Poorer folks’ access to blockbuster weight-loss drugs through Medicaid remains limited, a new KFF analysis has found. Only 13 states currently allow Medicaid to cover treatment of obesity using glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist (GLP-1) medications, researchers discovered. Under the Medicaid system, individual states are allowed to decide whether to cover GLP-1 drugs, which include Wegovy (semaglutide),… read on > read on >
The home front hardships of World War II illustrate how too much sugar is harming people’s health today, a new study shows. British children who endured wartime rationing of sugar wound up with lifelong health benefits, researchers discovered. Sugar restrictions during kids’ first 1,000 days after conception was associated with an up to 35% lower… read on > read on >
Text messages and other online feedback can help prevent obesity in very young children, a new study demonstrates. Kids had a healthier weight-for-height growth curve during their first two years if parents were offered electronic feedback on feeding habits, playtime and exercise, researchers found. “What is kind of exciting from our study is we prevented… read on > read on >
The GLP-1 drug semaglutide can help obese people manage debilitating knee arthritis, a new trial has found. People who received weekly injections of semaglutide — the active agent in the diabetes drug Ozempic and the weight-loss medication Wegovy — had a nearly 14% decrease in their body weight after 68 weeks, compared with 3% of… read on > read on >
Hillary Fisher thinks receiving weight-loss surgery as a teenager put her on the path to a better life. Fisher is one of 260 teens who participated in a long-term study which recently concluded that weight-loss surgery can bring lasting health benefits for obese teenagers. “It changed my life,” Fisher, now 31, said in a news… read on > read on >
Sugar overload is a real danger on Halloween, as piles of candy prove a powerful temptation to both Trick-or-Treaters and the folks handing out the goodies. Too many sweet treats can instigate a blood sugar spike followed by a hard crash, causing folks to become irritable and experience symptoms like dizziness, upset stomach, tiredness and… read on > read on >
Onions spread on McDonald’s Quarter Pounders are the definite source of an outbreak of E. coli illness that’s now affected 90 people nationwide, new evidence from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. “Epidemiologic and traceback information show that fresh, slivered onions are the likely source of illness in this outbreak,” the CDC… read on > read on >
Pancreatic cancer rates are rising in adults younger than 50, but many continue to believe it’s a disease that only affects the elderly, a new survey shows. Folks in that age range also say they wouldn’t be able to identify early signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer, and that there’s nothing to do to reduce… read on > read on >
Constipation might increase a person’s risk of having a heart attack or stroke, particularly if they also have high blood pressure, a new study warns. People who are constipated have twice the risk of a major heart health problem compared to those with normal bowel habits, researchers report. Specifically, they are 2.7 times more likely… read on > read on >
McDonald’s Quarter Pounder beef patties have tested negative for E. coli contamination as an outbreak that has sickened 75 people in 13 states continues, the company announced Sunday. Federal health officials had already identified slivered onions that had been used on the burgers as the likely culprit in the outbreak, which has landed 22 people… read on > read on >
