Latest news with #highrisk
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Health
- Bloomberg
US Study Shows How to Avert Dementia After Age 60
There's good news for older Americans at high-risk of developing dementia: simple steps to stay mentally and physically active improved thinking and helped keep Alzheimer's disease at bay. And it didn't take long. Lifestyle changes including exercise, a better diet, and more mental and social activity yielded significant protection within two years, according to a large clinical trial published Monday. To qualify for the study, participants had to have various risk factors for brain decline, like consuming a poor diet and not exercising regularly. Others had a gene mutation tied to Alzheimer's disease.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Macnamara MP Josh Burns and Victorian Animal Justice councillor Georgie Purcell share baby news
Melbourne Labor MP Josh Burns and Victorian Animal Justice MP Georgie Purcell have announced that they're expecting a baby girl due in the new year. The political power couple shared the news in separate posts on social media on Sunday night. 'Georgie and I are so excited to share with you that we're expecting a baby girl in the very first few days of 2026,' Mr Burns wrote. This will be the Macnamara MP's second child, after daughter, Tia, from a former marriage. 'Our little baby already has the most excited and loving big sister in Tia. And she'll have a home full of animals, love, and fun,' he wrote. 'Next year, my team and I will keep working hard for the community we love, but I also plan on being a present and involved dad every step of the way. 'I'm over the moon excited and can't wait for this next chapter with my beautiful partner, Georgie, who I love with all my heart.' Mr Burns and Ms Purcell publicly announced their relationship during Canberra's Midwinter Ball in 2024, with the couple sharing opposing political views. Ms Purcell is a prominent pro-Palestinian activist, while Mr Burns has publicly spoken about his Jewish faith and is vocally pro-Israel. Ms Purcell said it would be a 'vegan pregnancy (and baby),' and said she's been 'feeling good' during the pregnancy. However, she said her auto-immune condition has categorised her pregnancy as 'high-risk,' and this has required weekly hospital visits. 'This is obviously a vegan pregnancy (and baby) and I've been feeling good, which has let me keep pace with sitting weeks, late nights, international travel, community events and the general silliness of this job,' she wrote on Instagram. 'It's weekly hospital visits for the time being, and I am so grateful to the incredibly kind, reassuring and supportive medical care I've been receiving.' She also acknowledged her past abortions, stating that she was 'more grateful than ever before to have had access to choice so that I could do this on my own terms and timeline, and will always fight for everybody to have the same'.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Political duo share surprise baby news
Melbourne Labor MP Josh Burns and Victorian Animal Justice councillor Georgie Purcell have announced that they're expecting a baby girl due in the new year. The political power couple shared the news in separate posts on social media on Sunday night. 'Georgie and I are so excited to share with you that we're expecting a baby girl in the very first few days of 2026,' Mr Burns wrote. This will be the Macnamara MP's second child, after daughter, Tia, from a former marriage. 'Our little baby already has the most excited and loving big sister in Tia. And she'll have a home full of animals, love, and fun,' he wrote. 'Next year, my team and I will keep working hard for the community we love, but I also plan on being a present and involved dad every step of the way. 'I'm over the moon excited and can't wait for this next chapter with my beautiful partner, Georgie, who I love with all my heart.' Mr Burns and Ms Purcell publicly announced their relationship during Canberra's Midwinter Ball in 2024, with the couple sharing opposing political views. Ms Purcell is a prominent pro-Palestinian activist, while Mr Burns has publicly spoken about his Jewish faith and is vocally pro-Israel. Ms Purcell said it would be a 'vegan pregnancy (and baby),' and said she's been 'feeling good' during the pregnancy. However, she said her auto-immune condition has categorised her pregnancy as 'high-risk,' and this has required weekly hospital visits. 'This is obviously a vegan pregnancy (and baby) and I've been feeling good, which has let me keep pace with sitting weeks, late nights, international travel, community events and the general silliness of this job,' she wrote on Instagram. 'It's weekly hospital visits for the time being, and I am so grateful to the incredibly kind, reassuring and supportive medical care I've been receiving.' She also acknowledged her past abortions, stating that she was 'more grateful than ever before to have had access to choice so that I could do this on my own terms and timeline, and will always fight for everybody to have the same'.
