Study: Ozempic might lower risk of opioid overdose

By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay News


In a finding that suggests Ozempic and Wegovy have powers that extend beyond weight loss, a new study finds the medications might also lower people's risk of opioid overdose. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay News

In a finding that suggests Ozempic and Wegovy have powers that extend beyond weight loss, a new study finds the medications might also lower people's risk of opioid overdose.

People with Type 2 diabetes prescribed semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) had a significantly lower risk of an opioid OD than patients taking any of eight other diabetic medications, researchers found.

The results show "semaglutide as a possible new treatment for combating this terrible [opioid] epidemic," said lead researcher Rong Xu, a biomedical informatics professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

For the study, researchers analyzed six years of medical data for nearly 33,000 patients with opioid use disorder who also had Type 2 diabetes.

The data found that those prescribed semaglutide were less likely to suffer from an opioid overdose.

The new study was published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Network Open.

If this effect is confirmed in clinical trials, semaglutide could provide a new means of protecting people suffering from opioid addiction, Xu said in a university news release.

About 107,500 people died from drug ODs in 2023 in the United States, mainly from opioids, researchers said in background notes. About 72% of drug ODs involve opioids.

Only about a quarter of people with opioid addiction are taking effective medicines to prevent overdoses, and half discontinue treatment within six months, researchers said.

"Not everyone receives or responds to them," Xu said. "As a result, alternative medications to help people treat opioid use disorder and prevent overdosing are crucial."

Dr. Sandeep Kapoor is vice president of emergency medicine addiction services at Northwell and is based in New Hyde Park, N.Y. He wasn't involved in the new study. However, he called its findings preliminary but "extremely promising."

According to Kapoor, it makes sense that medications such as Ozempic curb opioid overuse, because the drugs target the brain's dopamine reward system to help folks lose weight.

That's "the same system that's activated when we drink, when there's utilization of drugs," he explained.

Kapoor said it's encouraging "to see a study come out where a medication that has been widely used over the last few years to help folks with Type 2 diabetes, as well as with obesity, potentially play a role in decreasing opioid overdoses. It's actually a very exhilarating and innovative approach that we should investigate further."

Still, he noted that semaglutide has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help treat opioid use disorder.

Nevertheless, the study "does legitimize the need to find better treatment alternatives for individuals that are either dealing with an opioid use disorder or at risk of an opioid use disorder," he added.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on treatment of opioid use disorder.

Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Study in veterans suggests area of brain injury key to PTSD

By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay News

Sept. 26, 2024 


Brain damage that veterans suffered from flying shrapnel has provided a major clue that could lead to better treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study says. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay News

Brain damage that veterans suffered from flying shrapnel has provided a major clue that could lead to better treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study says.

Veterans who suffered shrapnel damage connected to their amygdala, the fear center of the brain, were less likely to develop PTSD, researchers reported Tuesday in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The results suggest that PTSD could be treated by using electrical pulses to disrupt brain networks linked to the amygdala, they added.

"This is a very real brain disease, and we can localize it to certain brain circuits," said corresponding author Dr. Shan Siddiqi, a psychiatrist in the Brigham and Women's Hospital Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics. "Unfortunately, people sometimes assume PTSD has to do with how mentally strong or weak a person is, but it has nothing to do with moral character."

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Researchers previously have uncovered brain networks to successfully treat depression and addiction using neurostimulation, and have been trying to locate the network associated with PTSD.

For this study, the research team examined 193 patients from the Vietnam Head Injury Study who'd suffered brain injuries from shrapnel penetrating their skulls.

"Some of these veterans who got shrapnel in their head went on to develop PTSD, but many of them did not," said study co-author Dr. Michael Fox, director of the Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics. "The patients actually developed PTSD less than other veterans who did not get damage to their brain."

Researchers mapped where the shrapnel brain damage had occurred in the brains of these veterans, and compared the data to 180 veterans who didn't have brain damage.

The comparison found less PTSD in veterans who had shrapnel-caused lesions in the brain network tied to the amygdala.

The team also reviewed data from previous clinical trials involving neurostimulation, to see if the circuit they'd highlighted had already been targeted in some patients.

