How hope beats mindfulness when times are tough

A recent study finds that hope appears to be more beneficial than mindfulness at helping people manage stress and stay professionally engaged during periods of prolonged stress at work. The study underscores the importance of looking ahead, rather than living “in the moment,” during hard times.

Mindfulness refers to the ability of an individual to focus attention on the present, in a way that is open, curious and not judgmental. Essentially, the ability to be fully in the moment.

“There’s a lot of discussion about the benefits of mindfulness, but it poses two challenges when you’re going through periods of stress,” says Tom Zagenczyk, co-author of a paper on the work and a professor of management in North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management. “First, it’s hard to be mindful when you’re experiencing stress. Second, if it’s a truly difficult time, you don’t necessarily want to dwell too much on the experience you’re going through.

“Because hope is inherently forward looking, while mindfulness is about appreciating your current circumstances, we wanted to see how each of these two mindsets influenced people’s well-being and professional attitudes during difficult times,” Zagenczyk says. “The COVID pandemic presented us with an unfortunate, but useful, opportunity to explore this topic. And we chose to focus on the performing arts since that sector was particularly hard hit by the pandemic.”

For the study, researchers recruited 247 professional musicians from the organization MusiCares to take two surveys, one month apart. The first survey was given in September 2021. In addition to collecting broad demographic data, study participants were asked about their thoughts and experiences at the beginning of the pandemic – March to August 2020. They were also asked questions aimed at capturing how hopeful and mindful they were from September 2020 through March 2021.

The second survey was given in October 2021 and asked study participants questions aimed at capturing work engagement, work tensions, how positive their emotions were, and the extent to which they were experiencing distress.

The researchers then used statistical techniques to identify relationships between hope, mindfulness, and outcomes related to their personal well-being and attitudes toward work.

“Fundamentally, our findings tell us that hope was associated with people being happy, and mindfulness was not,” says Kristin Scott, study co-author and a professor of management at Clemson University. “And when people are hopeful – and happy – they experience less distress, are more engaged with their work, and feel less tension related to their professional lives.”

“Being mindful can be tremendously valuable – there are certainly advantages to living in the moment,” says Sharon Sheridan, study co-author and an assistant professor of management at Clemson. “But it’s important to maintain a hopeful outlook – particularly during periods of prolonged stress. People should be hopeful while being mindful – hold on to the idea that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

While the study focused on musicians during an extreme set of circumstances, the researchers think there is a takeaway message that is relevant across industry sectors.

“Whenever we have high levels of job stress, it’s important to be hopeful and forward looking,” says Emily Ferrise, study co-author and a Ph.D. student at Clemson. “And to the extent possible, there is real value for any organization to incorporate hope and forward thinking into their corporate culture – through job conditions, organizational communications, etc.”

“Every work sector experiences periods of high stress,” says Zagenczyk. “And every company should be invested in having happy employees who are engaged with their work.”

The paper, “Work-related Resilience, Engagement and Wellbeing Among Music Industry Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Multiwave Model of Mindfulness and Hope,” is published open-access in the journal Stress and Health.

Catching up on sleep on weekends may lower heart disease risk by up to 20%

 The demands of the working week, often influenced by school or work schedules, can lead to sleep disruption and deprivation. However, new research presented at ESC Congress 2024 shows that people that ‘catch up’ on their sleep by sleeping in at weekends may see their risk of heart disease fall by one-fifth.  

“Sufficient compensatory sleep is linked to a lower risk of heart disease,” said study co-author Mr Yanjun Song of the State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing, China. “The association becomes even more pronounced among individuals who regularly experience inadequate sleep on weekdays.” 

It is well known that people who suffer sleep deprivation ‘sleep in’ on days off to mitigate the effects of sleep deprivation. However, there is a lack of research on whether this compensatory sleep helps heart health.  

The authors used data from 90,903 subjects involved in the UK Biobank project, and to evaluate the relationship between compensated weekend sleep and heart disease, sleep data was recorded using accelerometers and grouped by quartiles (divided into four approximately equal groups from most compensated sleep to least). Q1 (n = 22,475 was the least compensated, having -16.05 hours to -0.26 hours (ie, having even less sleep); Q2 (n = 22,901) had -0.26 to +0.45 hours; Q3 (n=22,692) had +0.45 to +1.28 hours, and Q4 (n=22,695) had the most compensatory sleep (1.28 to 16.06 hours). 

Sleep deprivation was self-reported, with those self-reporting less than 7 hours sleep per night defined as having sleep deprivation.  A total of 19,816 (21.8%) of participants were defined as sleep deprived. The rest of the cohort may have experienced occasional inadequate sleep, but on average, their daily hours of sleep did not meet the criteria for sleep deprivation – the authors recognise this a limitation to their data.  

Hospitalisation records and cause of death registry information were used to diagnose various cardiac diseases including ischaemic heart disease (IHD), heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation (AF), and stroke. 

With a median follow-up of almost 14 years, participants in the group with the most compensatory sleep (quartile 4) were 19% less likely to develop heart disease than those with the least (quartile 1). In the subgroup of patients with daily sleep deprivation those with the most compensatory sleep had a 20% lower risk of developing heart disease than those with the least. The analysis did not show any differences between men and women. 

Co-author Mr Zechen Liu, also of State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing, China, added: “Our results show that for the significant proportion of the population in modern society that suffers from sleep deprivation, those who have the most ‘catch-up’ sleep at weekends have significantly lower rates of heart disease than those with the least.”  

