Young athletes with history of concussions may have more changes to their brains

Study finds changes in brain blood flow and microstructure

August 25, 2021

Science Daily/American Academy of Neurology

A new study suggests athletes with a history of concussion may show more brain injury from a later concussion, particularly in middle regions of the brain that are more susceptible to damage, when compared to athletes with no history of concussion. The research is published in the August 25, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The athletes participated in sports like football, volleyball and soccer.

"We know concussions may have long-term effects on the brain that last beyond getting a doctor's clearance to return to play," said study author Tom A. Schweizer, PhD, of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Canada. "It is unclear, however, to what extent the effects of repeated concussion can be detected among young, otherwise healthy adults. We found even though there was no difference in symptoms or the amount of recovery time, athletes with a history of concussion showed subtle and chronic changes in their brains."

This study focused on changes within two areas in the middle of the brain that are especially vulnerable to concussion. Researchers focused on blood flow in the cingulate cortex and white matter microstructure in the corpus callosum. Changes in blood flow and microstructure that show up on brain scans can indicate underlying brain injury. The cingulate cortex is a layer of gray matter that coordinates sensory and motor skills. Below it is the corpus callosum, a broad band of nerve fibers linking the two hemispheres of the brain.

The study looked at 228 athletes with an average age of 20. This included 61 with a recent concussion and 167 without. Within the first group, 36 had a history of concussion. Within the second group, 73 had a history of concussion.

Researchers took up to five brain scans of each recently concussed athlete, from time of injury to one year after returning to play.

Researchers found that one year after a recent concussion, athletes with a history of concussion had sharper declines in blood flow within one area of the cingulate compared to those without a history of concussions. Those with a history of concussion had an average cerebral blood flow of 40 milliliters (mL) per minute, per 100 grams (g) of brain tissue. Those without a history of concussion had an average cerebral blood flow of 53 mL per minute, per 100g of brain tissue.

In athletes with a history of concussion, in the weeks after a new concussion, researchers also found microstructural changes in a region of the brain called the splenium, which is part of the corpus callosum.

"Our findings suggest that an athlete with a history of concussion should be watched closely, as these subtle brain changes may be worsened by repeated injury," said Schweizer. "Additionally, our results should raise concern about the cumulative effects of repeated head injuries later in life."

A limitation of the study is that athletes reported their own histories of concussion and could be inaccurate. Further research is needed that would follow athletes over time.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210825163648.htm

Stressed teens benefit from coping online, but a little goes a long way

August 24, 2021

Science Daily/Association for Psychological Science

An adolescent's day can be filled with a dizzying array of digital technologies. For many teenagers, being online is a way to pass the time and communicate with friends. Cell phones and social media can also help teens cope with stressful events -- as long as they strike the right balance between spending time online and pursuing other coping activities.

New research published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science reveals that teenagers (ages 13-17) in low socioeconomic settings who spend a moderate amount of time online after a stressful experience deal with adversity far better than those who spend many hours online or avoid digital technology altogether.

"Adolescents are smart, and they make use of technology to their own advantage. Because adolescents in disadvantaged settings tend to have fewer local supports, the study sought to find out whether online engagement helped reduce their stress,'' said lead author Kathryn Modecki with Griffith University's Menzies Health Institute and School of Applied Psychology. "There has been a tendency to assume that technology use by teens is negative and harmful, but such a broad assumption isn't borne out by what we know about the developmental stage of adolescence."

To gather firsthand data on teens and technology, the researchers provided iPhones to more than 200 adolescents living in low socioeconomic settings. The teens were instructed to report on their technology use, stressors, and emotions five times a day for a week while using the iPhones exactly as they would use personal smartphones. The data were used to compare the emotional states of adolescents who used technology moderately, excessively, or not at all when coping with stress.

The results revealed that adolescents who engaged with technology in moderation in the hours after a stressful situation bounced back more readily and experienced smaller surges in negative emotions, like sadness and worry, compared to adolescents who didn't use technology or who routinely used technology as a coping mechanism.

"We found a just-right 'Goldilocks' effect in which moderate amounts of online coping helped mitigate surges in negative emotions and dips in happiness," said Modecki. "In the face of daily stressors, when adolescents engaged in emotional support seeking, they experienced better short-term stress relief."

