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☆ Just 5 minutes of exercise could help lower blood pressure, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Linda Carroll | Linda Carroll Is A Regular Health Contributor To Nbc News. She Is Coauthor Of | The Concussion Crisis | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Just five minutes of vigorous exercise a day might help lower blood pressure, a new study suggests. People with high blood pressure have a higher risk for heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death in the U.S. Nearly half of all Americans have high blood pressure, which is defined as a systolic blood pressure (the upper number) of greater than 130 or a diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) greater than 80. The researchers found that replacing any less active behavior with five minutes of exercise could lower systolic blood pressure by 0.68 points and diastolic blood pressure by 0.54 points. An estimated two point improvement in systolic blood pressure was observed when 20 minutes of vigorous exercise replaced, for example, 21 minutes of sedentary time or 26 minutes of slow-walking.

Persons: ” Mark Hamer, Hamer, ”, Arun Manmadhan, Manmadhan, Matthew Tomey, Sean P, Heffron, “, Evan Brittain, Brittain Organizations: University College London, Centers for Disease Control, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York University Langone Medical, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Locations: U.S, New York City, Sinai, Nashville

The only approved treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are medications with limited effectiveness and a risk of severe, sometimes deadly, side effects. Researchers found that when the device was aimed at the right spot in the brain, it could slow the development of symptoms, such as memory loss, compared to an inactive treatment. In Alzheimer’s, nerve cells in the brain at some point start to dysfunction, leading to the debilitating symptoms of memory loss. What’s more, during the yearlong TMS trial, participants receiving the experimental treatment showed little decline in their abilities to perform the activities of daily living. Sinaptica’s weekly brain stimulation therapy is intended to strengthen connections in areas of the brain that control memory.

Persons: Giacomo Koch, ” Koch, Koch, Irina Skylar, Scott, “, ”, Lawrence Honig, Honig, Ryan Darby, Darby Organizations: University of Ferrara, Sinaptica, NBC News, TMS, Alzheimer’s Association, Food and Drug Administration, Stanford University’s Center, Memory Disorders, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Locations: Madrid, Cambridge , Massachusetts, U.S

☆ Loss of sense of smell linked to changes in breathing patterns, research suggests
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-22 | by ( Linda Carroll | Linda Carroll Is A Regular Health Contributor To Nbc News. She Is Coauthor Of | The Concussion Crisis | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Not having — or losing — your sense of smell may be linked to changes in breathing that could lead to depression, social isolation or other mental and physical health problems, a new study suggests. About 72% of those completely regained their sense of smell, while about a quarter partially got their sense of smell back. Previous research has linked anosmia to a wide variety of negative outcomes, ranging from dulled emotions and depression to a shortened lifespan, the authors noted. It was a game changer.”Currently, health care providers often don’t ask about or test for anosmia, Parma said. “And when there is a pleasant smell, the brain tells the nose to increase the amount of air inhaled.

Persons: Covid, Lior, Gorodisky, ” Gorodisky, anosmia, Valentina Parma, ”, Parma, ” Parma, “ Covid, Dr, Jonathan Overdevest, Overdevest, Alzheimer’s, Benjamin tenOever, ” tenOever Organizations: Nature Communications, National Institutes of Health, Weizmann Institute of Science, Senses Center, anosmia, Columbia University Irving Medical, New York University Langone Medical Locations: Rehovot, Israel, Philadelphia, Parma, New York City

☆ Arm position during blood pressure check may lead to wrong diagnosis, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Linda Carroll | Linda Carroll Is A Regular Health Contributor To Nbc News. She Is Coauthor Of | The Concussion Crisis | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Blood pressure readings may not be accurate unless a person’s arm is positioned correctly, a new study suggests. “There was a chance that arm position was not important,” she said. The blood pressure cuff should be positioned at mid-heart level. To learn whether arm position made a difference in blood pressure readings, Brady and her colleagues recruited 133 adults, 78% of them Black and 52% female. “There is a pretty significant difference in blood pressure readings depending on arm position,” said Kamath, a cardiologist at UCLA Health.

Persons: Tammy Brady, ” Brady, Brady, ”, Karyn Singer, I’ve, Singer, Megan Kamath, Kamath, Matthew Tomey, Tomey Organizations: Johns Hopkins Children's Center, American Heart Association, New York University, UCLA Health Locations: U.S, Mount, New York City

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans may have an undiagnosed iron deficiency, a problem that can lead to fatigue, brain fog and difficulty concentrating, a new study suggests. An analysis of data from more than 8,000 adults in the U.S. revealed that 14% had low iron blood levels, a condition known as absolute iron deficiency, while 15% had the right iron levels but their bodies couldn’t use the essential mineral properly, known as functional iron deficiency, according to the report published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open. Doctors don’t typically screen adults for iron deficiency, which is why the condition has been overlooked in many people. There had been hints in other studies suggesting iron deficiency might be more widespread than doctors assume. The rates of iron deficiency between men and women are more similar after the age of menopause, experts said.

