Mayo Clinic expert provides tips for reducing dementia risk

More than 55 million people worldwide are believed to be living with dementia, according to the World Health Organization. Ronald Petersen, M.D., a neurologist and director of Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, says you can’t prevent dementia, but you can reduce your risk.

Mayo Clinic Healthcare expert shares heart failure signs, risk factors people may not be aware of

Heart failure may seem like a disease of advanced age, but it can develop at any time in life. And, in many cases, it can be prevented or treated. In this expert alert, Gosia Wamil, M.D., Ph.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, explains risk factors, symptoms that people may not be aware of and how heart failure is treated.

Mental health challenges contributed to weight gain for people with obesity during COVID-19

Over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 30% of patients with obesity gained more than 5% of their body weight, and 1 in 7 gained more than 10%. While diet and exercise habits were factors, people with the highest levels of stress, anxiety, and depression reported the most weight gain, UT Southwestern researchers reported in the journal Obesity.

Sliding Backwards in Obesity Care: Workers See Broad Reductions and Plateauing Coverage in State-Employee Health Plans

New research published in Obesity has found that multiple state employee healthcare plans have reduced obesity treatment services for workers in the past five years. Conducted by the STOP Obesity Alliance at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, this paper provides a stark contrast to STOP’s previous research that demonstrated a promising upward trend between 2009-2017 in obesity care coverage by state insurance plans.

Women’s Preventive Services Initiative issues guidelines for preventing obesity in midlife women

The Women’s Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI), a national coalition of women’s health professional organizations and patient advocacy representatives, has issued a new clinical guideline recommending that clinicians discuss obesity prevention strategies with female patients aged 40 to 60 years even if they are not overweight. According to the guideline, counseling should include individualized discussion with patients about healthy eating and physical activity to maintain a healthy weight for those with a normal-range body mass index (BMI), or to maintain or limit weight gain for those whose BMI is categorized as overweight. The recommendation is based on a systematic review of published evidence.

Increased Precision and Safety in Spinal Tap with PASS – An Ultrasound-Guided Lumbar Puncture Procedure

PASS (Point-Assisted Spinal Sonography), an ultrasound-guided lumbar puncture device from Chula doctors and engineers, helps increase the precision and confidence in spinal tap procedures while reducing risks and pain for patients.

Lactating Mice Pass along Common Antimicrobial to Pups, Initiating Liver Damage

In mouse studies, UC San Diego researchers report that lactating mothers expose their feeding pups to triclosan, an antimicrobial commonly used in consumer products, resulting in early signs of liver damage.

Vitamin B5 May Help Weight Loss by Turning on Brown Fat

Pantothenate acid, also known as vitamin B5, stimulated the production of brown fat in both cell cultures and mice, a new study finds. “[B5] has therapeutic potential for treating obesity and type II diabetes,” researchers conclude. The study was chosen as an APSselect article for July.

New discoveries about enzyme’s metabolic role may lead to better diabetes treatments

For the first time, a team led by UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System, has characterized the metabolic function of a phosphatase enzyme called mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-2 (MKP-2), as well as the enzyme’s pathophysiology in obesity, Type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Intermittent Fasting Protects Kidneys of Obese Mice

New research in mice finds that time-restricted feeding improves markers of kidney and vascular health. The research will be presented this week at the American Physiological Society and American Society for Nephrology Control of Renal Function in Health and Disease conference.

Research Shows Alarming Increases in Deaths from Alcoholic Cirrhosis in the U.S.

Researchers conducted an original research study utilizing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) to compare trends in mortality from alcoholic cirrhosis in the U.S. in 1999 with those 20 years later in 2019.

Study finds long-term 10% weight loss with anti-obesity medications and lifestyle changes

A new study finds overweight and obese people maintained an average weight loss of 10.6% over 3 to 5 years with a program of lifestyle changes in combination with anti-obesity medications. Weight loss of more than 10% provides significant health benefits, according to researchers who are presenting their findings Sunday, June 12 at ENDO 2022, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Atlanta, Ga.

Teens ate less ultra-processed food consumption during pandemic, reversing trend of three decades

For the first time in the last 30 years, the consumption of ultra-processed foods among teenagers in the United States declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study presented at ENDO 2022, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Atlanta, Ga.

Suppressed ovarian follicle development in women with obesity may explain reduced fertility

Women with obesity, even those with regular menstrual cycles, have suppressed ovarian follicle development and reduced production of reproductive hormones, which may underlie reduced fertility, according to a new study being presented Saturday at ENDO 2022, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Atlanta, Ga.

Weight Loss with Bariatric Surgery Cuts the Risk of Developing Cancer and Death from Cancer

A Cleveland Clinic study shows that among adults with obesity, weight loss achieved with bariatric surgery was associated with a 32% lower risk of developing cancer and a 48% lower risk of cancer-related death compared with adults who did not have the surgery. The research is published by JAMA.

More greens, less sugar and fries: Abriendo Caminos study finds promising results

A study evaluating the effect of the Abriendo Caminos program on dietary behaviors of Hispanic children found youth participants consumed sugar-sweetened beverages, french fries and fast food less frequently and ate vegetables more often after the six-week workshop series.

Calorie Count More Important than Nutrient Composition in Development of Obesity-related Kidney Disease

Article title: High-calorie diet results in reversible obesity-related glomerulopathy in adult zebrafish regardless of dietary fat Authors: Evan M. Zeitler, J. Charles Jennette, Jennifer E. Flythe, Ronald J. Falk, John S. Poulton From the authors: “This work suggests that macronutrient…

New WHO report: Europe can reverse its obesity “epidemic”

The new WHO European Regional Obesity Report 2022, published on 3 May by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, reveals that overweight and obesity rates have reached epidemic proportions across the Region and are still escalating, with none of the 53 Member States of the Region currently on track to meet the WHO Global Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) target of halting the rise of obesity by 2025.

Childhood obesity increases risk of type 1 diabetes

Being overweight in childhood increases the risk of developing type 1 diabetes in later life, according to the findings of a new study that analysed genetic data on over 400,000 individuals. The study, co-led by researchers from the Universities of Bristol and Oxford and published today in Nature Communications, also provides evidence that being overweight over many years from childhood influences the risk of other diseases including asthma, eczema and hypothyroidism.

Study: Obesity raises the risk of gum disease by inflating growth of bone-destroying cells

Chronic inflammation caused by obesity may trigger the development of cells that break down bone tissue, including the bone that holds teeth in place, according to new University at Buffalo research that sought to improve understanding of the connection between obesity and gum disease.

In Patients with Fatty Liver, Bariatric Surgery Decreases Risk of Progression of Liver Disease, Serious Heart Complications

A Cleveland Clinic study shows that patients with obesity and advanced fatty liver disease who had bariatric weight loss surgery significantly lowered their future risk of liver disease complications and serious cardiovascular disease compared with patients who did not have surgery.