Latest Health News

22Oct
2021

Deadly Liver Disease Tied to Obesity Is on the Rise

Deadly Liver Disease Tied to Obesity Is on the RiseFRIDAY, Oct. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Liver disease is usually associated with alcoholism or hepatitis, but obesity and diabetes are becoming an even more dire threat for potentially fatal liver damage, a new study reveals.In fact, advanced fatty liver disease increases a person's risk of death by nearly sevenfold, according to a new report.But it's a silent killer — by the time you develop symptoms related to fatty liver damage, you're in deep trouble, warned co-researcher Dr. Jeanne Clark, director of general internal medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, in Baltimore, Md."Once you got this advanced liver disease, which can take years and decades to develop, then people who had that scarring that got so advanced were more likely to die," Clark said.The condition occurs...

Scientists Develop Quick Test for Marijuana Use

22 October 2021
Scientists Develop Quick Test for Marijuana UseFRIDAY, Oct. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers may be one step closer to developing the equivalent of a Breathalyzer for detecting marijuana use.In an early study, scientists found that their rapid test was able to reliably detect THC in people's saliva in under 5 minutes. THC, short for tetrahydrocannabinol, is the active ingredient in marijuana.Right now, the "gold standard" for detecting marijuana use is to measure THC in the blood or urine. But those tests can take days to process. The other drawback is that unlike alcohol, THC can linger in the bloodstream for days or even weeks -- so a "positive" blood test does not necessarily reflect recent use.Those facts have made it hard to develop a roadside test for marijuana use, akin to the Breathalyzer used to measure drivers'...

Delta Variant Subtype on Rise in U.K.

22 October 2021
Delta Variant Subtype on Rise in U.K.FRIDAY, Oct. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A subtype of the Delta variant is causing a growing number of infections in the United Kingdom and is being closely monitored there and in other countries.During the week of Sept. 27, the AY.4.2 variant accounted for about 6% of cases in the U.K. and is "on an increasing trajectory," according to the U.K. Health Security Agency, CNN reported.Despite its spread in the U.K., officials there have not yet classified it as a variant of concern.While some experts have suggested that AY.4.2 may be somewhat more transmissible than the original Delta variant, that has yet to be confirmed."As AY.4.2 is still at fairly low frequency, a 10% increase in its transmissibility could have caused only a small number of additional cases. As such, it hasn't been...

Just 5 Hours of Moderate Exercise a Week Cuts Your...

22 October 2021
Just 5 Hours of Moderate Exercise a Week Cuts Your Cancer RiskFRIDAY, Oct. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Just a few hours a week of moderate exercise may reduce your risk of cancer, a new study suggests.If Americans got the recommended five hours a week of moderate-intensity physical activity, more than 46,000 cancer cases could be prevented in the United States each year, according to the report. The study authors said that 3% of all cancer cases in U.S. adults aged 30 and older from 2013 to 2016 were attributable to inactivity. More inactivity-related cancer cases occurred in women (almost 33,000) than in men (nearly 14,300) each year.Are these folks lazy? Not necessarily. Many Americans face barriers to physical activity, the researchers said, including: lack of time due to long hours in low-wage jobs; the cost of gym memberships or personal...

Depression, Anxiety Could Raise a Pregnant Woman's Odds for C-Section

22 October 2021
Depression, Anxiety Could Raise a Pregnant Woman`s Odds for C-SectionFRIDAY, Oct. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) – While anxiety and depression in pregnant women have already been linked to low birth weight and preterm birth, they may also contribute to higher rates of cesarean deliveries.Researchers called the study among the largest to document a link between mood and anxiety disorders and first-time C-sections among low-risk pregnant women."Our findings reinforce the importance of better identifying and treating perinatal depression and anxiety disorders in pregnant women," said senior study author Dr. Vanessa Dalton, an ob-gyn at University of Michigan Health's Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital. "It's critical to better understand how these mood disorders increase the likelihood of cesarean section deliveries, which we know have both short and long-term...

Want Fewer Fractures in Nursing Homes? Put More Dairy on the Menu

22 October 2021
Want Fewer Fractures in Nursing Homes? Put More Dairy on the MenuFRIDAY, Oct. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Serving more dairy products to nursing home residents could be a simple way to reduce their risk of falls and fractures, a new study suggests.Many consume low levels of calcium and protein, which can result in weak bones that increase the likelihood of falls and fractures. Dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese are high in calcium and protein.This two-year study included 60 nursing homes in Australia with 7,195 residents who consumed less than the daily recommended levels of 1,300 milligrams (mg) calcium and 1 gram of protein from food sources for every kilogram of body weight.Residents' average age was 86, and 72% were women.A control group of 30 continued their usual menus, which provided 700 mg/day of calcium and 0.9 g protein/kg...

Good Sleep May Help Babies Avoid Obesity as They Grow

22 October 2021
Good Sleep May Help Babies Avoid Obesity as They GrowFRIDAY, Oct. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- You've probably heard that getting better sleep can be good for your waistline. The same appears to be true for your baby.Newborns who get more sleep and wake up less during the night are less likely to become overweight in infancy, according to a just-published study."While an association between insufficient sleep and weight gain is well-established in adults and older children, this link has not been previously recognized in infants," said study co-author Dr. Susan Redline, of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "In this study, we found that not only shorter nighttime sleep, but more sleep awakenings, were associated with a higher likelihood of infants becoming overweight in the first six...

Right Amount of Sleep May Be Important in Early Alzheimer's

22 October 2021
Right Amount of Sleep May Be Important in Early Alzheimer`sFRIDAY, Oct. 22, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Getting the right amount of sleep — not too much and not too little — could reduce your risk of mental decline as you age, even if you have early Alzheimer's disease, a new study claims.Poor sleep and Alzheimer's disease are both associated with thinking ("cognitive") declines, but separating out the effects of each has been a challenge.This new study included 100 older adults whose cognitive function had been monitored for an average of 4.5 years. The participants underwent a sleep study at an average age of 75 and were tested for the high-risk Alzheimer's genetic variant APOE4 and for levels of Alzheimer's proteins in their cerebrospinal fluid.Most of the participants (88) had no cognitive impairment, 11 had very mild impairment and one...

Pfizer Vaccine Booster Restores Nearly Full Protection,...

THURSDAY, Oct. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine booster restored close to full protection against COVID-19 in a late-stage trial involving 10,000 people, the company...

Mandates, Not Recommendations, Work Best to Get Folks...

THURSDAY, Oct. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Requiring COVID-19 shots for work, school or travel will boost vaccination rates without the backlash and mass walkouts that many have predicted, new...
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