Health
Extreme heat affects the brain — here's how to protect your cognitive health
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Summer heat has swept the U.S., with warnings issued across the East Coast and Midwest.
In addition to putting stress on the body, hot weather can also take a toll on the brain and mental health.
Dr. Jace Reed, director of emergency psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, emphasized in an interview with Fox News Digital that the brain is a major organ that can be greatly affected by heat.
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Extreme heat can cause mental health changes like increased irritability and anxiety, along with decreased memory, attention and reaction time.
This can affect daily interactions socially and professionally, the expert cautioned.
Extreme heat can cause mental health changes like increased irritability and anxiety, along with decreased memory, attention and reaction time. (iStock)
“You may be slower at completing your task or remembering what someone just told you,” he told Fox News Digital. “Those can be initial early signs that the heat is affecting your brain and your mental abilities.”
Symptoms like extreme confusion could mark the beginning of a heat stroke, which could require hospitalization, the psychiatrist warned.
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In a separate interview with Fox News Digital, Thea Gallagher, a doctor of psychology and director of wellness programs at NYU Langone Health, noted that when the body overheats, it struggles to regulate internal balance.
This can lead to disrupted sleep, fatigue and poor concentration, as well as impaired cognitive function, slow reaction times and struggles with decision-making.
Extreme heat can cause slower cognitive function, along with delays in reaction times and decision-making. (iStock)
The heat can also increase oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain, Gallagher added, which can potentially damage neurons, worsen existing neurological conditions and raise stroke risk.
“Heat exposure may trigger an inflammatory response in the brain,” she said. “In cases like heatstroke, inflammation is believed to contribute to symptoms such as confusion and delirium.”
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Excessive heat can also weaken the protective blood-brain barrier, according to the expert, which makes the brain more vulnerable to toxins and pathogens.
Higher temperatures are also associated with disturbances in mood and violent behavior, especially during prolonged heatwaves.
Emergency visits for mental health concerns rise during hotter days, according to experts. (iStock)
Psychiatric emergency visits for anxiety, depression and substance use also rise significantly on the hottest days, Gallagher confirmed.
Below are some of the main mental symptoms that can worsen in hot weather, experts cautioned.
- Irritability, anxiety or mood swings
- Difficulty concentrating, or “brain fog”
- Increased impulsivity or aggression
- Worsening of psychiatric symptoms like depression or psychosis
- Confusion or delirium, particularly during heat stroke
People who suffer from mental health conditions such as mood disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety or even dementia are more vulnerable in hot weather.
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Some psychiatric medications could make it difficult for the body to regulate temperature or stay hydrated, Gallagher noted, while heat can “intensify” symptoms like agitation or paranoia.
“People with cognitive impairments may not recognize the signs of overheating,” she added.
It’s important to have patience with yourself and others on hot days, one psychologist advised. (iStock)
“Some SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) can suppress sweat production, which is the body’s primary cooling mechanism. This raises the risk of overheating, dehydration and even heat stroke.”
“Paradoxically, SSRIs can also cause excessive sweating in some individuals — a side effect known as ‘SSRI sweats,’” she went on. “While this might seem like it would help with cooling, it can actually lead to dehydration if fluid intake doesn’t keep up.”
Protecting brain health
The experts recommended the following practices to protect brain health in extreme heat.
- Stay hydrated, as dehydration worsens cognitive decline
- Avoid peak heat hours; stay indoors or in shaded areas from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Use fans, air conditioning or cool showers
- Use blackout curtains and cooling bedding to ensure restful sleep
- Ask your doctor if any medications may increase heat sensitivity
- Use deep breathing and relaxation techniques to help manage heat-induced stress
- Stay socially connected; check in with friends and family
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“Days are also longer and there are more activities, which can be exhausting,” Gallagher noted. “Therefore, it is good to prioritize sleep and rest … and [find] ways to slow down when you can.”
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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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