"The trials where stimulation was hitting the circuit we identified tended to be the trials that had good outcomes in patients," Fox said.

During the study, a patient in California with severe PTSD requested treatment with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in which a brain implant uses a magnetic field to generate electrical pulses in specific parts of the brain.

Doctors used TMS to target the brain circuit identified by the study of veterans, and the man's PTSD improved, researchers report.

While it's only one patient, the case shows how this brain circuit could be used to treat PTSD, Fox said.

However, there will need to be clinical trials in a larger group of patients before this therapy can be approved by the U.S. Food and Dug Administration, researchers said.

"While more work remains to be done, we've taken an important step here to identify a therapeutic target for a condition in patients who desperately need better treatments," Fox said.

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

World's oceans near critical acidification level: report

Agence France-Presse
September 24, 2024 

Acidic waters damage corals, shellfish and the phytoplankton that feeds numerous marine species (Ernesto BENAVIDES/AFP)

The world's oceans are close to becoming too acidic to properly sustain marine life or help stabilise the climate, a new report said on Monday.

The report by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) details nine factors that are crucial for regulating the planet's ability to sustain life.

In six of these areas, the safe limit has already been exceeded in recent years as a result of human activity.

The crucial threshold for ocean acidification could soon become the seventh to be breached, according to the PIK's first Planetary Health Check.

The safe boundaries that have already been crossed concern crucial -- and related -- factors including climate change; the loss of natural species, natural habitat and freshwater; and a rise in pollutants, including plastics and chemical fertilisers used in agriculture.

The sustainable level of ocean acidification is now also set to be exceeded, largely as a result of ever-increasing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) created by burning fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas.

"As CO2 emissions increase, more of it dissolves in sea water... making the oceans more acidic," Boris Sakschewski, one of the lead authors, told reporters.

"Even with rapid emission cuts, some level of continued acidification may be unavoidable due to the CO2 already emitted and the time it takes for the ocean system to respond," he explained.

"Therefore, breaching the ocean acidification boundary appears inevitable within the coming years."

- Tipping points -

Acidic water damages corals, shellfish and the phytoplankton that feeds a host of marine species.

This means it also disrupts food supplies for billions of people, as well as limiting the oceans' capacity to absorb more CO2 and thus help limit global warming.

The only one of the nine planetary boundaries that is not close to being crossed concerns the state of the planet's protective ozone layer.

Man-made chemicals have damaged this shield, causing acid rain, but it has started recovering since a number of these chemicals were banned in 1987.

A ninth threshold -- concerning concentrations of minute particles in the atmosphere that can cause heart and lung diseases -– is close to the danger limit.


But the researchers said the risk showed signs of receding slightly due to efforts by several countries to improve air quality, such as banning the most pollutant petrol and diesel cars.

They warned, however, that concentrations of fine particles could still soar in countries that are rapidly industrializing.

The PIK set these nine planetary danger levels to warn humans against tipping Earth's natural systems past points of no return.


"These tipping points... if crossed, would lead to irreversible and catastrophic outcomes for billions of people and many future generations on Earth," they said.

All nine planetary boundaries are "interconnected" so breaching one crucial limit can destabilise Earth's entire life system, Sakschewski said.

But that also presents an opportunity because addressing one problem -– such as preventing the Earth's average temperature rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels -- "can lead to significant benefits across different issues", the report said.

Bees have irrational biases when choosing which flowers to feed on

The Conversation
September 26, 2024 

Bee on a flower (Photo: Keith McDuffee/flickr/cc)

Just like people confronted with a sea of options at the grocery store, bees foraging in meadows encounter many different flowers at once. They must decide which ones to visit for food, but it isn’t always a straightforward choice.

Flowers offer two types of food: nectar and pollen, which can vary in important ways. Nectar, for instance, can fluctuate in concentration, volume, refill rate and accessibility. It also contains secondary metabolites, such as caffeine and nicotine, which can be either disagreeable or appealing, depending on how much is present. Similarly, pollen contains proteins and lipids, which affect nutritional quality.

