug once a day, you should not take your daily dose the morning of surgery, Champeau said. If you take the drug once a week, you should hold off on your dose until after surgery. “If you take it every Sunday and you’re having surgery on a Wednesday, you can’t take it the Sunday before the surgery,” Champeau said. “You’ve got to stop it at least a week in advance, if you’re taking the once-a-week dose.” There’s a reason patients are told to… read on > read on >

(HealthDay News) – It’s been said many times, but it deserves repeating: Use caution when handling fireworks. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) is repeating the message to try to help people avoid injuries to the fingers, hands, arms and face. “It may be a tradition to let children and teens oversee fireworks, but parents should always be cautious. Fireworks-related injuries can have long-term and sometimes devastating effects,” said orthopedic hand surgeon Dr. Tyler Steven Pidgeon, a spokesman for the AAOS. “Common fireworks, such as bottle rockets and hand sparklers, may seem tame, but the high temperatures of these devices can result in third-degree burns down to the bone or even loss of limbs.” Fireworks injuries jumped 25% between 2006 and 2021, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Body parts most injured in 2021 were hands and fingers, at 31%, and head, face and ears, at 21%. About 32% of the fireworks-related injuries seen in emergency departments were burns. To enjoy a safe Fourth, the AAOS recommends taking the following steps: Check with your local police department to learn what fireworks are legal in your area and to verify that there is not a burn ban in effect. Never buy or use illegal fireworks. Quality cannot be assured. Only adults should light fireworks. Do not allow young children to play with… read on > read on >

Blaming your ailing knees for feeling down? Unfortunately, even after physical pain eases, healing or fixing an injured joint often does not improve mental health, research shows. A new study found that anxiety symptoms only improved when a patient had major improvements in physical function. Depression, meanwhile, did not meaningfully improve even when the improvements to physical function were significant. “We wanted to find out if patients have fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression as physical function improves and pain lessens,” said senior study author Dr. Abby Cheng, an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “The answer is that they mostly do not.” It’s reasonable that someone might feel frustrated, anxious or depressed when they’re experiencing pain. Cheng said the findings came as a surprise even though in her practice she often sees people whose physical health has improved without dramatic gains in mental health. “What was interesting to me was that patients’ anxiety lessened somewhat in cases where patients experienced notable improvements in physical health, but depression did not improve in many such instances,” she said. “As physicians, what we really care about is how patients feel. One patient might be happy because now he or she can walk a mile, and that’s good. But other patients who can walk a mile might not be happy… read on > read on >

Vitamin D supplements might lower the risk of heart attack and other cardiac ills for people over 60 — especially if they’re already taking heart meds, a new study suggests. “Our results suggest that further exploration of the possible benefit of vitamin D on cardiovascular events, particularly in those at higher risk of having an event, might be warranted,” said senior researcher Rachel Neale. Evidence of benefit was strongest for folks taking cholesterol-lowering statins or other heart medications, said Neale, deputy coordinator of the population health program at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland, Australia. The large trial found “some evidence of benefit for people who were taking drugs to treat cardiovascular conditions or high cholesterol at baseline, and vitamin D reduced the rate of heart attack,” she said. Other studies have not found a benefit of vitamin D for major cardiovascular events, “but the results of [our] D-Health Trial suggest that it might be beneficial,” Neale said. Still, the findings aren’t conclusive. “Overall, we found no statistically significant effect of vitamin D on major cardiovascular events, such as stroke, myocardial infarction [heart attack], or treatment of blocked vessels in the heart,” she added. While not whole-heartedly endorsing D supplementation, Neale said older adults might give it some thought. “Taking a modest dose of vitamin D is unlikely to be harmful,” she said.… read on > read on >

Pairing exercise with a 10% weight loss can make a major health improvement in people living with obesity and prediabetes, a new study says. Building in regular exercise more than doubled sensitivity to insulin compared to just weight loss alone. This has the potential to prevent or delay prediabetes from progressing into type 2 diabetes while also decreasing the risk of heart disease, researchers said. “Insulin resistance is a major factor that causes type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and abnormal blood lipids in people with obesity,” said senior investigator Dr. Samuel Klein, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “We’ve shown that combining exercise with weight loss causes a marked improvement in whole-body insulin sensitivity, thereby lowering the risk of developing diabetes and treating obesity-related metabolic diseases to a much greater degree than is possible with weight loss alone,” he said in a university news release. Obesity makes the body resistant to insulin, leading to an increase in blood sugar concentration, Klein explained. The 16 study volunteers were obese, with a body mass index ranging from 30 (the threshold for obesity) to 49. They also had prediabetes, with medical evidence of insulin resistance. Eight of the volunteers were put in a diet-only group and lost 10% of their body weight. The other eight also… read on > read on >

Enjoy that summer sun, but keep some safety tips in mind, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises parents. “It’s great to see children enjoying nature and reaping the benefits of outdoor activities,” Atlanta-based pediatrician Dr. Rebecca Philipsborn said in an AAP news release. “As we encounter more intense weather events, including severe heat, there are some layers of protection that families can use to help their kids stay healthy.” Among the issues to consider are air quality and pollution. Sun and heat can worsen local air pollution. You can check your local Air Quality Index, the AAP suggests. This will help you to know when air pollution, wildfires and heat raise the risk of asthma and other health issues. For sun protection, keep babies under 6 months old out of direct sunlight. Instead, they should be shaded by a tree, umbrella or stroller canopy. Dress your baby in lightweight clothing that covers the arms and legs. Use brimmed hats to prevent a sunburn on the neck. Older kids should also cover up, staying in the shade when possible and limiting sun exposure during the peak intensity hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Damaging UV (ultraviolet) rays can bounce back from sand, water, snow or concrete, so be especially careful in these areas. Choose tightly woven or cotton clothing that is cool and protective.… read on > read on >

Autopsy is currently the only way to definitively diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease often seen in athletes who’ve suffered repeated blows to the head. But there may be a way to predict which athletes are likely to develop CTE, researchers report June 28 in the journal Neurology. They outline criteria for a condition called traumatic encephalopathy syndrome, where CTE is suspected based on cognitive impairment, behavior changes and other factors. “These findings suggest that this new diagnosis of traumatic encephalopathy syndrome may be useful in professional sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts and may be helpful in predicting who may experience cognitive decline,” study co-author Brooke Conway Kleven said in a journal news release. She is with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Public Health. CTE was originally studied in boxers as “punch-drunk syndrome.” The progressive and fatal brain disease is linked to the development of dementia. For the new study, researchers studied 130 active and retired professional fighters in boxing, martial arts and mixed martial arts. They were a part of a brain health study run by the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Participants had brain scans and took cognitive tests when the study began. Researchers found that those who met the criteria for traumatic encephalopathy syndrome had greater declines in brain volume. These participants also had… read on > read on >