Loneliness and death ideation among older adults

 

Study shows that loneliness in later life is associated with an increased risk of individuals wishing for their own death, but protective effects may include attending religious services and secular social activities.

Study shows that loneliness in later life is associated with an increased risk of individuals wishing for their own death, but protective effects may include attending religious services and secular social activities.

New research from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), at Trinity College Dublin highlights the growing problem of death ideation and the increasing rates of both loneliness and suicidal thoughts among older individuals. The study published today [Wednesday, 28th August 2024] in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Public Healthexplores the critical issue of social disconnection and its link to a ‘wish to die’ among older adults.

The ‘Wish to Die’ (WTD) involves thoughts of or wishes for one’s own death or that one would be better off dead. It is a commonly used indicator to capture death ideation which is an important clinical marker for future suicidal behaviour.

Social disconnection and deaths by suicide among older adults are both important public health concerns, particularly in the context of ageing populations. The association between death ideation and behaviours, and social disconnection is well established and both functional and structural social relationships have been identified as predictive of suicide-related thoughts and behaviours. 

Building on previous research by TILDA, the study – based on responses from 8,000 community-dwelling adults - demonstrates that the subjective feeling of loneliness is more strongly associated with death ideation than other measures of social disconnection, including social isolation or living alone. The association between WTD and loneliness remained strong even after controlling for depression and other markers of social disconnection.

Dr Mark Ward, Senior Research Fellow at TILDA and lead author of the paper, commented, 

"Both loneliness and suicide among older adults have been increasing and are now viewed as critical public health concerns. Adding to a growing body of evidence, this study from TILDA clearly shows that loneliness in later life is associated with an increased risk of individuals wishing for their own death. This wish for death is often a precursor to suicidal thoughts and behaviours. 

On the other hand, prosocial behaviours, including attending religious services and other communal activities, protect against these negative thoughts about one's own life. Uniquely, we also show that attending religious services regularly can protect against death ideation among older adults in Ireland. Our findings again highlight the importance of promoting social activities and networks to safeguard against loneliness and related psychological distress."

RESEARCH FINDINGS

A key finding of the study is the protective effect of attending religious services. The research indicates that regular participation in such activities can significantly reduce death ideation among older adults in Ireland. Other highlights from the study include:

• 4% reported feeling they would rather be dead in the month prior to the interview.
• 10% exhibited clinically significant levels of depression.
• Loneliness was identified as a particularly important risk factor for death ideation.
• Regular attendance at religious services is an example of a prosocial activity that may protect older adults against loneliness, depression, and death ideation.
• Interventions addressing depression and anxiety, including cognitive behavioural therapy, may also help alleviate loneliness.

Dr Robert Briggs, Consultant Geriatrician at St James’s Hospital and co-author of the study, said, 

"This study demonstrates the importance of addressing mental health concerns and maintaining social connectedness in later life. 'Wish to Die', which involves wishes for one's own death or thoughts that one would be better off dead, is strongly linked with future suicide attempts. This study of over 8,000 older people found that 'Wish to Die' was strongly associated with depression and loneliness, while engaging in social activities appears to be protective. An enhanced focus on improving access to mental health care and addressing social isolation in older people should therefore be a priority for policymakers."

Regius Professor Rose Anne Kenny, Consultant Geriatrician and Principal Investigator of TILDA, added, 

"Loneliness and social isolation are rising among older adults in Ireland. This issue was particularly acute during the pandemic but continues to persist post-pandemic as some older individuals remain fearful or have lost confidence. Loneliness is detrimental to health, accelerating biological ageing and disease. Addressing this problem is urgent."

The full paper, ‘Social disconnection correlates of a ‘Wish to Die’ among a large community-dwelling cohort of older adults’ in Frontiers in Public Health HERE.

In-person contact linked with lower levels of loneliness in older adults

 

Despite our hopes for technological ways to bridge connections between older adults and social partners, phone and digital contact cannot alleviate loneliness in the same way.

In-person contact helps lead to lower levels of loneliness in older people, but other ways of staying in touch, such as phoning, emailing or texting, are not as effective in lowering loneliness, a team of researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan have found.

The findings, out today in the The Journals of Gerontology: Series B Psychological Science, have implications for the health and well-being of many older people.

“We were interested to see how older adults react when they are lonely and the effects that different types of social contact had on that loneliness,” said Shiyang Zhang, the paper’s co-author and a UT postdoctoral fellow in human development and family sciences. “We found that when older adults feel lonely, they are more likely to pick up the phone and call someone. But in-person visits were the only type of contact that actually decreased levels of reported loneliness.”

Scientists have long known that regular social contact is important for mental and physical health and contributes to longevity in older age, while loneliness has been linked with heart disease, cognitive decline and even premature death. Although many older adults face chronic health conditions and mobility issues that may make in-person contact more difficult, the new study suggests that in-person contact is an important component of any widespread effort to address loneliness in older adults. 

The study was conducted in the Austin, Texas, area in 2016 and 2017, before the COVID-19 pandemic expanded the use of digital communications for many people and increased levels of isolation for many older people. But even after the pandemic, a sizable proportion of older adults do not own smartphones or use the internet. The study followed more than 300 people over the age of 65 and asked them every three waking hours about levels of loneliness and social contact, including whether that social contact was in person, by phone or digitally, which the researchers defined as texting or connecting via social media.

