Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

A new study links obesity with 21 Alzheimer’s disease-related genes. This may help explain why Alzheimer’s is often more frequent among adults who experienced obesity in midlife, according to researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. To study this, the investigators used data from more than 5,600 participants in the long-running Framingham Heart Study to analyze 74 Alzheimer’s-related genes. Of those genes, 21 were either underexpressed or overexpressed in obesity, the research team found. Gene expression refers to the process by which information encoded in a gene is turned into a body function. The researchers found that 13 Alzheimer’s-related genes were associated with body mass index (BMI), an estimate of body fat based on height and weight. Eight genes were associated with waist-to-hip ratio. “Several of the genes were more strongly related to obesity in midlife versus in late life, and also to obesity in women versus men,” said the study’s corresponding author, Claudia Satizabal of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio. These findings are similar to past research that also suggested midlife obesity may be a factor in women’s Alzheimer’s disease risk, Satizabal said. People who develop dementia tend to lose weight about five to 10 years before the onset of the disease. It’s possible this is an unhealthy weight loss… read on > read on >

About 44% of U.S. middle and high schools have student-run clubs that shine a light on issues that touch the lives of LGBTQ+ students. And new research suggests that depression risk among LGBTQ+ students is considerably lower in those schools where such Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), similar to Gay-Straight Alliances, are present and relatively active. “Depression is one of the foremost health concerns among LGBTQ+ youth,” said lead author V. Paul Poteat, a professor in the department of counseling, developmental and educational psychology at Boston College. “While risk of depression has tended to range from 8% to 17% in the general adolescent population, it has ranged from 18% to 23% among LGBQ+ youth,” he noted. GSAs are school clubs that provide a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ teens and their heterosexual cisgender peers to socialize, support one another and learn about LGBTQ+ issues. Typically meeting once a week or every-other-week for up to an hour — either during or after school — GSAs sometimes also advocate for protective and inclusive policies for LGBTQ+ youth, Poteat explained, promoting inclusion and visibility along with socializing and event-planning. He said his team wanted to see whether advocacy work could reduce depressive symptoms by helping lower the risk for loneliness, fearfulness or hopelessness among LGBTQ+ teens. Nearly 1,400 boys and girls in 23 Massachusetts middle and high schools (grades 6 through… read on > read on >

It’s a worry for every man: While in the throes of passion, he experiences premature ejaculation. “Premature ejaculation is the most common male sexual disorder,” Waguih IsHak, a psychiatry professor at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said recently in a health blog. Luckily, it’s also the easiest to treat. “The problem is that some men don’t address it, and it ends up complicating relationships,” IsHak added. The Cleveland Clinic states that between 30% and 40% of men are affected by premature ejaculation, and about 1 in 5 males between the ages of 18 and 59 say they’ve experienced it. Premature ejaculation is typically defined as reaching climax within one minute of penetration, and there are several psychosocial factors that can contribute to the condition — many linked to anxiety. Money troubles, job stress and relationship problems can all contribute to premature ejaculation. To make matters worse, anxiety can be both a cause and an effect. To better understand premature ejaculation, it is important to learn about its causes and some key treatments you can try to better manage the condition and lower the likelihood that it happens in the future. What is premature ejaculation? “The official definition of premature ejaculation is controlled and unwanted ejaculation within a minute or less of penetration. Personally, I think this definition is too limiting,” Harvard Health chief… read on > read on >

Parents are role models who can teach their kids about healthy food and exercise habits in childhood to help avoid future health problems. “Children who are overweight are more likely to develop diabetes, experience feelings of isolation and struggle with self-esteem,” said Dr. Asma Khan, a pediatrician at OSF HealthCare in Rockland, Ill. Khan offered some tips for giving kids an early start on good health. First, teach them about hunger and fullness cues. It’s easy to eat because of boredom or sadness, but important to recognize when you’re hungry or full. “Starting healthy habits early is the best way to maintain a healthy weight,” Khan said in an OSF news release. Use child-sized plates to make it easier to gauge how much food your child needs in a meal. Half the plate should be filled with fruits and veggies. The other half should be a lean protein, such as fish, chicken or beans, and a whole grain, which might be oatmeal, whole wheat bread or brown rice. Choose healthy snacks such as carrots and hummus, an apple or kale chips. Skip snacks that are high in sugar and fat, such as soda, juice, sports drinks, chips, cookies, candy and cupcakes, except on special occasions. “I also tell parents to limit the junk food that comes into the house. There isn’t as much temptation to… read on > read on >

People who are experiencing anxiety and depression months after a mild case of COVID-19 may have changes affecting the structure and function of their brains, Brazilian researchers report. “There is still much to learn about long COVID, which includes a wide range of health problems, including anxiety and depression, months after infection,” said Dr. Clarissa Yasuda of the University of Campinas in São Paulo. “Our findings are concerning, as even people with a mild case of COVID-19 are showing changes in their brains months later. More studies are needed to hopefully identify treatments to prevent any long-term effects on people’s quality of life,” she added. To understand this, the researchers studied 254 people who had a mild COVID-19 infection. On average, the patients were 41 years old and had COVID-19 three months earlier. Each participant completed tests of anxiety or depression symptoms and had brain scans. In all, 102 people had symptoms of both anxiety and depression and 152 people had none, the investigators found. The researchers then looked for evidence of shrinkage in the brain’s gray matter. Scans were compared with those of 148 people who had not had COVID-19. Those who had COVID-19 and were experiencing anxiety and depression had shrinkage in the limbic area of the brain, which is involved in memory and emotional processing. Those who had no symptoms of anxiety… read on > read on >

