Sen. Tina Smith hospitalized in Washington D.C. after not feeling well, staff says
Smith went to the hospital for a more thorough examination at the recommendation of the Capitol physician, a post on the senator's X account details.
Smith's staff says she is being kept overnight at the hospital for observation "out of an abundance of caution," and she expects to be back at work "very soon."
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A salty twist: Diabetes risk study says french fries are a culprit
Craving french fries? Dunking your spuds in a deep fryer might be a recipe for elevating your risk of Type 2 diabetes. According to a study published Wednesday in the journal BMJ, swapping out your weekly dose of frites for boiled, baked or mashed potatoes could lower your risk of this chronic condition. The authors examined the diets of more than 205,000 adults in the U.S. who responded to questionnaires about what they ate over nearly four decades. Among those who consumed potatoes, the authors looked at which people developed Type 2 diabetes, a disease that leads to persistently high blood sugar levels. Eating three weekly servings of french fries, they found, was associated with a 20% increased risk of Type 2 diabetes. But consuming the same amount of boiled, baked or mashed potatoes did not appear to be linked to the disease. The vast majority of the 1 in 10 people with diabetes in the U.S. have Type 2. The condition can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes or kidney damage. The findings underscore that the way foods are prepared is key to their overall health risks or benefits, said Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 'Not all potatoes are created equal,' he said. 'Even a small amount of french fries, less than one serving in the week, is associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes.' Unlike boiled or baked potatoes, french fries are deep-fried in oils that usually contain trans or saturated fats. The way the body metabolizes those fats can contribute to insulin resistance — when cells don't respond properly to insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar. Regular consumption of fried foods can also lead to obesity and inflammation, both of which raise the risk of Type 2 diabetes. 'When you fry the potatoes, the energy content — calories — increases because of the fat they absorb. If you eat many servings of french fries, it predisposes [people] to weight gain,' said Candida Rebello, the director of the nutrition and chronic disease program at Louisiana State University, who wasn't involved in the study. The study relied on data collected between 1984 and 2021, when several different frying methods were popular. Most fast-food chains today prepare fries using vegetable oils like canola, sunflower, soybean or peanut oil. But during the 1980s, beef tallow was common. And in the early 1990s, restaurants shifted to partially hydrogenated oils. (The oils were a major source of trans fat in the U.S. diet and were largely phased out of the food industry by 2018.) Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said the seed oils used today are 'poisoning' Americans and contributing to high levels of obesity in children. He has advocated for restaurants to switch back to beef tallow, a recommendation that isn't backed by scientific research. 'Beef tallow is high in saturated fats and other harmful fats. We definitely don't recommend that,' Mousavi said. One limitation of Mousavi's study is that it did not account for people adding unhealthy ingredients to their boiled, baked or mashed potatoes. 'What do people add to baked potatoes? Butter, bacon, cheese, sour cream,' said Shannon Galyean, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Texas Tech University, who wasn't part of the research. 'Then we also don't know, did they eat it with the skins?' Galyean said potato skins contain nutrients such as fiber, which helps with blood sugar control. And potatoes, when they aren't deep-fried or slathered in butter, can be a useful source of potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. 'Definitely, potatoes can be considered a healthy food when you don't fry it, or when you don't add lots of fat to it,' Galyean said. Mousavi said baking french fries at home with a healthier oil, such as olive or avocado oil, could help lower one's diabetes risk compared to eating them from fast-food restaurants. Swapping out potatoes with whole grains, such as farro or whole-grain bread or pasta, could make an even bigger difference. These foods have a lower glycemic index, meaning they're less likely to spike blood sugar levels. His study found that whole grains, when compared to all types of potatoes, were less likely to elevate one's diabetes risk. White rice, on the other hand, had a stronger association with Type 2 diabetes than either of these foods. Megan Mulcahy, the director of communications at Potatoes USA, a marketing and research organization that supports potato consumption, said fries can 'absolutely be part of a healthy eating pattern when enjoyed in moderation.' Galyean said it's important to consider a person's overall diet, which has a greater impact on their health than any individual food. Nutritionists generally recommend a colorful plate with a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins such as fish, beans or nuts. 'People don't eat just one thing, they eat meals,' Galyean said. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
14 minutes ago
- CBS News
Minnesota sees sedative overdose spike: "Naloxone isn't going to help"
By WCCO reporter Ashley Grams The Minnesota Department of Health issued a health advisory last week warning of an increase in overdose cases involving sedatives. Data collected by the department's Minnesota Drug Overdose and Substance Use Surveillance Activity (MNDOSA) project shows just one overdose case where the sedative xylazine was detected. That number jumped to 53 in 2024. Now, the state is tracking another sedative emerging in the drug supply. "Medetomidine, it has been seen in other parts of the country," said Deepa McGriff, the department's epidemiologist supervisor. "It is a veterinary sedative that's not approved for human use, and in 2025 we started to see more detections." The state's Public Health Laboratory started tracking medetomidine in 2024 and this year has seen 12 cases. "Here in Minnesota, we are somewhat insulated, initially, from new substances as they emerge, maybe on the East Coast or West Coast," said Jason Peterson, who supervises the chemical threats and bio monitoring units at the Public Health Laboratory. Peterson says medetomidine was "starting to grow" out on the East Coast. "They do take delays in a lot of times in entering our state, but we are mindful of that and we are mindful of the patterns where