All Sauce from Weekly Sauce:

CBD is all the rage, and millions of people are turning to it for a host of reasons, including pain relief. But despite CBD’s popularity and widespread use, new research finds it’s actual benefits are less clear. The bottom line? CBD — and your expectations about whether it will help (the “placebo effect”) — can…  read on >  read on >

COVID-19 is never a good diagnosis, but health risks are especially high in people with poorly controlled, advanced diabetes, a new study confirms. The new report looked at pooled data from 22 studies that included a total of nearly 18,000 people. Simply having diabetes didn’t raise a COVID-19 patient’s risk for death: The study found…  read on >  read on >

If making healthy lifestyle changes doesn’t lower a patient’s slightly high blood pressure within six months, doctors should then consider prescribing medication, a new American Heart Association scientific statement advises. The recommendation is for people with untreated stage 1 high blood pressure (130-139/80-89 mm Hg) who have a low risk of a heart attack or…  read on >  read on >

Stroke recovery tends to be worse among Americans in poorer neighborhoods than those in wealthier neighborhoods, a new study finds. “People in less advantaged neighborhoods were more likely to have more disability, lower quality of life and more symptoms of depression than people in more advantaged neighborhoods,” said study author Lynda Lisabeth, from the University…  read on >  read on >

Herbal kratom is used by less than 1% of the U.S. population, but the rate is much higher among those who misuse opioid painkillers, a new study finds. Kratom is used to manage pain and opioid withdrawal. However, it carries the risk of addiction and harmful side effects, which has led the U.S. Food and…  read on >  read on >

Being born even slightly premature might still raise a child’s risk of developmental problems, a new study finds. Preemies often have developmental issues, but previous research has tended to focus on those born extremely preterm (22-26 weeks’ gestation), so less is known about children born moderately and very preterm (27-34 weeks’ gestation). Average full-term gestation…  read on >  read on >

When gender-diverse or transgender people have surgeries to affirm their gender, they experience a variety of positive mental health outcomes, new research shows. The study found an association between the surgeries, which participants had at least two years prior to a survey, and significantly lower rates of past-month psychological distress, past-year suicidal ideation and past-year…  read on >  read on >