When confronted with these choices, you’d think bees would always pick the flowers with the most accessible, highest-quality nectar and pollen. But they don’t. Instead, just like human grocery shoppers, their decisions about which flowers to visit depend on their recent experience with similar flowers and what other flowers are available.

I find these behaviors fascinating. My research looks at how animals make daily choices – especially when looking for food. It turns out that bees and other pollinators make the same kinds of irrational “shopping” decisions humans make.

Predictably irrational

Humans are sometimes illogical. For instance, someone who wins $5 on a scratch ticket immediately after winning $1 on one will be thrilled – whereas that same person winning $5 on a ticket might be disappointed if they’re coming off a $10 win. Even though the outcome is the same, perception changes depending on what came before.

Perceptions are also at play when people assess product labels. For instance, a person may expect an expensive bottle of wine with a fancy French label to be better than a cheap, generic-looking one. But if there’s a mismatch between how good something is and how good someone expects it to be, they may feel disproportionately disappointed or delighted.

Humans are also very sensitive to the context of their choice. For example, people are more likely to pay a higher price for a television when a smaller, more expensive one is also available.

These irrational behaviors are so predictable, companies have devised clever ways to exploit these tendencies when pricing and packaging goods, creating commercials, stocking shelves, and designing websites and apps. Even outside of a consumer setting, these behaviors are so common that they influence how politicians design public policy and attempt to influence voting behavior.

Like minds

Research shows bumblebees and humans share many of these behaviors. A 2005 study found bees evaluate the quality of nectar relative to their most recent feeding experience: Bees trained to visit a feeder with medium-quality nectar accepted it readily, whereas bees trained to visit a feeder with high-quality nectar often rejected medium-quality nectar.

My team and I wanted to explore whether floral traits such as scents, colors and patterns might serve as product labels for bees. In the lab, we trained groups of bees to associate certain artificial flower colors with high-quality “nectar” – actually a sugar solution we could manipulate.




The bumblebee colony, right, is attached by tunnel to the foraging arena, left, where colored discs serve as artificial flowers. Claire Hemingway, CC BY-SA

For example, we trained one group to associate blue flowers with high-quality nectar. We then offered that group medium-quality nectar in either blue or yellow flowers.


We found the bees were more willing to accept the medium-quality nectar from yellow flowers than they were from blue. Their expectations mattered.

In another recent experiment, we gave bumblebees a choice between two equally attractive flowers – one high in sugar concentration but slower to refill and one quick to refill but containing less sugar. We measured their preference between the two, which was similar.




At the center of each artificial flower is a tube the bee enters to access the sugar solution. Claire Hemingway, CC BY-SA

We then expanded the choice by including a third flower that was even lower in sugar concentration or even slower to refill. We found that the presence of the new low-reward flower made the intermediate one appear relatively better.

These results are intriguing and suggest, for both bees and other animals, available choices may guide foraging decisions.

Potential uses

Understanding these behaviors in bumblebees and other pollinators may have important consequences for people. Honeybees and bumblebees are used commercially to support billions of dollars of crop production annually.

If bees visit certain flowers more in the presence of other flowers, farmers could use this tendency strategically. Just as stores stock shelves to present unattractive options alongside attractive ones, farmers could plant certain flower species in or near crop plants to increase visitation to the target crops.


Claire Therese Hemingway, Assistant Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

 

Grant helps UT develop support tool for extreme weather events

University of Tennessee at Knoxville

 

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University of Tennessee campus

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Credit: University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee and the UT Institute of Agriculture have received a $434,038 Seeding Solutions grant from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) to develop and test a decision support tool for farmers to better manage crop production from risks of extreme weather events across the Tennessee River Basin and surrounding southeast US regions.

UT is providing matching funds for a total investment of $966,119 over the three-year project.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that extreme weather is responsible for 90% of crop losses. These estimates are generally based on annual climate conditions. However, extreme short-term weather events, termed “flash” droughts and floods, can severely impact crop production. These events have not been researched to the same extent, leading to development of better crop management tools for farmers.

