Study Suggests Weight Loss Possible With Psychiatric Drugs

reports that a recent study suggests “even overweight and obese people who take certain psychiatric drugs associated with weight gain may be able to shed excess pounds by focusing on healthy eating and exercise habits.” Researchers “followed 17,519 obese and overweight adults enrolled in a weight loss program focused on lifestyle changes at Wharton Medical Clinic in Ontario, Canada.” The results were published in Obesity. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-depression-weightloss/weight-loss-possible-with-psychiatric-drugs-idUSKCN1VQ2T0

Serotonin and Anti-depressant Drug Alter the Gut’s Microbiota

https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/serotonin-and-anti-depressant-drug-alter-the-guts-microbiota-323652?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=76525874&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9pyPKbXFvGFuf-H5mfl8kMzvutNbmQOHJckUJ5wh-glzQsKf9ZQ3MXqiL2WtuUbbifkhoFsTl6s0Blc7NOHgo0I-aYlg&_hsmi=76525874

Testosterone Appears Not To Make It Harder For Men To Empathize, Researchers Say

Testosterone doesn’t make it harder for men to empathize, according to” researchers “who have questioned the idea that the hormone distorts this ability in people with autism.” The findings of the large all-male study were published online Sept. 4 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. https://www.newsweek.com/extreme-male-brain-theory-autism-overturned-huge-study-finds-no-link-between-testosterone-lack-1457209

Warm weather, walkable neighborhoods tied to lower blood pressure in kids

Kids who grow up in warmer climates and in walkable neighborhoods may have lower blood pressure than those who live where it’s cooler and people drive everywhere, a new European study suggests. Researchers examined data on 1,277 mother-child pairs from the U.K., France, Spain, Lithuania, Norway, and Greece to see how exposures to outdoor factors like air pollution and weather, chemicals like pesticides and metals, and lifestyle factors like diet and exercise impacted blood pressure in kids age 6 to 11 years old. The study team focused on a total of 89 exposures in the womb and 128 exposures during early childhood. “Our results show that, starting in the fetal stage, where we live, the food we eat, the air we breathe and the chemical compounds that reach our bodies can affect blood pressure before adolescence,” said Charline Warembourg, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). “This is important because evidence shows that children with high blood pressure are more likely to be hypertensive as adults,” Warembourg said by email. Exposure to negative lifestyle factors in pregnancy, such as obesity, physical inactivity, poor diet, and alcohol and tobacco consumption have long been established as heart disease risk factors for mothers, researchers note in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. In the current study, researchers analyzed data from blood and urine tests of young children to see what environmental, chemical and lifestyle factors might be associated with higher or lower blood pressure. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-childhood-hypertension/warm-weather-walkable-neighborhoods-tied-to-lower-blood-pressure-in-kids-idUSKCN1VP281

Trump Administration Awards Almost $2 Billion In Grants To Help Fight Opioid Crisis

reports that “the Trump Administration announced...it will award $1.8 billion in grant funding to state and local governments to bolster treatment and prevention efforts in the battle against the opioid epidemic.” The article says that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration “awarded $932 million in state opioid response grants,” while the CDC “will receive $900 million over three years to improve opioid overdose tracking and other drug-related data.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/09/04/trump-offering-2-million-grants-fight-opioid-epidemic-states/2209579001/

Study Highlights E-cigarette Health Concerns

A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation highlights health concerns related to the use of e-cigarettes. Using a mouse model, researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine have shown that chronic exposure to vapors from e-cigarettes can: Disrupt normal lung function Reduce the capacity of immune cells within the lungs to respond to viral infection The above changes were observed in mice exposed to vapors without nicotine, suggesting more extensive investigation may be warranted to determine the safety of solvents in e-cigarettes. "E-cigarettes currently are the most commonly consumed tobacco substitute in the adolescent population. More than 3 million high school age adolescents as well as about 10 million adults in the U.S. are active users," said corresponding author Farrah Kheradmand, in a recent press release. https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/study-highlights-e-cigarette-health-concerns-323580?utm_campaign=NEWSLETTER_TN_Breaking%20Science%20News&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=76475229&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--s3azhNviULk7N8_AyMESsSpUjmINSDBZUFhXb58mbMAyqgiNjdw7r9mlKd-KtVwOGFTdkrOGLrR9L06o223z33-ymjA&_hsmi=76475229

Cancer Overtakes Heart Disease As Leading Cause Of Death In Some High-Income Countries

reports research published in The Lancet indicate “cancer has overtaken heart disease as the leading cause of death in wealthy countries and could become the world’s biggest killer within just a few decades if current trends persist.” The research shows “while cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains, for now, the leading cause of mortality worldwide among middle-aged adults – accounting for 40% of all deaths – that is no longer the case in high-income countries, where cancer now kills twice as many people as heart disease.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-cancer-cancer/cancer-overtakes-heart-disease-as-biggest-rich-world-killer-idUSKCN1VO0VP