Health
Doctor and cancer survivor gears up to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days
A Wisconsin doctor is gearing up for the feat of a lifetime in order to spread awareness about the most pervasive cancer impacting young men.
Dr. T. Clark Gamblin, a surgeon in Milwaukee, spoke with Fox News Digital about his upcoming participation in the World Marathon Challenge. The competition involves running seven marathons on seven continents – seven days in a row.
The first marathon will take place in Antarctica on Jan. 31, 2025. From there, Gamblin and other participants will travel to Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; and Dubai, UAE.
THESE 17 CANCER TYPES ARE MORE COMMON IN GEN X AND MILLENNIALS, AS STUDY NOTES ‘ALARMING TREND’
From there, Gamblin will jet to Madrid, Spain, and Fortaleza, Brazil, before running a final race in Miami. He and his fellow marathon runners will have logged 183 miles over the course of a week.
Dr. T. Clark Gamblin, a cancer surgeon who battled testicular cancer, is running in the World Marathon Challenge, which involves running seven marathons on seven continents – seven days in a row. (Jan Gamblin, Ph.D.)
The fast-paced nature of the competition means that it won’t exactly be a relaxing vacation for the participants.
“Over the course of the seven days, we’ll spend about 60 hours on the plane,” Gamblin said. “So it’s running, and it’s plane, and it’s running, and then it’s plane.”
“If you’re prepared and you train correctly, it’s not some Herculean feat.”
While it may seem physically impossible for a human to run seven marathons in seven consecutive days, the World Marathon Challenge has taken runners across the world for nearly a decade. Gamblin began training for the race a year ago.
“It’s a physical challenge, there’s no doubt about it, but there are much more physically demanding things that people have done,” he said. “If you’re prepared and you train correctly, it’s not some Herculean feat.”
AFTER A BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS, HERE ARE 10 IMPORTANT THINGS YOU SHOULD DO, EXPERTS SAY
Gamblin has a whole team behind him. The World Marathon Challenge organization handles the logistics of all participants’ flights and hotels. A cancer surgeon, Gamblin also enlisted the help of a dietitian at his hospital to help him meet his protein and fluid goals.
He also has a physical trainer to help with injury prevention — but the person who has helped Gamblin the most, he said, is his wife.
Dr. T. Clark Gamblin spoke to Fox News Digital about his participation in the World Marathon Challenge. (Fox News Digital / Jan Gamblin, Ph.D.)
“She’s like my No. 1 cheerleader,” Gamblin said. “She’s not a big runner, but she’s a huge part of helping me get ready for this and preparing me for it.”
“But then right behind her would be my running coach, a dietitian and a physical therapist. So it does take a team to get ready for something like this.”
COVID-19 VIRUS COULD ATTACK CANCER CELLS AND SHRINK TUMORS, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS
Gamblin, who specializes in liver and bile duct cancer, became interested in running marathons as a medical school student. During the World Marathon Challenge, he will be running for the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation.
The cause is near to his heart, as Gamblin is a cancer survivor himself – he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2018 after noticing a lump.
Gamblin has been working with a dietitian and a physical trainer to prepare for the seven-day marathon challenge. (Jan Gamblin, Ph.D.)
“I thought it was probably nothing, but I was really diligent about it and checked it out very quickly and discovered it was testicular cancer,” he explained. “And testicular cancer is the No. 1 cancer that affects males aged 15 to 45.”
One out of every 250 men will develop testicular cancer in their lifetime, according to the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation.
“I went from being a cancer surgeon and giving all this advice, to having to take the advice I had been giving and apply it in my own life,” Gamblin noted.
“The most intriguing one is the Antarctica race … it’s going to be such a unique environment and climate to run in.”
After going through chemotherapy and two operations, he has now been cancer-free for four years.
Gamblin’s desire to spread awareness has fueled the long and arduous training he has gone through to prepare for the 168-hour-long feat.
Despite the challenges, he said he looks forward to the simple pleasures of the race, such as getting to know his fellow runners.
Gamblin will run a marathon on every continent, including Antarctica, starting in January. (Jan Gamblin, Ph.D.)
“It’ll be such a unique group of people, too,” he said. “I’m prepared to make some lifetime friendships and hear other people’s stories.”
Gamblin is documenting his marathon journey through his Instagram account, @tclarkgamblin. He’s most excited about running through Antarctica.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle
“So few people have run marathons there,” he said. “It’s going to be such a unique environment and climate to run in.”
In Miami, Gamblin will get to see his family at the finish line.
Gamblin said that he hopes his story encourages others to achieve their potential. (Jan Gamblin, Ph.D)
“I think that far too often, we don’t set our goals high enough in life,” the doctor said. “We don’t risk enough …This is a risk, it is a reach for me.”
The doctor said he aims to inspire other people to also set their sights higher than they normally would.