Using novel combinations of watershed hydrology models and monitoring data, including satellites and on-site field monitoring, UT researchers, led by John Schwartz, the director of the Tennessee Water Resources Research Center and professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, are developing a decision support tool allowing stakeholders to prepare for unpredictable conditions brought about by flash floods and drought. The collaborative research team includes Ming Jin, director of the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment, and Brian Leib and Shawn Hawkins with the UT Institute of Agriculture.

The researchers are exploring how existing hydrologic and crop models can be combined with historical trends and current monitoring data to inform crop choice, irrigation needs, and farm management. Results are expected to help minimize crop losses and increase yield, maximize water use efficiency, and enhance the resilience of agricultural systems to climate change.

“The decision support tool for row crop producers being developed by our UT research team will provide them useful predictive information,” Schwartz said. “It will be particularly useful for short-term weather hazards, considering in recent years weather patterns in this region have more often shifted to a wetter spring followed by a flash drought early summer, which creates producer challenges of when to plant and whether irrigation is needed.”

 

Fruit juice offers a fresh take on kombucha

American Chemical Society

 

image: 

Researchers brewed kombucha (left) and kombucha-like beverages from passion fruit (center) and apple (right) juices and found that the apple-based drink had the most flavonoids and ranked most favorable among a panel of taste testers.

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Credit: Adapted from ACS Agricultural Science & Technology 2024, DOI:10.1021/acsagscitech.4c00372

Kombucha is a fizzy, tangy drink made by fermenting tea. But brewers are now fermenting other plant-based drinks to explore nutritional properties and flavors. Researchers in ACS Agricultural Science & Technology compared the biochemistry and flavor of kombucha with brews made from apple and passion fruit juices. They found that the apple beverage contained high levels of bioactive compounds called flavonoids and ranked highly among taste testers, signaling its promise as a kombucha alternative.

To make kombucha, brewers ferment sweetened tea with a spongy disk of microbes known as a SCOBY, or symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. The resulting beverage contains beneficial bacteria from the fermentation process and bioactive compounds from the tea, including flavonoids, phenolics and anthocyanins that may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Few studies have investigated whether liquids other than tea could be brewed as kombucha-like beverages with boosted antioxidant levels or unique flavors. So, Socorro Vanesca, Frota Gaban and coworkers fermented antioxidant-rich apple and passion fruit juices with a SCOBY to find out.

After fermenting apple juice, passion fruit juice, and tea in separate jars for 10 days at room temperature, the researchers measured the levels of several bioactive compounds in each brew and found that:

• The apple beverage had the highest level of flavonoids, followed by kombucha and the passion fruit drink.
• The kombucha and apple beverages had comparable levels of phenolic compounds that were higher than those of the passion fruit beverage.
• All three brews had similar amounts of anthocyanin, a red-colored antioxidant.

The researchers asked 12 volunteer taste testers to evaluate each beverage’s color, aroma and flavor. The taste testers noted an amber color for the apple beverage, yellow for passion fruit and gold for the kombucha. The volunteers reported stronger, fruitier aromas for the fermented fruit juices compared with the tea. However, the passion fruit drink tasted more bitter than the sweeter apple and tea drinks, both of which received equal votes as the favorite beverage. Because fermented apple juice has more flavonoids and a pleasant taste compared with the other beverages, the researchers say it could be a successful alternative to kombucha made from tea. They plan to explore health benefits and flavors of other fermented fruits in the future.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel.

###

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, e-books and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

Registered journalists can subscribe to the ACS journalist news portal on EurekAlert! to access embargoed and public science press releases. For media inquiries, contact newsroom@acs.org.

Note: ACS does not conduct research but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.

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Journal

ACS Agricultural Science & Technology

DOI

10.1021/acsagscitech.4c00372 

Article Title

“Physicochemical Properties, Antioxidant Activity, and Sensory Profiles of Kombucha and Kombucha-Like Beverages Prepared Using Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis) and Apple (Malus pumila)”

Increased antioxidants and phenolic compounds produced in salted red perilla leaves during Japanese apricot pickling

Antioxidant content and activity are increased during the processing and digestion of Japanese apricots pickled with salted red perilla leaves

Chiba University

 

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Sampling was conducted at three stages: during simple salt pickling, after 30 days of pickling with salted perilla leaves, and after 60 days of pickling with salted perilla leaves. The resulting Shiso-zuke Umeboshi had a distinctive red appearance.

