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☆ Ultraprocessed food may contribute to dementia, study says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —We all eat them — ultraprocessed foods such as frozen pizza and ready-to-eat meals make our busy lives much easier. If more than 20% of your daily calorie intake is ultraprocessed foods, however, you may be raising your risk for cognitive decline, a new study found. While short of proof, this is robust enough that we should conclude ultraprocessed foods are probably bad for our brains.”There was an interesting twist, however. “Ultraprocessed foods drag diet quality down, and thus their concentration in the diet is an indicator of poor diet quality in most cases,” Katz said. One easy way to ensure diet quality is to cook and prepare your food from scratch, Suemoto said.

The authors noted that “social forces” may have played a part in the accelerated brain aging seen among their Black subjects. A lot of things contribute to dementia and Alzheimer’s, like high blood pressure and diabetes. Pete Comparoni“Elevated blood pressure is a very strong risk factor for worsening cerebrovascular disease,” King said. One option is through activities like restorative yoga, which Grant said can help address stress and regulate blood pressure and brain function. You have to go to your primary care doctor and check your blood pressure and blood sugar level.

☆ Pain relief from marijuana may come from believing it helps, study says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

A 2020 study, for example, found using marijuana before entering the hospital for a surgical procedure made pain during recovery significantly worse. In fact, the optimistic attitude generated by a placebo can be powerful enough to affect study results dramatically. A unique part of the study looked at the role of news and social media for the placebo effect in cannabis clinical trials, Jensen said. Researchers found positive media coverage after each of the cannabis clinical trials, even when the study results were less than spectacular, she said. “I don’t think you can explain the placebo effect or blame it on social media.

☆ Organ donations rise during major motorcycle rallies due to crashes, study says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Raenu Charles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Organ donations and transplantations increase during major US motorcycle rallies due to crashes, according to a new study, signaling a need for increased safety measures. In regions near where motorcycle rallies were held, there were 21% more organ donors and 26% more transplant recipients per day during rallies than in the four weeks before and after. In nearby areas without a motorcycle rally on those same dates, there were 11% fewer organ donors and 10% fewer transplant recipients. Large motorcycle rallies often come with a surge in trauma volume at local hospitals, the study says. Safer ridingThe Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, held each August, is the largest and most popular in the country.

The words some doctors use are often misunderstood by patients and their families, leaving them feeling confused and vulnerable, according to researchers. "You could be the smartest doctor in the world, yet you're useless if your patients don't understand what you are saying," Pitt said. An 'impressive' chest X-rayTake the word "impressive." But when doctors say a patient's chest X-ray is "impressive," they really mean, "This worries me." "If somebody is using medical jargon, a phrase that you don't understand, feel free to say, 'Excuse me, I don't understand what you're trying to say.

☆ Drug and alcohol deaths increasing among US adults 65 and older, CDC data shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In 2020, more than 5,000 adults 65 and older in the United States died of a drug overdose. Though drug overdose death rates for older adults tend to be lower than for other age groups – and made up just 0.2% of total deaths among adults 65 and older in 2020 – such deaths have been climbing. Between 2000 and 2020, the rates rose from 2.4 to 8.8 deaths per 100,000 people among adults 65 and older. Between 2000 and 2020, drug overdose deaths increased more among men than women, rising from 2.7 to 12.3 deaths per 100,000 men compared with 2.3 to 5.8 per 100,000 women. “Because of ageism, we typically do not think of older adults as having a substance use disorder nor do we think of older adults for being at-risk for a drug overdose.

☆ Gun Death Rate Nears Three-Decade High, With Men at Most Risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Dominique Mosbergen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A record 48,953 deaths in the U.S. were caused by guns last year, a new study says. The rate of gun deaths in the U.S. reached a 28-year high in 2021 after sharp increases in homicides of Black men and suicides among white men, an analysis of federal data showed. A record 48,953 deaths in the U.S., or about 15 fatalities per 100,000 people, were caused by guns last year, said the analysis published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Network Open. Gun deaths declined in the 1990s, but have been rising steadily over the past decade and skyrocketed during the Covid-19 pandemic, said researchers who conducted the analysis.