Persons: don’t, ”, Leo Buckley, “, Dr, Andrew Eisenberger, Eisenberger, ” Eisenberger, Brigham, Buckley, Johanna Contreras, Hossein Ardehali, Ardehali Organizations: Brigham, Women’s Hospital, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Women’s, National Health, Renal Research Institute, Molecular Cardiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Research Locations: U.S, Boston, Sinai, New York City

☆ Early puberty may be linked to a common chemical used in personal care products
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Linda Carroll | Linda Carroll Is A Regular Health Contributor To Nbc News. She Is Coauthor Of | The Concussion Crisis | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Shaw, a co-senior author of the new study, acknowledged a link between early puberty and excess weight in young girls. “I do think it plays a role, but in my practice, it’s not just those who are overweight or obese who are having early puberty,” she said. But children were most likely to be exposed to only one of them: musk ambrette, according to the report, published in Endocrinology. Musk ambrette is widely used in inexpensive or counterfeit fragrances and other scented personal care products, Shaw said. She was surprised that phthalates, which have been linked to early puberty, didn’t come up in the research.

Persons: Natalie Shaw, Shaw, “, it’s, ”, ” Shaw, haven’t, Apisadaporn, didn’t, Jasmine McDonald, McDonald, ” McDonald Organizations: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Harvard, of Public Health, UCLA, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Locations: Durham , North Carolina, Chan, New York City

☆ Research shows the ages our metabolism undergoes massive rapid changes
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Linda Carroll | Linda Carroll Is A Regular Health Contributor To Nbc News. She Is Coauthor Of | The Concussion Crisis | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

For many people, reaching their mid-40s may bring unpleasant signs the body isn’t working as well as it once did. Previous research showed that resting energy use, or metabolic rate, didn’t change from ages 20 to 60. The changes in metabolism affect how the body reacts to alcohol or caffeine, although the health consequences aren’t yet clear. For example, the changes in alcohol metabolism might be because people are drinking more in their mid-40s, Snyder said. “But it will take time to sort out what individual changes mean and how we can tailor medications to those changes.

Persons: ”, Michael Snyder, It’s, Snyder, Josef Coresh, Coresh, Lori Zeltser, ” Zeltser Organizations: Stanford, Center for Genomics, Medicine, Stanford Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Locations: midlife

About 1 in 8 adults over 50 showed signs of food addiction, according to the survey. “We think this is also true in younger populations.”Gearhardt and her team used questions from the Yale Food Addiction Scale to measure whether older adults were experiencing core indicators of addiction. If I had emotional problems because I hadn’t eaten certain foods, I would eat them (17%, once a week). Gearhardt was a member of the group that devised the Yale Food Addiction Scale. The difference is you can’t stop eating food.”Gearhardt said that the survey results should encourage health providers to ask patients about dietary habits.

More men are being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that is less likely to respond to treatments, a new study from the American Cancer Society suggests. Even more concerning than the rise in advanced cancer diagnoses is the increased number of prostate cancer deaths. “This increase is concerning and requires a new look at prostate cancer screening,” Tewari said. Essentially, that’s like 16 Boeing 747s crashing.”Black men had a 70% higher incidence of prostate cancer than white men. Declines in prostate cancer screeningIn 1994, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of measurements of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) to be used as part of a screening test for prostate cancer.

Austin Johnson in August 2019 when his eyes and skin had turned yellow from liver disease caused by years of heavy drinking. Courtesy Austin JohnsonCirrhosis or severe liver disease used to be something that mostly struck people in middle age, or older. “We’re definitely seeing younger and younger patients coming in with what we previously thought was advanced liver disease seen in patients only in their middle age, 50s and 60s,” said Mellinger. Since 2018, Mellinger, and doctors at the Michigan Alcohol Improvement program provide psychiatrists and addiction specialists to patients with liver disease. The yellow color in his skin and eyes — a symptom of severe liver disease — has disappeared.

When it comes to persistent bad breath, the types of probiotic bacteria found in fermented foods like yogurt, sourdough bread and miso soup may help ease the offending odor, a new study suggests. A major cause of persistent bad breath is gaseous blends of sulfur and other elements, known as volatile sulfuric compounds, that are produced by mouth bacteria, the researchers note. To take a closer look at whether probiotic bacteria might help manage bad breath, the researchers scoured the medical literature for studies on the topic. Bad breath severity in the trials was assessed by measurements of the compounds detected in the mouth, along with a score that indicated how strong the bad breath odors were at various distances from the mouth. Nutritionist Perri Halperin said people with persistent bad breath should see a dentist for potential underlying health issues.

Participants who were offered cash incentives for either pounds lost or for completing certain activities were more likely to lose weight compared with those who were simply offered tools, such as diet books, fitness trackers and access to a weight loss program, the study found. On average, participants in the goal-directed group earned $440.44, as compared to $303.56 in the outcome-based group. “Even if less weight is lost, adopting lifelong physical activity or better eating habits may be more important,” she said. Kushner, who was not involved with the new study, agreed that low-income people face extra challenges when it comes to weight loss. What’s not clear, however, is how the strategy of offering cash for weight loss could be implemented in a real-world setting, outside of academia.