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Credit: Prof. Yukiharu Ogawa from Chiba University

The diverse biochemical composition of Japanese apricot fruits explains their broad spectrum of action on the human body. The high levels of key phenolic compounds and hydroxycinnamic acids contribute to various health benefits including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties.

A recent study published in Food Research International on July 19, 2024, led by Prof. Yukiharu Ogawa and Jutalak Suwannachot from Chiba University, quantitatively evaluated the changes in phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity during the production of Shiso-zuke Umeboshi (PP). The study also simulated the digestive process to characterize the release of these compounds and their antioxidant activity.

“Some of the benefits have been observed in pickling with red perilla (PP), but the current data are still limited. Many recent efforts have been focused on creating functional foods, which are designed to provide health benefits and essential nutrients in addition to the traditional micronutrients. However, there remains uncertainty regarding the specific effects of apricot pickled with red perilla (Shiso-zuke Umeboshi, PP). This motivated our study,” explains Prof. Ogawa.

In this study, the production of perilla-pickled apricots involved three methods: simple salt pickling (SP), pickling with salted perilla leaves for 30 days (30-PP), and pickling with salted perilla leaves for 60 days (PP). The pickle samples underwent ultrasonic-assisted treatment, after which the supernatants were extracted from the mixture by centrifugation to quantify free and esterified phenolics in the aqueous phase. The remaining residue was used to analyze the insoluble-bound phenolics in the organic phase.

All three phenolic fractions were assessed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-QDa), with a focus on their peak areas at 280 and 320 nm wavelengths.

The researchers evaluated total phenolic content (TPC) using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent test. The Total flavonoid content (TFC) was determined via a 96-well microplate method combined with an aluminum chloride (AlCl3) colorimetric assay. Antioxidant activity was then assessed at 740 nm, with results expressed in millimoles (mmol).

The scientists modeled the gastrointestinal digestion of apricot pickles. They adjusted the sample’s pH to simulate the conditions of the different parts of the digestive tract. Next, digestive enzymes were introduced, and the digested fractions were filtered. The components were then identified, and their antioxidant activity was measured.

The HPLC chromatogram revealed rosmarinic, caffeic, p-coumaric, and ferulic acids as the main phenolic compounds detected. A comparative analysis of the three samples showed an increase in the concentration of bioactive compounds from the 30-day pickling stage (30-PP) to the finished product (PP). Among all phenolics, rosmarinic acid (RA) was the most predominant in all the samples. Ferulic acid was detected in smaller concentrations, particularly in esterified fractions that also showed higher levels of caffeic and p-coumaric acids. The lower concentration of ferulic acid is likely due to its low water solubility.

In the simulated in vitro digestion, differences between salt pickling (SP) and salt pickling with perilla (PP) were analyzed at various stages: before digestion (G0), 60 minutes after gastric digestion (G60), at the transition to intestinal digestion after 60 minutes (G60), and 120 min into small intestinal digestion (I120).

The highest release of bioactive compounds occurred at G0, while the lowest levels were observed at G60. However, a significant increase in bioactive compound release was noted between G60 and I120. At I120, both SP and PP showed the highest release of TPC and TFC. These results can be attributed to the influence of pH conditions and intestinal enzymes, which likely enhanced TPC and TFC levels.

For antioxidant activity, PP demonstrated a higher potential throughout the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion from 1 hour of gastric digestion through the final stage of small intestinal digestion, in contrast, SP exhibited a more steady trend. Overall, the acidic conditions during pickling appear to enhance the availability of RA and other perilla compounds.

“The health benefits of Japanese apricot pickles are mainly derived from the antioxidant compounds of the red perilla, which acts as both a natural food color and a health-promoting ingredient,” concludes the lead researcher Jutalak Suwannachot.

