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The everyday supplements that can help diabetic patients lose weight

The everyday supplements that can help diabetic patients lose weight

Independenta day ago
A new meta-analysis suggests that turmeric, specifically its active compound curcumin, may offer modest benefits for weight management in individuals with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
The review of 14 clinical trials found that supplementation led to an average weight loss of 4.2 pounds compared to a placebo, with slightly greater reductions for participants with a BMI under 30.
Modest decreases in waist and hip circumferences were also observed, though changes in BMI and body fat were minimal.
The study noted that the overall quality of evidence was low due to small sample sizes, inconsistent results, and varied study designs, indicating turmeric is unlikely to produce dramatic weight loss on its own.
Individuals considering adding turmeric supplements for weight management should consult healthcare providers, especially if they are already taking diabetes medication.
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Doctors warn of little-known flu complication that can be deadly for certain people in upcoming season
Doctors warn of little-known flu complication that can be deadly for certain people in upcoming season

Daily Mail​

time29 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Doctors warn of little-known flu complication that can be deadly for certain people in upcoming season

Ahead of flu season, parents are being warned that healthy children could develop a life-threatening condition after being infected with the virus. More than 6million children are infected with flu every year. Most recover without medical care, but among patients under five years old, between 6,000 and 25,000 are hospitalized annually while about 37 to 199 died from the disease. But in 2023 doctors anecdotally reported an uptick in acute necrotizing encephalopathy, or a dangerous brain swelling that kills about one in four patients. The condition happens when the immune system overreacts to a viral infection and damages the blood-brain barrier, causing damage to brain tissue and brain swelling. A review published this week in JAMA found there were 41 cases in children across the last two flu seasons, making it 'extremely rare.' But three-quarters of those affected were considered healthy, and most were around five years old. Of the children, all were hospitalized and 11, or 27 percent, died from the disease, with death occurring within three days of symptoms starting. Only 16 percent of patients had received the flu vaccine, which the CDC recommends children aged six months and older get once a year. Dr Nicholas Dragolea, a primary care physician in the UK who was not involved in the research, told 'I see a lot of adults and children with flu every winter. 'Acute necrotizing encephalopathy is one of those extremely rare but extremely serious complications that happens predominantly in children.' The warning comes ahead of then next flu season, which typically begins in October. Up to 40million Americans are infected with the disease every year. Acute necrotizing encephalopathy is caused by an overreaction from the immune system to a viral infection, most commonly the flu. This triggers high levels of inflammation in the body that disrupts the blood-brain barrier and causes damage and swelling in brain tissue. Patients initially suffer from congestion, a cough, diarrhea or fever, but within days they develop fainting, seizures, trouble breathing and difficulty with movement. Treatment involves anti-viral medications to kill the virus and steroids or anti-inflammatory drugs to calm the immune system. In the study published in JAMA, researchers contacted 76 academic organizations across the US to ask members to submit reports of cases of acute necrotizing encephalopathy. They received reports of 41 cases detected between October 2023 and May 2025 from 23 hospitals nationwide. The patients had an average age of five years old, and three out of four were considered to be healthy and had no previous health conditions. Twenty-three of the patients were female. In the group, 38 developed a sudden onset of fever, while 41 patients had encephalopathy, or swelling in the brain, and 28 suffered from seizures. Eleven of the patients died, or 27 percent. Among those who were hospitalized, they were on wards for between 11 and 22 days before being discharged. Of the 38 patients with vaccination history, six were vaccinated against the disease, equivalent to 16 percent. Children are more at risk from the disease because their immune systems are still developing and may overreact to a virus, causing the complication. Older people and those with weaker immune systems are also more at risk, as their weaker immune systems raise the risk of an infection that could then cause an overreaction. It isn't clear why there may have been an uptick in cases, but doctors say this could be linked to lockdowns which led to children receiving fewer exposures to 'good microbes' which can cause their immune systems to overreact to other infections. It comes after the CDC raised the alarm over the condition in March, saying a dozen children had contracted the rare brain disorder. In a report, it said of the 68 children who died of the flu during the 2024 to 2025 season, nine had encephalopathy and four had acute necrotizing encephalopathy.