The study also examined whether the social contact was between people with close or weak social ties. Researchers found that when older adults felt lonely, they were likely to reach out to their close friends and family. It turns out that in-person contact — even with someone with whom they had only weak ties, such as an acquaintance — was predictive of lower levels of loneliness better than, say, a phone call with a family member or friend with whom ties were stronger.

“Although phone contact is available at most times and provides older adults with opportunities for social connections when they feel lonely, it appears that phone contact may not be as effective in reducing loneliness as in-person contact,” Zhang said. “Phone and digital contact do not provide older adults with the same emotional closeness and comfort as in-person contact. It’s just not a substitute.”

A healthy lifestyle may counteract diabetes-associated brain ageing

Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes are associated with accelerated brain ageing, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the journal Diabetes Care. The good news is that this may be counteracted by a healthy lifestyle.

Type 2 diabetes is a known risk factor for dementia, but it is unclear how diabetes and its early stages, known as prediabetes, affect brain ageing in people without dementia. Now, a comprehensive brain imaging study shows that both diabetes and prediabetes can be linked to accelerated brain ageing.

The study included more than 31,000 people between 40 and 70 years of age from the UK Biobank who had undergone a brain MRI scan (magnetic resonance imaging). The researchers used a machine learning approach to estimate brain age in relation to the person’s chronological age.

Prediabetes and diabetes were associated with brains that were 0.5 and 2.3 years older than chronological age, respectively. In people with poorly controlled diabetes, the brain appeared more than four years older than chronological age. The researchers also noted that the gap between brain age and chronological age increased slightly over time in people with diabetes. These associations were attenuated among people with high physical activity who abstained from smoking and heavy alcohol consumption.

“Having an older-appearing brain for one’s chronological age can indicate deviation from the normal ageing process and may constitute an early warning sign for dementia,” says the study’s lead author Abigail Dove, a PhD student at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet. “On the positive side, it seems that people with diabetes may be able to influence their brain health through healthy living.”

Repeated MRI data were available for a small proportion of the study participants. Follow-up MRI scans are ongoing and researchers are now continuing to study the association between diabetes and brain ageing over time.

“There’s a high and growing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the population,” says Abigail Dove. “We hope that our research will help prevent cognitive impairment and dementia in people with diabetes and prediabetes.”

 

Few women cite diet when asked how to reduce chances of breast cancer

 

 Just 28% of U.S. women are aware that a healthful diet can lower the risk of developing breast cancer, according to a just-released Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine/Morning Consult survey.

The poll included 2,017 women interviewed July 25, 2024, to July 28, 2024. When prompted with a follow-up question about which specific foods might reduce breast cancer risk, 23% mentioned vegetables, and 16% mentioned fruits. Only 17% were aware that soy products reduce breast cancer risk, while 16% erroneously said that soy increases the risk of developing breast cancer.

The findings show almost no increase in awareness of preventive steps in recent decades. In a 1995 telephone survey of 510 women, 23% cited dietary factors (reducing intake of fat or meat or increasing intake of vegetables, fruit, fiber, or vegetarian meals) as ways to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

Dr. Kristi Funk, a breast cancer surgeon and leading prevention expert from Los Angeles, said,

“It’s clear that millions of women have yet to hear the lifesaving message that what they eat and drink strongly influences their chances of developing breast cancer. Science shows nearly 50% of cases are preventable through diet and lifestyle, at least in theory, and in my opinion, 80 to 90% of cases could be avoided.”

Neal Barnard, MD, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said, “Public education programs on breast cancer have focused on mammograms, which play a vital role, but are not enough. It is essential to empower people with steps they can take to protect themselves, and a healthy diet is at the top of the list.” 

Results of the new survey also show:

•When asked about specific categories that may increase the risk of developing cancer, women were most likely to cite being overweight and high consumption of processed meats. But just 24% said they are aware that high consumption of dairy products increases the risk. Research funded by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, and the World Cancer Research Fund, found that women who consumed 1/4 to 1/3 cup of cow’s milk per day had a 30% increased chance of developing breast cancer. One cup per day increased the risk by 50%, and 2 to 3 cups were associated with an 80% increased chance of developing breast cancer. 

•Nearly three quarters (72%) of respondents said they have never received information or education about the link between nutrition and breast cancer from a health care professional.

The Physicians Committee, a national nonprofit health advocacy group of more than 17,000 doctors, recommends a four-pronged approach to preventing breast cancer: Eat a whole food, plant-based diet, exercise regularly, limit alcohol and maintain a healthy weight.

Stephanie McBurnett, a registered dietitian with the Physicians Committee, added, “Research shows that eating a low-fat plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans not only helps lower breast cancer risk. It’s also beneficial for breast cancer survivors.

Pesco-vegetarian diets best for reducing risk of death in elderly

 

Pure vegetarian diets not as protective against certain neurological diseases in elderly

A variety of vegetarian diets appear to protect against risk of mortality and contributing conditions, with a pesco-vegetarian diet — which includes fish — providing the most protection against risk in very elderly people, according to a new study.

