Groundbreaking healthcare innovations, such as the first-ever blood test for preeclampsia and the FDA’s approval of a drug that can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, made headlines this week. But a number of newsworthy studies are also shedding new light on some important topics, from the dangers of loneliness to the risks parents took during the baby food shortage. Here are some of the top health stories you may have missed this week from Yahoo News partners.
‘We should not downplay the importance of loneliness on physical and emotional health’
In a study of more than 18,000 adults with diabetes in Britain, researchers found that loneliness “may be a greater risk factor for heart disease in diabetes patients than poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise or depression,” according to Insider.
The study, published last Thursday, followed diabetes patients who had not been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease and used questionnaires to assess loneliness. Over a ten-year period, researchers found that the odds of developing cardiovascular disease were 11% to 26% higher in patients with the highest loneliness scores, qualifying the response as “never or almost never able to confide in anyone.” as a high-risk characteristic.
Researchers also looked at social isolation as a possible risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but found that those scores were “not significantly related to cardiovascular outcomes.”
“We should not downplay the importance of loneliness for physical and emotional health,” says Dr. Lu Qi, one of the study’s authors and professor at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. “I would encourage patients with diabetes who feel lonely to join a group or class and try to make friends with people who have shared interests.”
Nearly half of American parents resorted to unsafe feeding methods during a baby food shortage, research shows
Researchers from the University of California, Davis, found that nearly half of parents who relied on formula to feed their babies resorted to unsafe feeding methods during the formula shortage in spring 2022, Salon reported this week.
The study, published last month, looked at infant feeding practices during the formula shortage, which was caused by a combination of pandemic supply chain issues and the recall of Abbott Nutrition baby food. Abbott supplies more than 40% of baby formula in the US, and at the time the survey was conducted in May 2022, some states had a 90% sell-out rate. Researchers found that unsafe feeding practices – including “watering down formula, using expired formula, using homemade formula, or using breast milk from informal sharing sources” – rose from 8% before the shortage to nearly 50% during the peak shortage.
“Using expired formula is unsafe because the nutrients in formula can break down over time, which in itself can disrupt babies’ growth and development,” the study said. Lead author Jennifer Smilowitz told Salon: “Informal solicitation of breast milk — so sharing milk, whether it’s online or with friends and family, versus soliciting pasteurized donor milk — is unsafe because it can pose health and safety risks.”
“These practices may seem harmless when we think of an adult diet, but we must remember that babies need a very specific balance of nutrients to grow and develop,” she added.
Men with more cardio fitness have a lower risk of fatal cancers, according to a new study
Men with higher cardiorespiratory fitness have a lower risk of dying from lung, colon or prostate cancer, and also a lower chance of developing lung or colon cancer, Insider reported.
Research published last Thursday by the Swedish School of Sports and Health Sciences measured VO2 max – or the ability to use oxygen during exercise – of 177,709 Swedish men, and followed them for almost a decade. Even after adjusting for lifestyle factors such as diet and smoking habits, those with at least moderate VO2 max scores 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 that they have a slightly higher risk of developing prostate cancer.
Types of exercise that can improve cardio health over time include walking, running, swimming and cycling, according to Insider.
Drinking water from nearly half of American taps may contain cancer-causing chemicals
A study published Wednesday by the US Geological Survey estimates that at least one type of “perpetual chemicals” — synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS — can be found in about 45% of tap water samples in the US. Previous studies of such chemicals have found links to certain types of cancer, including kidney, liver and pancreatic cancer, as well as other health problems such as reproductive problems, weight gain and weakened immunity in children.
The report was based on samples taken between 2016 and 2021 from taps at 716 locations, “including 447 that rely on public utilities and 269 that use private sources.” Types of locations used for sampling included homes in both urban and rural areas, schools, offices, and national parks. “The heaviest exposure occurred in cities near potential sources of the compounds,” the Associated Press reported.
The report doesn’t make policy recommendations, but the information “can be used to assess your risk of exposure and to make decisions about whether or not to treat your drinking water, have it tested, or get more information from your state” about the situation locally, said lead author Kelly Smalling.