About Professor Yukiharu Ogawa
Yukiharu Ogawa is a Professor at the Graduate School and Faculty of Horticulture, Chiba University, Japan. He has previously held positions at National Food Research Institute in Tsukuba, the USDA Western Regional Research Center in California as a post-doctoral fellow, and at Kurashiki-Sakuyo University as a lecturer. The main area of his scientific work is agricultural and food process engineering, with a specific focus on food quality evaluation. His work aims to understand the impact of postharvest, food processing, and cooking procedures on the digestibility of processed food materials using simulated in vitro digestion techniques. He is also involved in developing long-term storage methods for fresh-cut vegetables and fruits monitored using atmospheric and lighting parameters.

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Journal

Food Research International

DOI

10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114752 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Changes in polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of Japanese pickled apricot with salted red perilla leaf during pickling and digestion process

 

Alarming surge: Global crisis of childhood overweight and obesity

Researchers ‘sound the alarm’ in commentary

Florida Atlantic University

 

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The deleterious consequences of this epidemic are already evident: childhood hypertension, type 2 diabetes, among others. Researchers sound the alarm and discuss both challenges and potential solutions. 

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Credit: Alex Dolce, Florida Atlantic University

Since 1990, the rise in childhood overweight and obesity has surged across every continent, almost doubling in prevalence. While the United States has the highest prevalence, other nations are not far behind.

In Southern Europe, including Greece, Italy and Spain, 10 to 15% of children are obese, while Eastern European countries have somewhat lower rates, but are experiencing a rapid increase that may soon match Southern Europe. Globally, Asia has nearly half of all overweight children under the age of 5, and Africa has one-quarter of such children. In Latin America, about 20% of children under 20 are overweight. Many developing countries face the dual challenge of both overweight/obesity and malnutrition in their children.

The deleterious consequences of this epidemic are already evident: childhood hypertension, type 2 diabetes, among others. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine and colleagues sound the alarm and discuss both challenges and potential solutions in a commentary published in The Maternal and Child Health Journal.

“Pediatric overweight and obesity have reached epidemic levels in the U.S. and are becoming a pandemic globally. These conditions lead to high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and lipid disorders, which contribute to metabolic syndrome. In adults, these issues significantly increase the risks of heart attacks, stroke, liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, arthritis and certain cancers – many of which are now occurring at younger ages,” said Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., first author and the first Sir Richard Doll Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine, FAU Schmidt College of Medicine. “Through coordinated clinical and public health efforts, we can address these troubling trends and work toward a healthier future for children and families globally.”

In the commentary, the authors report on the leading causes of this epidemic including high body mass index (BMI), which increases the risks of many serious health issues. In the U.S., a preschooler is considered overweight if their BMI exceeds the 85th percentile. Research shows that these children are at a significantly higher risk of being overweight during adolescence compared to those with a BMI at the 50th percentile. This underscores the misconception that children simply “outgrow” overweight issues.

In addition, the authors note that health care providers and public health practitioners face major challenges in boosting daily physical activity among children, which is crucial for increasing metabolic rates, lowering BMI, and reducing future risks of coronary heart disease.

“With declining physical education in schools and excessive time spent on electronic devices, many children fail to meet recommended activity guidelines. This sedentary behavior contributes to overweight and obesity through poor diet, reduced sleep, and decreased physical activity,” said Panagiota “Yiota” Kitsantas, Ph.D., co-author and professor and chair, FAU Department of Population Health and Social Medicine, Schmidt College of Medicine. “Encouraging organized, enjoyable activities rather than competitive ones can help children achieve necessary physical activity levels.”

The authors also caution that while increasing levels of daily physical activity is necessary, it isn’t sufficient to make a major impact on the rates of childhood overweight and obesity. The rise of high sugar containing foods, along with consumption of ultra-processed foods also are major contributors.

“Nearly 70% of the average U.S.-based child’s diet is made up of ultra-processed foods,” said Hennekens. “Moreover, consumption of ultra-processed foods among children under 24 months is rising worldwide, triggering not only the potential of developing obesity but also decreased immunological protection.”

The authors say that more research is needed to pinpoint which components of ultra-processed foods contribute to weight gain in children. However, they warn that a diet high in ultra-processed foods is linked to rising rates of overweight and obesity, with schools being a major source of these foods.

