logo
Weight gain linked to long Covid neurological symptoms

Weight gain linked to long Covid neurological symptoms

Yahoo09-05-2025

Medical Watch Digest for May 7
The impact of weight on covid recovery.Excess weight may contribute to long covid.
Being overweight or obese is associated with neurological symptoms including headaches, vertigo, sleep problems and depression.
The Journal Plos one reports covid patients who are overweight and obese develop persistent, debilitating symptoms following the covid infection. They face a long road to complete covid recovery and suffer multiple organ system disruptions involving respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and mental health.
Long covid also leads to smell and taste disorders, sleep disturbances and anxiety.
Eating disorders are a hidden health crisis on college campuses according to Washington University researchers.
They say students mask their struggles, hiding the prevalence of the dangerous and even deadly ailments like anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder. And doctors say eating disorders do not discriminate.
Their study of nearly 30,000 students from 26 colleges, funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health found the risk for eating disorders was similar for white, Black, Asian and Latino students.
Experts say they never imagined the magnitude of the crisis on college campuses. And they urge parents to talk with their children about healthy eating.
More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch
Alzheimer's knowledge is a double edged sword.
With greater ability to detect impending Alzheimer's, patients have the ability to intervene, even if there is no cure. So researchers set out to see if knowledge is power when it comes to the mind robbing disease.
The Rutgers University study found the Alzheimer's realization brings unrelated health struggles.
Knowing the risk for Alzheimer's reduces the motivation toward healthy behavior leading a person to spiral. Healthy habits fall by the wayside, even though adopting healthy lifestyle changes could help the mind.The scientists measured amyloid plaques in the brain to figure out Alzheimer's risk for study participants.
Sign up for our Medical Watch newsletter. This daily update includes important information from WGN's Dina Bair and the Med Watch team, including, the latest updates from health organizations, in-depth reporting on advancements in medical technology and treatments, as well as personal features related to people in the medical field. Sign up here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Are cucumbers healthy? Experts explain.
Are cucumbers healthy? Experts explain.

USA Today

time10 hours ago

  • USA Today

Are cucumbers healthy? Experts explain.

Are cucumbers healthy? Experts explain. Show Caption Hide Caption How to add more Vitamin C to your diet and everyday routine Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant that can do everything from strengthening cells to improving your hair health. Cucumbers have been cultivated and enjoyed for thousands of years and remain a staple in many cuisines around the world today. You'll find them used in everything from sandwiches, soups, wraps and charcuterie boards to Asian dishes and a wide variety of salads. 'People love that cucumbers are a refreshing snack on their own and are as versatile as they are satisfying,' says Jen Messer, a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant at Jen Messer Nutrition. Here's why cucumbers' continued popularity is a good thing, plus why some groups of people may benefit from eating them in moderation. Are cucumbers fruits or vegetables? Botanically speaking, cucumbers are fruits because they develop from the flower of the cucumber plant and contain seeds. But in culinary contexts, 'cucumbers are most commonly treated as vegetables,' explains Alex Larson, a registered dietitian, endurance athlete nutritionist and founder of Alex Larson Nutrition. This is due to their savory flavor, typical grocery story categorization and the way they're most commonly used in snacks and meals. Cucumbers belong to the Cucurbitaceae family, also known as the gourd family, which includes more than 750 species worldwide "such as pumpkins, melons, squash and zucchini," says Messer. There are several types of cucumbers, generally categorized as slicing cucumbers, pickling cucumbers or seedless (also known as burpless) cucumbers. Slicing cucumbers are larger with thicker skins and are usually eaten fresh, often atop salads or as part of charcuterie boards. Pickling cucumbers are smaller with bumpy skins and a firmer texture, ideal for preserving in vinegar or brine. These are the types of cucumbers used to make pickles. Burpless cucumbers have thinner skins and fewer seeds, and are bred to be gentler on the digestive system. How long does it take to digest food? Plus, which foods are easy on the stomach Are cucumbers healthy? What are cucumbers good for? Regardless of which variety you enjoy, cucumbers offer several health benefits. A single medium cucumber, for instance, contains a host of nutrients like calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, phosphorus, vitamin C, vitamin K, about 1.3 grams of protein and over 1 gram of dietary fiber, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Their vitamin K content 'is important for blood clotting and bone health,' says Messer, while vitamin C 'boosts immune function and supports skin health.' A medium cucumber also provides nearly 400 milligrams of potassium, 'which helps improve blood pressure and supports muscle and nerve function,' she adds. Cucumbers are also 'rich in antioxidants that may offer anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties,' says Larson. Their high water content also "supports hydration and may promote gentle detoxification," she adds. Messer notes that cucumbers may also have antidiabetic properties by helping to regulate blood sugar and reduce lipid levels. Thanks to their fiber content, high water concentration and low calorie count (around 30 calories per cucumber), cucumbers can also support weight loss and improve digestive regularity, making them a proven natural remedy for constipation. Their benefits extend beyond internal health. 'Cucumber extracts are known for their soothing effects on the skin, helping reduce swelling, irritation and sunburn,' adds Messer. How to test your blood sugar levels – and why it's critical for some people. Can you eat cucumbers every day? While cucumbers are generally safe and healthy, they do have some potential drawbacks. 'Cucumbers contain cucurbitacins, which can be toxic in large quantities and may cause gastrointestinal discomfort, including nausea and diarrhea,' explains Messer. This may be especially relevant for individuals with sensitive digestive systems or gastrointestinal conditions. Other groups of people that should exercise caution include those with allergies to other members of the Cucurbitaceae family, individuals with blood-clotting disorders or anyone with kidney issues. 'Cucumbers have antiplatelet properties, which may interact with anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications and potentially increase the risk of bleeding,' Messer warns. As long as such considerations are kept in mind, though, Larson says cucumbers remain a healthy, hydrating addition to any diet by "offering a satisfying crunch with a side of health benefits."