☆ Americans are eating more whole grains, but are still confused by the food labels
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Linda Carroll | Linda Carroll Is A Regular Health Contributor To Nbc News | Reuters Health. She Is Coauthor Of | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

At least half of the grains consumed daily should be whole grains, according to the USDA's recommendations. “Consumers need to be careful when they go shopping for whole grain foods,” said Zhang. What’s important is the percentage of the total grain in the food that is actually whole grain, Zhang said. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identifies whole grain foods as those containing 50% or more by weight of the grain- or flour-containing component as whole grain ingredients. For example, when a product is described as being made with whole grains, that doesn’t mean it’s 100% whole grains, Cholewka said.

For decades doctors have been telling their patients that high levels of HDL, otherwise known as “good cholesterol,” could protect them from heart disease. But a new study suggests that having a lot of so-called good cholesterol doesn’t mean a lower risk of heart attacks. The new findings surprised the researchers, who originally designed their study to understand how cholesterol levels in Black and white middle-aged adults without heart disease affected their future risks. Previous research on "good" cholesterol and heart disease consisted of mostly white adults. Low HDL levels were associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease in white participants, but not Black participants.

The analysis by Canadian researchers, published Tuesday in Radiology, compared the chest scans of marijuana smokers and tobacco-only smokers who were matched according to age. Unlike cigarettes, joints aren’t filtered, and marijuana smokers inhale more deeply and longer than cigarette smokers do. The marijuana smokers were identified by a search through the Ottawa Hospital records, using the terms “marijuana” and “cannabis.” Then Revah and her colleagues determined which of the marijuana smokers had had the chest scan. They then searched for nonsmokers and the cigarette smokers who had received chest scans to compare to the marijuana smokers. The marijuana smokers were ages 20 to 73, the nonsmokers were ages 19 to 75, and the tobacco-only smokers were ages 50 to 71.

An experimental drug could eventually offer hope to millions of people struggling with uncontrolled high blood pressure, new research has found. Overall, 20% to 30% of adults experience high blood pressure, Brown said in an email. Uncontrolled hypertension accounts for 5% to 10% of all people with hypertension. Hypertension is diagnosed when a person has a blood pressure of 130/80, while a systolic measurement of 120-129 mm Hg is considered to be “elevated.” A normal range is less than 120/80 mm Hg. Those who received the highest dose of the medication saw their systolic blood pressure — the top number in the measure — drop an extraordinary 20 points during the study.

An earlier study in adults showed that the drug did indeed help with weight loss. “We’ve entered the phase where we are seeing the kind of weight loss where teens come to us in tears. In addition to the weight loss, the drug reduced some cardiovascular risk factors, including waist circumference and bad cholesterol. As it turns out, even when people get weight loss surgery, “three years out, there is significant weight gain,” Li said. When a weight loss drug like this is prescribed to patients, that shouldn’t be the end of things, Li said.

Chickenpox vaccines have virtually wiped out severe complications and deaths in American children from the highly contagious virus, a new report finds. Chickenpox —which is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, a type of herpes virus — was considered just a normal part of growing up until the vaccine became available in 1995. The chickenpox vaccine implementation is “a tremendous achievement,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Mona Marin, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease. An estimated 90.3% of children have been vaccinated against chickenpox by age 2, according to the CDC. The CDC recommends two doses of chickenpox vaccine for children, teens and adults who have never had the disease.

Scientists may have found a culprit for what can trigger Crohn’s disease. Cadwell and his colleagues discovered the norovirus connection to Crohn’s fortuitously when they were studying mice that had been engineered to develop the intestinal disease. Many of the mice had gotten norovirus and “the mice developed intestinal abnormalities only in the presence of a viral infection,” Cadwell explained. On a hunch, the researchers treated the mice that had developed the rodent version of Crohn’s with the human version of the API5 protein. Crohn's treatments can worsen infectionsThat would be welcome news to Heather Schlueter, who learned three years ago that her excruciating abdominal pain was due to Crohn’s disease.

For their study, Wilson and her colleagues first set out to train a variety of 20 pet dogs to point with their noses at samples from a person who was stressed. The dogs' accuracy at detecting the stress samples — from 90 percent to 96.88 percent — was even better than the researchers anticipated. Scientists discovered how a dog's sense of smell and the sense of vision are closely linked in its brain. She compared it to dogs who can smell cancer by picking out breath samples in a line-up. It’s hard to tell whether the dogs equate what they smell with actual feelings of stress, Houpt said.

☆ What happens when you don't get enough sleep? Blood samples show heart risks.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Linda Carroll | Linda Carroll Is A Regular Health Contributor To Nbc News | Reuters Health. She Is Coauthor Of | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“In subjects who had undergone sleep restriction, the number of immune cells circulating in the blood was higher. To look at the impact of restricted sleep on the immune system, Swirski and his colleagues conducted experiments in humans and in mice. Once again, the researchers drew blood samples and totaled the number of immune cells. Moreover, the stem cells that give birth to immune cells had changed as a result of the six weeks of shortened sleep. Those marks on the stem cells, through a series of steps, eventually lead to less diversity among the immune cells.

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