Research Roundup: Covid; Cancer; Migraines; Dementia; Coffee
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
CIDRAP:
COVID Widened Excess Death Gap Between US And European Countries
The United States has had substantially higher death rates than similar high-income countries in Europe in all but the oldest age groups, but the gap widened even more during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study revealed today. Earlier studies had documented a widening mortality gap between the United States and five European countries between 2000 and 2017. The five countries include England and Wales, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. A comparison of the latest excess death trends between the two regions from 2017 through 2021 appears today in PLoS One. (Schnirring, 3/29)
ScienceDaily:
Time Of Day Matters When It Comes To Cancer Diagnosis And Treatment
Researchers discuss the role of circadian rhythms in tumor progression and spread and describe how we could better time when patients are tested for cancer and when they receive therapies to improve diagnostic accuracy and improve treatment success. (Cell Press, 3/24)
NBC News:
Migraines And Cluster Headaches Are Linked To The Body's Internal Clock, Science Shows
Cluster headaches are a rare type of headache that cause bursts of intense pain around the eye. Each burst lasts about 15 minutes, but an attack can last between one and three hours. The condition is more common in males than in females. The opposite is true for migraines, a severe headache condition that is three times more prevalent in females than in males. (Sullivan, 3/29)
ScienceDaily:
A Higher Dose Of Magnesium Each Day Keeps Dementia At Bay
More magnesium in our daily diet leads to better brain health as we age, according to scientists from the Neuroimaging and Brain Lab at The Australian National University (ANU). (Australian National University, 3/23)
New England Journal of Medicine:
Acute Effects Of Coffee Consumption On Health Among Ambulatory Adults
We conducted a prospective, randomized, case-crossover trial to examine the effects of caffeinated coffee on cardiac ectopy and arrhythmias, daily step counts, sleep minutes, and serum glucose levels. (Marcus, M.D., et al, 3/23)
