People With Full-Time Jobs And Long Commutes More Likely To Have Sleep Problems, Sedentary Lifestyles, Study Indicates

“People with full-time jobs who endure long commutes may be more likely to have sleep problems and sedentary lifestyles than counterparts who work closer to home,” investigators found. After surveying some “22,000 working-age adults at least twice between 2008 and 2018 about their work and commute hours as well as how much they drank, smoked, exercised and slept,” investigators found that “among individuals working more than 40 hours a week, commuting more than a half hour each way to work on a typical day was associated with a 25% higher risk of having an inactive lifestyle and a 16% higher risk of sleep problems.” The findings were published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-commuting/commuters-may-get-less-sleep-and-exercise-idUSKBN1Z225G

Air Pollution May Be Associated With Poor Bone Health, Research Suggests

reported research indicated that air pollution may be associated with “poor bone health.” Included in the study were “3,717 people aged 35 on average, living in 28 villages near the southern Indian city of Hyderabad,” who were on average “annually exposed to 32.8 μg/m3 of particulate matter PM2.5.” Investigators “found a negative association between PM2.5 air pollution exposure and bone mineral content and bone mineral density.” The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/

Nearly A Quarter Of Americans Taking Fat-inducing Prescription Medication

“Nearly a quarter of American adults are on a prescription drug that often produces obesity as a side effect, and use of such obesogenic drugs was significantly higher among patients who already are obese,” investigators concluded after examining “national U.S. data collected during 2013-2016.” The findings were presented at Obesity Week. The article added, “The Endocrine Society, the STOP Obesity Alliance, and other medical societies have recommended that clinicians try to minimize use of obesogenic drugs and focus on prescribing agents that are weight neutral or that trigger weight loss when those options are available and appropriate.” In addition, “according to practice guidelines published by the Endocrine Society, all drugs in the classes of glucocorticoids, beta-blockers, and antihistamines are obesogenic, as well as selected agents in the classes of antidepressant drugs, antipsychotics, antidepressants, antidiabetics, and contraceptives that are progestin only.” https://www.mdedge.com/endocrinology/article/214991/obesity/nearly-25-us-adults-take-obesogenic-prescription-drug

Roughly 2,000 Kids Are Diagnosed With Unsafe Blood Levels Of Lead In Los Angeles County Each Year, Data Indicate

reports that even though “lead poisoning has become less common in recent years, roughly 2,000 children are diagnosed with unsafe levels of lead in their blood each year in Los Angeles County, according to” data gathered by California, with “south L.A...one of the most affected areas.” Until youngsters “are tested, families are often unaware their homes could be a source of lead.” Many “old homes have not been renovated, and are likely coated in lead paint.” According to the Times, “over the next seven years, L.A. County will receive $134 million to eliminate lead hazards in homes as part of a settlement with three paint companies that were once major suppliers of lead paint.” Unfortunately, “the payout will cover only a fraction of the work that is needed, officials say.” https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-30/la-me-lead-poisoning-la-county

Exposure To Air Pollution May Be Associated With Increased Risk Of Suicide, Depression

reports research indicated that “exposure to air pollution” may be associated with “an increased risk of suicide and depression.” Investigators arrived at that finding after reviewing “nine existing studies on 16 countries, which examined the potential link between air pollution and depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychosis and suicide.” The findings were published online Dec. 18 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. https://www.newsweek.com/air-pollution-linked-depression-suicide-risk-study-1477679

Nearly Half Of US Adults Will Be Obese Within A Decade, Researchers Project

“Nearly half of American adults will be obese within a decade and one-quarter will be severely so,” researchers predict in findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Reuters (12/18, Emery) reports that “in addition, severe obesity – and the serious health problems and extra healthcare costs associated with it – will disproportionately affect women, low-income adults, non-Hispanic black adults and states bordering the lower half of the Mississippi River.” Investigators arrived at these conclusions after using “more than 20 years of data from 6.3 million adults to project into 2030.” https://apnews.com/c36ead95eea05714347c0552b1cd1d73

Results From Nearly 70 Percent Of Routine Lab Tests In Children Appeared To Vary With Body Weight, Research Suggests

reports, “Results from nearly 70% of routine lab tests in children varied with body weight,” research indicated. Specifically, “in an analysis of 35 routinely assessed biochemical markers in blood tests, averages for about one-third differed significantly by the presence of overweight or obesity in the child,” researchers concluded in a study that examine data on some 1,300 children and teens. The findings were published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/obesity/83961