Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

Fewer U.S. adults are smoking cigarettes, as rates dropped again last year, according to federal health officials. In all, 1 in 9 American adults smoked cigarettes last year, an all-time low, and a significant change from the 1960s when 42% smoked. The results weren’t all positive, the Associated Press reported, as vaping rose to about 1 in 17 adults. For 2022, use of electronic cigarettes was about 6% compared to 4.5% the year before. These preliminary findings are from a survey of more than 27,000 adults by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings are sometimes revised after further analysis. “I think that smoking will continue to ebb downwards, but whether the prevalence of nicotine addiction will drop, given the rise of electronic products, is not clear,” Dr. Jonathan Samet, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health in Aurora, told the AP. For nearly 40 years, Samet has been a contributing author to the U.S. Surgeon General’s reports on smoking and health. The preliminary findings for 2022 pegged the percentage of adult smokers in the United States at 11%, down from about 12.5% the year before, the AP reported. While more adults smoke cigarettes than vape, the opposite is true for minors. About 14% of high schoolers used e-cigarettes last year, compared to about 2% who smoked traditional cigarettes, according to… read on > read on >

As more Americans try to get their hands on the prescription medication Wegovy while they try to shed significant amounts of weight, an even more powerful obesity drug is poised to enter the fray. On Thursday, drug maker Eli Lilly & Co. announced that its type 2 diabetes drug tirzepatide (Mounjaro) helped people with diabetes who were overweight or obese lose nearly 16% of their body weight, or more than 34 pounds, over 17 months. This late-stage study of the drug adds to earlier evidence published last summer in the New England Journal of Medicine that showed overweight or obese people without diabetes lost up to 22% of their body weight over that period with weekly injections of the drug. For a typical patient on the highest dose, that meant shedding more than 50 pounds. Results from both studies will now be part of the company’s application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for fast-track approval of the drug for weight loss. “We have not hit 15% in any other phase 3 trial for weight management in this type 2 diabetes population,” Dr. Nadia Ahmad, an associate vice president at Eli Lilly and medical director of obesity clinical development for the company, told CNN. Importantly, this data has not yet been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal. “In the last year, [it] has… read on > read on >

Exercise might help people who are battling addiction stay on the straight and narrow, a new research review finds. Investigators who analyzed 43 studies from around the world found a link between physical activity and reduced substance use among people in treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. The idea for the study review “came to me when I was working as a kinesiologist in a therapy house for people with substance use disorders, and realized that physical health was not considered at all in these treatments, although the need was enormous,” explained study lead author Florence Piché. She is a doctoral candidate in sciences and physical activity at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières and the University of Montreal, in Canada. “We can assume that the mechanisms are multiple and multifactorial,” Piché said of the findings. The amount of exercise involved wasn’t overwhelming. Most of the studies focused on the potential benefit of “moderately intense” activity, conducted for about an hour three times a week over the course of approximately three months. Would more exercise confer greater benefits? Piché noted that none of the studies assessed that. Collectively, the studies included just over 3,100 participants. They looked at the relationship between exercise and the risk of using heroin, opioids, cocaine and crack cocaine, methadone, marijuana, alcohol or methamphetamines. None involved cigarette smoking. Half of the… read on > read on >

Those TV ads for juicy burgers may trigger your emotions, making you believe you’ll be happier if you run out and get one for yourself. Unfortunately, a similar ad for salad does not appear to have the same emotional impact, according to new research from the University of Michigan. “Many people think that eating highly processed foods like cheeseburgers and french fries will make them happier, and these beliefs are especially strong in people struggling to control their intake of highly processed foods,” said study author Jenna Cummings, a former University of Michigan research fellow. “Regulating fast-food advertisements and changing beliefs about how highly processed foods affect emotions could help people eat more nutritious foods,” she said in a university news release. The study found that adults who did not already hold strong beliefs about how foods affect their emotions had increases in belief that they would feel good eating these types of foods. The same was not true for salads and yogurt parfaits. The aim of the study was to test how food ads affected food-related emotional expectations and whether these effects were different depending on individual “food addiction” symptoms. Past research has found that someone with food addiction can have strong cravings for highly processed foods. Other symptoms include diminished control over their intake, eating too much despite negative consequences, including distress and… read on > read on >

If you’re longing for a nap, try to keep it short. Researchers found that siestas of 30 minutes or more in Murcia, a region of Spain, where it’s common to nap, were linked to a higher risk of obesity, a group of conditions called metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure. “Not all siestas are the same. The length of time, position of sleep and other specific factors can affect the health outcomes of a nap,” said study co-author Marta Garaulet, a visiting professor in the division of sleep and circadian disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “A previous study that we conducted in a large study population in the U.K. had found that siestas were associated with an increased risk of obesity,” Garaulet said in a hospital news release. “We wanted to determine whether this would hold true in a country where siestas are more culturally embedded, in this case Spain, as well as how the length of time for siestas is related to metabolic health.” Investigators examined the relationship between daytime sleep and its duration with obesity and metabolic syndrome in more than 3,200 adults. Folks who napped 30 minutes or longer were more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI), higher blood pressure and a cluster of other conditions associated with heart disease and diabetes compared to those without… read on > read on >