Researchers may have found a way for coffee-lovers to cut back without suffering symptoms of caffeine withdrawal like headache, fatigue, bad mood and irritability. It’s a cup of decaf. A new study found that people experienced fewer withdrawal symptoms with the substitute. “A convincing cup of decaf has the power to reduce withdrawal symptoms a lot when the person drinking it is unaware it’s decaf. But our study suggests that even if they are aware it’s decaf, their withdrawal still subsides,” said Dr. Llew Mills, a senior research associate at the University of Sydney School of Addiction Medicine, in Australia. For the study, researchers worked with 61 people who said they consumed three or more cups of coffee a day. Each went caffeine-free for 24 hours, and their withdrawal was measured. Participants were then separated into three groups. Two groups were given decaf coffee, and one of those groups was told that it was decaf. The other was deceived into thinking it was regular coffee. The third group was given water. About 45 minutes later, participants were asked to rate their withdrawal symptoms again. “The group we lied to reported a big drop in caffeine withdrawal even though there’s no pharmacological reason why it should,” Mills said. “Because they expected their withdrawal to go down, it did go down.” That’s known as a placebo effect… read on > read on >

FRIDAY, Feb. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Sen. John Fetterman is being treated for clinical depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. “While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks,” Fetterman’s chief of staff Adam Jentleson said in a statement. The Pennsylvania Democrat checked himself into the hospital on Wednesday night, Jentleson added. Fetterman survived a near-fatal stroke last year while he was campaigning for the Senate seat he now holds. Just last week, the first-term senator was hospitalized at George Washington University Hospital after feeling lightheaded during a Senate Democratic retreat. At that time, Fetterman was in the stroke unit for two days, where he underwent various tests including an MRI. He had not suffered an additional stroke. On Monday, he was evaluated by Congress’ attending physician Dr. Brian Monahan, who recommended he receive inpatient care at Walter Reed, in Bethesda, Md. “John agreed, and he is receiving treatment on a voluntary basis,” Jentleson said. The senator missed votes on Wednesday and Thursday night, CNBC News reported. Fetterman’s transition to the Senate in January has been made more difficult because of his stroke recovery, the Times reported. He previously served as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor. His wife, Gisele Fetterman, asked for privacy. “After what he’s been through in the past year, there’s probably no… read on > read on >

Following a healthy plant-based diet after a diagnosis of prostate cancer may help prevent the disease from progressing or recurring, a new study suggests. Men who ate a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains had a 52% lower risk of cancer progressing and a 53% lower risk of recurrence, compared with men who had the lowest amounts of plants in their diet, the researchers found. “Progressing to advanced disease is one of many pivotal concerns among patients with prostate cancer, their family and caregivers and their physicians,” said lead researcher Vivian Liu, a clinical research coordinator at the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of California, San Francisco. “These findings may directly inform clinical care by providing diet recommendations as guidance for managing their health and reducing morbidity for the most common cancer facing U.S. men, in addition to having other positive health benefits for preventing other chronic diseases,” Liu said. A plant-based diet may have these benefits because fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory components, as well as dietary fiber that improve glucose control and reduce inflammation, she explained. Also, this diet reduces potentially harmful exposures to animal-based foods, such as hormones and heterocyclic amines created during high-temperature cooking, which have been linked to prostate cancer in particular, Liu said. Diets high in animal protein may also increase insulin… read on > read on >

A new study builds upon earlier evidence that vaping isn’t any healthier than smoking. In analyzing epithelial cells taken from the mouths of vapers, smokers and people who had never vaped or smoked, researchers found that vapers and smokers had more than twice the amount of DNA damage as found in non-users. Those who vaped or smoked more frequently had higher DNA damage. Epithelial cells line the mouth. DNA damage is an early change associated with an increased risk for cancer and inflammatory diseases. “For the first time, we showed that the more vapers used e-cigarettes, and the longer they used them, the more DNA damage occurred in their oral cells,” said senior study author Ahmad Besaratinia. He is a professor of research population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. “The same pattern held up in smokers,” Besaratinia said in a school news release. In the study, the researchers recruited 72 healthy adults who were interviewed and underwent biochemical testing. The study participants were divided into three groups: vapers who had never smoked cigarettes; smokers who had never vaped; and people with no history of smoking or vaping. The researchers also collected data on how often, and for how long, participants had smoked or vaped. They asked vapers what devices and flavors they used. The investigators then collected… read on > read on >

A guy pops a little pill just before he expects to get frisky with his girlfriend. But the pill isn’t Viagra, as one might expect. Instead, it’s an on-demand contraceptive that will prevent pregnancy even if taken just before sex. Researchers think they’ve discovered a way to create such a contraceptive pill for men, by inhibiting an enzyme that’s key to a sperm’s ability to swim. Inhibiting this enzyme in lab mice using an experimental compound successfully prevented pregnancy, according to a new report published Feb. 14 in the journal Nature Communications. “The effect started within 30 minutes after dosing and the mice were completely infertile for the subsequent two hours,” said co-senior researcher Lonny Levin, a professor of pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. “By the following day, the mice were completely normal. The compound did not adversely affect the mice in any way, and their sexual behavior and ejaculate were completely normal,” he added. If proven to work in humans, such an approach “would be a tremendous advancement for the field,” said Christopher Lindsey, program officer at the U.S. National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, which helped fund the study. “The benefit of this is that unlike a hormonal approach where you’d have to take that drug for days, weeks, sometimes months, this would work similar to Viagra,”… read on > read on >