Drinking Might Shrink Your Brain But May Reduce Diabetes Risk: Studies

Axios: A Drink A Day Could Be Associated With Brain Changes, Study Finds
Having even one drink a day could reduce one's overall brain size over time, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Communications. The study found the greatest risks with heavy drinking, but alcohol consumption was linked to reduced brain volume among far more moderate drinkers. The findings could throw cold water on other studies suggesting that lighter alcohol consumption has no impact on, or may even benefit, the brain. (Reed, 3/4)

Press Association: Is Wine Good For You? Drinking It With Meals May Reduce Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
People who drink wine with their meals may be at lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. Researchers analysed data from 312,400 patients on the UK biobank database and found that drinking alcohol with meals was associated with a 14% lower risk of the condition compared to consuming alcohol without eating food. The potential benefit of moderate drinking was seen only among people who drank alcohol during meals, although the specific time of meals was not collected in this study. (3/3)

In news about water safety —

AP: EPA Confirms Filters Reduce Lead In Michigan City's Water
The filters distributed in Benton Harbor, Michigan during the city’s recent lead water crisis worked properly, according to a study state officials said was conducted to give residents assurance. Michigan officials said the study was done “out of an abundance of caution” after residents and advocates in Benton Harbor slammed the state’s slow response to the city’s lead problem and requested more aggressive actions — including a study of the filters. (Phillis, 3/3)

AP: Fuel In Water Deepens Native Hawaiians' Distrust Of Military
A well-known adage in Hawaiian, ola i ka wai, means “water is life.” Native Hawaiians revere water in all its forms as the embodiment of one of the Hawaiian pantheon’s four principal gods. The resource is so valuable that to have it in abundance means prosperity. The Hawaiian word for water — wai — is repeated in the word for wealth — waiwai. (Kelleher, 3/3)

In other public health news —

NPR: As More Black Americans Buy Guns, Worries Grow Over Black Suicide Rates
When Russell and Sharis Lewis want to unwind, they pack up their guns and drive from their home in Florissant, a suburb north of St. Louis, to an indoor range called the SharpShooter on the city's south side. Russell dons big, protective headphones, carefully lays out his firearms and selects a Panzer Arms M4 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun. He takes aim at paper targets, including one labeled "Snowflakes," and squeezes the trigger. The gun gives off a deafening blast, and the recoil can be felt through the air from several feet back. "It's just something about the power and being able to release that and let it go downrange," Russell says. "It's just a nice thing to do. It relaxes me." (Smith, 3/3)

CIDRAP: Women Have Borne An Outsized Social, Economic Burden During Pandemic
From March 2020 to September 2021, women were more likely than men to lose their jobs, forego work to care for others, and report increasing violence, and women and girls were more likely than men and boys to drop out of school for reasons other than school closures, according to a study yesterday in The Lancet. University of Washington at Seattle researchers reviewing public datasets found that relative to men, women were more likely to report job loss (26.0% vs 20.4%) and staying home from work to care for others (1:8 ratio of men to women in March, 2.4 by September). They were also 1.23 times more likely to say that gender-based violence had increased during the pandemic. (3/3)

CIDRAP: Study: Spending Time Outdoors Lessened Pandemic Anxiety, Depression
Denver residents who spent significant time in green space during the pandemic had lower levels of anxiety and depression, according to a new study in PLOS One. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and tracked mood changes and green space use during the first year of the pandemic among 1,200 Denver residents. Respondents' answers were paired with satellite images of green space near residential addresses. (3/3)

CBS News: "We Go Right To The Mother": New Program Helps Mothers And Their Babies Stay Out Of Poverty 
For years, Gardner worked as a director of a nonprofit after-school program. Right before the pandemic hit, she left the job and went through her savings. Gardner soon found herself expecting her now 5-month-old son Garrett with no job. But then, a social worker told her about a new program where she could get $500 to $1,000 a month for three years. The pilot program, known as The Bridge Project, aims to keep mothers and their babies out of poverty. (Duncan, 3/3)

CBS News: "Rat Carcasses On The Conveyor Belt": Inside Family Dollar's Rodent-Infested Warehouse
Family Dollar closed more than 400 stores last month after more than 1,000 dead rodents were found at one of its distribution facilities. Now, details about the infestation are coming to light in a 22-page FDA inspection report that cited problems ranging from "four rat carcasses on the conveyor belt" to rodent droppings "too numerous to count." Several products sold at Family Dollar stores in six states were voluntarily recalled, the Food and Drug Administration said last month. (Picchi, 3/3)