Obesity taxes many parts of the body, but new research suggests the heart might take the hardest hit of all. Between 1999 and 2020, deaths from heart disease linked to obesity tripled in the United States, and some groups were more vulnerable than others. Specifically, Black adults had some of the highest rates of obesity-related heart disease deaths, with the highest percentage of deaths seen in Black women. The new study was published Sept. 6 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. “Our study is the first to demonstrate that this increasing burden of obesity is translating into rising heart disease deaths,” study author Dr. Zahra Raisi-Estabragh, a cardiologist and clinical lecturer at the William Harvey Research Institute in London, said in a journal news release. About 42% of Americans are now obese, an increase of almost 10% from the last decade, according to the American Heart Association. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 281,000 deaths from 1999 to 2020 in which obesity was listed in a contributing cause of death in a database. They also looked at race, gender and whether people lived in urban or rural areas. Overall, obesity-related heart disease deaths jumped from 2.2 per 100,000 people in 1999 to 6.6 per 100,000 people in 2020, the study showed. The rate of heart disease deaths not related to…  read on >  read on >

As waters warm across the United States and hurricanes and flooding season begins, the odds of being infected by flesh-eating bacteria are also rising, U.S. health officials warn. According to a Sept. 1 health alert from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a dozen types of the bacteria called Vibrio cause an estimated 80,000 such illnesses each year. One particular type of bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus, can cause life-threatening “flesh eating” infections. About 150 to 200 of these infections are reported each year and about one in five of those infected die; sometimes within a day or two after becoming ill, the CDC noted in a news release. Vibrio bacteria thrive in warmer water, especially during the summer months and when hurricanes hit. In the United States, infections have been mostly seen in Gulf Coast states. Not surprisingly, infections in the Eastern United States have increased eightfold from 1988 to 2018 and moved up the coast by about 30 miles per year. Connecticut, New York and North Carolina have now seen severe and fatal infections. Most people get infected by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters, the CDC warns. Some people, however, are infected when an open wound is exposed to the bacteria. Open wounds include those from recent surgeries, piercings, tattoos and other cuts or scrapes. Coastal floods, hurricanes and storm surges…  read on >  read on >

Cancer is surging among people under 50, a new global study reveals. Over the past 30 years, new cases have increased 79% worldwide in that age bracket, according to a report published Sept. 5 in BMJ Oncology. The fastest rising cancers are in the windpipe and prostate, and most deaths have been from breast, windpipe, lung, bowel and stomach cancer, the researchers found. Cancer tends to be more common in older people, but cases in those under 50 have been rising in many parts of the world since the 1990s, the researchers noted. They drew on the Global Burden of Disease database, which includes data for 29 cancers in 204 countries and regions. A team led by Xue Li, a research associate at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, conducted the study. Worldwide, the number of new early-onset cancer cases is projected to rise by 31% and deaths by 21% by 2030. Those in their 40s are at the greatest risk, Li’s group noted in a journal news release. Why the steep rise? Although genetics has a role in the increasing cancer rate, other factors could also play a part. The researchers cited diets high in red meat and salt, and low in fruit and milk; alcohol consumption; and tobacco use as the main risk factors for cancers among those under 50, with physical inactivity,…  read on >  read on >

Smoking may not only harm the smoker and those who breathe in the secondhand fumes, but also their future children. New research suggests that boys who smoke in their early teens risk passing on harmful genetic traits to future children. The study probed the genetic profiles of 875 people between 7 and 50 years of age and their father’s smoking behavior. People whose dads were early-teen smokers had gene markers associated with asthma, obesity and low lung function. Biomarkers associated with this were different from those associated with maternal or personal smoking, the researchers found. This is the first human study to reveal the biological mechanism behind the impact of fathers’ early smoking on their children, according to researchers from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and the University of Bergen in Norway. “Changes in epigenetic markers were much more pronounced in children whose fathers started smoking during puberty than those whose fathers had started smoking at any time before conception,” said study co-author Negusse Kitaba, a research fellow at the University of Southampton. “Early puberty may represent a critical window of physiological changes in boys. This is when the stem cells are being established which will make sperm for the rest of their lives,” Kitaba explained in a university news release. The researchers found epigenetic changes at 19 sites mapped to 14…  read on >  read on >

It’s important for men to be familiar with the warning signs of prostate cancer and get screened because it’s the second-leading cause of cancer death in men, an expert says. While there will be more than 288,000 diagnoses and nearly 35,000 deaths this year, there are also 3.5 million American men who have the disease and are still alive. Black men have the highest death rate for prostate cancer of any racial or ethnic group. They are twice as likely to die from it as white men are, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). “Despite the alarming statistics concerning the disease, there are opportunities for prevention, early detection and treatment to improve survival and survivorship, and to reduce the burden this cancer has across the U.S. and the globe,” said prostate cancer researcher Dr. Lorelei Mucci. She’s director of strategic research partnerships at the ACS. Warning signs of prostate cancer can include urinary problems, such as difficulty starting urination or urinating frequently. It can also include pain during ejaculation. The prostate is close to both the bladder and the urethra. These symptoms aren’t exclusive to prostate cancer, so it’s important to see a doctor to narrow down the cause. Cancer that has grown beyond the prostate may cause hip or back pain. “For most people, however, there are no signs or symptoms indicating prostate…  read on >  read on >

