Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

A new review of 137 studies from around the world has found that, despite dramatic stories about COVID-19’s impact on mental health, the psychological fallout from the pandemic has been less intense than thought. “Mental health in COVID-19 is much more nuanced than people have made it out to be,” said senior study author Brett Thombs, a Canada Research Chair and professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal. “Claims that the mental health of most people has deteriorated significantly during the pandemic have been based primarily on individual studies that are ‘snapshots’ of a particular situation, in a particular place, at a particular time,” Thombs said in a university news release. “They typically don’t involve any long-term comparison with what had existed before or came after.” About 75% of study participants in the studies reviewed were adults and 25% were children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19. The mental health changes were minimal, researchers found, whether the studies covered the mental health of the population as a whole or that of specific groups. “This is by far the most comprehensive study on COVID-19 mental health in the world, and it shows that, in general, people have been much more resilient than many have assumed,” said study first author Ying Sun, a research coordinator from the Lady Davis Institute… read on > read on >

A new poll on sleep and mental health has found that more than 90% of adults who reported they get good sleep were also free of depressive symptoms. In its annual poll, the nonprofit National Sleep Foundation (NSF) focused this year on the impact of sleep on mental health because of the current mental health crisis in the United States. “In the day-to-day execution of our sleep health mission, we give lots of simple, evidence-based and consensus-driven tips and tools to help people get enough of the quality sleep they need. For this year’s poll, we were compelled to look again at the connection between sleep health and mental health conditions like depression,” NSF CEO John Lopos said in a foundation news release. The Sleep in America poll also found that about 65% of adults who were dissatisfied with their sleep experience had mild or greater levels of depressive symptoms. Those who reported difficulties falling or staying asleep just two nights a week had higher levels of depressive symptoms than those without sleep difficulties. About 50% of all adults who sleep less than the recommended seven to nine hours nightly experienced mild or greater levels of depressive symptoms. “One unique aspect of this year’s research was how we combined NSF’s multiple validated measures of the population’s sleep health with an established measure of depressive symptoms,… read on > read on >

When people struggle to fall asleep, it’s no surprise they seek solutions. Options can range from prescription medications to sleep therapy, good habits and an abundance of supplements. Taking magnesium for sleep is something some say has real benefits, but does it really? It’s not entirely certain, but the mineral serves a variety of other important functions, so it just might actually work. “The science on whether taking magnesium helps improve the length or quality of sleep has been mixed,” said Dr. Indira Gurubhagavatula, an associate professor of medicine in the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. Past research has had various design limitations and has not been of high enough quality to support a general recommendation for magnesium supplementation in insomnia sufferers, Gurubhagavatula said. “We don’t have definitive, large, randomized trials across healthy populations, or those with specific diseases, over long periods of time,” she said. What is magnesium? Magnesium is a mineral found in a range of foods and in dietary supplements, according to the Sleep Foundation. It produces protein, bone and DNA; maintains blood sugar and pressure; and regulates the muscles, nerves and the cardiovascular system, according to the foundation. This nutrient is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, according to the National Library of Medicine. “It is used by hundreds of enzymes… read on > read on >

Can vitamin D lower dementia risk? Quite possibly, a team of British and Canadian researchers report. In their study, investigators spent roughly a decade tracking more than 12,000 older people. None had dementia at the start of the study period. In the end, the team determined that those who had been taking vitamin D supplements during that time appeared to face a 40% lower risk for dementia, compared with those who had never taken the supplements. Even so, Claire Sexton, senior director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer’s Association, cautioned that much more research is needed to better understand a possible link between vitamin D and dementia risk. For one thing, she noted that the study team did not track how much vitamin D supplementation any of the participants took, nor how long they had been taking them. Similarly, overall patient vitamin D levels were never assessed — either at the study launch or conclusion. In addition, the study was observational, Sexton added, meaning at no point were patients told to take, or not to take, vitamin D. That means the study cannot prove that vitamin D actually causes dementia risk to fall. Still, study author Dr. Zahinoor Ismail said that fresh evidence of vitamin D’s power against dementia has “great biological plausibility.” For example, prior research indicates that people with genetic mutations… read on > read on >

A new study is enough to take your breath way: Nearly no place on Earth is free of air pollution, it found. The study “provides a deep understanding of the current state of outdoor air pollution and its impacts on human health. With this information, policymakers, public health officials and researchers can better assess the short-term and long-term health effects of air pollution and develop air pollution mitigation strategies,” said study co-author Yuming Guo, from the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Melbourne, Australia. He spoke in a university news release. The researchers found that only 0.001% of the global population is exposed to World Health Organization-established safe levels of ambient fine particulate matter known as PM2.5. Only 0.18% of the global land area had safe levels of pollution, the study found. Fine particle pollution (PM2.5) is the main cause of smog in parts of the United States. It can be inhaled deep in the lungs, raising the risk of lung and heart disease. Daily pollution levels have fallen in Europe and North America over two decades, but they increased in southern Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and the Caribbean, with more than 70% of days globally exceeding safe levels. Among the other results, the study found that in southern Asia and eastern Asia, more than 90% of days had… read on > read on >