According to the researchers, the online space serves not just as a short-term distraction but as a resource for adolescents to find support and information about what is troubling them. By leveling the playing field for accessing that information and support, this coping strategy may be especially pertinent for teens in low-income settings.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210824135308.htm

Weight gain isn’t inevitable when you start college

Freshmen gain 3 pounds on average over their first semester

August 24, 2021

Science Daily/University of Georgia

Everyone's heard about the so-called freshman 15, but new research from the University of Georgia suggests that counteracting this weight gain might be more complicated than just taking a walk around the quad.

The freshman 15 is actually a bit of a misnomer, with students typically only putting on around 8 pounds over their first year. But that's a substantial amount of weight to gain, particularly for students who are already overweight. In the study, UGA researchers found that first-years do pack on pounds, about 3 on average over the course of the semester. But implementing healthy patterns early can help stave off that weight gain.

A contributing factor to weight gain

Published in the Journal of American College Health, the study found that vigorous physical activity, the kind of exercise that gets your heart rate up and makes you sweat, was almost nonexistent among the first-year students at a public university in the South. The American Heart Association recommends all adults participate in 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of intense exercise (or a combination of the two). At the start of the study, only two out of five students met the recommended level of activity.

That's not to say none of the students were exercising. In fact, their moderate physical activity, such as walking across campus or biking at a casual pace, didn't actually change much from when they were in high school. Some freshmen even upped their moderate activity.

But by the end of the study -- which followed students during their first semester at school -- almost 70% of the students reported no vigorous physical activity at all. At the beginning of the study, students reported higher levels of activity, with only 40% saying they weren't exercising hard enough to start panting at the beginning of the study.

"You have to be really motivated to engage in that level of activity," said Yangyang Deng, lead author of the study and a graduate student in the Mary Frances Early College of Education. "In high school, there are many opportunities to be involved in sports, but those disappear for many students in college."

The transition to college

As a result, the students in the study saw modest but significant increases in body mass index, or BMI, a screening tool that divides a person's weight by their height to determine whether they're a healthy size. (A normal or healthy BMI value should fall between 18.5 and 24.9.) The students also added an average of a little over 3 pounds by the end of the semester, which sounds small but easily adds up as the college years go by.

Despite meal plans and 24/7 access to some campus dining options, the study showed that neither meal plan status nor whether the student lived on campus or off significantly predicted weight gain. But lack of vigorous activity did.

"The life transition from high school is a big one, and we know from research that life transitions are a big factor in changing our health behaviors," said Sami Yli-Piipari, author of the study, associate professor in the College of Education and director of the Children's Physical Activity and Fitness Lab. "And other studies have previously reported that the more academically challenging the university is, the more weight students gain."

The students who were highly active in their lives before college, though, remained highly active at university, emphasizing the importance of teaching children that exercising and eating a healthy diet is important for your future.

"The message of this study is that we have to do a better job of helping young people be active because that affects how active they are later in life as well," Yli-Piipari said.

Establish healthy habits early

The study tracked over 100 students, measuring things like physical activity, BMI, motivation (or lack thereof) to exercise and how their friends and family viewed their exercise habits. The researchers also examined the role university services played in students' activity levels.

For example, university health centers often have programming to teach students how to cook healthier meals and fit more activity into their lives, but the researchers found that most of the students in the study weren't aware these services were available. And that awareness didn't improve over the course of the semester.

The students' increased BMI is obviously a concern, but we should really focus on a more holistic view of health, especially increasing moderate and vigorous activity for students. Establishing these good exercise habits now can have lifelong benefits." -- Yangyang Deng, lead author of the study,

They were, however, aware of recreational activities at the student fitness center, and intramural sports and fitness classes had a positive effect on students' physical activity levels. Having friends who exercised and supported their classmates' efforts to work out also boosted vigorous activity levels.

"Vigorous physical activity most often occurs because of something like playing on a sports team, or if you're really motivated, to achieve a goal, like running a marathon," said Yli-Piipari. "You have to be really motivated to push yourself to that limit where you really are working hard to get those health benefits that come from that level of activity."

From an institutional perspective, heavily promoting healthy cooking classes, exercise courses or other university resources could have a big effect on student health. On a more personal level, students who want to boost their fitness should consider signing up for intramural sports teams, group exercise classes or sessions with a personal trainer, which are often available from university rec centers for discounted rates.