☆ America’s gun epidemic is deadlier than ever, and there are vast disparities in who’s dying
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The researchers found that firearm mortality rates increased for most demographic groups in recent years – especially during the pandemic – and vast disparities persisted. With infant mortality in the United States, when you look at Black infants versus White infants, there’s over a two-fold (difference in) mortality rate. There are two key factors driving community gun violence, says Jonathan Jay, an assistant professor at Boston University School of Public Health: disadvantage at the neighborhood level and exposure to gun violence at the individual level. “Gun violence is most likely in spaces that show signs of physical disinvestment. The gun suicide rate increased 10% while the non-gun suicide rate decreased by 8%, and the gun homicide rate increased 45% while the non-gun homicide rate increased only 6%.

[1/3] An excavator clears out rocks into a dumper at the gold mine, operated by Endeavour Mining Corporation in Hounde, Burkina Faso February 11, 2020. Acquired by Burkina-based firm Néré Mining from Endeavour Mining (EDV.L) in March, Karma is one of at least four gold mines that halted production this year because of security risks. Gold is Burkina Faso's main export, accounting for 37% of total exports in 2020, and mining is a leading source of jobs. At current rates, Burkina Faso is set to produce 13% less gold this year than in 2021, in part because of mine closures, government statistics show. The Burkina Faso mines ministry did not respond to Reuters' questions.

☆ Daylight Saving Time debate sheds light on growing racial inequities in sleep health
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the Sleep Research Society and other medical groups have advocated for ending the practice, calling for the adoption of a permanent standard time that would not involve shifting forward each spring and falling back each autumn. She authored a paper, published in September in the journal Sleep, detailing the potential health benefits of adopting a permanent standard time. Now, some sleep researchers worry about the potential effects that continuing to change standard time twice each year may have on sleep health inequities. “Fortunately, sleep health is largely modifiable.”As for the inequities seen in sleep health, it’s not that White adults don’t also experience a lack of sleep and its health consequences – but people of color appear to disproportionately experience them more, and that’s believed to be largely due to social systems in the United States. Improving sleep health has been a national objective in the federal government’s past two Healthy People programs, noted Caraballo-Cordovez, who is not involved in the programs.

Of particular importance is information about how many seniors die, develop disabilities, can no longer live independently, or have a significantly worsened quality of life after major surgery. “What older patients want to know is, ‘What’s my life going to look like?’” Cooper said. Invasive procedures that take place in operating rooms with patients under general anesthesia were counted as major surgeries. Two years ago, Gill’s team conducted research that showed 1 in 3 older adults had not returned to their baseline level of functioning six months after major surgery. This includes assessing older patients three times a day for delirium (an acute change in mental status that often afflicts older hospital patients), getting patients moving as soon as possible, and using non-narcotic pain relievers.

☆ Fact Check-Graph of unverified data is not evidence of increased miscarriage risk with COVID vaccination
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The graph image has been circulated with remarks including, “THIS IS INSANE…4070% increase in VAERS miscarriage reports from 2019 to 2021. In contrast, VAERS shows 38 miscarriage reports in 2019 with 15 reported stillbirths, for a total of 53. VAERS data is unverified, and reporting rates are known to fluctuate, influenced by a variety of factors, including media attention to a particular illness or a new vaccine. Multiple studies around the world have found no increased risk of miscarriage or stillbirths associated with COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. Reuters has previously fact-checked claims that COVID-19 vaccination is associated with greater risk of pregnancy loss (here), (here), (here), (here), (here).