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Worried about financial scams and bad advice? Stick to the investing basics
The investment industry is complex, confusing and intimidating for many people, and it's made worse by fraud, bad advice and high-risk investments. This combination of factors can be such a turnoff that some people avoid investing altogether. And that's a problem because it means they miss out on the opportunity to build their savings, which is a crucial part of having enough money for life's big expenses like postsecondary education and retirement. While it would be great if fraudsters disappeared, this isn't going to happen. The scams become more believable all the time and have increased their reach thanks to social media. A recent example is the David Rosenberg scam, where his image was used to convince investors to buy high-risk stocks. There are things that social-media platforms and regulators can do to curb the targeting of investors, but scammers will always find a way around roadblocks, so individuals need to figure out how to avoid falling victim. David Rosenberg says investment scam using his name bilked victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars Unfortunately, many people feel ill-equipped to do so, with only 51 per cent of Canadians saying they have an understanding of investing. However, there are a few simple principles that everyone can follow. The surest way to avoid fraudulent and high-risk investments is to stick with the basics. While some people enjoy wading into the world of individual stocks, cryptocurrencies, and hedge funds, all anyone needs are guaranteed investment certificates (GICs), mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). GICs are wonderfully simple and easy-to-understand products issued by financial institutions, making them safe and reliable. Mutual funds and ETFs are subject to regulation that requires the disclosure of standardized information in an easy-to-access format. This transparency keeps the financial companies accountable and gives investors the information they need to make good decisions. Once you start looking at unregulated investments (like private mortgages) or less regulated products (like hedge funds), you open yourself up to the risk of fraud, mismanagement and ultimately, losing money. Knowing what a reasonable rate of return is will also protect you from being lured into high-risk investments. A realistic rate of return on a portfolio of global stocks – which can be in the form of equity mutual funds or ETFs – is about 8 per cent per year on average. This is based on the historic returns of the U.S., Canadian and international stock markets. An investment that is touted as generating a significantly higher return than that should be questioned. You were targeted in a scam. Is your bank liable for the losses? The basic investment principle of risk and return says that you need to take on more risk to generate a higher return. While this principle works very well when it comes to GICs (low risk/low return) versus stocks (higher risk/higher return), unproven investments without a long track record cannot show this to be true. If an investment promises a high return, you have to question what kind of risk is being taken to generate that return – and that's not a risk that most people can afford to take. A good investment shouldn't need to be sold to you. There's a difference between getting advice on an investment and being sold an investment. Getting advice means someone is explaining what the product is, how much risk there is involved, how it has performed in the past, why it fits in with your investment plan, and how much it costs. Being sold an investment requires a marketing strategy: a way to grab your attention, hook you in, and ultimately convince you that you should buy it. Some signs to look out for that you are being sold an investment are eye-catching phrases like 'investment opportunity,' a sense of exclusivity or being let in on a secret, a promise of high returns, and a pushy or persistent salesperson – which can be anyone from an investment adviser to someone you met at the dog park. Investing is simple and there are no shortcuts to earning high returns. If you remember this, you should be able to spot a scammer from a mile away. Anita Bruinsma is a Toronto-based financial coach and a parent of two teenage boys. You can find her at Clarity Personal Finance.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Medsafe considers crackdown on import of unregulated peptide medications
Medsafe says people are buying unregulated peptides from websites that make health claims for which there is little or no evidence. Photo: Science Photo Li / WBU / Science Photo Library via AFP New Zealanders are buying potentially high-risk, unregulated peptide medications from overseas websites to treat sexual dysfunction, memory loss and more. Medsafe is considering a crackdown, warning many are sold based on unproven claims. It hopes to have several of them - and similar ones that may crop up - classified as prescription medicines, making it illegal to import them without a prescription. In a written submission to the Medicines Classification Committee, Medsafe said peptides were being bought from websites that made claims they could help with "cognitive enhancement, hair growth, libido enhancers, sexual dysfunction, immune enhancers and cancer treatment", and more. However, there was often little, if any, evidence to back up the claims. Most had not been tested for safety and efficacy on humans. Medsafe could not seize peptides at the border, if they were not classed as prescription medicine. Instead, it released the products to the purchasers with a "high-risk medicine letter". "This is posing a risk to health, as the product's quality, efficacy and interactions with other medicines is unknown," the submission said. Because new peptide substances were created all the time, Medsafe asked the committee to class whole groups of them as prescription medicines, so future versions that fell within the group would still be covered. Many websites that sold peptides claimed to sell them "for research purposes", but customers intended to use them therapeutically, the submission said. Fifty-six parcels were intercepted at the border in the year to May, containing peptides or prescription medications known as selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMS). Customs said it couldn't say how many got through without interception. Medsafe said the classification review would take into consideration the safety and appropriateness of being able to import these products, as well the risks of limiting access. The committee considered the submission at a meeting on Wednesday and its decision has not been made public yet. The final decision on medicine classification changes will be made by the Minister of Health at the committee's recommendation. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