"The students' increased BMI is obviously a concern, but we should really focus on a more holistic view of health, especially increasing moderate and vigorous activity for students," Deng said. "Establishing these good exercise habits now can have lifelong benefits."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210824121043.htm

How do migraines affect the sleep cycle?

Study finds differences between perceived and actual sleep quality in people with migraine

September 22, 2021

Science Daily/American Academy of Neurology

Adults and children with migraines may get less quality, REM sleep time than people who don't have migraines. That's according to a meta-analysis published in the September 22, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Children with migraines were also found to get less total sleep time than their healthy peers but took less time to fall asleep.

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is the stage of sleep that involves the most brain activity and vivid dreams. It is important for learning and memory function.

"Do migraines cause poor sleep quality or does poor sleep quality cause migraines?" said meta-analysis author Jan Hoffmann, MD, PhD, of King's College London in the United Kingdom and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "We wanted to analyze recent research to get a clearer picture of how migraines affect people's sleep patterns and the severity of their headaches. That way, clinicians can better support people with migraines and deliver more effective sleep treatments."

For the meta-analysis, researchers included 32 studies, involving 10,243 people. Participants completed a questionnaire to rate their own sleep quality. It asked about sleep habits, including how long it takes to fall asleep, total sleep time and the use of sleep aids. Higher scores indicate worse sleep quality.

For many of the studies, people took part in an overnight sleep lab used to diagnose sleep disorders. This sleep study records brain waves, the oxygen level in the blood, heart rate and eye movement.

Researchers found that adults with migraines overall had higher average scores on the questionnaire than people without migraines, with a moderate amount of the difference due to the migraines. The difference was even greater in people with chronic migraines.

When researchers looked at sleep studies, they found adults and children with migraines had less REM sleep as a percentage of their total sleep time than their healthy counterparts.

When looking at children with migraines, researchers found they had less total sleep time, more wake time, and shorter time for sleep onset than children without migraines. Hoffmann said it's possible children with migraines may fall asleep more quickly than their peers because they may be sleep deprived.

"Our analysis provides a clearer understanding of migraines and how they affect sleep patterns and illustrates the impact these patterns might have on a person's ability to get a good night's sleep," Hoffmann said.

The meta-analysis does not prove a causal relationship between sleep and migraines.

A limitation of the meta-analysis is that medications that affect sleep cycles were not taken into account.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210922160654.htm

People synchronize heart rates while listening attentively to stories

September 14, 2021

Science Daily/Cell Press

People often unconsciously synchronize bodily functions like heartbeat and breathing when they share an experience, such as a live performance or have a personal conversation. According to a new study, subjects' heart rates synchronize even if they are just listening to a story by themselves, and this synchronization only occurs when the subjects are paying attention to the story. The findings from the research are reported September 14 in the journal Cell Reports.

"There's a lot of literature demonstrating that people synchronize their physiology with each other. But the premise is that somehow you're interacting and physically present the same place," says co-senior author Lucas Parra, a professor at City College of New York. "What we have found is that the phenomenon is much broader, and that simply following a story and processing stimulus will cause similar fluctuations in people's heart rates. It's the cognitive function that drives your heart rate up or down."

"What's important is that the listener is paying attention to the actions in the story," adds co-senior author Jacobo Sitt (@jdsitt), a researcher at the Paris Brain Institute and Inserm. "It's not about emotions, but about being engaged and attentive, and thinking about what will happen next. Your heart responds to those signals from the brain."

The investigators conducted a series of four experiments to explore the role of consciousness and attention in synchronizing participants' heart rates. In the first, healthy volunteers listened to an audiobook of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. As they listened, their heart rate changed based on what was happening in the story, as measured by electrocardiogram (EKG). The researchers found that the majority of subjects showed increases and decreases in their heart rate at the same points in the narrative.

In the second experiment, volunteers watched short instructional videos. Because the videos were educational with no underlying emotional variations, this experiment confirmed that emotional engagement in a story was not playing a part. The first time they watched the videos, heart rates across the subjects showed similar fluctuations. The participants then watched the videos a second time while counting backwards in their heads. That time, the lack of attention resulted in a drop in the synchronization of heart rates across subjects, confirming that attention was important.