drugs typically flow across the country," he said. This increase in sedatives is a dangerous reality for drug users across the state. "Certainly for the subset of people that we work with that are using substances, we do see these things come through," said John Tribbett, the service area director for Avivo's ending homelessness division. "We are at a point unfortunately where you never know what people are getting, and what they end up putting in their body. Tribbett said all of Avivo's teams are trained in overdose reversal. The state's health advisory warns that these sedatives "significantly complicates the treatment of overdose patients." McGriff says the department wants the community and first responders to understand that sedatives may be a factor in an overdose, and how that can impact treatment. "If there's a sedative involved, the Naloxone isn't going to work to reverse that unresponsiveness," McGriff said. "We want to emphasize the need to focus on restoring the breathing of the overdose patients, rather than restoring the consciousness." McGriff said an opioid reversal drug like naloxone should still be used in these cases. Tribbett believes the emergence of medetomidine is a reflection of policy aimed at restricting xylazine. "What we see time and time again is a crackdown on one particular chemical, and then something emerges to replace it," Tribbett said. Some states have made an effort to limit access to xylazine in recent years, including Pennsylvania, which classified xylazine as a Schedule 3 drug. Minnesota's health department says data is still limited when it comes to medetomidine, but awareness is important — something Tribbett agrees with. "Making people aware, helping our teams have the information they need, helping people in the community know what's out there," Tribbett said.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
3 Reasons Why Shorter, Less Intense Workouts Are More Effective For Muscle Growth, According To A Trainer
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Going to the gym is fun, but let's face it: you don't want to spend all day there. Luckily, if you ask Shannon Ritchey, DPT, the founder of Evlo Fitness and host of the Dr. Shannon Show podcast, you don't have to. 'I will preach this until the day that I die: shorter, less intense workouts are more effective than longer, more intense workouts,' she said in a recent TikTok. As Ritchey sees it, when it comes to muscle building, you don't need to put hours in at the weight room, even if the gym bros seem to think you do. But, you also don't have to do a grueling HIIT workout or even a high-rep Pilates one to get the results you want. 'Women have historically been encouraged to focus on cardio, calorie burn, and ultra-high-rep training to become smaller, but this often leads to burnout and minimal changes in body composition,' Ritchey says. 'By training smarter—not longer or harder—women can actually build lean muscle, improve metabolic health, and feel better doing it.' Typically, Ritchey's workouts take just 35 minutes (she follows the ones on her platform), but you could technically get even shorter if you increased your weight and decreased your reps. 'A workout doesn't have to feel brutal to work—it just has to provide the right mechanical stimulus,' she says. And, you guessed it: you can get that stimulus in a shorter amount of time. Here's why it can be optimal to keep your sweat sessions short and snappy, according to Ritchey. Meet your trainer: Shannon Ritchey, DPT, is the founder of Evlo Fitness and host of the Dr. Shannon Show podcast. 1. Shorter, less intense workouts allow you to be consistent. Have you ever done a super tough workout that left you so sore you were rethinking if you ever wanted to go to the gym again? Soreness might feel like a badge of honor, but it's the enemy of consistency, which is key. Intense, draining routines are hard to keep up with, whether it's because you're too drained the next day or flat-out unmotivated to do another grueling workout. 'Our brains are wired to avoid pain and seek pleasure,' Ritchey says. 'If your workouts are short and efficient—not exhausting—you're more likely to show up regularly.' And, that showing up is important for anyone with fitness goals. 'All meaningful physiological adaptations—whether it's muscle growth, strength, or coordination—require a consistent stimulus,' Ritchey says. That means sticking with your workouts and doing similar exercises each week. 'Your body builds neuromuscular strength and connection before it builds muscle,' Ritchey says. 'If your workouts are inconsistent and always different, you skip that first, critical step and therefore never really see the change you're looking for. 2. They give you a higher-quality muscle stimulus. One problem with longer, more intense workouts is that they add a lot of variables to the equation and cloud your judgement of how well you're working your muscles. 'Many times fatigue or exhaustion is confused as an effective stimulus, but just because something burns, makes your heart race, or makes you tired, doesn't necessarily mean it's applying the principles of hypertrophy,' Ritchey says. For each set, you want to get one to three reps shy of failure in anywhere from six to 30 reps. 'Providing your muscles with that stimulus may not make you sweat buckets, but consistently doing that is shown to change the size and strength of your muscles.' Pro tip: Not sure if you've given your muscles the proper stimulus? Try Ritchey's rest test. At the end of the set, rest for a moment, then pick up your weight and try to do a few more reps. If you can do two to three, you weren't close to failure—so pick up a heavier weight. 3. They allow you to put your effort into your muscles. More intense workouts (think: bootcamps or HIIT classes) might be good at getting your heart rate up, but they also divide your attention. 'When workouts are long or include a lot of cardio, you fatigue before you get to the muscle-building sets,' Ritchey says. 'This reduces your ability to push hard where it counts.' This isn't to say you shouldn't get your cardio in; it's just that you might want to keep it separate so that you can give each its due. 'Think of this like trying to lift heavy after running a mile; you won't be able to give as much effort as if you were fresh,' Ritchey says. By keeping your workouts short and less intense, you can stay focused and make sure you're actually working those muscles. And, that's the whole reason you're working out in the first place. Get the Workouts Get the Workouts Get the Workouts Get the Workouts Get the Workouts Get the Workouts Get the Workouts Get the Workouts Get the Workouts Get the Workouts You Might Also Like Jennifer Garner Swears By This Retinol Eye Cream These New Kicks Will Help You Smash Your Cross-Training Goals
