Lifestyle « Weekly Gravy

(HealthDay News) — Glucosamine has long been used as a supplement to help ease the joint pain of arthritis, but new research suggests its anti-inflammatory properties might also lower heart disease risk. The finding stems from a lifestyle survey involving more than 466,000 British men and women. None had been diagnosed with heart disease when they were first polled between 2006 and 2010. Nearly one in five said they had been taking glucosamine. After an average tracking period of seven years, taking the supplement was associated with a 15% lower risk for heart disease overall. Though a cause-and-effect link was not proven, glucosamine was also tied to a drop of between 9% and 22% for experiencing coronary heart disease, stroke, and/or a heart disease-related death. “Glucosamine is an amino sugar, and a natural compound found in cartilage, which is the tough tissue that cushions joints,” explained study author Dr. Lu Qi. He is director of the Tulane University Obesity Research Center, in New Orleans. “To my knowledge, people take glucosamine mainly through supplements, and therefore, not in significant quantities through diet.” As to his team’s findings, Qi described the association as “moderate, but significant.” “I am a bit surprised but not very much, because previous studies from humans or animals have shown that glucosamine may have protective effects on inflammation, which is a risk factor… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Could people struggling with obesity make headway in their efforts to shed pounds without having to go under the knife? New preliminary research suggests it’s possible: A non-surgical procedure may help moderately obese people lose weight — and keep it off. Unlike standard weight-loss surgery, endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) requires no incision and no hospital stay. Instead, doctors thread a scope down the throat and into the stomach, then use a suturing device attached to the scope to cinch the stomach in — ultimately shrinking it to a banana-sized pouch. The result is, “you eat less, you feel full and you lose weight,” said study author Dr. Reem Sharaiha. Sharaiha and her colleagues at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, in New York City, were among the first to start performing ESG, back in 2013. She said they offer it mainly to patients with a body mass index (BMI) of between 30 and 40 — which puts them in the mildly to moderately obese category. Standard obesity surgeries — like gastric bypass — are generally reserved for two groups of people: Those with a BMI of at least 40 (more than 100 pounds overweight); and those with a BMI of 35 or more, plus an obesity-related condition such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure. Studies have shown that, in the short term,… read on >

The loss of loved ones can hit the elderly particularly hard, but a new study suggests it’s anger, and not sadness, that may damage the aging body more. Anger can increase inflammation, which is linked with conditions such as heart disease, cancer and arthritis, the researchers said. “As most people age, they simply cannot do the activities they once did, or they may experience the loss of a spouse or a decline in their physical mobility and they can become angry,” explained lead author Meaghan Barlow, of Concordia University in Montreal. “Our study showed that anger can lead to the development of chronic illnesses, whereas sadness did not,” she added. For the study, the investigators looked at 226 adults, aged 59 to 93, in Montreal, who completed questionnaires about how angry or sad they felt. The participants were also asked if they had any chronic illnesses, and blood samples were collected from them to measure inflammation. According to study co-author Carsten Wrosch, of Concordia University, the findings showed that “experiencing anger daily was related to higher levels of inflammation and chronic illness for people 80 years old and older, but not for younger seniors.” However, sadness was “not related to inflammation or chronic illness,” Wrosch added in an American Psychological Association news release. Barlow suggested that sadness may help older seniors adjust to challenges such… read on >

They might be too young to abuse opioids themselves, but America’s kids are suffering nonetheless because of their drug-dependent parents. New research shows more than 600,000 American parents with kids under 18 are addicted to opioids. That amounts to almost 1% of parents of minors, most of whom aren’t getting treated, the study found. In addition, about 4 million parents have substance abuse problems, such as alcoholism. Many in both camps have mental ills as well. “For parents, the opioid crisis is also a mental health crisis,” warned study author Lisa Clemans-Cope. “The co-occurrence of opioid use disorder and behaviors that signal suicide risk is a national emergency for families.” Clemans-Cope is a principal research associate with the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center, in Washington, D.C. Linda Richter, of the Center on Addiction in New York City, said addiction increasingly threatens the American family. “Addiction is an intergenerational disease,” said Richter, who wasn’t involved in the study. “Few children living in homes with parents who have an opioid use disorder grow up unscathed.” Researchers reviewed results of the U.S. National Survey of Drug Use and Health conducted between 2015 and 2017. They identified roughly 44,500 parents living with children under 18. Their responses were then used to generate national estimates. The study found that only a third of addicted parents are getting the care they… read on >

Bucking a longstanding upward trend, new data shows that the percentage of Americans taking any prescription drug has fallen slightly over the past decade. Still, nearly half — 45.8% — of Americans said they took at least one prescription medicine over the past month, according to a national survey conducted in 2015-2016. That’s a slight dip from the 48.3% of Americans — children and adults — who reported taking a prescribed drug in the same survey conducted in 2007-2008, according to a team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The drop in prescription use reverses a trend that had persisted since the 1990s, the study authors said. It’s not clear why fewer Americans are taking prescription meds now than a decade before, although the researchers cite a possible “decline in the use of inappropriate or ineffective therapies.” The new statistics showed that males were less likely to be taking prescription meds than females (41.5% versus 50%, respectively). But the gender divide varied greatly, depending on age group. For example, among children under the age of 12, boys (22%) were more likely to take a prescription drug than girls (nearly 14%), a trend driven largely by use of drugs for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But by the time people reached adulthood (ages 20 to 59), women were more… read on >