In the third experiment, the subjects listened to short children's stories, some while attentive and others while being distracted, and then were asked to recall facts from the stories. The researchers found that the fluctuations seen in the participants' heart rates were predictive of how well they did at answering questions about the story -- more synchronization predicted better test scores. This indicated that changes in heart rate were a signal of conscious processing of the narrative.

When the researchers looked at changes in breathing rates, they didn't see the same synchronization among the subjects. This was surprising, since breathing is known to affect heart rate.

The fourth experiment was similar to the first, but it included both healthy volunteers and patients with disorders of consciousness -- such as those in comas or persistent vegetative states. All subjects were presented with an audiobook of a children's story. As expected, the patients had lower rates of heart synchronization than did healthy controls. When the patients were examined six months later, some of them with higher synchronization had regained some consciousness.

"This study is still very preliminary, but you can imagine this being an easy test that could be implemented to measure brain function," Sitt says. "It doesn't require a lot of equipment. It even could be performed in an ambulance on the way to the hospital." He notes that much more validation is needed with larger numbers of patients as well as comparisons to accepted tests of brain function like EEGs and fMRIs. This is something his group is continuing to study.

Parra says such research is also important for understanding mindfulness and the brain-body connection. "Neuroscience is opening up in terms of thinking of the brain as part of an actual anatomical, physical body," he says. "This research is a step in the direction of looking at the brain-body connection more broadly, in terms of how the brain affects the body."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210914111238.htm

Men may sleep worse on nights during the first half of the lunar cycle

September 13, 2021

Science Daily/Uppsala University

Men's sleep may be more powerfully influenced by the lunar cycle than women's, according to a new study from Uppsala University, now published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Previous studies have produced somewhat conflicting results on the association between the lunar cycle and sleep, with some reporting an association whereas others did not. There are several possible explanations for these discrepant findings, such as that some of the results were chance findings. However, many past studies investigating the association of the lunar cycle with human sleep did not control their analyses for confounders known to impact human sleep, such as obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia.

During the waxing period, the amount of illuminated moon surface as seen from Earth increases, and the moment that the moon crosses a location's meridian gradually shifts to late evening hours. In contrast, during the waning period, the illuminated surface decreases and the moment that the moon crosses a location's meridian gradually shifts to daytime hours.

"We used one-night at-home sleep recordings from 492 women and 360 men. We found that men whose sleep was recorded during nights in the waxing period of the lunar cycle exhibited lower sleep efficiency and increased time awake after sleep onset compared to men whose sleep was measured during nights in the waning period. In contrast, the sleep of women remained largely unaffected by the lunar cycle. Our results were robust to adjustment for chronic sleep problems and obstructive sleep apnea severity," says Christian Benedict, Associate Professor at Uppsala University's Department of Neuroscience, and corresponding author of the study.

One mechanism through which the moon may impact sleep is sunlight reflected by the moon around times when people usually go to bed. In addition, a recent study suggests that the male brain may be more responsive to ambient light than that of females.

"Our study, of course, cannot disentangle whether the association of sleep with the lunar cycle was causal or just correlative," concludes Christian Benedict.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210913135647.htm

Good sleep-time recovery is associated with a healthier diet and lower alcohol consumption

September 8, 2021

Science Daily/University of Eastern Finland

Good sleep-time recovery is associated with a health-promoting diet and health-promoting eating habits, as well as with lower consumption of alcohol, according to a new study investigating psychological and physiological well-being among working-age Finnish adults.

The association of physiological recovery with nutrition has been studied only scarcely. Published in Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology, a new study now investigates whether physiological recovery during sleep relates to eating behaviour and diet quality.

The study population consisted of 252 psychologically distressed adults with overweight, who participated in a lifestyle intervention study in three Finnish cities. Their recovery was measured on the basis of sleep-time heart rate variability recorded on three consecutive nights. Heart rate variability was used to measure both parasympathetic and sympathetic activation of the autonomic nervous system, and their relation, i.e., the balance between stress and recovery. The parasympathetic nervous system plays a key role in recovery, during which heart rate is decreased and heart rate variability is high.

The study participants' eating behaviour was measured using four different questionnaires, and their diet quality and alcohol consumption was quantified using two different questionnaires and a 48-hour dietary recall. The aim was to explore the association between physiological recovery, diet quality, alcohol consumption and different aspects of eating behaviour, such as eating according to hunger and satiety cues. The present results are from the data collected at baseline before the lifestyle intervention.