Researchers at Loma Linda University Health found that vegetarian diets are associated with lower risk for all-cause mortality and many cause-specific mortalities, especially among males and in middle-aged subjects. However, slightly higher risks were observed among very elderly vegetarians for neurological conditions such as stroke, dementia, and Parkinson’s Disease. Despite this, the pesco-vegetarian diet continued to offer a small but noticeable advantage over other vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets, even in elderly people.

Gary Fraser, MBCHB, PhD, distinguished professor at Loma Linda University School of Public Health and principal investigator of the study, said a vegetarian diet appears to offer protection from risk of death through middle-aged years, but once it helps people get into their 80s that overall advantage seems to disappear for those adhering to a strict vegetarian diet.

“These increased risks of neurological conditions among vegetarians in their 80s weren’t huge, but something is going on there that we shouldn’t ignore if we wish the vegetarian advantage to continue for all vegetarians in their later years,” Fraser said.

The study, Cause-specific and all-cause mortalities in vegetarian compared to non-vegetarian participants from the Adventist Health Study-2 cohort, was published August 2 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study used data from the Adventist Health Study-2, a massive cohort of nearly 96,000 people who identify as Seventh-day Adventist and lived in the United States and Canada during the study’s baseline recruitment between 2002 and 2007, with follow-up through 2015. Data from that group has been used for numerous studies on health, disease, and mortality over the years. This study analyzed data from more than 88,000 subjects and approximately 12,500 deaths in the study cohort. Dietary data were collected using a questionnaire and then categorized into five patterns: non-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and vegan.

Fraser said his team found that Adventist vegetarians overall had about a 12% less risk of death compared to Adventist non-vegetarians. Study participants with a pesco-vegetarian diet had an 18% less risk of death. Those with a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet (including dairy and eggs) had a 15% less risk of death. Vegans overall had a less than 3% decreased risk of death, but male vegans fared much better than non-vegetarians, in contrast to females.

“Overall, this is some of the clearest data that American vegetarians are greater protected from premature death than non-vegetarians,” Fraser said.

Just 10 minutes of mindfulness daily boosts wellbeing and fights depression – study reveals

In a new study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, researchers from the Universities of Bath and Southampton have unveiled how just 10 minutes of daily mindfulness practice can improve wellbeing, ease depression and anxiety, and help people to be more motivated to improve their lifestyle – including healthier exercise, eating and sleeping habits.

The research, which enrolled 1247 adults from 91 countries, demonstrates that brief daily mindfulness sessions, delivered through a free mobile app Medito, can have profound benefits.

Participants, most of whom had no prior mindfulness experience, were randomly allocated to a month-long mindfulness routine or a control condition—listening to excerpts from Alice in Wonderland. Daily mindfulness sessions included relaxation exercises, intention-setting, body scans, breath-focused attention, and self-reflection.

The participants completed surveys on their mental health before starting the 30 days of mindfulness training and upon completing it. The results were striking. After mindfulness training participants using the mindfulness app reported:

• Reduced Depression by 19.2% more than control group.
• Improved Wellbeing by 6.9% more.
• Decreased Anxiety by 12.6% more.
• Attitudes to Health got more Positive by 7.1% over control group.
• Behavioural Intentions to look after Health increased by 6.5% beyond control.

The positive effects of mindfulness were largely maintained after 30 days. In survey follow-ups one month later (Day 61) the mindfulness group showed sustained improvements to their wellbeing, depression, attitudes, and even reporting better sleep quality.

In their feedback, participants highlighted numerous benefits from the mindfulness practice:

“Awareness, self-control, gratitude, I am more patient, and I take more joy from the present moment.”

 

“Clear mind. Feeling like everything's under control and I'll be able to do what I set my mind to.”

 

“Completing these meditation sessions has given me a better understanding of the function of my mind. They have helped me to gain a better insight on many things and shown me a different lens through which to look at the world.  Words coming to mind: helpful, insightful and motivational.”

Excitingly, this trial was one of the first to show that the wellbeing and mental health benefits of mindfulness could arise from the changes to lifestyle behaviours it encourages. This highlights the potential of mindfulness practice for promoting healthier living, such as exercising regularly, which is what the team are eager to research next.

The study was conducted by psychologist Masha Remskar, an expert in behaviour change, mindfulness and exercise based at the University of Bath. She said:

“This study highlights that even short, daily practices of mindfulness can offer benefits, making it a simple yet powerful tool for enhancing mental health.”

Of the findings linking mindfulness practice to healthier habits, Remskar said:

“It’s exciting to see the benefits of mindfulness extending beyond depression, well-being and anxiety and into other health behaviours such as sleeping better and building stronger intentions to live a healthy lifestyle. Mindfulness builds the psychological skills you need to build healthy habits – we hope to show in future work that once you’ve got those skills you can use them to improve several health behaviours from exercising regularly to stopping smoking.”

Co-author Dr Ben Ainsworth, who leads the Digital Intervention Group at the University of Southampton, added:

“The research underscores how digital technology – in this case, a freely available app – can help people integrate behavioural and psychological techniques into their lives, in a way that suits them. ”

Co-author Dr Max Western from the University of Bath said:

“It is exciting to see that such a light-touch, affordable, intervention that has the potential to reach a large global audience can have an impact on healthy lifestyle behaviours. It is even more encouraging that these benefits were sustained after the mindfulness course ended, suggesting this practice can help build sustainable habits.”