“Evidence suggests that enhancing school lunch nutritional standards could help reduce obesity, particularly among low-income children,” said Kitsantas. “We recommend adopting school food policies that remove ultra-processed foods from menus and promote healthier alternatives, alongside educational programs on healthy eating, despite the challenges posed by external influences on children.”

Among the challenges highlighted in the commentary is the use of social media and advertising, which significantly affect children’s food choices and behaviors that include sharing unhealthy food posts and recognizing many unhealthy food brands upon exposure. 

“Despite recommendations from the World Health Organization and public health authorities to restrict food marketing aimed at children, few countries have implemented such measures,” said Hennekens. “The effectiveness of existing regulations in today’s media landscape is uncertain, creating an opportunity for health providers and public health practitioners to educate families about the impact of this advertising.”

The authors explain that addressing the rising pediatric obesity epidemic requires a multifaceted approach. In 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed WHO guidelines and released their own recommendations for managing pediatric overweight and obesity. These guidelines advise health care providers and public health practitioners to tackle social determinants of health, use motivational interviewing to modify nutrition and activity behaviors, and consider pharmacotherapy or surgery to meet personalized patient goals.

However, the authors say that while there are approved drug therapies available, before prescribing pharmacologic options, maternal and child health care providers should employ therapeutic lifestyle changes.

“While the ultimate goal is prevention of pediatric overweight and obesity as well as metabolic syndrome, to paraphrase Voltaire, we should not ‘let the perfect be the enemy of the good,’” said Hennekens.

In conclusion, the authors urge leveraging all available resources to at least stabilize the rising rates of childhood obesity and its associated health issues. Ignoring these challenges could lead to an unprecedented global epidemic of childhood and adolescent obesity, with severe future health consequences, as seen in the U.S.

“Health care and public health professionals must collaborate across disciplines to address these issues with patients, families, communities and policymakers. United efforts can help reverse these troubling trends and ensure a healthier future for children worldwide,” said Kitsantas.

Other co-authors are Dawn Harris Sherling, M.D.; Allison H. Ferris, M.D., associate professor and chair, Department of Medicine, FAU Schmidt College of Medicine; Alicia Caceres, a fourth-year premedical student at Tufts University; Katerina Benson, a third-year pre-medical student at FAU; Alexandra Rubenstein, a second-year medical student at Tufts University School of Medicine; and Sarah K. Wood, M.D., director, Harvard Macy Institute, Harvard Medical School, and former interim dean and professor and chair of maternal and child health, FAU Schmidt College of Medicine.

- FAU -

About the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine:

FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is one of approximately 157 accredited medical schools in the U.S. The college was launched in 2010, when the Florida Board of Governors made a landmark decision authorizing FAU to award the M.D. degree. After receiving approval from the Florida legislature and the governor, it became the 134th allopathic medical school in North America. With more than 70 full and part-time faculty and more than 1,300 affiliate faculty, the college matriculates 64 medical students each year and has been nationally recognized for its innovative curriculum. To further FAU’s commitment to increase much needed medical residency positions in Palm Beach County and to ensure that the region will continue to have an adequate and well-trained physician workforce, the FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Consortium for Graduate Medical Education (GME) was formed in fall 2011 with five leading hospitals in Palm Beach County. The Consortium currently has five Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited residencies including internal medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and neurology.

 

About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, FAU embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. FAU is designated a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.

 

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Journal

Maternal and Child Health Journal

DOI

10.1007/s10995-024-04001-6 

Method of Research

Commentary/editorial

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Navigating the Global Pandemic in Pediatric Overweight and Obesity: Emerging Challenges and Proposed Solutions

Article Publication Date

24-Sep-2024

 

Grazing zooplankton severely impacted by nanoplastic particles

Lund University

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have studied how nanoplastic affects aquatic organisms in lakes and rivers. The results are surprising and the researchers are the first to show that some species are being wiped out, while others – such as cyanobacteria that contribute to algal blooms – are completely unaffected.