According to the study, higher sleep-time parasympathetic activity, which is indicative of better physiological recovery, associates with more health-promoting diet quality and lower alcohol consumption, and possibly also with eating habits, especially factors affecting our decision to eat. Especially participants with a good stress balance reported better overall diet quality, higher fibre intake, stronger dietary self-control and lower alcohol consumption than those with a poorer stress balance.

However, the researchers point out that the cross-sectional study design allows no causality conclusions. In other words, it cannot be concluded from the results if better recovery leads to a healthier diet or if a healthy diet supports better recovery.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210908180457.htm

Gut and heart signals affect how we see ourselves

Study: Weak internal connections linked to body shame and weight preoccupation

September 3, 2021

Science Daily/Anglia Ruskin University

New research has discovered that the strength of the connection between our brain and internal organs is linked to how we feel about our appearance.

Published in the journal Cortex, the study is the first to investigate, and first to identify, the association between body image and the brain's processing of internal signals that occur unconsciously.

Carried out by a team of psychologists and neuroscientists at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), the study found that adults whose brains are less efficient at detecting these internal messages are more likely to experience body shame and weight preoccupation.

This research could have therapeutic implications for people suffering with conditions in which body image plays a significant role. For example, the unconscious signals could be made conscious. Further research could even be applied to the clinic as it may be the case that brain responses to gut signals could indicate a predisposition to eating disorders.

The study participants -- a group of healthy UK adults -- first took part in four body image assessments to measure their feelings of body appreciation, body functionality appreciation, body shame, and weight preoccupation.

The researchers then carried out measurements of the participants' internal signals. Some of the messages from the heart and gut are processed at an unconscious level and the nervous system interprets these signals to provide the brain with continuously updated information about the body's internal state.

The strength of the connection between the gut and the brain was measured by recording the electrical activity of both regions at the same time. The researchers also measured brain responses to heartbeats.

They found that weaker brain responses to the gut and heart were both significantly associated with greater levels of body shame and weight preoccupation amongst the participants.

Senior author Dr Jane Aspell, Associate Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: "We experience our body both from the inside and out: we can be aware of how our skin and limbs look, but also of how hungry we feel or how strongly our heart is beating during exercise. The brain also continuously processes internal signals that we are not conscious of.

"We found that when the brain is less responsive to these implicit signals from inside the body, individuals are more likely to hold negative views about their external bodily appearance. It may be that when the brain has a weaker connection to the internal body, the brain puts more emphasis on the external body and so appearance becomes much more important for self-evaluation."

Lead author Dr Jennifer Todd, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said: "Our research could have implications for those experiencing negative body image, which can have a serious impact on people's lives.

"The gut and heart signal measurements used in our study could potentially act as a biomarker to help identify, or even predict, negative body image and associated conditions, such as eating disorders. Additionally, by training people to become more aware of internal sensations, it might be possible to amplify these unconscious signals.

"We need to understand why some brains are better at detecting these internal signals than others. We expect it is partly due to differences in neuro-anatomical connections between the brain and internal organs, and this will be the subject of future research."

Meanwhile, Dr Jane Aspell will be speaking about her research on the body and sense of self in a talk at the British Science Festival 2021, 7-11 September hosted by the British Science Association at Anglia Ruskin University. The talk will explore research on out of body experiences (OBEs), and she will share case studies from neurological patients.

Dr Aspell's work investigates what happens in the brain during an OBE and she will present evidence that these are caused by abnormal functioning in parts of the brain that process and combine signals from our bodies. This research on neurological patients sheds light on how the healthy brain generates the experience of one's self, and what happens when that construction temporarily goes 'wrong'.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210903085908.htm

Deficits may remain after 7-day recovery from 10 days of insufficient sleep

In small study, reaction speed recovered, but other sleep loss deficits persisted one week later

September 1, 2021

Science Daily/PLOS

After 7 days of recovery from a 10-day period of deficient sleep, participants in a small study had recovered their pre-sleep deprivation reaction speed, but had not fully recovered on any other measures of function. Jeremi Ochab of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on September 1, 2021.

