Health
After Biden drops out of race, doctors reveal why the decision may have been best for his health
FIRST ON FOX: After President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, two doctors shared thoughts with Fox News Digital about what this means in terms of Biden’s ongoing cognitive health.
Looking back, some experts believe the path to Biden’s dropout began with what was widely described as a disastrous debate performance in late June, during which the president seemed to display an unclear train of thought and a lack of coherence.
“President Biden has shown signs of cognitive impairment for many years,” Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon who specializes in cognitive function, told Fox News Digital on Sunday. He has not treated Biden or advised him.
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“It is medically probable that when he took office in 2020, he was afflicted by mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a gateway syndrome to Alzheimer’s disease and potentially Parkinsonism (not necessarily Parkinson’s disease itself),” Osborn said.
“And he has only deteriorated since then, as is typical of those with neurodegenerative diseases.”
‘Prudent’ decision
Given signs of his “ailing cognitive status, President Biden’s decision to step down from the race seems prudent,” said Osborn, expressing his professional opinion.
“By stepping down, President Biden can prioritize his health and potentially mitigate further cognitive decline,” said a neurosurgeon specializing in cognitive function. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
“In my opinion, he is unfit to run the country and is unsuitable for his duties as commander-in-chief,” he said.
“By stepping down, President Biden can prioritize his health and potentially mitigate further cognitive decline, while also ensuring the leadership role is filled by someone fully capable of handling the demanding responsibilities of the position.”
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Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, said he believes Biden’s decision may be best for the president’s health.
“The stress of the race could have definitely made cognition worse — but it will progress anyway if there is a cognitive issue, and fitness is a big concern,” the doctor told Fox News Digital on Sunday. (Siegel has said on multiple occasions that he has not examined or treated the president and that he cannot make any definitive diagnoses.)
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, said he believes Biden’s decision to leave the 2024 presidential race was best for the president’s health. (Fox News)
Osborn also emphasized that remaining in the presidential race could have been “detrimental” to Biden’s mental and physical health.
“Chronic stress releases cortisol, the dominant stress hormone of the body, which can negatively impact the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, leading to further deterioration,” Osborn told Fox News Digital.
“In my opinion, he is unfit to run the country and is unsuitable for his duties as commander-in-chief.”
Biden’s past brain surgeries could also have affected his cognitive function, according to Osborn.
“It is likely that the combination of the two brain surgeries and his [possible] neurodegenerative diseases, plus the added stress of the Oval Office, have markedly accelerated the deterioration of his already ailing brain,” he said.
“President Biden has shown signs of cognitive impairment for many years,” Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon who specializes in cognitive function, told Fox News Digital. (Dr. Brett Osborn)
“Another term [was] not even a consideration, in my opinion. By 2028, he will categorically be a ‘nursing home patient.’”
In addition to cognitive concerns, the doctors also discussed Biden’s recent bout with COVID-19.
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“Post-COVID syndromes and long COVID have been shown to affect underlying neurological conditions,” Siegel warned.
“This can also come from recurrent COVID.”
“Another term [was] not even a consideration, in my opinion,” a neurosurgeon told Fox News Digital about Biden. (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Regarding COVID, Osborn noted that the virus has been shown to have potential long-term effects on cognitive function, often referred to as “brain fog.”
“These effects can include difficulties with memory, attention and executive function,” he said.
“Post-COVID syndromes and long COVID have been shown to affect underlying neurological conditions.”
“In someone with pre-existing cognitive issues like President Biden, contracting COVID-19 could exacerbate these symptoms – via neuroinflammation – and lead to a more rapid decline.”
Osborn also suggested that the president’s contracting COVID was used as an “exit strategy.”
“It accelerated his, but more likely their, decision to vacate his run for the presidency,” the doctor surmised.
Health as a qualifying factor
Along with meeting the official requirements — that the president must be a natural-born citizen, must be at least 35 years of age, and must have lived in the country for at least 14 years — both doctors agreed that the individual should also be physically and cognitively healthy.
“It is extremely important,” Siegel told Fox News Digital. “We have a right to it as a country.”
The role of president involves making complex and high-stakes decisions, often under significant pressure, Osborn noted.
“Cognitive health is essential for clear thinking, effective communication and sound decision-making, all things President Biden lacks,” he said, sharing his viewpoint.
“They should admit to what they know and reveal full neurological results.”
Physical health is also essential, Osborn said, as the role also requires long hours, frequent travel and crisis management.
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“A healthy president is better equipped to handle the demands of the office and to lead the nation effectively through various challenges,” he added.
Need ‘full health disclosures’
In light of Biden’s announcement to exit the race, Siegel said the decision “should be accompanied by a full health disclosure.”
He said, “They should admit to what they know and reveal full neurological results.”
In light of Biden’s announcement to exit the race, Siegel said the decision “should be accompanied by a full health disclosure.” (Getty Images | iStock)
The situation highlights the need for thorough health evaluations for presidential candidates – and sitting presidents — to ensure they can perform their required duties, according to Osborn.
“Routine testing – physical and mental – should be made non-negotiable instead of being thwarted by the governing party,” he said.
“The allowance of President Biden’s mental incompetence for four years is an embarrassment to the United States government, and the world has borne witness.”
In response to outreach from Fox News Digital, the White House press office stated that “health was not a factor” in the president’s decision to withdraw from the race.
Biden is continuing his course of Paxlovid and his COVID symptoms have “significantly” improved, according to the president’s physician.
“He looks forward to finishing his term and delivering more historic results for the American people,” said the White House in its statement.
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On July 21, the White House released the most recent health update from the president’s physician, Dr. Kevin C. O’Connor.
O’Connor also noted that Biden is continuing his course of Paxlovid and that his COVID symptoms have “significantly” improved. The doctor also stated that Biden’s vital signs are normal, and his lungs remain clear.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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