Health
Popular weight-loss drugs linked to rare ‘pirate disease,’ researchers warn
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Researchers in Australia are raising flags about GLP-1 weight-loss medications potentially raising the risk of a rare disease.
Scurvy — historically called a “pirate disease” due to long voyages at sea without nutritious food — is caused by a lack of vitamin C. If left untreated, scurvy can cause severe symptoms, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Those symptoms include anemia, loosened teeth that may fall out, bleeding under the skin, bruising, swollen legs, rough and scaly skin, dry and brittle hair that coils, and the re-opening of wounds that do not heal. Swollen, bleeding gums are another common result.
NEW WEIGHT-LOSS SHOT SHOWS MAJOR FAT REDUCTION, BUT EXPERTS URGE CAUTION
The disease could surface as the result of not properly providing the body with nutrient-rich foods, leading to malnourishment. New research suggests that GLP-1 drug users may be at greater risk.
A systematic review by the Hunter Medical Research Institute in Australia found that although diabetes and obesity medications support significant improvements in weight loss, clinical trials have “failed to report what people are actually eating while taking them.”
Weight-loss medications could lead to diseases caused by vitamin deficiencies, such as scurvy. (iStock)
“A reduction in body weight does not automatically mean the person is well-nourished or healthy,” Clare Collins, laureate professor of nutrition and dietetics at The University of Newcastle, Australia, wrote in a press release statement. “Nutrition plays a critical role in health, and right now it’s largely missing from the evidence.”
These findings raise “major concerns about the risk of malnutrition, including macro and micro-nutrient deficiencies, with adverse metabolic and nutritional effects being reported,” Collins told Fox News Digital.
OBESITY EXPERT REVEALS THE BEST WAY TO DECIDE IF GLP-1S ARE RIGHT FOR YOU
Certain GLP-1 and GIP medications have a “major impact” on appetite and satiety, which leads to overall reduced food intake, according to the researcher.
The signs can be missed because they overlap initially with side effects of the medications.
“While this mechanism drives weight loss, it also increases the risk of inadequate protein, fiber, vitamin and mineral intakes if diet quality and nutritional adequacy are not carefully monitored,” she cautioned.
British pop singer Robbie Williams was diagnosed with scurvy in 2025, previously sharing with The Mirror that he experienced symptoms of the “17th-century pirate disease” after he’d been taking “something like Ozempic.”
British pop singer Robbie Williams was diagnosed with scurvy in 2025, previously sharing with The Mirror that he experienced symptoms of the “17th-century pirate disease” after he’d been taking “something like Ozempic.” (Sam Corum/PA Images via Getty Images)
Collins noted that nutrient deficiencies are “not specific” to scurvy.
“There are other nutrients that, if not consumed in adequate amounts, can lead to deficiencies,” she said.
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Iron deficiency can cause anemia, for example, and vitamin B1 deficiency leads to beriberi (a disease that can damage the nerves and heart) and Wernicke’s encephalopathy (a potentially life-threatening brain disorder), according to Collins.
“A reduction in body weight does not automatically mean the person is well-nourished or healthy,” one expert said. (iStock)
Nutrition in focus
For GLP-1 users who are losing weight quickly, Collins emphasized the importance of adequate intake of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
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“The signs can be missed because they overlap initially with side effects of the medications, including fatigue, lethargy, nausea, poor appetite and irritability,” she said.
To ensure proper nutrition, Collins recommends seeking professional help from an accredited dietitian.
For GLP-1 users who are losing weight quickly, experts emphasized the importance of adequate intake of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. (iStock)
“It is challenging to assess whether your nutrient intake is adequate by yourself,” she said. “People may also require a specific multivitamin or mineral supplement, along with medical nutrition therapy support.”
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Future clinical trials should include “validated dietary assessment tools” and “transparent reporting of food and nutrient intakes,” Collins suggested.
“This will help improve the nutrition-related health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals prescribed these medications, while supporting adherence and long-term health,” she said.
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“We’re calling for greater attention to nutrition when these medications are being prescribed in order to avoid malnutrition risk.”
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Health
Most Americans are doing one nightly activity that’s wrecking their sleep, expert says
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If you’re not sleeping well, there could be a variety of reasons, but one habit stands out as the biggest culprit.
Dr. Wendy Troxel, a licensed clinical psychologist and senior behavioral scientist at RAND based in Utah, revealed that phone use at night is the activity that is most likely to have a negative effect on slumber.
