Loneliness and social isolation linked to early mortality

Psychologists from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, discovered in a meta-analysis that loneliness and social isolation better predicted premature death among populations aged less than 65 years, despite older people being more likely to be lonely and having a higher mortality risk overall. "The effect of this is comparable to obesity, something that public health takes very seriously," says lead author Julianne Holt-Lunstad. "We need to start taking our social relationships more seriously." Previous research has demonstrated that social connections can have a positive influence on physical well-being as well as psychological and emotional well-being. Until now, no meta-analysis had been conducted where the effect of social isolation and loneliness on mortality has been the focus. Although the two terms sound similar, loneliness and social isolation can be very different in appearance. An individual who is surrounded by lots of other people can still feel lonely while some people prefer to be alone and foster isolation from others. Despite these differences, however, the study found that the effects on premature mortality were the same for both loneliness and social isolation.

Eating fish during pregnancy may boost baby's development, not impair it

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and international agencies are in the process of revising guidelines concerning fish consumption in an attempt to better reflect the nutritional benefits of fish. Currently, the FDA recommend that pregnant women should eat fish no more than twice a week. The reason for limiting fish consumption is because much of the mercury in the environment ends up in the world's oceans, so fish contain small amounts of the chemical. Although a link between consumption of fish and childhood developmental problems has never been conclusively proved, experts have previously been concerned about the consequences of elevated mercury levels in pregnant women. However, fish contain many beneficial nutrients. For example, their fatty acids are essential for good brain development. A partnership between the University of Rochester Medical Center, NY, Ulster University in Belfast, UK, and the Republic of Seychelles Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education yielded the Seychelles Child Development Study - one of the longest and largest population studies of its kind. As the 89,000 residents of the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean consume approximately 10 times as much fish in their diet as people in the US or Europe, the region was considered to be an ideal location for measuring the public health impact of low-level mercury exposure over a long period

Eating yogurt regularly does not improve health, quality of life

The study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, followed 4,445 Spanish adults, analyzing the relationship between the participants' health-related quality of life and yogurt consumption for an average of 3.5 years. "The regular consumption of yogurt was not linked to health-related quality of life," states lead author Esther López-García, of the Autonomous University of Madrid. "For future research more specific instruments must be used which may increase the probability of finding a potential benefit of this food." Health-related quality of life is a concept that encompasses "aspects of overall quality of life that can be clearly shown to affect health - either physical or mental," as defined by the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For individuals, this can involve health conditions and risks as well as socioeconomic support and status. In Spain, where the study was conducted, the main dietary guidelines support the consumption of dairy products such as yogurt as part of a healthy, balanced diet, just as they do in many other countries. "This is because the majority of studies have focused on the effect as a whole, but it would be interesting to evaluate the independent association between each type of product and global health indicators," suggests López-García. Several experts have previously suggested that yogurt could influence health-related quality of life due to its high calcium content - vital for protecting the bones against debilitating disease. Other research has associated yogurt consumption with direct health benefits, such as a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Higher coffee consumption may protect against liver cancer

According to research conducted by the London, UK-based World Cancer Research Fund International, drinking three alcoholic drinks a day can be enough to cause liver cancer. Amanda McLean, Director of World Cancer Research Fund UK, says: "Around three or more drinks per day can be enough to cause liver cancer. Until now we were uncertain about the amount of alcohol likely to lead to liver cancer. But the research reviewed in this report is strong enough, for the first time, to be more specific about this." The findings were published in the Continuous Update Project (CUP) 2015 report on "diet, nutrition, physical activity and liver cancer." They are based on an analysis of 34 studies that included 8.2 million people - more than 24,500 of whom had liver cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that each year in the US there are around 35,660 new cases diagnosed with liver and around 24,550 people that die from liver and intrahepatic duct cancers. Evidence emerged from the same research finding strong evidence that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of liver cancer. This discovery follows research the World Cancer Research Fund published in 2013 showing that coffee reduced the risk of womb cancer. Dr. Kate Allen, Executive Director of Science and Public Affairs at World Cancer Research Fund International, says: "The new findings around alcohol, obesity and coffee are particularly interesting. There are also interesting new suggestions relating to exercise and fish." "The evidence about the relationship between diet, nutrition, physical activity and cancer is becoming well established. We hope that these new findings will inform the debate about possible public health implications and policy responses," she adds.