☆ Cancer diagnoses lag after screenings fall during pandemic, U.S. study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Shawana Alleyne-Morris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The decrease in diagnoses "does not mean these cancers are suddenly less common," said study leader Allison Oakes of data analytics company Trilliant Health in Brentwood, Tennessee. By the end of 2021, screening rates had rebounded but were still below pre-pandemic levels, researchers reported in JAMA Oncology. Ongoing analysis of 2022 data suggests screening rates in 2022 are unlikely to have improved dramatically, Oakes said. The issue appears to go beyond cancer testing, the study found. "Not only are people missing their annual cancer screenings, but they are using less primary care," Oakes said.

☆ These transformative leaders in healthcare are dealing with an unprecedented era of politics in the medical industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest healthcare news and analysis — delivered weekly to your inbox. But while the peak of the pandemic appears to be in the rearview, the healthcare industry has continued to be governed by political forces. This year, healthcare focused on transgender people and abortion rights has come under attack. Other healthcare professionals are using federal power to prevent the spread of infectious diseases other than COVID-19. Social stigma from the monkeypox outbreaks has mildly echoed the intense social and political stigma of HIV, which Daskalakis has focused on for the majority of his career.

☆ Mindfulness and medication work equally well to curb anxiety, a new study found
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A mindfulness meditation course may be as effective at reducing anxiety as a common medication, according to a new study. And starting meditation could also be a first step for people who have untreated anxiety and are wary of medication. Arpaia says that he has worked to find less time-intensive mindfulness methods to help patients manage their anxiety. How mindfulness worksThe patients assigned to the meditation group participated in a specific program called mindfulness-based stress reduction, first developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the 1970s. Patients shouldn’t expect meditation – or medication – to completely eliminate their anxiety, according to Hoge.

The first study ever to directly compare medication to meditation for anxiety finds the two methods work equally well at reducing symptoms. Just one side effect, increased anxiety, was reported in the mindfulness group, by about 15% of the participants. It's unclear why so many meditation participants appeared to drop off, she said. The time commitment to mindfulness throughout the study, however, was important for people to learn the proper techniques, Hoge said. The thinking behind mindfulness, Hoge said, is that it can make the thoughts that fuel anxiety less powerful.

☆ Mindfulness meditation reduces anxiety as much as a common antidepressant drug, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Mindfulness meditation is as effective at reducing anxiety as a commonly prescribed antidepressant, according to a study published in a major journal on Wednesday. The study, led by researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center, is the first randomized clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation with the antidepressant escitalopram. There were 102 patients in the mindfulness group and 106 in the antidepressant group. Dr. Elizabeth Hoge, lead author on the study, said the findings support physicians recommending mindfulness meditation as an alternative to antidepressants for some patients. Hoge, who is director of Georgetown University's Anxiety Disorders Research Program, said the study also provides evidence for insurers to cover mindfulness meditation as a treatment for anxiety.

☆ Feeling Groggy? You Might Have ‘Social Jet Lag’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Dominique Mosbergen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A person’s social clock is influenced by obligations such as work and school, as well as social activities. Groggy and disoriented on Monday morning after a weekend of late nights? “Social jet lag” may be to blame, sleep experts say, an inconsistency of sleep schedules that research suggests could have as much an impact on health as how much sleep one gets. Almost half of U.S. adults experience some social jet lag, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Network Open. The term refers to the mismatch between a person’s biological time, determined by an internal body clock, and their social clock, which is influenced by obligations such as work and school, as well as social activities.

☆ Sleepy at Work? You Might Have ‘Social Jet Lag’
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Dominique Mosbergen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Groggy and disoriented on Monday morning after a weekend of late nights? “Social jet lag” may be to blame, sleep experts say, an inconsistency of sleep schedules that research suggests could have as much of an impact on health as how much sleep one gets. Almost half of U.S. adults experience some social jet lag, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal JAMA Network Open. The term refers to the mismatch between a person’s biological time, which is determined by circadian rhythms, the roughly 24-hour cycles driven by an internal body clock, and their social clock, which is influenced by obligations such as work and school, as well as social activities.