The study was funded by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council and done in collaboration with the Medito Foundation – – a mindfulness non-profit dedicated to fostering a more mindful world. Medito has developed a mindfulness meditation app as a free alternative to well-known services requiring monthly subscription payments. Participants in the study completed Medito’s “30 Day Challenge,” but the Foundation had no involvement with data collection, analysis, or the scientific publication process.

Flexibility can help people live longer

 

Flexibility exercises are often included in the exercise regimens of athletes and exercisers. New research in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports suggests that levels of flexibility may affect survival in middle-aged individuals.

After analyzing data on 3,139 people (66% men) aged 46–65 years, investigators obtained a body flexibility score, termed Flexindex. This score was derived from a combination of the passive range of motion in 20 movements (each scored 0–4) involving 7 different joints, resulting in a score range of 0–80.

Flexindex was 35% higher in women compared with men. During an average follow-up of 12.9 years, 302 individuals (9.6%) comprising 224 men and 78 women died. Flexindex exhibited an inverse relationship with mortality risk and was nearly 10% higher for survivors compared with non-survivors in both men and women.

After taking age, body mass index, and health status into account, men and women with a low Flexindex had a 1.87- and 4.78-times higher risk of dying, respectively, than those with a high Flexindex.

“Being aerobically fit and strong and having good balance have been previously associated with low mortality. We were able to show that reduced body flexibility is also related to poor survival in middle-aged men and women,” said corresponding author Claudio Gil S. Araújo, MD, PhD, of the Exercise Medicine Clinic – CLINIMEX, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He added that as flexibility tends to decrease with aging, it may be worth paying more attention to flexibility exercises and routinely including assessments of body flexibility as part of all health-related physical fitness evaluations.

Two thirds of baby foods in US grocery stores are unhealthy

A staggering 60 percent of infant and toddler foods fail to meet nutritional recommendations, and none meet promotional requirements set by World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, according to new research published today in the scientific journal Nutrients. 1

In the absence of US-specific nutrition or promotional guidelines for these foods, researchers at The George Institute for Global Health assessed data on 651 infant and toddler food products sold in the top ten US grocery chains held in the Institute’s FoodSwitch database against this international benchmark.2

Among all products, 70 percent failed to meet protein requirements and 44 percent exceeded total sugar requirements. A further one in four products did not meet calorie requirements and one in five exceeded recommended sodium limits.

Dr Elizabeth Dunford, Research Fellow at The George Institute, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina said that the rising popularity of processed convenience foods for infants and young children was concerning.

“Early childhood is a crucial period of rapid growth and when taste preferences and dietary habits form, potentially paving the way for the development of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and some cancers later in life,” she said.

“Time-poor parents are increasingly choosing convenience foods, unaware that many of these products lack key nutrients needed for their child’s development and tricked into believing they are healthier than they really are.”

Researchers found that baby food pouches are the fastest growing products in the sector, with a 900 percent increase in the proportion of sales deriving from pouches in the last 13 years. Concerningly, pouches ranked among the unhealthiest products assessed, with fewer than 7 percent meeting total sugar recommendations.*

The study also revealed the extent of misleading marketing practices, with almost all (99.4 percent) products featuring at least one prohibited claim on their packaging. On average, products displayed four prohibited claims, with some displaying as many as 11. Common claims included ‘non genetically modified (GM)’ (70 percent), ‘organic’ (59 percent), ‘no BPA’ (37 percent), and ‘no artificial colors/flavors’ (25 percent).

Dr Daisy Coyle, Research Fellow and Dietitian at The George Institute said that claims like these create a so-called ‘health halo’ around these products.

“The lack of regulation in this area leaves the door wide open for the food industry to deceive busy parents,” she said.

“We saw this not only in the use of misleading claims but also in the use of misleading names, where the product name did not reflect the main ingredients found on the ingredient list.”

“For example, snack and finger foods often referred to fruit or vegetables in the product name, despite primarily being made of flour or other starches,” Dr Coyle added.

Obesity in children aged two to five has more than doubled in the US since the 1970s, with approximately 13% of preschool children living with obesity.3 This has only worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic.4

“While reducing childhood obesity was a priority under the Obama administration, the issue appears to have fallen by the wayside in recent years,” added Dr Dunford.

“Our findings highlight the urgent need for better regulation and guidance in the infant and toddler foods market in the United States - the health of future generations depends on it.”

1. Coyle DH et al. An evaluation of the nutritional and promotional profile of commercial foods for infants and toddlers in the United States. Nutrients 2024. 16,0
2. World Health Organization. Nutrient and Promotion Profile Model: Supporting appropriate promotion of food products for infants and young children 6–36 months in the WHO European Region. 2022
   https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/WHO-EURO-2022-6681-46447-67287
3. Fryar CD, et al. Prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity among children and adolescents aged 2–19 years: United States, 1963–1965 through 2017–2018. NCHS Health E-Stats. 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity-child-17-18/overweight-obesity-child-H.pdf
4. Lange SJ et al. Longitudinal Trends in Body Mass Index Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Persons Aged 2–19 Years — United States, 2018–2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:1278–1283
   https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7037a3.htm?s_cid=mm7037a3_w

*This represents 7 percent of all pouches, but fruit-based pouches (which contain the most sugar) aren’t included in the WHO criteria. This figure becomes 69% if fruit-base pouches are excluded.

Following a Mediterranean diet may be associated with reduced risk of COVID-19 infection

A Mediterranean Diet has been reported to possess immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties are closely associated with the immunopathogenesis of COVID-19.