Sleep deficiency is well known to negatively impact human functioning. For example, it is associated with deficits in attention and memory, as well as increased risk of car accidents, heart problems, and other medical issues. However, while some research has addressed recovery after chronic sleep deprivation, it has been unclear how much time is needed to fully recover from prolonged periods of deficient sleep.

To shed more light on this topic, Ochab and colleagues conducted a small study with several healthy adults who underwent 10 days of purposeful sleep restriction followed by 7 recovery days of unrestricted sleep. Participants completed the study in their normal day-to-day environments and wore wrist sensors to monitor daily patterns of sleep and activity. They also underwent daily electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor brain activity, and they answered daily questions (Stroop tasks) to measure reaction times and accuracy.

After 7 days of recovery, the participants had not yet returned to pre-sleep deprivation performance on most measures of functioning. These included several EEG measures of brain activity, rest-versus-activity patterns captured by wrist sensors, and accuracy on Stroop tasks. Only their reaction times had recovered to baseline levels.

While the researchers note that it is difficult to compare these results with other studies that employed different methods, the findings contribute new insights into recovery from chronic sleep loss. Future research could expand to a greater number of participants, investigate longer recovery periods, and disentangle the order in which different functions return to normal.

The authors add: "The investigation of the recovery process following an extended period of sleep restriction reveal that the differences in behavioral, motor, and neurophysiological responses to both sleep loss and recovery."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210901142729.htm

How people respond to wildfire smoke

August 30, 2021

Science Daily/Stanford University

Interviews with Northern California residents reveal that social norms and social support are essential for understanding protective health behaviors during wildfire smoke events -- information that could be leveraged to improve public health outcomes.

As wildfires become commonplace in the western U.S. and around the world, checking the daily air quality warning has become as routine as checking the weather. But what people do with that data -- whether it drives them to slip on a mask before stepping outside or seal up their homes against smoke -- is not always straightforward or rational, according to new Stanford research.

In a case study of Northern California residents, Stanford researchers explored the psychological factors and social processes that drive responses to wildfire smoke. The research, which ultimately aims to uncover approaches for helping people better protect themselves, shows that social norms and social support are essential for understanding protective health actions during wildfire smoke events. The findings appeared this month in the journal Climate Risk Management.

"It's important to understand how people behave so that public health communications professionals can potentially intervene and promote safer behavior that mitigates risk," said lead study author Francisca Santana, a PhD student in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER). "This kind of qualitative work is a first step so that we can learn how people are using information and interacting to make decisions. We can then look at where there might be leverage points or opportunities to promote more protective behavior."

Exposure to wildfire smoke can irritate the lungs, cause inflammation, impact the immune system and increase susceptibility to lung infections, including the virus that causes COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While other studies have examined how people respond to evacuation orders, little has been done to understand what's happening with wildfire smoke exposure if people don't -- or can't -- leave the area, according to senior study author Gabrielle Wong-Parodi, an assistant professor of Earth system science at Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (Stanford Earth).

"It resonated with me, the things that people were doing to try to protect themselves in the absence of access to effective ways to reduce their wildfire smoke exposure," Wong-Parodi said, referring to a resident who breathed through a wet bandana in an attempt to filter out toxic smoke particles. "It's urgent that we come up with strategies that are realistic for what people are going through."

Study authors Santana and David Gonzalez, who worked on the study as a PhD student at Stanford, interviewed residents across age, race and income demographics who were affected by wildfire smoke from the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed Paradise, California, and subsequent fires in 2019 in Fresno, Santa Clara and Sacramento counties.

They found that individuals responded to wildfire smoke events in three main ways: interpreting information together, protecting vulnerable others and questioning protective actions. Their responses were influenced not only by the Air Quality Index (AQI) but also by what they were personally experiencing -- whether they smelled, saw or tasted smoke in the air.

Just as important were the social factors at play, the researchers found. "Social norms and social support were really influencing how people chose to act on their perceptions of threat," Santana said. "For example, a lot of people talked about observing others wearing masks, and in some cases that observation was enough for them to act by wearing a mask themselves."

Their discussions revealed that the shared rules or standards of behavior within a social group -- social norms -- were a common pathway driving behavior change, in addition to the act of assisting or comforting others within your social group -- social support.

"There were only a handful of people who described looking at the AQI and then changing their behavior based on just that -- it was almost always a conversation they were having with one another," Santana said. "It was very much a social exercise of making sense of limited information or information that was not at the right scale for their community."