New Alzheimer's blood tests make diagnosis easier — but they're not right for everyone
New Alzheimer's blood tests make diagnosis easier — but they're not right for everyone

San Francisco Chronicle​

time10 hours ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

New Alzheimer's blood tests make diagnosis easier — but they're not right for everyone

The number of Americans with Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia in the U.S., is projected to rise significantly in the coming decades. The devastating disease has no cure, but the past several years have brought promising developments in new drug therapies and blood tests that help doctors treat and diagnose the disease. Here's what to know about the blood tests that diagnose Alzheimer's, one of which got full FDA approval in May. How they work Several commercially available blood tests have become available the past few years, most recently from biotech company Fujirebio Diagnostics, which got full approval from the FDA last month. Each test measures slightly different things, but overall they look for abnormal levels of certain proteins — amyloid and tau — in the blood. The accumulation of amyloid and tau proteins in the brain, often called plaques, are hallmark signs of Alzheimer's. If someone has tau plaques in the brain, for instance, some of that will leak out of the brain into the blood, resulting in a blood test result showing higher than normal levels of tau. In patients with symptoms of cognitive impairment, the tests predict an Alzheimer's diagnosis with about 90% accuracy. Why they're important The blood tests are a notable development because they are less expensive and less invasive than other types of testing that doctors have long used to diagnose patients with Alzheimer's. One is a PET scan, which involves injecting a patient with a radioactive tracer that binds to amyloid or tau in the brain so the presence of the proteins can be seen in a scan. It can cost several thousand dollars, compared to several hundred dollars for a blood test. The other is a spinal tap, which is painful or uncomfortable for many people. This method measures different forms of amyloid and tau in the spinal fluid. 'Up until these blood tests came out, a physician was stuck doing a PET scan or spinal tap, so not great options,' said Dr. Frank Longo, a professor of neurology at Stanford Medicine. 'The big breakthrough is finding something to measure in the blood that's about 90% accurate of what's going on in the brain, about as accurate as spinal fluid or a PET scan.' Doctors use the blood test as part of a broader medical evaluation that also includes a patient history, neurological exam and other testing. The blood test can help rule out Alzheimer's as the cause of a patient's cognitive impairment and potentially avoid unnecessary further testing. If someone's blood test comes back normal, for example, they may not have to undergo the PET scan or spinal tap, and their doctor can look into other potential causes of the cognitive impairment. 'That's the biggest practical thing it's doing now,' Longo said. It's important to distinguish Alzheimer's from other types of dementia because there are Alzheimer's treatments that have come out the last few years that help slow the progression of Alzheimer's. But patients must be in relatively early stages of the disease, with mild impairment or mild dementia, to be eligible. Some of the therapies have significant side effects, so patients would not want to start them unless they knew it was Alzheimer's, and not something else, causing the dementia. They're not for everyone The tests are approved only for people who already have symptoms of cognitive impairment and are of a certain age — 55 and over or 60 and over, depending on the test. They are not approved for healthy adults with normal cognition who want to diagnose or rule out Alzheimer's, or who are simply curious if they are at risk for developing Alzheimer's. They must be ordered by a doctor. They're becoming more common, but may not be covered by insurance Some of the blood tests have been available for a year or two, Longo said, but they were under an earlier and more limited type of FDA approval, not the full approval that the agency granted last month to the Fujirebio test. So they are poised to become more common. 'A year ago, most of my colleagues and I were not ordering these,' Longo said. 'I'd say less than 5% or 10% of the time we were ordering these. Now people are starting to order them in symptomatic patients. It's not rare now. They're starting to be recognized more.' Some primary care doctors are starting to order the tests as well, said Dr. Armen Moughamian, medical director of Sutter Health's Ray Dolby Brain Center at CPMC in San Francisco. The center treats patients with memory disorders. 'It's definitely a minority, but I've been seeing it done,' he said. As with many new medical tests, insurers may not cover them yet, but that usually evolves over time. Full FDA approval may help make the case for the tests to be covered, Longo said. 'There is some uncertainty and lack of clarity about whether insurance and Medicare pay,' Moughamian said. 'That creates some hesitancy for providers to order it.' They may one day be used to screen and diagnose healthy people earlier In people with Alzheimer's, amyloid plaques begin to form in the brain as many as 20 years before they show symptoms. Right now, newer therapies for Alzheimer's — like lecanemab and donanemab, which slow the progression of the disease — are approved only for people with symptoms. Those symptoms are mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, the early stages of symptomatic Alzheimer's. This means people who have not yet developed symptoms, but who have amyloid plaques in the brain, cannot get these treatments. So if a blood test could be used in pre-symptomatic people, it could mean better screening and earlier diagnosis to larger groups of people. 'What we want to push for is earlier diagnosis because new therapies are available when we catch people in earlier stages,' Moughamian said. Moughamian is leading two clinical trials that examine whether drugs that remove amyloid in the brain, donanemab and another drug remternetug, can work in people who have amyloid plaques but have not yet developed symptoms. They are using an Alzheimer's blood test to see whether patients are eligible for the trial.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store