How Novo Nordisk Gave Up Its Weight-Loss Gains
It was at the forefront of the weight-loss injection boom as people discovered that its Ozempic shot, originally developed to treat diabetes, could help trim their waistlines.
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
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These 2 Popular 'Healthy' Snacks Can Actually Increase Dementia Risk, Neuroscientists Warn
These 2 Popular 'Healthy' Snacks Can Actually Increase Dementia Risk, Neuroscientists Warn originally appeared on Parade. While meals are often planned out (to avoid the inevitable 'what's for dinner?' inquiries), snacks tend to be an in-the-moment decision. But just like at meal time, everything you eat or drink impacts the body for better or for worse, including the makes the ready-to-eat snacks you keep on hand extra important. Think about what's in your pantry and fridge right now that are your household's most popular snacks. Even if you make most of your meals using nutrient-rich, whole food ingredients, many people rely on processed, packaged foods for snacks because they're quick and easy. Not all processed foods are unhealthy; some are good for you. However, there is one snack that many people think is healthy, but neurologists say it can increase the risk of dementia when eaten regularly. 🩺SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week💊 The 'Healthy' Snacks That Increase Dementia Risk When Eaten Regularly According toDr. Jamey Maniscalco, PhD,a neuroscientist and founder of Manifest Wellness, two snacks that many people think are healthy—but in reality are not good for brain health—are granola bars and flavored yogurt. 'They're often full of added sugars, artificial ingredients and processed oils, while also lacking the fiber, healthy fats and nutrients your brain needs to thrive. When eaten regularly, they can disrupt the way your brain functions and increase the risk for mental and cognitive health problems over time,' he you freak out too much, Dr. Maniscalco says that when only eaten occasionally, these snacks are nothing to worry about. But if added sugar-filled granola bars or flavored yogurt are part of your daily routine, he says that over time they can increase the risk of Dr. Faye Begeti, PhD, a neuroscientist and author of The Phone Fix, also says that ultra-processed foods—which can include granola bars and flavored yogurt—are detrimental to brain health long-term. 'Ultra-processed foods tend to be high in refined sugars and unhealthy fats and typically lack essential nutrients our brains need. Regularly consuming these foods can negatively affect blood sugar control and increase inflammation, both of which are linked to impaired cognitive function, memory issues and a higher risk of dementia later in life,' she explains. Dr. Maniscalco adds to this, saying, 'Inflammation doesn't just affect your joints or your gut; it affects your brain too. Inflammatory chemicals can interfere with how your brain cells communicate, making it harder to focus, regulate emotions and stay mentally sharp.' Scientific research backs this up, showing that regularly consuming ultra-processed foods is linked to a higher risk of dementia. Related: Granola bars and flavored yogurt aren't the only 'healthy' snacks where added sugar can be found. Neurologist and author Dr. David Perlmutter, MD, says that orange juice often contains more sugar than many people realize. 'We often think a glass of orange juice is a healthy way to start the day, but a 12-ounce serving contains an astounding 31 to 39 grams of sugar, comparable to or even exceeding the sugar in a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola, which has about 39 grams,' he says. Though orange juice has vitamin C, Dr. Perlmutter says that the high sugar content outweighs this benefit. 'It causes a rapid blood sugar spike, triggering insulin release and promoting fat storage and inflammation,' he explains. A healthier way to get your vitamin C? Have an orange. That way, you get the added benefit of fiber and don't get the added sugar that juices contain. Related: Brain-Healthy Snacks To Have Instead It bears repeating that not all processed snacks are unhealthy. Consider this yet another reminder to check the nutritional panel and ingredients list when shopping for snacks. If you want a snack that lowers your risk of dementia instead of increasing it, Dr. Begeti says to choose something high in omega-3 fatty acids. This can include a handful of nuts, edamame or smoked salmon on toast. Maniscalco says that foods high in antioxidants and fiber support short-term and long-term brain health too. Some examples of this include trail mix containing berries and nuts, hummus and veggies and avocado on whole grain toast. Transitioning from eating sugar-filled processed snacks to nutrient-rich snacks can be challenging at first, but Maniscalco says it gets easier over time. 'One of the biggest barriers to switching from ultra-processed snacks to whole-food alternatives is taste. Hyperpalatable foods overstimulate your taste receptors and reward pathways, essentially desensitizing you to natural flavors. As a result, whole foods may initially taste bland or 'off.' But the good news is that your taste buds regenerate every one to two weeks, and your brain adapts too. After even 10 to 14 days of reduced added sugar and processed flavoring, most people report that fruit tastes sweeter, vegetables are more satisfying and cravings diminish. In other words, whole foods start tasting really good—you just need to give your brain and palate time to adjust,' he explains. Making the switch from snacks full of added sugar to ones containing nutrients like omega-3s, fiber and antioxidants will benefit your brain both in the short term and the long term. The key is having them on hand, prepped and ready to eat! Up Next:Sources Dr. Jamey Maniscalco, PhD,neuroscientist and founder of Manifest Wellness Dr. Faye Begeti, PhD, neuroscientist and author of The Phone Fix Dr. David Perlmutter, MD, neurologist and author of The Grain Brain Cookbook, among other books These 2 Popular 'Healthy' Snacks Can Actually Increase Dementia Risk, Neuroscientists Warn first appeared on Parade on Aug 2, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why does your mind goes 'blank'? New brain scans reveal the surprising answer
