‘Fat’ No Longer A Four-Letter Word When It Comes To Healthy Diets
A massive study look at how adults all over the world eat comes down on the side of fat, while carbohydrates get booted to the curb. In other public health news: more on the crackdown on stem cell clinics, dementia, good cholesterol, plastic surgery and more.
Stat:
Huge New Study Casts Doubt On Conventional Wisdom About Fat And Carbs
Fat, once a dirty word when it came to diet, has been edging back toward respectability. New results from a huge international study help continue to reshape its image while at the same time casting doubt on the wisdom of eating lots of carbohydrates and questioning the “more is better” recommendations for eating fruits and vegetables. The latest evidence comes from data released Tuesday by the international Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Its research team recorded the eating habits of 135,000 adults in 18 countries — including high-income, medium-income, and low-income nations — and followed the participants’ health for more than seven years on average. (Skerrett, 8/29)
Stat:
What The FDA Crackdown On Stem Cell Clinics Means — And What's Next
Paul Knoepfler, a stem cell researcher at the University of California, Davis and author of The Niche blog, has warned for years about the proliferation of unlicensed stem cell clinics and the danger they pose to both patients and legitimate stem cell research. He was pleased this week to see the FDA announce a crackdown — and then back up that rhetoric with action. The FDA sent a stern warning letter to a Florida clinic that left three women legally blind after an unapproved treatment. And federal marshals raided a California clinic and seized dangerous therapies, made in part from smallpox vaccine. (McFarling, 8/29)
Bloomberg:
The Virtual Reality Game Gathering Data For Dementia Researchers
Navigating an ice-walled lake or scouring a swamp for a hidden monster may sound like a fun premise for a virtual-reality video game. But there’s a serious purpose behind the new game Sea Hero Quest VR: helping neuroscientists design a new test for dementia.London-based game design firm Glitchers worked with researchers from British and Swiss universities, as well as dementia and Alzheimer’s charities, to create Sea Hero Quest VR. ...As people play the game, anonymized data – including what actions they take and exactly where they look and for how long – is collected and stored on Deutsche Telekom’s servers in Germany. Players can also choose to provide the carrier with more detailed demographic data, such as information about their age, gender and location. (Kahn, 8/29)
The New York Times:
Can Your ‘Good’ Cholesterol Be Too High?
High levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol, are generally considered healthy. But can you have too much of a good thing? Possibly so, a study in the European Heart Journal found. Danish researchers tracked more than 116,508 men and women, average age 57, for an average of six years. There were 10,678 deaths. (Bakalar, 8/29)
Stat:
On Instagram, Plastic Surgery Promotions Aren’t Always What They Seem
Instagram is increasingly being used as an advertising platform for people and companies hawking medications, supplements, and even so-called “detox” teas. Occasionally, those advertisements cross the line; in 2015, the FDA warned one company about Kim Kardashian’s Instagram posts promoting its drug to treat morning sickness. But findings in a new paper reveal another potential risk in user-driven photo advertising — a difficulty in discerning quality plastic surgery providers from uncertified or unscrupulous ones. (Sheridan, 8/30)
Stat:
The Average Dad In The U.S. Is Getting Older
Anew study finds that the average age of fathers in the U.S. is rising as men take a few extra years to practice their dad jokes before having kids. The typical dad now is nearly 31 years old at his child’s birth. That’s more than three years older than the average dad was in the 1970s. The average age of first-time moms has also been rising, thanks in large part to a dramatic drop in teen pregnancies. The dad research, published Wednesday in the journal Human Reproduction, looked at live birth data from 1972 to 2015 in the U.S. (Thielking, 8/30)
NPR:
How Moldy Hay And Sick Cows Led To A Lifesaving Drug
There is a lifesaving drug that owes its existence to moldy hay, sick cows and rat poison. The drug is called warfarin sodium. It prevents blood clots, and it can be a lifesaver for patients who've had a heart attack or stroke. It's one of the most widely prescribed drugs in the world. (Palca, 8/29)
