Groundbreaking innovations in healthcare, such as first blood test for preeclampsia and FDA approval of a drug that can slows down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, grabbed the headlines this week. But many of the newsworthy studies also shed new light on a number of important topics, from the dangers of loneliness to the risks parents took during formula deprivation. Here are some of the best health stories from Yahoo News partners that you may have missed this week.
“We must not underestimate the importance of loneliness for physical and mental health”
In a study of more than 18,000 people with diabetes in the UK, researchers found that loneliness “may be a greater risk factor for heart disease in people with diabetes than poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise or depression”. Insider reports.
The in a study published last Thursday, followed diabetic patients without a diagnosis of CVD and used questionnaires to assess loneliness. Over a 10-year period, the researchers found that patients with the highest loneliness scores were 11% to 26% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. The response “never or hardly ever able to trust anyone” was considered a high-risk characteristic.
The researchers also looked at social isolation as a potential CVD risk factor, but found that these scores “were not significantly associated with any CVD.”
“We should not underestimate the importance of loneliness for physical and mental health,” Dr. Lu Qi, one of the study’s authors and professor Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, said. “I encourage people with diabetes who feel lonely to join a group or class and try to make friends with people who share common interests.”
Nearly half of US parents resorted to unsafe feeding methods during infant formula shortage, finds
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that nearly half of parents who relied on formula to feed their babies resorted to unsafe feeding methods. formula shortage in spring 2022, Salonki announced This week.
Research, published last month, examined infant feeding practices during a formula shortage caused by pandemic-era supply chain issues and the withdrawal of Abbott Nutrition infant formula. Abbott supplies more than 40% of baby formula in the US, and at the time of the survey, in May 2022, some states were 90% out of stock. The researchers found that unsafe feeding practices — which included “watering, using outdated formula, using homemade formula, or using breast milk from informal sharing resources” — rose from 8 percent before the shortage to nearly 50 percent during the peak of the shortage.
“Using expired infant formula is not safe because the nutrients in infant formula can degrade over time, and this in itself can interfere with the growth and development of infants,” the study states. lead author Jennifer Smilowitz told Salon. “Informally obtaining breast milk – that is, sharing milk, either online or with friends and family, versus obtaining pasteurized donor milk – is not safe as it can pose health and safety risks.”
“These practices may seem harmless when we think about adult diets, but we have to remember that babies need a very specific balance of nutrients to grow and develop,” he added.
Men with more cardio have a lower risk of developing deadly cancers, according to a new study
Men with higher cardiorespiratory fitness have a lower risk of dying from lung, colon, or prostate cancer, as well as a lower chance of developing lung or colon cancer. Insider reports.
A study published last Thursday VO2 max – or measured by the Swedish School of Physical Education and Health Sciences ability to use oxygen during exercise – 177,709 Swedish men, and followed them for nearly 10 years. Even after adjusting for lifestyle factors such as diet and smoking habits, those with at least a moderate VO2 max score had a lower chance of developing or dying from certain common cancers in men compared to those with the lowest scores, although the data showed a slightly higher risk of prostate cancer.
Types of exercise that can improve heart health over time include walking, running, swimming and cycling, Insider said.
Almost half of the tap water in the US may contain cancer-causing chemicals
A the study was published on Wednesday The US Geological Survey estimates that at least one type of “permanent chemicals” — synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS — are found in about 45 percent of US tap water samples. previous studies such chemicals have been linked to certain cancers, including kidney, liver and pancreatic cancers, as well as other health problems such as reproductive problems,…