The study provides a framework for better understanding wildfire smoke responses by examining social processes while acknowledging that cultural and political contexts, as well as factors like demographics, health status and previous exposure to smoke and air pollution, may also influence individual behaviors.

In the western U.S., climate change has contributed to the risk and extent of wildfires, bringing smoke to regions like the Bay Area, which has historically been less affected than the rest of the state. In some cases, the researchers found that residents were unable to protect themselves because they couldn't access N95 masks or air purifiers or properly seal their homes.

"This research is also important for epidemiologists trying to understand how wildfire smoke affects health," said Gonzalez, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. "This can help us to look at disparities in who's exposed to smoke and whether that leads to poorer health for some populations."

As these events become more common, there could be an opportunity to find policy synergies that help prepare communities for future smoke events, according to the co-authors. For example, programs that are designed to improve household comfort and increase energy efficiency could also include measures to reduce smoke intrusion during wildfire smoke events, Wong-Parodi suggested.

Some of the interviews revealed that residents simply didn't know what to do while experiencing a novel extreme event. But even that revealed how processing uncertainty is a social exercise, not just a cognitive one.

"This piece shows that social norms may be an effective lever for encouraging the pro-health change that we'd like to see," Wong-Parodi said. "That is actually a really promising sign for thinking about how to adapt and mitigate our risk as we're facing increasing threats from climate change."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210830152903.htm

Antibiotics linked to increased risk of colon cancer

September 1, 2021

Science Daily/Umea University

There is a clear link between taking antibiotics and an increased risk of developing colon cancer within the next five to ten years. This has been confirmed by researchers at Umeå University, Sweden, after a study of 40,000 cancer cases. The impact of antibiotics on the intestinal microbiome is thought to lie behind the increased risk of cancer.

"The results underline the fact that there are many reasons to be restrictive with antibiotics. While in many cases antibiotic therapy is necessary and saves lives, in the event of less serious ailments that can be expected to heal anyway, caution should be exercised. Above all to prevent bacteria from developing resistance but, as this study shows, also because antibiotics may increase the risk of future colon cancer," explains Sophia Harlid, cancer researcher at Umeå University.

Researchers found that both women and men who took antibiotics for over six months ran a 17 per cent greater risk of developing cancer in the ascending colon, the first part of the colon to be reached by food after the small intestine, than those who were not prescribed any antibiotics. However, no increased risk was found for cancer in the descending colon. Nor was there an increased risk of rectal cancer in men taking antibiotics, while women taking antibiotics had a slightly reduced incidence of rectal cancer.

The increased risk of colon cancer was visible already five to ten years after taking antibiotics. Although the increase in risk was greatest for those taking most antibiotics, it was also possible to observe an admittedly small, but statistically significant, increase in the risk of cancer after a single course of antibiotics.

The present study uses data on 40,000 patients from the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry from the period 2010-2016. These have been compared to a matched control group of 200,000 cancer-free individuals drawn from the Swedish population at large. Data on the individuals' antibiotic use was collected from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register for the period 2005-2016. The Swedish study broadly confirms the results of an earlier, somewhat smaller British study.

In order to understand how antibiotics increase the risk, the researchers also studied a non-antibiotic bactericidal drug used against urinary infections that does not affect the microbiome. There was no difference in the frequency of colon cancer in those who used this drug, suggesting that it is the impact of antibiotics on the microbiome that increases the risk of cancer. While the study only covers orally administered antibiotics, even intravenous antibiotics may affect the gut microbiota in the intestinal system.

"There is absolutely no cause for alarm simply because you have taken antibiotics. The increase in risk is moderate and the affect on the absolute risk to the individual is fairly small. Sweden is also in the process of introducing routine screening for colorectal cancer. Like any other screening programme, it is important to take part so that any cancer can be detected early or even prevented, as cancer precursors can sometimes be removed," says Sophia Harlid.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210901090057.htm

Alcohol can cause immediate risk of atrial fibrillation

Study contradicts perception that drinking is 'cardioprotective'

August 31, 2021

Science Daily/University of California - San Francisco

A single glass of wine can quickly -- significantly -- raise the drinker's risk for atrial fibrillation, according to new research by UC San Francisco.