Young adults in the United States carry an increasing burden of heart health risk factors, making it more likely they’ll suffer a heart attack and stroke as they age, a new study warns. More adults ages 20 to 44 are obese and diabetic than a decade ago, and they are more likely to have poorly controlled blood pressure, according to the study published March 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers also found that young Black and Hispanic adults are more likely to suffer from these risk factors than white young adults. “We’re witnessing a smoldering public health crisis,” said senior researcher Dr. Rishi Wadhera, section head of health policy and equity at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Boston. “The onset of these risk factors earlier in life is associated with a higher lifetime risk of heart disease and potentially life-threatening cardiovascular conditions, like a heart attack or stroke,” Wadhera continued. “Our finding that the burden of many cardiovascular risk factors is rising in young adults could have major public health implications over the long-term, especially as the U.S. population ages.” These health problems in people so young are likely contributing to declining life expectancy in the United States, said Norrina Allen, director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School… read on > read on >

Swapping that steak for a fish filet or a veggie burger is not only good for your health, but the planet’s, too, a new study suggests. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, ranked various diets based on two measures: nutritional quality and “carbon footprint.” And overall, non-meat diets came out on top, on both counts. Researchers found that on average, vegan and vegetarian diets had the smallest carbon footprint — which refers to the amount of greenhouse gases that are churned into the atmosphere in order to produce the foods the diets comprise. Meanwhile, the pescatarian diet — which includes seafood, but no meat — scored highest in nutritional quality, and was more planet-friendly than diets containing meat. On the opposite end of the spectrum were two diets currently in vogue: the high-fat, low-carbohydrate keto diet; and the paleo diet, which centers on foods its proponents say were consumed in prehistoric times — mainly meat, fish, eggs, nuts and vegetables. Those two meat-heavy eating plans, the study found, carried the biggest carbon footprints and lowest dietary quality. (The keto diet may also be tough on the heart, raising levels of “bad” cholesterol and the risk of artery blockages, according to new research presented at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology). Experts said the findings may give consumers some food… read on > read on >

You toss, you turn, you can’t fall asleep. Certainly, there are sleep medications that can be prescribed by a doctor. And with some investment of time, cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia is considered to be an effective option. Yet, there are also a lot of healthy sleep habits and natural sleep aids that some experts believe can make a difference, too. With more than 60 million Americans suffering from poor sleep quality, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, it seems like these easily accessible options could be worth a try when searching for the best natural sleep aid. Practice good sleep hygiene About 20% of Americans take sleep medication, according to recent research from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Those include a long list of drugs, such as Sonata, Lunesta and Ambien. But Dr. Sanjeev Kothare, a sleep expert and pediatric neurologist at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens, N.Y., suggests starting with some basics to make sleep a little easier. ‘There are certain natural things that you can take and there are certain things that you can do,” Kothare said. Start with healthy sleep hours, Kothare recommends. For adults, that means going to bed at roughly 10 to 11 p.m. and waking up at 7 a.m., to get a good seven to eight hours of sleep. Teenagers need eight or nine hours a night.… read on > read on >

There is little that is harder than watching a loved one struggle with depression. So what can you do? More than you might think, experts say. First, depression is a mood disorder that can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, socioeconomic status or gender. Symptoms ranging from mild to severe and it impacts the way you feel, think and behave, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Here are a few simple facts about depression, also known as major depressive disorder. According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): It’s common. An estimated 21 million adults have experienced major depression at least once. It’s one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States. It’s serious. Major depression leads to impairment that impacts your ability to function on a day-to-day basis. Simple activities like eating, sleeping, working and concentrating can become almost impossible. It can lead to feelings of guilt and worthlessness and suicidal thoughts or attempts. It’s treatable. Depression is treated with psychotherapy and/or medication. Experts at NIMH remind patients that treatment is a process. It can take time to find a regimen that’s effective. When someone you care about is experiencing symptoms of depression, it can be hard to know what to do, what to say, or how to help. “The most important thing we can offer is ourselves, our… read on > read on >

Have you ever been in a social situation where you felt nervous? Maybe starting a new job caused you to sweat a lot on your first day. Or going to a party where you didn’t know anyone gave you a nervous stomach. These are normal feelings that most people experience at different times in their lives. But social anxiety is a much different experience. It can be debilitating and interfere with simple, day-to-day activities like going to work, attending social gatherings or even going to the store. What is social anxiety? Experts from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America describe social anxiety as “intense anxiety or fear of being judged, negatively evaluated or rejected in a social or performance situation.” Fear of appearing awkward or dumb intensifies anxious feelings and often leads to avoiding the social situation altogether. Since avoidance is a common response, social anxiety can be a life-limiting disorder if left untreated. The avoidance turns into missed opportunities, experiences or relationships, which leads to low achievement in school and work, poor social skills, low self-esteem, social isolation, depression and even suicidal thoughts or attempts. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Fifteen million American adults have social anxiety disorder, according to Mental Health America. Social anxiety symptoms Mayo Clinic says the criteria for diagnosing social anxiety disorder include: Persistent, intense fear or… read on > read on >