Worst season for bedtime routine revealed as pros share tips for parents
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The Sun

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'Zombie' spiders infected by never-before-seen fungus invade parts of the world
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Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

'Zombie' spiders infected by never-before-seen fungus invade parts of the world

A mysterious fungus is turning cave-dwelling spiders into real-life 'zombies,' consuming their organs and taking control of their behavior. Known as Gibellula attenboroughii, the fungus attaches to the spider, invades its body and devours it from the inside out. It then manipulates the spider's brain chemistry, altering dopamine levels to force the insect out of its web and into the open, where it ultimately dies. Afterward, the fungus sprouts fruiting bodies from the corpse, releasing spores to infect new spiders and continue its deadly cycle. Researchers said it is difficult to determine how long the zombie spiders survive, but some estimates suggested they may live for up to three weeks. The infected spiders have been found across the UK, including England and Ireland, Russia and other parts of the globe. Scientists stress that G. attenboroughii poses no threat of turning humans into zombies like in the popular video game-turned-HBO series ' The Last of Us,' where a fungus infects people, takes control of their minds, and sparks a global apocalypse. João Araújo, a mycologist at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, said: 'Infecting humans would require many, many millions of years of genetic modifications.' The fungus was first brought to light during filming in 2021 of the BBC's nature documentary Winterwatch in Northern Ireland, where an infected spider was spotted on the ceiling of an abandoned gunpowder store. Dr Harry Evans, Emeritus Fellow at CAB International, an international nonprofit focused on agriculture and the environment, set out to determine its origins, determining that the spider host was the orb-weaving cave spider, Metellina merianae. Evans and his team discovered the fungus lurking in cave systems in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as on a related spider, Meta menardi, occupying different ecological niches within the caves. Normally reclusive, the spiders abandoned their lairs and webs to die in the open, mimicking the behavior seen in ants infected by fungi in Brazil's Atlantic rainforest. Based on both its physical traits and genetic analysis, the fungus was confirmed as a new species and named G. attenboroughii in honor of broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough, who laid the groundwork for the modern nature series during which this species was first discovered. Evans told Live Science the fungus penetrates the spider's body and invades its hemocoel, the cavity that carries the invertebrate's bloodlike fluid. Once the host is lured from its lair, G. attenboroughii releases a toxin to kill it, then produces antibiotics to preserve the body as it mummifies. The fungus drains the spider of nutrients and, under the right conditions, such as high cave humidity, sprouts long stalks from the corpse to release spores and spread the infection. The study, published this year, revealed a hidden diversity of parasitic fungi in the British Isles, suggesting many more species remain undiscovered. Fungi are one of the five kingdoms of life, alongside plants, animals, protoctista and monera. 'There's a lot more fungi to find,' Evans said. 'The fungal kingdom could be up to 10, 20 million species, making it the biggest kingdom by far, but only one percent have been described.' Earlier this year, landscaper Gareth Jenkins was lifting a deck in a London garden when he spotted what appeared to be a large ball of cotton wool hanging underneath. On closer inspection, he discovered something far more chilling: it was crawling with legs. Jenkins told the Wall Street Journal that the spiders were clumped in groups, appearing as if they were frozen in ice. 'Their legs were curled up in a horrible crow position as if they were going to jump on my face,' he said. Thousands of miles away in Anapa, Russia, Simon Butenko reported seeing zombie spiders in his parents' wine cellar, first thinking they were moldy berries. 'What was especially creepy was that these spiders were hanging at head height,' he said. Ben Mitchell, an amateur naturalist and photographer, told the WSJ that his first zombie spider encounter was in the Scottish woodland in July 2024. 'I saw this amazing candyfloss thing stuck to the underside of a leaf,' he said. 'It had a membrane of threads around it holding it in place, and all I could see of the spider was its toes sticking out.'

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