Dealing with discrimination at work — from bosses or coworkers — may be enough to send your blood pressure through the roof, a new study suggests. Researchers found that among more than 1,200 U.S. workers, those who felt they often faced on-the-job discrimination were 54% more likely to develop high blood pressure, versus workers with little exposure to such bias. Over eight years, people who’d often experienced workplace discrimination developed high blood pressure at a rate of about 4% each year. That compared with 2.5% per year among people who rarely or never had those experiences. Experts said the study, published April 26 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, cannot prove cause and effect. “But our findings suggest workplace discrimination as a potential risk factor for high blood pressure,” said lead researcher Dr. Jian Li, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. For one, he said, the study followed workers over time, showing that their experiences of discrimination preceded their high blood pressure diagnosis. Plus, Li said, there are “biologically plausible” reasons that the stressful situation could contribute to rising blood pressure. During times of stress, the body responds in various ways, which includes a release of hormones that “activate” the cardiovascular system. Over time, chronic stress may add to the wear and tear on the body, and impede its ability… read on > read on >

Children are uniquely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, a new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows. Climate change can affect learning, physical health and housing security, which can last throughout the child’s life, according to the report. “Understanding health risks to children is critical for developing effective and equitable strategies that will protect our current and future generations,” EPA administrator Michael Regan, said in an agency news release. “Today’s report will help further efforts being taken by the Biden administration across the federal government to address the climate crisis and advance environmental justice.” The report, released Tuesday, looks at health effects associated with extreme heat, air quality, changing seasons, flooding and infectious diseases. The analysis also considers the extent that these health effects may disproportionately impact children who are Black, Indigenous and people of color, low income, without health insurance and/or have limited English proficiency. “EPA’s new report offers a clear, compelling overview of how climate change impacts our children’s health. Its findings underscore the necessity of considering children’s well-being in every climate policy — and the moral urgency of taking effective action to stop climate pollution on behalf of younger and future generations,” Moms Clean Air Force senior policy analyst Elizabeth Bechard said in the EPA news release. “We know that children are especially vulnerable to nearly all of… read on > read on >

Could golfing be good medicine for arthritis? Yes, according to researchers who found that for people with osteoarthritis, golfing lowered psychological distress and improved general health when compared with the general population. “Golf is a health-enhancing source of physical activity, particularly for older adults,” said lead researcher Brad Stenner, an occupational therapist at the Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity at the University of South Australia, in Adelaide. “Golf is fun, affordable and a sport for life, with clear physical and mental health benefits.” For people with osteoarthritis (often called the “wear and tear” form of arthritis), golf helps maintain joint range of motion, strength and endurance, and contributes to mental health and well-being. Playing golf is also associated with lower levels of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease, Stenner said. “We found that golfers both with and without osteoarthritis had higher quality of life and, significantly, lower levels of psychological distress, which is an indicator of anxiety and depression,” he noted. “Golf appears to help improve well-being via a number of factors, including exercise, community, friendship and a sense of belonging.” Many people with arthritis stop playing sports altogether, but the impact of arthritis on playing golf is unknown, Stenner said. “Our study looked at benefits for those with arthritis, not factors that may be barriers. It would appear… read on > read on >

You had a rough day at work and got stuck in traffic on the way home, and suddenly your head starts pounding. Stress headaches can be debilitating in the moment, but you don’t have to suffer indefinitely. If you’re struggling with stress, you’re not alone. More than one-quarter of adults in the United States reported they’re too stressed out to function, according to a recent survey from the American Psychological Association. Can stress cause headaches? Yes, in fact the most common type of primary headache is a tension headache, also referred to as a muscle tension headache or stress headache, according to Harvard Health. Tension headaches may be episodic, meaning that they occur less than 15 days a month; if they occur more than 15 days a month for more than three months in a row, they are called chronic tension headaches, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Here, experts break down how to relieve a stress headache and how to help prevent one from happening in the first place. How does stress cause headaches? Stress triggers the “fight-or-flight” response that then stimulates physical changes that can contribute to headaches. These include the following: Neck, shoulder, scalp, face and jaw muscles tensing Teeth grinding Problems with sleeping Meal skipping that imbalances blood sugar levels Emotional stressors like depression and anxiety, as well as physical stressors, like… read on > read on >

When U.S. health officials reported a 500% spike in the number of poison center calls involving kids eating melatonin gummies last year, Harvard researchers decided to take a closer look at the sleep supplements and discovered a disturbing fact: They contained up to 347% more melatonin than the label stated. What’s more, five of the products also contained CBD in higher amounts than the label indicated. And the mislabeling was more common than one might think: The scientists found that across the 25 brands of melatonin gummies they tested, 22 were wrongly labeled. One product did not contain melatonin at all, but the much more common problem was excessive amounts. It’s not clear what, if any, health consequences that could have for people who use the gummies as directed. But lead researcher Dr. Pieter Cohen pointed to the bigger picture: U.S. children and teenagers are more vulnerable to accidental ingestions and overdoses of the supplements than adults are. Fortunately, last year’s study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found most kids suffered no serious problems. Still, nearly 4,100 had to be hospitalized, 287 required intensive care and two died, the CDC found. “I was really surprised by that report,” said Cohen, a physician with the Cambridge Health Alliance and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “There’s always been a… read on > read on >