Many children deal with chronic health issues — but it doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy life as much as other kids, a new study finds. Researchers found that among more than 1,200 5- to 9-year-olds, those with some of the most common childhood ills were no less happy with their lives than other kids. They said the findings highlight an important point: Kids aren’t “defined” by their medical issues. “This can help broaden our perspective of what ‘health’ is,” said lead researcher Courtney Blackwell, a research assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “Just because a child has a medical condition,” she said, “that doesn’t mean they’re ‘unhealthy.’ “ The caveat, Blackwell said, is that the study focused on kids with certain common conditions, such as asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and digestive disorders. It did not include kids with more debilitating diseases that require intense care. If it had, the findings would probably be different, according to Rose Alvarez-Salvat, a child psychologist at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. She was not involved with the research, but reviewed the study. Alvarez-Salvat works with kids who have medical conditions like type 1 diabetes, cystic fibrosis, cancer and hemophilia. Those complex disorders, which require daily management, can lead to anxiety and depression for some kids, she said. “They have a very different… read on >

When men with prostate cancer have to take drugs that block the testosterone fueling their tumors, they can suffer a host of side effects that include impotence, bone loss, heart trouble and obesity. But new research uncovers yet another possible downside to the treatment: These men may be at greater risk for dementia. For any type of dementia, that risk increased 17%; for Alzheimer’s disease, it increased 23%, the researchers said. Common side effects of so-called androgen-deprivation therapy include hot flashes, unstable mood, trouble sleeping, headaches, high blood sugar, allergic reactions and impotence. “Androgen-deprivation therapy may not only cause physical changes — such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease or obesity — but may also cause changes in cognition,” said researcher Dr. Karl Tully, a research fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. But Tully cautioned that this study cannot prove that such hormone therapy caused dementia, only that the two are associated. The investigators also found that men on this type of therapy had a 10% greater risk of seeking psychiatric services. The risk for dementia increased as the length of therapy increased, the researchers noted. Men on androgen-deprivation therapy for six months had a 25% increased risk for any kind of dementia and a 37% increased risk for Alzheimer’s, the findings showed. Being on hormone therapy longer than six months increased the risk for… read on >

(HealthDay News) — Buyer beware: When it comes to testosterone supplements, men should know a new study finds there is precious little evidence to support claims they will boost testosterone levels, sex drive, strength and overall energy. To come to this conclusion, the researchers first broke down 50 testosterone supplements into their component parts. The investigators then searched through a comprehensive scientific publication database for any solid proof that the supplements can do what the companies who make them say they can do. But only 12% of the products contained any ingredient shown to provide some testosterone-related benefit in human trials. And nearly half (48%) contained ingredients that studies found could have negative impacts. “In general, I’m not anti-supplements,” noted study author Dr. Mary Samplaski. “I have a lot of patients who take them. But the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] says very clearly that these products should not claim to treat medical conditions. And 90% of these testosterone supplements do make such claims. So I was just really curious what the scientific support was for the claims being made.” Samplaski said, “What we found is that in the vast majority of cases there was no evidence to show that any of the ingredients in these testosterone supplements were effective in any way.” The upshot, she said, is that “people should understand that just… read on >

A major medical group has issued new guidance on detecting and treating the leading cause of death in pregnant women and new mothers in the United States. Heart disease accounts for 26.5% of pregnancy-related deaths, and rates are highest among black women and those with low incomes. On Friday, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) responded with new guidelines on screening, diagnosis and management of heart disease. “Most of these deaths are preventable, but we are missing opportunities to identify risk factors prior to pregnancy and there are often delays in recognizing symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum, particularly for black women,” ACOG President Dr. Lisa Hollier said in an organization news release. While pre-existing conditions play a part in the death toll, acquired heart conditions can develop silently during or after pregnancy. A heart muscle disease called peripartum cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of death in expectant mothers, accounting for 23% of deaths late in pregnancy, according to ACOG. The new practice guidelines are the work of a Hollier-led task force aimed at lowering heart disease-related deaths during and after pregnancy. “The new guidance clearly delineates between common signs and symptoms of normal pregnancy versus those that are abnormal and indicative of underlying cardiovascular disease,” Hollier said. “As clinicians, we need to be adept at distinguishing between the two if we’re going to… read on >

Teens spend countless hours glued to their phones and tablets, continually posting to social media, but British researchers report that might not be as terrible as many parents may think. It appears that teens who are less satisfied with their lives do tend to spend more time on Snapchat, Instagram and the like, but the link between life satisfaction and time spent on social media was “trivial,” the research found. “The previous literature was based almost entirely on correlations with no means to dissociate whether social media use leads to changes in life satisfaction or changes in life satisfaction influence social media use,” explained researcher Amy Orben, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Oxford. But by applying new modeling methods to an eight-year survey of households in the United Kingdom, the researchers were able to tease out data that gave them a better understanding of the effect of social media. The survey looked at how much time teens spent on social media during a normal school day and compared this with their life satisfaction ratings. The researchers did find lower life satisfaction increased the time spent on social media, while less time on social media was tied to higher life satisfaction. This finding was stronger among girls than boys, but even so, the connection was tenuous, they noted. Co-lead author Andrew Przybylski, director… read on >