“Your body will in many cases do what the mind tells it to do,” Gamblin added.
“And so I think we can challenge ourselves and push ourselves far beyond … the limits that we set.”
Health
Scientists May Be Able to Make Grapefruits Compatible With Medications They Currently Interfere With
You may be among the millions of people who have seen a surprisingly specific warning like this on the labels of drugs you take:
Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while using this medication.
Such warnings are issued for dozens of substances, including docetaxel, a cancer drug; erythromycin, an antibiotic; and some statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to more than a third of American adults over 40.
The problem is a set of molecules, furanocoumarins. High levels of furanocoumarins interfere with human liver enzymes, among other processes. In their presence, medications can build up to unhealthy levels in the body. And grapefruits and some related citrus fruits are full of them.
But there is no such warning for other kinds of citrus, such as mandarins and other oranges. Citrus researchers at the Volcani Center in Israel reported Wednesday in the journal The New Phytologist that, by crossing mandarins and grapefruit, they’ve uncovered genes that produce furanocoumarins in some citrus fruits. It’s a finding that opens the possibility of creating grapefruit that doesn’t require a warning label.
Scientists had worked out the compounds’ structures and pieced together a basic flowchart of how they are made years ago, said Yoram Eyal, a professor at the Volcani Center. But the precise identities of enzymes catalyzing the process — the proteins that snip off a branch here, or add a piece there — remained mysterious. He and his colleagues knew that one way to identify them was to breed citrus high in furanocoumarins with those without. If the offspring of such a cross had varying levels of the substances, it should be possible, by digging into their genetics, to pinpoint the genes for the proteins.
“We were afraid to approach it, because it’s very time-consuming and it takes many years,” he said, noting how involved it can be to grow new trees from seeds and assess their genetics. “But finally, we decided we have to dive in.”
When they examined the offspring of a mandarin and a grapefruit, the researchers saw something remarkable. Fifty percent of the young plants had high levels of furanocourmains, and 50 percent had none. That particular signature meant something very specific, in terms of how the ability to make these substances is inherited.
“We saw there was only one gene that could have controlled it,” said Livnat Goldenberg, a Volcani Center researcher who is the lead author of the new study.
The researchers soon identified the gene controlling the production of furanocoumarins in leaves and fruit, which produces an enzyme called 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase, or 2OGD for short. Mandarins, it turns out, have a mutated form of this gene that keeps the enzyme from functioning properly. This version cropped up in all the mandarin and orange varieties the researchers checked, explaining why they do not cause the same problems as grapefruit in people taking prescription medications. In these plants, furanocoumarin production is paused.
With gene editing technology, it should be possible to alter the gene in grapefruit as well, Dr. Eyal suggests. The team at the Volcani Center is now exploring that project.
Looking at how widespread this mutated version is in mandarins and some other citrus, the scientists speculate that some gene nearby on the genome must play an important role in a highly prized trait. A long-ago citrus breeder, selecting for some unknown quality, must have unwittingly spread this furanocoumarin-busting version of the gene to an ancestor of modern varieties of mandarins and oranges.
All these years later, that person’s work is coming to light, under the gaze of geneticists, who may, someday, put grapefruit back on the menu.
Cases of tularemia, also known as “rabbit fever,” are on the rise in the U.S., according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis, the disease commonly infects rabbits, hares and rodents. However, it is zoonotic, which means it can spread from animals to humans.
The bacteria is a “tier-1 select agent,” a classification given to agents and toxins that “present the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with significant potential for mass casualties or devastating effects to the economy, critical infrastructure or public confidence, and pose a severe threat to public health and safety,” per the CDC.
SUPERBUGS DUE TO ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE COULD KILL 39 MILLION PEOPLE BY 2050, LARGE STUDY FINDS
Although tularemia is relatively rare, with only 2,462 diagnoses between 2011 and 2022, cases have risen 56% compared to the prior decade (2001 to 2010), as reported in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Cases of tularemia, also known as “rabbit fever,” are on the rise in the U.S., according to a new report from the CDC. (iStock)
“Increased reporting of probable cases might be associated with an actual increase in human infection, improved tularemia detection or both,” the report states.
Millions of new cases of diabetes and heart disease every year are caused by sugary drinks, according to newly published research.
Tufts University in Boston led the study, which found that about 2.2 million new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease were attributed to sugar-sweetened sodas and juices each year, according to a press release.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Medicine this week.
HEART ATTACK RISK COULD RISE WITH ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER CONSUMPTION, STUDY FINDS
The highest rates were found in Colombia, where 48% of new diabetes cases were linked to sugary drinks, and in Mexico, where nearly a third of cases were attributed to them.
Meanwhile, in Latin America, more than 24% of new diabetes cases were linked to sugary beverages, and 21% in sub-Saharan Africa, the study found.