Every year, the amount of plastic in the world’s oceans increases by between five and 13 million tonnes. Over time, plastic breaks down into micro and nanoparticles that are invisible to the naked eye. Researchers at Lund University have investigated how these small plastic particles affect organisms in aquatic ecosystems. 

They found that some species of grazing zooplankton, daphnia, which are an important source of food for fish, were particularly vulnerable. Phytoplankton diatoms were also severely impacted. However, other types of algae, such as blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), which contribute to algal blooms, were completely unaffected.

“We don’t yet know why some collapse while others continue to thrive as usual. If the concentrations of nanoplastics increase, even those that can handle a few particles at present will also likely suffer,” says Lars-Anders Hansson, professor of aquatic ecology.

The researchers conducted the study in artificial wetlands, which are made as similar to natural systems as possible. Therefore, the results are likely to be transferable to natural ecosystems. Variations in the impact on different organisms lead to significant changes in the food chain and ecosystem processes, such as fewer grazing zooplankton and more extensive algal blooms.

“The concentrations of nanoplastics we used are low, quite close to the concentrations already present in our waters,” says Lars-Anders Hansson.

The researchers will now continue their experiments to find out how these insidious nanoplastic particles, which can penetrate cell membranes, affect different species in lakes and rivers.

“Taking a broader perspective, our study provides knowledge and the basis for future decision-making on how to deal with the obvious problems posed by plastic, even if it is also an excellent material in many aspects of our everyday lives,” says Lars-Anders Hansson.

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Journal

Communications Earth & Environment

DOI

10.1038/s43247-024-01646-7 

Article Title

Nanoplastics rewire freshwater food webs

 

How climate change affects deer

INRAE - National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment

 

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Red deer in a forest

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Credit: INRAE - Anders Mårell

Temperature, rainfall, snow and extreme weather events are all factors linked to climate change that directly affect wildlife. Understanding the impact of these factors on the physiology, population dynamics and distribution of different deer species is important for monitoring and protecting them. The scientists involved in this study reviewed 20 years of research on 10 main deer species in boreal and temperate regions: moose, roe deer, wapiti, red deer, sika deer, fallow deer, white-tailed deer, mule deer, caribou and reindeer. Their analysis of 218 articles summarizes general trends of the effects of climate change on the physiology, behaviour and population dynamics of these animals.

Climate change affects deer in many ways

With the overall rise in temperatures, milder winters appear to be advantageous for many deer populations: they use less energy keeping warm and can find food more easily. However, for species living in colder climates such as reindeer or caribou, winter temperature variations can cause snow to melt and refreeze, covering vegetation under an ice sheet that makes the lichens the animals usually feed on inaccessible.

Similarly, hotter and drier summers could exceed deer populations’ physiological tolerances, mainly due to heat stress and parasites. In the short term, the animals’ physical condition could deteriorate; in the long term, some species could move further north, which would change their distribution. This is already happening to moose, the largest deer species and one which is best adapted to cold climates. Moose are quite heat sensitive, and the populations located further south, such as in southern Scandinavia, are more affected by climate change and could disappear from these areas. Some deer species can overcome these issues by seeking refuge in cooler habitats and reducing their daily activities during the hottest hours. However, these responses can negatively affect population dynamics over the long term. When moose and roe deer are subjected to stress, their body mass declines. As the animals get smaller, there can be repercussions on subsequent generations, including reduced population growth.

Finally, warmer spring and autumn temperatures reduce snow cover and depth, which changes the migration timing and routes of caribou and red deer. The animals begin migrating earlier in spring and later in autumn; over time, these species could stop migrating all together.

This review provides a synthesis of how deer react to climate conditions, both now and in the future. The scientists also identified several areas for further research, including the potential impact of extreme weather events, snow type and wetter autumns on deer. These findings should also help wildlife, forest and park managers better understand how deer populations might react to future climate conditions and adapt their population management strategies to protect these animals.

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Journal

Global Change Biology

DOI

10.1111/gcb.17505 

Article Title

Climate change and deer in boreal and temperate regions: From physiology to population dynamics and species distributions

Article Publication Date

25-Sep-2024