Low vitamin D levels associated with IBS

(IBS) is a chronic and debilitating functional disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, affecting around 9-23% of people worldwide and 10-15% of people in the US. Why and how the condition develops is something of a mystery, although dietary factors and stress are known to make symptoms worse. Symptoms include a combination of diarrhea or constipation, bloating, urgency (the need to use a restroom in a hurry), white or yellow mucus in the stool and the sensation of incompletely passing stools. These can cause embarrassment for patients, who may live with the condition undiagnosed. There is no cure. The triggers and effects of IBS vary from one individual to another, making treatment difficult. IBS accounts for 2.4-3.5 million physician visits each year in the US, up to 12% of total visits to primary care providers. The economic burden is also high, with costs related to medical care, loss of productivity and absenteeism from work estimated to be around $21 billion per year. 82% of people with IBS lack vitamin D Researchers, led by Dr Bernard Corfe, from the University of Sheffield's Molecular Gastroenterology Research Group, investigated the association between vitamin D levels and the severity of IBS symptoms - and particularly the extent to which IBS affects their quality of life. Out of 51 patients with IBS, 82% exhibited insufficient vitamin D levels; moreover, the vitamin D status reflected the sufferer's perceived quality of life, measured by the extent to which they reported the impact on IBS on life.

Lack of exercise 'twice as deadly' as obesity

st 20 minutes of brisk walking a day may be all it takes to lessen a sedentary person's risk of early death, says a new study. The researchers also found the risk of early death due to lack of exercise is double that posed by obesity and does not necessarily depend on being obese or overweight.

These were the conclusions of the team that analyzed the data on over 334,000 men and women taking part in a large European study looking at the links between cancer and diet that also measured many other variables such as exercise and BMI.

When they analyzed the data, the researchers found that compared with the number of deaths linked to obesity, twice as many were linked to lack of physical activity - and, moreover - just a modest increase in physical activity could make a difference, especially among inactive people.

First author Ulf Ekelund a sport medicine professor who works in the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge in the UK, and colleagues report their findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Prof. Ekelund says the study delivers a simple message: "just a small amount of physical activity each day could have substantial health benefits for people who are physically inactive."

Are electronic cigarettes safe?

Cigarettes were first introduced into the US market in 2007 as a device to help smokers cut back on their habit. Despite growing dramatically in popularity, opinions remain divided as to their long-term impact on health. Are e-cigarettes safe or should people be worried about using them? Many of the concerns arise from an apparent lack of evidence for the effects of e-cigarette use. As e-cigarette use is moving toward ubiquity, the gaps in knowledge about their effects are becoming more concerning for health experts. Whether it is concerning how e-cigarettes are marketed or precisely what ingredients are contained within these devices, people are becoming wary of devices that originally appeared to be completely benign. In a study of American adults published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research last year, 37% were opposed to e-cigarette use in smoke-free areas, with around 40% uncertain. This finding suggests both caution and uncertainty regarding the safety of e-cigarettes. For this Spotlight feature, we take a look at what the apparent dangers associated with e-cigarette use are, aiming to assess just how worried, if at all, we should be about e-cigarettes.

High Numbers: Are More People Really Smoking Pot?

Marijuana use may not be rising as quickly as thought — more people may simply be willing to admit to it, new research suggests. The widespread relaxation of marijuana laws in the U.S. may have reduced the stigma of smoking pot, the researchers reported today (Feb. 10) in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. "Because use of marijuana has become more socially acceptable, people may now be more willing to disclose its use to an interviewer than they were in 2002," the researchers wrote in the study.

Diamonds could help detect cancer early

Numerous studies have investigated the use of nanodiamonds for targeted cancer treatment. In 2011, for example, Medical News Today reported on how nanodiamonds may be effective in the treatment of chemotherapy-resistant liver and breast cancers. Ranging around 4-5 nanometers in diameter, nanodiamonds are broadly nontoxic, nonreactive and can carry a wide range of drug compounds, making them an ideal candidate for targeted drug delivery. However, coauthor Prof. David Reilly, from the School of Physics at the University of Sydney in Australia, and colleagues set out to investigate whether nanodiamonds may also be useful for diagnosis of early-stage cancers. "We thought we could build on these nontoxic properties realizing that diamonds have magnetic characteristics enabling them to act as beacons in MRIs," explains Prof. Reilly.

Losing just half an hour of sleep 'can impact body weight and metabolism'

At the start of the study, the participants' height, weight and waist circumference were measured and samples of their blood were analyzed for insulin sensitivity. The participants were required to keep sleep diaries, from which their weekday "sleep debt" was calculated.


The participants at the start of the study who had weekday sleep debt were found to be 72% more likely to be obese, compared with participants who had no weekday sleep debt. By follow-up at 6 months, the association between weekday sleep debt and obesity and insulin resistance was found to be significant.


 At 12-month follow-up, the researchers calculated that for every 30 minutes of weekday sleep debt there was an associated 17% increased risk of obesity and 39% increased risk of insulin resistance.