The present systematic review aimed to determine the association between Mediterranean Diet and COVID-19, COVID-19 symptoms, and COVID-19 severity.

After selection process, 6 articles were included, with a sample size of 55,489 patients. All studies were observational studies and assessed Mediterranean diet adherence using food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), with scoring system varied between each study. Four studies found a significant correlation between increased adherence to Mediterranean Diet and reduced COVID-19 risk, while one study indicated non-significant association. One study reported a significant association between higher adherence to Mediterranean Diet and COVID-19 symptoms, but three studies reported non-significant association. One study found that individuals with higher adherence to Mediterranean Diet had reduced likelihood of developing severe COVID-19, however, two studies yielded inconclusive findings.

Red and processed meat consumption associated with higher type 2 diabetes risk

Meat consumption, particularly consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat, is associated with a higher type 2 diabetes risk, an analysis of data from 1.97 million participants, published today in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, has found.

Global meat production has increased rapidly in recent decades and meat consumption exceeds dietary guidelines in many countries.  Earlier research indicated that higher intakes of processed meat and unprocessed red meat are associated with an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes, but the results have been variable and not conclusive.

Poultry such as chicken, turkey, or duck is often considered to be an alternative to processed meat or unprocessed red meat, but fewer studies have examined the association between poultry consumption and type 2 diabetes.

To determine the association between consumption of processed meat, unprocessed red meat and poultry and type 2 diabetes, the team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge used the global InterConnect project to analyse data from 31 study cohorts in 20 countries. Their extensive analysis took into account factors such as age, gender, health-related behaviours, energy intake and body mass index.

The researchers found that the habitual consumption of 50 grams of processed meat a day - equivalent to 2 slices of ham - is associated with a 15% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years. The consumption of 100 grams of unprocessed red meat a day - equivalent to a small steak - was associated with a 10% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

Habitual consumption of 100 grams of poultry a day was associated with an 8% higher risk, but when further analyses were conducted to test the findings under different scenarios the association for poultry consumption became weaker, whereas the associations with type 2 diabetes for each of processed meat and unprocessed meat persisted.

Professor Nita Forouhi of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, and a senior author on the paper, said:

“Our research provides the most comprehensive evidence to date of an association between eating processed meat and unprocessed red meat and a higher future risk of type 2 diabetes. It supports recommendations to limit the consumption of processed meat and unprocessed red meat to reduce type 2 diabetes cases in the population.

While our findings provide more comprehensive evidence on the association between poultry consumption and type 2 diabetes than was previously available, the link remains uncertain and needs to be investigated further.”

InterConnect uses an approach that allows researchers to analyse individual participant data from diverse studies, rather than being limited to published results. This enabled the authors to include as many as 31 studies in this analysis, 18 of which had not previously published findings on the link between meat consumption and type 2 diabetes. By including this previously unpublished study data the authors considerably expanded the evidence base and reduced the potential for bias from the exclusion of existing research.

Lead author Dr Chunxiao Li, also of the MRC Epidemiology Unit, said:

“Previous meta-analysis involved pooling together of already published results from studies on the link between meat consumption and type 2 diabetes, but our analysis examined data from individual participants in each study. This meant that we could harmonise the key data collected across studies, such as the meat intake information and the development of type 2 diabetes.

Using harmonised data also meant we could more easily account for different factors, such as lifestyle or health behaviours, that may affect the association between meat consumption and diabetes. “

Professor Nick Wareham, Director of the MRC Epidemiology Unit, and a senior author on the paper said:

“InterConnect enables us to study the risk factors for obesity and type 2 diabetes across populations in many different countries and continents around the world, helping to include populations that are under-represented in traditional meta-analyses.

Most research studies on meat and type 2 diabetes have been conducted in USA and Europe, with some in East Asia. This research included additional studies from the Middle East, Latin America and South Asia, and highlighted the need for investment in research in these regions and in Africa.

Using harmonised data and unified analytic methods across nearly 2 million participants allowed us to provide more concrete evidence of the link between consumption of different types of meat and type 2 diabetes than was previously possible.”

Engaging in play with kids could help improve mental health.

 

Watching your children frolic through a playground is one of the many joys of being a parent or grandparent, but new research has found that engaging in play with kids could help improve mental health.

Researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) and the University of Canberra (UC) have explored the benefits of intergenerational play through specially designed playgrounds for kids and adults.

Intergenerational play brings young children and older people together to engage in enjoyable and creative activities such as storytelling, using playground equipment, and games.

The world is facing an aging population, with the proportion of over 60-year-olds set to double and over 80-year-olds set to triple by 2050.

Associate Professor and Deputy Director of the Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments (IVE) at UniSA, Fanke Peng, says that society needs more public spaces that enable generational integration and interaction.

“There’s a social divide between older and younger people, and it leaves little room for meaningful interaction outside of families and classrooms,” she says.

“This age-based segregation causes feelings of isolation and social disconnectedness, which in turn can lead to depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and cognitive decline in older adults.”

“The facilitation of a playground designed for children and their parents and grandparents will foster intergenerational play and lead to positive mental health outcomes.”

In play space co-design workshops hosted by the researchers, participants aged 65 and over discussed the benefits of spending time with children and what a shared space could look like in their community.

