Diabetes Drug Benefits MS Patients In Small Clinical Trial.

reports that diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone) “benefited multiple sclerosis patients with metabolic syndrome in a small trial.” In the study of 50 MS patients with obesity, “those receiving the active drugs showed reductions in several biomarker measures including MRI lesion burden compared with the untreated controls, according to a report published on Monday in JAMA Neurology.” http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/MetabolicSyndrome/56607

Higher Percent Of Body Fat May Be Linked To Higher Risk Of Dying Early, Study Suggests.

reports that when the researchers “looked at how body fat correlated with early death,” they “found that people with the lowest BMI had a 44% to 45% higher risk of dying early – likely because they were malnourished or otherwise ill – than those with more average BMI.” Individuals “with the highest body fat composition, regardless of their BMI, also had the highest risk of dying early – women with more body fat showed a 19% increased risk of early death while men had a 60% higher risk of mortality.” http://time.com/4250021/why-bmi-doesnt-tell-you-how-healthy-you-are/ n one study published Monday, researchers found that in a group of more than 1.5 million Swedish military recruits, men who had poor physical fitness at age 18 were three times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes in midlife than were those who had been highly fit on the cusp of adulthood. That effect was found independent of BMI, family history or socioeconomic status. Muscle strength and, especially, aerobic capacity of males at age 18 were highly predictive of developing Type 2 diabetes in their 50s or 60s, the authors of the study found. Even men with BMIs that pegged them as "normal healthy weight" in their 50s or 60s were far more likely to develop diabetes if they had shown poor level aerobic conditioning and muscle strength at 18. Researchers are nurturing a growing suspicion that body mass index, the height-weight calculation that distinguishes those with "normal healthy weight" from the overweight and obese, is not the whole picture when it comes to telling who is healthy and who is not. Two new studies drive that point home and underscore that BMI offers an incomplete picture of an individual's health. Fitness matters, as does fatness. And the BMI is an imperfect measure of both. http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-age-fitness-matters-20160307-story.html

Study Examines Brain Receptors That May Lead To Unnecessary Food Cravings In The Sleep-Deprived.

published in the March issue of the journal SLEEP suggests the “brain receptors that can lead the sleep-deprived to crave unnecessary food” appear to be “the same as those activated by marijuana.” The Chicago (IL) Sun-Times (3/6) also covered the study. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/science/sleep-eating-craving-food.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

Study Links Migraine to Emotional Abuse in Childhood Prolonged stress may alter brain function and structure

Childhood emotional abuse is common, and commonly associated with migraine in adults, particularly in men, Tietjen said in an interview. In addition, a history of additional types of abuse, such as physical and sexual abuse, increases the strength of the relationship of emotional abuse with migraine. "The relationship of emotional abuse frequency with migraine is U-shaped, suggesting that a certain amount of abuse may lead to resilience, but at high frequency, development of migraine is more likely," she told MedPage Today. "Childhood abuse can have long-lasting effects on health and well-being." http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AAN/56535?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-03-04&eun=g721819d0r

Chilling the Brain to Understand Speech Processing

Neurosurgeon describes novel technique for assessing specific functions within brain regions. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurology/GeneralNeurology/56532?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-03-04&eun=g721819d0r

Eating Food With A Higher Protein Count May Make People Feel Fuller, Meta-Analysis Indicates.

http://time.com/4246736/protein-satiety-fullness/ points out that even though “protein may help dieters feel full, it is not a magic bullet for weight loss, the researchers emphasized.” Nevertheless, “a moderate increase in protein intake may be a good first step for people trying to lose weight, the researchers suggested.” reports that “eating food with a higher protein count really does make people feel fuller,” a five-study meta-analysis published March 3 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests.

CDC Investigating Rare Bacteria Outbreak Linked To 18 Deaths In Wisconsin.

reported the CDC is investigating a “mysterious bacteria outbreak” tied to 18 deaths in Wisconsin since December. So far there have been 44 confirmed cases. On its website, CNN (3/3, Karimi and Goldschmidt) reports the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has identified the bacteria as a rare blood infection known as Elizabethkingia. Symptoms of the illness caused by the bacteria include “shortness of breath, fever, chills and cellulitis.” The CDC is working with Wisconsin health officials to investigate the outbreak. http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/wisconsin-investigates-mysterious-infection-n531236