Health

Sleeping with lights off and closed blinds may protect your health: study

Published

3 years ago

March 15, 2022

Sleeping with lights off and closed blinds may protect your health: study

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Turning off all lights and drawing the curtains earlier than hitting the mattress could assist defend your well being, in response to a latest examine out of Northwestern College that was revealed within the Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences.

“These findings are essential significantly for these residing in fashionable societies the place publicity to indoor and outside nighttime mild is more and more widespread,” senior examine creator Dr. Phyllis Zee mentioned within the launch.

Lady sleeping in her bed room at night time.
(iStock)

Researchers discovered publicity even to average ambient mild whereas sleeping, in comparison with sleeping in a dimly lit room, is dangerous to your cardiovascular operate throughout sleep and might enhance your insulin resistance the next morning, in response to a launch in regards to the Northwestern Medication examine.

“The outcomes from this examine exhibit that only a single night time of publicity to average room lighting throughout sleep can impair glucose and cardiovascular regulation, that are danger elements for coronary heart illness, diabetes and metabolic syndrome,” Zee, who can also be the chief of sleep drugs at Northwestern College Feinberg College of Medication, mentioned within the launch. The Northwestern Medication doctor additionally mentioned, “It’s essential for folks to keep away from or decrease the quantity of sunshine publicity throughout sleep.”

The authors of the examine mentioned as much as 40 % of people sleep with a light-weight on within the bed room or hold the tv on. In addition they mentioned publicity to synthetic mild throughout sleep is frequent, whether or not it’s from a light-weight–emitting machine or a supply exterior the house, particularly in massive city areas.

STROKE RISK: WHAT TO KNOW

The researchers examined the impact of sleeping with 100 lux (average mild) in comparison with 3 lux (dim mild) in members over a single night time. Zee’s analysis group found that average mild publicity whereas sleeping brought on the physique to enter a better alert state. The researchers defined within the launch that this heightened state brought on a rise in coronary heart charge and blood move within the members’ vessels and elevated the drive with which the guts contracts.

Sleep is a key a part of a wholesome life
(iStock)

In keeping with the examine, proof has proven that publicity to mild through the daytime hours, will increase a person’s coronary heart charge by activating the sympathetic nervous system, contributing to a heightened consciousness. The sympathetic nervous system is also called the “struggle or flight” system and helps a person face challenges or keep away from hazard, well being specialists instructed Fox Information.

“Our outcomes point out {that a} related impact can also be current when publicity to mild happens throughout nighttime sleep,” Zee mentioned within the launch. The researchers discovered that an individual’s physique can not relaxation correctly in a lighted room and the person’s coronary heart charge elevated even in a reasonably lit room.

Co-first creator Dr. Daniela Grimaldi, who’s a analysis assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern, mentioned within the launch, “Regardless that you’re asleep, your autonomic nervous system is activated. That’s unhealthy. Often, your coronary heart charge along with different cardiovascular parameters are decrease at night time and better through the day.” 

THYROID CANCER: WHAT TO KNOW, ACCORDING TO EXPERTS

Whereas the sympathetic nervous system takes over through the day, the parasympathetic nervous system usually takes over at night time, permitting an individual’s physique to relaxation and restore, in response to the examine launch. Nevertheless, the researchers mentioned this doesn’t occur with those that slept in a lighted room.

The investigators additionally discovered insulin resistance occurred within the lighted room members. That is the place an individual can not correctly make the most of glucose from their blood for vitality as a result of the cells within the muscle tissue, liver and fats don’t reply to insulin appropriately. The pancreas then should make extra insulin and over time and the person’s blood sugar goes up, the discharge mentioned.

“Along with sleep, vitamin and train, mild publicity through the daytime is a vital issue for well being, however through the night time we present that even modest depth of sunshine can impair measures of coronary heart and endocrine well being,” Zee mentioned within the launch.

The researchers steered the following tips for lowering mild whereas sleeping:

Flip lights off. When you should have a light-weight on (which older adults might want for security), use a dim mild near the ground.
Use an amber or a purple/orange mild. It’s much less stimulating for the mind. Keep away from utilizing a white or blue mild and hold it far-off from the sleeping particular person.
Use blackout shades or eye masks for those who can not management the outside mild. Transfer mattress to maintain the outside mild from shining in your face.

As well as, if you’re questioning in case your room is simply too mild, Zee provided this recommendation, “When you’re in a position to see issues rather well, it’s in all probability too mild.”

Health

Scientists May Be Able to Make Grapefruits Compatible With Medications They Currently Interfere With

Published

2 hours ago

January 10, 2025

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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.

Health

‘Rabbit fever’ cases rising in US as CDC warns of zoonotic bacterial disease

Published

3 hours ago

January 10, 2025

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‘Rabbit fever’ cases rising in US as CDC warns of zoonotic bacterial disease

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.

Daniel Ruderfer, M.D., chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Hackensack Meridian K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital in New Jersey, believes that the increase in cases is mostly due to improved microbiology detection methods.

“The traditional method of confirming cases has historically been via growth in culture and antibody testing,” he told Fox News Digital.

“However, newer detection methods, such as PCR testing, are likely a major contributor to the increase in reported cases.”

“Newer detection methods, such as PCR testing, are likely a major contributor to the increase in reported cases.”

Humans can contract the disease through bites from deer flies or ticks, contact with infected animals, or exposure to contaminated water or aerosols, the same source stated.

Symptoms of tularemia can vary depending on the type of disease.

General symptoms include chills, headache, malaise, fatigue, anorexia, myalgia, chest discomfort, cough, severe sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, according to Ruderfer.

Humans can contract the disease through bites from deer flies or ticks. (iStock)

“Depending on the location of the infected bit or scratch, people can develop localized lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes) and a cutaneous ulcer at the infection site,” he said.

“Other manifestations include conjuctivitis, pneumonia and potentially even bloodstream infections.”

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The death rate from the disease is typically low, less than 2%, but the CDC noted that it can be as high as 24% in rare, severe cases.

Tularemia can be treated with antibiotics, but no vaccine is currently available.

“The infection is absolutely dangerous and potentially life-threatening if not treated with appropriate antibiotics,” said Ruderfer.

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. (iStock)

Those most at risk include children between 5 and 9 years of age, older men, American Indian and Alaskan Native people, and those living in central U.S. states, according to the report.

“The infection is absolutely dangerous and potentially life-threatening if not treated with appropriate antibiotics.”

The general population is not at an “obvious” risk for infection unless they come into physical contact with an infected rabbit, tick or deer fly, the expert noted.

Those who hunt or interact routinely with rabbits should see a doctor if they develop any concerning symptoms, he advised.

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“Many factors might contribute to the higher risk for tularemia in this population, including the concentration of Native American reservations in central states and sociocultural or occupational activities that might increase contact with infected wildlife or arthropods,” the CDC wrote.

Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.

Health

Diabetes, heart disease cases skyrocket — and scientists pinpoint one key reason

Published

12 hours ago

January 10, 2025

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Diabetes, heart disease cases skyrocket — and scientists pinpoint one key reason

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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.

Caffeinated drinks like soda, iced tea, coffee and juice

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.

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“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.

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“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.