Participants also reflected on their favourite play experience, their experiences playing with children, and what elements they would want or need in an intergenerational playground.

“[Spending time with children is] also good for my health. And my wellbeing. And it’s the participation. [That’s really] important,” one participant said. “Playing with the kids also makes you feel young. It gives you that sense of accomplishment that you haven’t lost those skills.”

Some participants noted the need for accessible amenities like shaded seating, water and toilets, and play equipment that is easy for older people to use while still meeting the needs of children.

Assoc Prof Peng says there are barriers that exist that make it harder for older people to engage in play, such as social attitudes and stigmas that play is only for children.

Removing these barriers is crucial in encouraging interaction between generations, and helping to address mental health concerns as people age, she says.

“Designing a space where children and older adults can engage with each other is crucial to dismantling the social stigma that stops people from playing once they’re older,” she says.

“We know that people start to feel like it’s not appropriate for them to use playgrounds or engage in children’s activities, and so there’s quite limited opportunities for intergenerational play.

“Creating these shared spaces that older adults can participate in means bridging the generational gap and taking care of the community.”

Weight-loss success depends on eating more protein, fiber while limiting calories

 

Participants on a self-directed dietary education program who had the greatest success at losing weight across a 25-month period consumed greater amounts of protein and fiber, a study found. Personalization and flexibility also were key in creating plans that dieters could adhere to over time.

At the one-year mark, successful dieters (41% of participants) had lost 12.9% of their body weight, compared with the remainder of the study sample, who lost slightly more than 2% of their starting weight, according to a paper on the study published in Obesity Science and Practice.

The dieters were participants in the Individualized Diet Improvement Program, which uses data visualization tools and intensive dietary education sessions to increase dieters’ knowledge of key nutrients, enabling them to create a personalized, safe and effective weight-loss plan, said Manabu T. Nakamura, a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the leader of the research.

“Flexibility and personalization are key in creating programs that optimize dieters’ success at losing weight and keeping it off,” Nakamura said. “Sustainable dietary change, which varies from person to person, must be achieved to maintain a healthy weight. The iDip approach allows participants to experiment with various dietary iterations, and the knowledge and skills they develop while losing weight serve as the foundation for sustainable maintenance.”

The pillars of iDip are increasing protein and fiber consumption along with consuming 1,500 calories or less daily.

Based on the dietary guidelines issued by the Institutes of Medicine, the iDip team created a one-of-a-kind, two-dimensional quantitative data visualization tool that plots foods’ protein and fiber densities per calorie and provides a target range for each meal. Starting with foods they habitually ate, the dieters created an individualized plan, increasing their protein intake to about 80 grams and their fiber intake to about 20 grams daily.

In tracking the participants’ eating habits and their weights with Wi-Fi enabled scales, the team found strong inverse correlations between the percentages of fiber and protein eaten and dieters’ weight loss.   

“The research strongly suggests that increasing protein and fiber intake while simultaneously reducing calories is required to optimize the safety and efficacy of weight loss diets,” said first author and U. of I. alumna Mindy H. Lee, a then-graduate student and registered dietitian-nutritionist for the iDip program.

Nakamura said the preservation of lean mass is very important while losing weight, especially when using weight-loss drugs.

 “Recently, the popularity of injectable weight loss medications has been increasing,” Nakamura said. “However, using these medications when food intake is strongly limited will cause serious side effects of muscle and bone loss unless protein intake is increased during weight loss.”

A total of 22 people who enrolled in the program completed it, including nine men and 13 women. Most of the dieters were between the ages of 30-64. Participants reported they had made two or more prior attempts to lose weight. They also had a variety of comorbidities — 54% had high cholesterol, 50% had skeletal problems and 36% had hypertension and/or sleep apnea. Additionally, the dieters reported diagnoses of diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer and depression, according to the study.

The seven dieters who reported they had been diagnosed with depression lost significantly less weight — about 2.4% of their starting weight compared with those without depression, who lost 8.39% of their initial weight. The team found that weight loss did not differ significantly among participants with other comorbidities, or between younger and older participants or between men and women.

Body composition analysis indicated that dieters maintained their lean body mass, losing an average of 7.1 kilograms of fat mass and minimal muscle mass at the six-month interval. Among those who lost greater than 5% of their starting weight, 78% of the weight they lost was fat, according to the study.

Overall, the participants reduced their fat mass from an average of 42.6 kilograms at the beginning of the program to 35.7 kilograms at the 15-month mark. Likewise, the dieters reduced their waists by about 7 centimeters at six months and by a total of 9 centimeters at 15 months, the team found.

In tracking dieters’ protein and fiber intake, the team found a strong correlation between protein and fiber consumption and weight loss at three months and 12 months.

“The strong correlation suggests that participants who were able to develop sustainable dietary changes within the first three months kept losing weight in the subsequent months, whereas those who had difficulty implementing sustainable dietary patterns early on rarely succeeded in changing their diet in the later months,” Nakamura said.

The team hypothesized that this correlation could also have been associated with some dieters’ early weight loss success, which may have bolstered their motivation and adherence to their program.

Diet as main risk factor for colon cancer in younger adults

 

A new Cleveland Clinic study has identified diet-derived molecules called metabolites as main drivers of young-onset colorectal cancer risk, especially those associated with red and processed meat. The NPJ Precision Oncology report, which analyzed metabolite and microbiome datasets, highlighted that one of the best ways a younger (<60 years) adult can prevent colorectal cancer is to discuss their diet with their doctor.