“Most people are aware of this, but probably the No. 1 habit that’s contributing to interrupted sleep and poor-quality sleep in Americans is the use of phones at night, particularly in bed,” she said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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“About 90% of Americans are using their phones in bed, and as much as I would like to tell everybody to remove the phone entirely from the bedroom, I realize that ship has probably sailed by now.”
About 90% of Americans use their phones in bed, the sleep expert said. (iStock)
This disruption is driven by both blue light exposure and the stimulating content on phones, according to Troxel.
“There is blue light emitted from our devices, and blue light can suppress the hormone melatonin, which is the hormone of darkness.”
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“But it’s not just the blue light that is causing sleep disruptions from our phones. It’s really the stimulating content that we’re consuming … (on) social media, which is designed to be addictive, so that you can’t put that phone down,” she added.
The combination of blue light and stimulating content keeps the mind alert and interrupts quality sleep. (iStock)
This content is also “very emotionally activating,” Troxel noted, which is “antithetical to the state we want to be in as we approach sleep.”
To counteract attachment to phones, the sleep expert recommends setting a boundary with one simple rule.
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“I recommend that you try to keep your phone more than arms’ distance away from you while in bed,” she advised. “And set a rule for yourself. If you’re going to use the phone, don’t do it in bed. In fact, make your feet be on the floor if you’re going to use that phone.”
“I recommend that you try to keep your phone more than arms’ distance away from you while in bed,” the sleep expert recommended. (iStock)
Setting this boundary creates “behavioral friction,” according to Troxel.
“As a clinical psychologist, I work with people to help them … break habits that aren’t serving them,” she said. “Having that little bit of behavioral friction makes the habit of immediately grabbing for the phone and scrolling while in bed a little more difficult.
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“And when that automatic behavior is a little more difficult, it’s less likely to occur.”
Health
Giant golden spiders could spread this summer; experts downplay health risk
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Large, palm-sized spiders are spinning massive golden webs across porches and power lines, and, according to experts, they’re here to stay.
The Joro spider, which has a leg span up to 4 inches and markings of neon yellow, blue-black and red, was first recorded in Georgia in 2013.
Since its arrival — likely as a hitchhiker on a shipping container or an airplane from Asia, experts say — the arachnid has been steadily marching north.
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The spiders have so far been spotted in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
They are expected to spread throughout eastern North America, at least as far north as Pennsylvania and possibly further in warmer, coastal areas, according to Penn State.
Joro spiders can “fly” by shooting out silk parachutes that carry them on the wind. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
To travel, the spider uses a technique called “ballooning,” in which hatchlings release fine silk threads that catch air currents and carry them over long distances.
Ian Williams, an entomologist with Orkin, said he counted 200 adult spiders by September of last year on his one-acre property near Atlanta.
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“They’re quite intimidating looking spiders, and they make very large webs,” he told Fox News Digital. “The webbing itself, if it catches the sunlight, has a golden hue to it. And it’s very strong.”
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Despite the arachnid’s striking appearance, experts agree that people shouldn’t panic. Research shows the Joro is among the “shyest” spiders ever documented. When disturbed, they often sits motionless for over an hour rather than attacking.
Joro spiders like to spin their webs up high near houses, trees and even power lines, an expert said. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
“While they’re large spiders, they don’t have large fangs. And, so, it’s difficult for them to bite humans,” Williams noted.
Even in the rare event of a nip, the expert said the venom is weak, comparable to a localized bee sting, and carries “no medical importance.”
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As an invasive species, the Joro’s impact is still being weighed by scientists.
“One of the big concerns is that they potentially out-compete native species of spiders,” Williams said.
Physical removal is more efficient than pesticides, according to an expert. (iStock)
A prolific hunter, the Joro spider catches everything from mosquitoes to large, meaty insects like cicadas. It is unclear whether it steals food from native garden spiders.
To prevent Joro spiders from nesting on your porch or property, experts recommend using a broom or long pole to knock the web down.
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“Spiders may get the message, ‘Hey, I’m not going to keep remaking my same web in the same area,’” Williams said.
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Physical removal is more effective than pesticides, which often miss the spiders in their high, open-air webs.
For those who spot a Joro spider in a new area, experts suggest logging the sighting on apps like iNaturalist to help researchers track their northern migration.
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