Phthalates are commonly used in plastics, and researchers have now tied them to developmental issues in toddler boys who were exposed to the chemical in the womb. The new study links the chemicals to emotional and behavioral development issues in 2-year-old boys who were exposed during the first trimester of pregnancy. “Our findings … underscore the potential impact of maternal exposure to phthalates on children’s emotional and behavioral development, particularly among boys,” said lead author Liron Cohen-Eliraz, who conducted the research as part of her doctoral dissertation at Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. “Our study adds to the growing body of evidence highlighting the need for greater environmental awareness, and action to minimize exposure to harmful chemicals during pregnancy,” she said in a university news release. These “everywhere plastic” chemicals are used in vinyl flooring, lubricating oils, soap, shampoo and so much more. The United States has largely banned import and sale of toys and childcare products containing phthalates. Several states have their own restrictions. Phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that cross the placenta. When absorbed by the fetus, they can either mimic or block female hormones, or in males, suppress hormones involved in male sexual development. For this study, researchers recruited women who were 11 to 18 weeks’ pregnant. Their urine was analyzed for phthalate byproducts (DEHP, DiNP and MBzBP). The infants’ developmental and…  read on >  read on >

It’s not unusual to experience driving anxiety. Living in cities with heavy traffic, five-lane highways and little public transportation can make it even harder. A psychologist offers some suggestions for easing those fears. “One of the biggest challenges centers around anxiety related to the trigger, and that can be exacerbated by a variety of things like weather, traffic or concerns about road rage,” said Dr. Eric Storch, vice chair of psychology in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Someone experiencing driving anxiety might feel distress. Another common symptom is avoidance. When anxiety is extreme, that might mean not driving at all, getting rides from others or using ride-share apps like Uber. Someone may only drive when others are present or under certain conditions, such as during the day or not on highways. However, these options are just not practical for many and might cause greater anxiety and avoidance over time, Storch said. It’s crucial that someone learns how to confront driving fears gradually and progressively. Start driving on backroads, then move to non-highway roads. Then drive those same roads during high-traffic times. Over time, step it up to more traffic situations. If you fear driving on big bridges, start by driving on small bridges and then drive on larger bridges. “The whole time, you’re reflecting on being…  read on >  read on >

It can be hard for new college students, or those returning after summer break, to be away from home. Homesickness is a normal reaction. About 30% of all students and 70% of first-year students experience it. Though it can happen at any time, it’s most common in the first few months away. Stephanie Marcello, chief psychologist at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care in New Brunswick, N.J., offers some suggestions for making it a little easier. “Homesickness tends to decrease after the first semester, but how fast a person overcomes it varies,” Marcello said in a Rutgers news release. Physical signs can include disrupted sleep, lack of appetite, headaches, dizziness and increased risk of infection, especially gastrointestinal. A student might be consumed with thoughts of home or returning home, feel pessimistic about their new environment or have difficulty concentrating. Other signs are feelings of depression, anxiety, irritability, sadness or feeling isolated or alone. Some people may be more prone to these feelings, including those with other stressors or a lack of social support. Risk factors for feeling homesickness include the ability to warm up to new people and situations; whether a person wanted to move out from home; how friends and family back home are experiencing their move; and their overall attitude toward the experience. Expecting to feel homesick can bring on those feelings. Marcello suggests…  read on >  read on >

Red tape is getting in the way of cancer patients receiving the treatment they crucially require, a new study has found. Patients were 18% more likely to experience cancer care delays or be unable to stick to a treatment plan if they had to fill out a lot of paperwork, compared to patients who faced less red tape, the researchers found. Results also showed that the more paperwork a patient had to deal with, the more likely they were to experience delays in treatment. “These are patients who are under incredible amounts of stress, who are often physically and emotionally nowhere near their best, and now having to try to jump through these hoops, the challenge becomes way more difficult and, quite frankly, unacceptable,” said Dr. Joe Betancourt, president of the Commonwealth Fund, a health policy think tank. “We need to really advocate for decreasing these administrative and bureaucratic burdens on patients who are suffering from chronic diseases and need care,” added Betancourt, who was not involved in the study. These delays were worse for younger patients who were less experienced at navigating the health care system, researchers reported Aug. 30 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Black Americans also reported more paperwork-related delays than white Americans, the study found. The U.S. health care system requires a complex series of communications among patients,…  read on >  read on >