☆ Sleep deprivation affects nearly half of American adults, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The analysis also found over 30% of adults reported an hour of sleep debt -— when you sleep less than your body needs — while nearly 1 in 10 adults had a sleep debt of two hours or more. “This is a well done study examining a very large and representative sample,” said Dr. Bhanu Prakash Kolla, a sleep medicine specialist in the Center for Sleep Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Social jet lagIn addition, nearly half of the adults in the study reported social jet lag – a bad fit between the sleep timing preferred by a person’s inner biological clock and the one dictated by society. Over 46% of the survey participants reported at least 1 hour of social jet lag, while 19.3% experienced at least 2 hours. Untreated social jet lag can have serious consequences, including insomnia, early waking or excessive sleepiness, daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, constipation or diarrhea and increased cortisol levels.

☆ Kids’ average daily screen use increased by more than an hour and twenty minutes during the pandemic, analysis finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Carma Hassan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Average daily screen use by children during the Covid-19 pandemic increased by more than an hour and twenty minutes, according to an analysis published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday. Kids’ average daily screen use increased by 1.5 times during the pandemic – from a baseline of 162 minutes a day before the pandemic to 246 minutes during the pandemic, according to the analysis. Also, some of the studies in the analysis used retrospective estimates, meaning parents could have misremembered how much screen time their kids had before the pandemic. Parents and caregivers’ amount of screen time, as well as their stress levels, during the pandemic were found to be associated with the duration of kids’ screen use, the analysis said. It is also critical to discuss balancing screen use with other important daily functions, such as sleep and physical activity,” the researchers advised.

☆ More adolescent e-cigarette users report vaping within five minutes of waking up, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The data included a total of 151,573 survey respondents, all in middle or high school in the United States. ‘Concerning’ trends in the intensity of useThe overall prevalence of e-cigarette use peaked in 2019 and then declined. But by 2019, more e-cigarette users were using within the first five minutes of waking up each day compared with traditional cigarette users. “It is encouraging that the prevalence of e-cigarette use has declined among U.S. adolescents from 2019 to 2021. “Unfortunately, early nicotine addiction could overturn the significant tobacco control progress made over many decades,” she said.

Alcohol-related deaths rose by 26% from 2019 to 2020, a new report published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds. From 2000 through 2018, age-adjusted alcohol-related deaths rose yearly, but never at a rate higher than 7%. Overall, alcohol-related death rates are higher among men than women; in 2020, there were 19.2 deaths per 100,000 men, compared with 7.5 per 100,000 women. The researchers found that alcohol-related deaths were most common among middle-aged adults. Overall, alcohol deaths among women rose by 27% from 2019 to 2020.

☆ Sam Shields: Super Bowl champion regrets playing in NFL; says his head is 'all mushed together' with concussions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Former Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields has said he regrets playing in the NFL, pointing to the effects concussions and head injuries had on his career and his later life. The spotters “serve as another set of eyes, watching for possible injuries at every NFL game,” according to NFL Football Operations. Concussions and their prevention have become an important issue in recent years due to their connection to brain disease later in life. The neurodegenerative brain disease can be found in individuals who have been exposed to repeated head trauma. The researchers hypothesized about a relationship between head trauma and ALS because of a similar link detected between football and the neurodegenerative disease CTE.

☆ Effects of Supreme Court abortion ruling: Longer travel time, more requests for pills
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Infants born as a result of an unintended pregnancy, meanwhile, face a higher risk of low birth weight or preterm birth. Ashana's article asserts that every hour of delayed care increases a patient’s risk of adverse outcomes or death. But in some cases, abortion restrictions require waiting until a person is hemorrhaging or develops sepsis before performing a lifesaving abortion. Hassan said medication abortion presents "a lot of opportunity to be able to expand into places that are geographically difficult for people to access abortion." "There are a lot of things within the health care system environment that could change, including the way we think about where abortion care can be accessed," Hassan said.

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