Increased monitoring and screening for colorectal cancer is an extremely helpful tool. Despite the success of these methods, these data indicate physicians can take a different approach with their younger patients, says senior author and gastrointestinal oncologist Suneel Kamath, MD.

“At the end of the day, it’s impractical to apply our care models for those over 60 to younger adults simply because we cannot give everyone in the system yearly colonoscopies,” he explains. “What is much more feasible is to give everyone in the system a simple test to measure a biomarker that determines their colorectal cancer risk. Then we can give the most at-risk individuals appropriate screening.”

Former clinical fellow Thejus Jayakrishnan, MD, and Naseer Sangwan, PhD, director of the Microbial Sequencing & Analytics Resource Core co-led the work. Researchers in Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer provided large-scale analyses of patient data from individuals who received care for either young- or average-onset colorectal cancer at Cleveland Clinic.

One previous study from this team identified differences in the metabolites (diet-derived molecules) of young- versus average-onset colorectal cancer, while another identified differences in gut microbiome between younger and older adults with colorectal cancer. These studies provided many potential directions for studying young-onset CRC. However, when more factors are involved in cancer risk, it becomes more complicated to understand what’s going on and plan future research, Dr. Sangwan says. Interactions between these factors, like when our gut bacteria consume our metabolites and produce their own, make it even more complex.

Dr. Sangwan and his team then developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to combine and analyze the existing studies’ datasets and clarify what factors are most relevant for future study. Surprisingly, Dr. Sangwan's analysis revealed that differences in diet (identified through analyzing metabolites) accounted for a significant proportion of the differences observed between the young-onset and older-onset patients.

“Researchers – ourselves included – have begun to focus on the gut microbiome as a primary contributor to colon cancer risk. But our data clearly shows that the main driver is diet,” Dr. Sangwan says. “We already know the main metabolites associated with young-onset risk, so we can now move our research forward in the correct direction.”

The team was excited to see diet play such a large role in cancer risk, because it is much easier to identify at-risk patients by counting the metabolites in their blood than it is to sequence the bacterial DNA in their stool for different microbes.

“It can actually be very complicated and difficult to change your microbiome,” explains Dr. Kamath. “While it’s not always easy, it is much simpler to change your diet to prevent colon cancer.”

Addressing factors in diet to prevent colon cancer

Younger colon cancer patients had higher levels of metabolites associated with the production and metabolism of an amino acid called arginine, and with the urea cycle compared to their older peers. These differences may be tied to long-term consumption of red meat and processed meat. The team is now analyzing national datasets to validate their Cleveland Clinic-specific findings in patients across the country.

After they show that arginine and urea cycle metabolites (and, by proxy, red and processed meat overconsumption) are elevated across younger adults with colon cancer nationwide, they plan to test whether certain diets or commercially available drugs that regulate arginine production and the urea cycle can help prevent or even treat young-onset colorectal cancer.

Dr. Kamath says that even though more research is needed to understand exactly how dietary factors cause colon cancer, his current findings have already changed the way he delivers patient care.

“Even though I knew before this study that diet is an important factor in colon cancer risk, I didn’t always discuss it with my patients during their first visit. There is so much going on, it can already be so overwhelming,” says Dr. Kamath. “Now, I always make sure to bring it up to my patients, and to any healthy friends or family members they may come in with, to try and equip them with the tools they need to make informed choices about their lifestyle.”

People 60 and older with untreated high blood pressure: increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease

 People 60 and older with untreated high blood pressure may have an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared to both people who have been or are being treated for high blood pressure as well as people without the chronic condition. The new research, a meta-analysis, is published in the August 14, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. These results do not prove that untreated high blood pressure causes Alzheimer’s disease, they only show an association.

“High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke and cerebrovascular disease, and yet it can be controlled with medication, reducing a person’s risk of these diseases,” said author Matthew J. Lennon, MD, PhD, of the University of New South Wales in Australia. “Taking blood pressure medications has also been found in previous research to reduce a person’s risk of dementias overall, but less is known about how blood pressure affects a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Our meta-analysis looked at older people and found that not treating blood pressure may indeed increase a person’s risk.”

For the meta-analysis, researchers looked at 31,250 people with an average age of 72 who were enrolled in 14 studies that measured cognitive change and dementia diagnosis over time.  Participants were from Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Spain, Sweden and the United States. Participants were followed for an average of four years and 1,415 developed Alzheimer’s disease.

For each participant, researchers looked at blood pressure measurements, high blood pressure diagnosis and the use of blood pressure medication. They found 9% had untreated high blood pressure, 51% were taking blood pressure medications, 36% did not have high blood pressure and 4% were noted as uncertain.

After adjusting for factors such as age, sex and education, researchers found people with untreated high blood pressure had 36% increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease when compared to people without high blood pressure, and a 42% increased risk of Alzheimer’s when compared to people with the condition who were taking blood pressure medications.

 “Our meta-analysis that included people from around the world found that taking blood pressure medications was associated with decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease throughout later life,” said Lennon. “These results suggest that treating high blood pressure as a person ages continues to be a crucial factor in reducing their risk of Alzheimer’s disease.”

A limitation of the meta-analysis was that definitions for high blood pressure varied by location, which could lead to possible discrepancies in diagnosis.