About 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease occur each year worldwide due to consuming sugar-sweetened soda and juices, according to the findings of a new study. (iStock)
In South Africa, 27.6% of new diabetes cases and 14.6% of cardiovascular disease cases were attributed to sugary drinks.
Sugary drinks are rapidly digested, causing a spike in blood sugar levels with little nutritional value.
Sugary drinks cause blood sugar to spike because they are “rapidly digested,” the research team said.
When consumed on a long-term basis, these types of beverages, in addition to increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, can also lead to weight gain and insulin resistance, the researchers added.
Men are more likely than women to suffer the consequences of sugary drink consumption, as are younger adults compared to their older counterparts, a new study asserts. (iStock)
Professor Dariush Mozaffarian, the study’s senior author, said in a university press release, “Sugar-sweetened beverages are heavily marketed and sold in low- and middle-income nations.”
He added, “Not only are these communities consuming harmful products, but they are also often less well-equipped to deal with the long-term health consequences.”
FRIENDS, FAMILY MAY PROTECT AGAINST HEART ATTACK, STROKE AND TYPE 2 DIABETES, STUDY SUGGESTS
Certain groups are more likely to experience negative health effects from sugary drinks, including men and younger adults, the researchers noted, as news agency SWNS also noted.
New Jersey-based registered dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, who was not involved in the research, said the findings were to be expected, as diets rich in added sugars are more likely to increase the risk of chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes.
When consumed on a long-term basis, these types of beverages can also lead to weight gain and insulin resistance, experts say. (iStock)
“Sugar-sweetened beverages are a major cause of added sugar in the diet and easy to overconsume, as they provide little fullness,” she told Fox News Digital.
“The high calorie content and lack of satisfaction due to little protein, fat or fiber in these drinks can lead to excess calorie consumption, which can lead to weight gain — especially gains in visceral fat (belly fat), which has been found to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes,” she went on.
“Sugar-sweetened beverages are easy to overconsume, as they provide little fullness.”
Palinski-Wade pointed out that there were some limitations to the new research.
“This was an observational study, not a causation study, and shows only an association between diets containing sugar-sweetened beverages and diabetes,” she noted.
“It does not prove that those drinks alone trigger an onset of type 2 diabetes.”
What needs to change?
To remedy the issue, the study authors called for a “multi-pronged approach,” including public health campaigns, regulations on advertising and taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, the release stated.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“We need urgent, evidence-based interventions to curb consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages globally, before even more lives are shortened by their effects on diabetes and heart disease,” first author Laura Lara-Castor, now at the University of Washington, said in the release.
Approximately 65% of adults in the U.S. consume sugar-sweetened beverages daily. (iStock)
Mexico implemented a sugary drinks tax in 2014, which has shown to be effective in reducing consumption, the researchers stated.
“Much more needs to be done, especially in countries in Latin America and Africa, where consumption is high and the health consequences severe,” wrote Mozaffarian.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
“As a species, we need to address sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.”
Many different factors are involved in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, Palinski-Wade noted.
“As a species, we need to address sugar-sweetened beverage consumption.”
“However, reducing your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages can go a long way toward improving overall blood sugar regulation and future health.”
The new research was supported by the Gates Foundation, the American Heart Association and Mexico’s National Council for Science and Technology.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for further comment.
Report: The Trumps are in talks to buy back D.C. hotel lease
Cleveland man dead in Summit County workplace incident
Cotton Bowl 2025: Ohio State defeats Texas 28-14; heads to national championship
Alabama-based content creator reacts to possible TikTok ban
Rural Alaska schools face funding shortfall after U.S. House fails to pass bipartisan bill • Alaska Beacon
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Trump Blames L.A. Wildfires on Newsom Using Familiar Tactics
'Deeply disgusted': GOP senator shreds Biden admin in scathing letter on new immigrant deportation shield
US Supreme Court critical of TikTok arguments against looming ban
Tiktok’s Final Appeal to the Supreme Court Didn’t Go Too Well
Drone Collision Grounds Firefighting Plane in Los Angeles
-
Business1 week agoThese are the top 7 issues facing the struggling restaurant industry in 2025
-
Culture1 week agoThe 25 worst losses in college football history, including Baylor’s 2024 entry at Colorado
-
Sports1 week agoThe top out-of-contract players available as free transfers: Kimmich, De Bruyne, Van Dijk…
-
Politics1 week agoNew Orleans attacker had 'remote detonator' for explosives in French Quarter, Biden says
-
Politics1 week agoCarter's judicial picks reshaped the federal bench across the country
-
Politics6 days agoWho Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
-
Health5 days agoOzempic ‘microdosing’ is the new weight-loss trend: Should you try it?
-
World1 week agoIvory Coast says French troops to leave country after decades