Health
Before Biden, these 5 past presidents faced health issues amid re-election
President Biden announced on Sunday that he has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
Although the White House press office told Fox News Digital on Monday that “health was not a factor” in the president’s decision to withdraw, multiple doctors expressed concern about signs of cognitive decline after Biden’s widely criticized performance in the June 27 presidential debate.
Two medical experts told Fox News Digital their belief that Biden’s decision to step down is best for the president’s health.
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Biden, however, isn’t the only president whose re-election was potentially thwarted by health issues or concerns.
Here are five others.
Presidents Woodrow Wilson, left, Franklin D. Roosevelt, center, and Theodore Roosevelt all experienced health issues while in office. (Getty Images)
1. Chester A. Arthur (21st president, 1881-1885)
After he became America’s 21st president in 1881, Chester Arthur experienced health complications due to malaria, which remained endemic in Washington, D.C., throughout the 19th century, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In 1882, Arthur continued to suffer from progressive fatigue, extreme weight loss and peripheral edema, the NIH reported.
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After a closer health inspection, Arthur was diagnosed with Bright’s disease, today known as chronic kidney disease.
Chester A. Arthur, 1829-86, 21st president of the United States, is shown in a portrait in the 1880s. (Glasshouse Vintage/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The president’s health worsened during his last two years in office, with reported symptoms of fluid retention, rigors (shaking or shivering), nausea and colicky abdominal pain.
As the 1884 election inched closer, Arthur sought a second term — but lost the Republican nomination to James G. Blaine, the speaker of the House.
Blaine went on to lose the election to Democrat Grover Cleveland.
Arthur died on Nov. 18, 1886, at age 57, according to the Smithsonian.
2. Theodore Roosevelt (26th president, 1901-1909)
Theodore Roosevelt took over as commander in chief at nearly 43 years old in 1901 following the assassination of President William McKinley, according to the White House Historical Association.
Roosevelt was then re-elected in 1904.
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After William Howard Taft’s term, which began in 1909, Roosevelt decided to re-join the race in 1912, creating his own “Bull Moose” party.
While campaigning on Oct. 14, 1912, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Roosevelt was shot during an assassination attempt outside the Gilpatrick Hotel.
President Theodore Roosevelt is pictured at his office in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10, 1903. (History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The bullet was slowed by Roosevelt’s dense overcoat, his steel-reinforced eyeglasses case and his 50-page speech folded in his inner right jacket pocket, as History.com reported.
The bullet punctured the president’s right chest, but did not damage his lungs. It was left lodged inside his ribs — which was deemed safer than operating.
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Roosevelt continued his campaign while in recovery — but was beaten by Democrat Woodrow Wilson in the 1912 election.
3. Woodrow Wilson (28th president, 1913-1921)
Woodrow Wilson carried out two full terms and intended to run for a third.
But the then-president was “severely hindered” by a neurological condition that caused him to suffer from strokes before and during his presidency, according to the NIH.
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Before he took office, three strokes affected his right hand and left arm, and caused blindness in his left eye.
A damaging stroke during his presidency in October 1919 left Wilson paralyzed on the left side and with only partial vision in his right eye.
He was confined to his bed for several weeks, the NIH reported.
Woodrow Wilson’s portrait was taken during his campaign for New Jersey governor in 1910. (Circa Images/GHI/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Wilson did not sufficiently recover from this episode.
In 1920, the Republicans requested confirmation that he was still able to carry out his duties as required by the Constitution.
The president’s doctor, Dr. Cary Grayson, would not publicly comment on Wilson’s health status as Wilson pursued re-election for a third term.
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By the time of the Democratic convention that summer, however, Grayson shared Wilson’s poor medical state with party leaders and rejected the idea of a third term.
Wilson was ultimately not given the presidential nomination, and Republican Warren G. Harding was elected in 1920.
4. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (32nd president, 1933-1945)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms in office, as he was elected four times throughout the Depression and World War II.
Roosevelt had suffered from health issues since his paralysis as a result of polio at 39 years old, according to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library and Museum.
Franklin Roosevelt (1882-1945), 32nd U.S. president, is pictured at his desk in Washington, D.C., in 1933. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
During his third term in office, Roosevelt was diagnosed with heart disease, which was kept hidden from the public ahead of his re-election for a fourth term, the NIH reported.
Throughout 1944, Roosevelt’s team of doctors monitored his waning health, continuously recording high blood pressure measurements.
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These heart complications were attributed to the “unending stress and strain of the war,” according to the FDR Library and Museum.
Roosevelt was chosen as the Democratic nominee in 1944 and continued with his campaign, even while facing skepticism about his physical fitness for office.
President Franklin Roosevelt in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., in 1934. (History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Although he won his fourth presidential election, Roosevelt was “debilitated” by his condition, according to the NIH.
On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt complained of a headache to his physician, Dr. Howard Bruenn.
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Roosevelt’s blood pressure hit 300/190 and he lost consciousness.
Bruenn diagnosed the event as a stroke and declared the president dead at age 63.
5. Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th president, 1953-1961)
Dwight Eisenhower began his first term in 1953 and suffered from two major illnesses, according to the NIH.
He experienced a heart attack in September 1955, keeping him out of the White House for recovery until December.
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Although Eisenhower got clearance from his doctors, the NIH reported that his cardiologists recommended against his running for a second term.
The president decided to run for re-election anyway, which was followed by his second major health event in June 1956 — resulting in a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease.
President Dwight Eisenhower is pictured with Willy Brandt, mayor of West Berlin, in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 11, 1959. (Circa Images/GHI/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Eisenhower underwent an exploratory laparotomy and ileal bypass surgery for a bowel obstruction, which was successful.
After a full recovery, Eisenhower was re-elected for a second term, despite questions from the opposition about his fitness for office.
The following year, in November 1957, Eisenhower suffered a stroke but ultimately fulfilled his presidency.
After leaving office, Eisenhower suffered multiple heart attacks in the 1960s.
He died of congestive heart failure on March 28, 1969, at 78 years old.
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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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