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. You look up from your phone screen and suddenly realize you weren't thinking about anything. It's not a lapse in memory or a daydream; it's literally a moment when you're not thinking of anything at all. Neuroscientists have a term for it — mind blanking — which they define as a brief, waking state when conscious thought simply stops. Scientists used to think our waking minds were always generating thoughts, but recent research shows that's not the case. Mind blanking is now recognized as a distinct conscious state associated with changes in arousal, which in neuroscience refers to alertness and responsiveness to stimuli. Studying this curious state could shed light on how consciousness works, some researchers think. "For some, it's kind of a blip in the mind, and suddenly there's nothing," Thomas Andrillon, a neuroscience researcher at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research and the Paris Brain Institute, told Live Science. "But not with that feeling, 'There was something that I forgot.'" Often, people are unaware of the lapse until they are prompted to answer "What were you just thinking about?" "When we interrupt them randomly," Andrillon continued, "it's clear it's more frequent than what people realize." Although the frequency of this phenomenon varies among individuals, various studies suggest about 5% to 20% of a person's waking hours may be spent in this state. Related: Super-detailed map of brain cells that keep us awake could improve our understanding of consciousness An investigation of 'mind blanking' In a study published in the July issue of the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Andrillon and his team used electroencephalography (EEG) — which involves placing electrodes on participants' heads — to measure brain activity while people experienced lapses in attention, such as mind wandering or mind blanking. Mind wandering occurs when people's thoughts drift to tasks or ideas unrelated to the one at hand, while mind blanking involves the absence of all thought. While wearing EEG caps, participants watched numbers flash rapidly on a display screen. They were instructed to press a button every time a number appeared except for 3, which they were told to skip. This task tests how quickly people react when a response is required and how well they can inhibit that response, when necessary. Because most of the presented numbers required a response, people often pressed the button by mistake when they saw a 3 onscreen. The researchers paused the task once a minute to ask what the participants were thinking, finding that they were either focused on the task, their mind was wandering, or they were experiencing a "mind blank." Participants pressed the button more quickly when their minds were wandering, whereas their responses slowed noticeably during mind blanking, suggesting these two mental states are distinct. Brain activity told a similar story. The EEG data showed that the participants' brain activity tended to slow down slightly more when their minds were blank than when they were wandering, compared to the baseline of their paying attention. 'The connectivity changes as if the inner workings of the brain were specific, in a way, to that state," Andrillion said. EEG data is great for tracking rapid changes in brain activity, but it can't pinpoint exactly which brain regions are involved. That's in part because it records brain waves through the skull, and the signals blur as they make their way through the brain tissue, fluid and bone. Andrillon explained it's like listening through a wall. You can tell if a group inside is noisy or quiet, but you can't tell who is talking. The EEG results from the study suggest that during mind blanking, the brain's activity slows down globally, but the technique couldn't identify specific areas. That's where functional MRI (fMRI) came in. Related: 'Hyper-synchronized' brain waves may explain why different psychedelics have similar effects, rat study reveals Hypersynchronization fMRI provides a clearer view of which regions are active and how they interact, but its tracking speed is slower because the technique tracks bloodflow, rather than directly following brain signals. fMRI is more like peeking into the room and seeing who's talking to whom, but not knowing precisely when, Andrillion said. Study co-author Athena Demertzi, a neuroscience researcher at the GIGA Institute-CRC Human Imaging Center at the University of Liège in Belgium, led the fMRI portion of the study. As people rested in an fMRI scanner with no particular task at hand, Demertzi and her team periodically asked what they were thinking. The results were surprising: when people reported mind blanking, their brains showed hyperconnectivity — a global, synchronized activity pattern similar to that seen in deep sleep. Typically, when we are awake and conscious, our brain regions are connected and communicating but not synchronized, as they appear to be during mind blanks. "What we think happens in the case of mind blanking is that the brain is pushed a little bit toward the side of synchronization," Andrillon said. "That might be enough to disrupt these sweet spots of consciousness, sending our mind to blank." Research into mind blanking is still in its early stages, but Andrillon and Demertzi noted that its similarity to brain patterns seen during deep sleep may offer an important clue as to its function. Deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep, coincides with important cleanup work for the brain. It clears away accumulated waste, cools the brain, conserves energy and helps reset the system after a full day of mental activity. RELATED STORIES —Why do we forget things we were just thinking about? —Electronic' scalp tattoos could be next big thing in brain monitoring —'Hyper-synchronized' brain waves may explain why different psychedelics have similar effects, rat study reveals Andrillon and Demertzi suggested mind blanking may act as a mini-reset while we're awake. Demertzi said it's like "taking five to steam off" or "to cool your head." Early studies in Demertzi's lab suggest sleep-deprived people report more mind blanks, adding support to this idea. Both researchers stressed that this state is likely a way for the brain to maintain itself, though "it's not ideal for performance," Andrillon said. Andrillon believes it's possible but unlikely that there are people who have never experienced mind blanking. Detecting a mind blank can be a challenge. "It can require being interrupted," Andrillon said, "to realize, 'OK, actually, there was no content.'"
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
🚨Forza, captain: Franco Baresi undergoes surgery for lung nodule
AC Milan has issued an official statement informing that Franco Baresi, a club legend and current honorary vice-president, was successfully operated on to remove a lung nodule. After surgery, the 65-year-old Italian football legend will undergo oncological recovery therapy with immunotherapy. The club dedicated a message of encouragement through its official channels. "Come on Captain, we're all with you!", reflecting the affection and support of all Milan fans and the football world. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here. 📸 Marco Luzzani - 2024 Getty Images
