Small Gains in Cardiorespiratory Fitness Track With Improved Longevity
As previously suspected, changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) were associated with reciprocal changes in mortality risk independent of other comorbidities or initial fitness status, a large observational study found. People who had serial exercise treadmill test assessments, with a median 6 years between initial and final tests, showed that changes in aerobic capacity over time […]
Dementia Risk Higher for Elite Soccer Players
Men who played elite soccer were more likely to develop neurodegenerative diseases — notably, dementia — as they aged, a study in Sweden showed. The risk of neurodegenerative disease was 46% higher among soccer players who played in the Swedish top division than in the general population (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.33-1.60), according to Peter […]
Fresh produce contaminated with toxic BPA-like chemicals found in food labels: BPA is banned in some countries but similar chemicals like BPS are still allowed
Steps were taken in Canada to reduce the use of Bisphenol A (BPA), a toxic chemical linked to prostate and breast cancer, commonly found in plastics, the lining of food cans, water bottles, and paper receipts. But in many cases, it has been replaced with similar hormone disrupting chemicals, like Bisphenol S (BPS). A new […]
Take Risk Into Account Before Repeat Surveillance Colonoscopy, Study Says
A majority of older adults undergoing surveillance colonoscopy were invited to return for a subsequent colonoscopy, even when no significant polyps were detected and they had a limited life expectancy, a study using Medicare claims data found. Of nearly 10,000 adults 65 and up undergoing surveillance colonoscopy due to a prior polyp, colonoscopy turned up […]
Autopsies Show Relationship Between Alzheimer’s Pathology and Diet in Older Adults
Healthy, plant-based dietary patterns were linked with less postmortem Alzheimer’s disease pathology, primarily beta-amyloid load, in older adults. Both MIND diet scores (β -0.022, P=0.035; standardized beta -2.0) and Mediterranean diet scores (β -0.007, P=0.039; standardized beta -2.3) were significantly associated with lower global Alzheimer’s pathology, reported Puja Agarwal, PhD, of Rush University in Chicago, […]
Depressive Symptoms Linked to Higher Risk of Acute Stroke
Symptoms of depression were associated with an increased risk of acute stroke, according to an international case-control study. Among more than 26,000 participants in the INTERSTROKE study, self-reported depressive symptoms were associated with significantly greater odds of acute stroke (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.34-1.58), including ischemic stroke (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.32-1.58) and intracerebral hemorrhage […]
Opioids Most Common Substance in Young Children’s Fatal Poisonings
Opioids were the most common substance contributing to fatal poisonings among children age 5 years and younger in recent years, researchers reported. Examination of 731 poisoning-related fatalities from 2005 to 2018 in young kids reported to the National Fatality Review-Case Reporting System (NFR-CRS), showed that opioids were involved in 346 of the fatal cases (47.3%). […]
Dementia Incidence Linked With Vitamin D Supplements
Vitamin D supplements were linked with lower dementia incidence and longer dementia-free survival, prospective data showed. In a sample of 12,000 older adults, exposure to vitamin D supplementation was associated with a 40% lower dementia incidence rate compared with no exposure (adjusted HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.55-0.65), reported Zahinoor Ismail, MD, of the University of […]
Could Earlier Initiation of HPV Vaccine Boost Immunization in Adolescents?
Teenagers had better vaccine coverage against human papillomavirus (HPV) if they were vaccinated at earlier ages as older children instead of early adolescents, a retrospective study showed. Early initiators vaccinated at age 9 or 10 were, compared with those who initiated at ages 11 to 12, more likely to complete the HPV vaccine series by […]
Doxycycline Fails to Protect Women Against STIs
SEATTLE — Researchers were scratching their heads over findings that doxycycline prophylaxis failed to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among African cisgender women, unlike its success among men who have sex with men. In a trial conducted among 449 women in Kenya who were taking daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection, 50 of […]