The study provides the first evidence that alcohol consumption substantially increases the chance of the heart rhythm condition occurring within a few hours. The findings might run counter to a prevailing perception that alcohol can be "cardioprotective," say the authors, suggesting that reducing or avoiding alcohol might help mitigate harmful effects.

The paper is published August 30, 2021 in Annals of Internal Medicine.

"Contrary to a common belief that atrial fibrillation is associated with heavy alcohol consumption, it appears that even one alcohol drink may be enough to increase the risk," said Gregory Marcus, MD, MAS, professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at UCSF.

"Our results show that the occurrence of atrial fibrillation might be neither random nor unpredictable," he said. "Instead, there may be identifiable and modifiable ways of preventing an acute heart arrhythmia episode."

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart arrhythmia seen clinically, but until now research has largely focused on risk factors for developing the disease and therapies to treat it, rather than factors that determine when and where an episode might occur. AF can lead to loss of quality of life, significant health care costs, stroke, and death.

Large studies have shown that chronic alcohol consumption can be a predictor of the condition, and Marcus and other scientists have demonstrated that it is linked to heightened risks of a first diagnosis of atrial arrhythmias.

The research centered on 100 patients with documented AF who consumed at least one alcoholic drink a month. The patients were recruited from the general cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology outpatient clinics at UCSF. People with a history of alcohol or substance use disorder were excluded, as were those with certain allergies, or who were changing treatment for their heart condition.

Each wore an electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor for approximately four weeks, pressing a button whenever they had a standard-size alcoholic drink. They were also all fitted with a continuously recording alcohol sensor. Blood tests reflecting alcohol consumption over the previous weeks were periodically administered. Participants consumed a median of one drink per day throughout the study period.

Researchers found that an AF episode was associated with two-fold higher odds with one alcoholic drink, and three-fold higher odds with two or more drinks within the preceding four hours. AF episodes were also associated with an increased blood alcohol concentration.

The authors note study limitations, including that patients might have forgotten to press their monitor buttons or that they minimized the number of button presses due to embarrassment, although these considerations would not have affected alcohol sensor readings. Additionally, the study was limited to those with established AF, not to the general population.

"The effects seem to be fairly linear: the more alcohol consumed, the higher the risk of an acute AF event," said Marcus. "These observations mirror what has been reported by patients for decades, but this is the first objective, measurable evidence that a modifiable exposure may acutely influence the chance that an AF episode will occur."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210831083055.htm

How can I avoid heart disease or stroke?

August 30, 2021

Science Daily/European Society of Cardiology

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice are published online today in European Heart Journal.

As much as 90% of the risk of a heart attack, stroke, or peripheral arterial disease (PAD) can be explained by smoking, poor eating habits, lack of physical activity, abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, raised blood lipid levels, diabetes, psychosocial factors, or alcohol. These guidelines focus on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), which affects the arteries. As the inside of the arteries become clogged up by fatty deposits, they can no longer supply enough blood to the body. This process is the main cause of heart attacks, strokes, PAD and sudden death where arteries become completely blocked. The most important way to prevent these conditions is to adopt a healthy lifestyle throughout life, especially not smoking, and to treat risk factors.

Recommendations are provided for healthy adults of all ages, as well as patients with established CVD or diabetes. Identifying who will benefit most from preventive treatments, such as blood pressure and lipid lowering therapies, is central to prevention efforts and therefore the estimation of CVD risk is the cornerstone of the guidelines.

Targets for blood lipids, blood pressure, and glycaemic control in diabetes remain as recommended in recent ESC guidelines on dyslipidaemias, hypertension or diabetes. The current guidelines introduce a stepwise approach to intensifying preventive treatments, while always taking into consideration potential benefit, other conditions, psychosocial factors and patient preferences. In healthy people, for example, the stepwise approach starts with recommendations for everyone: smoking cessation, adopting a healthy lifestyle, and maintaining a systolic blood pressure below 160 mmHg. The recommendations are then tailored according to the 10-year risk of CVD (calculated by a health professional using available risk scores).

"Individualised decisions using risk estimation and a stepwise approach to therapies is more complex than a one-size-fits-all approach, but reflects the diversity of patients and patient characteristics in everyday clinical practice, and is essential to give the right patient the right treatment," said guidelines task force chairperson Professor Frank Visseren of the University Medical Centre Utrecht, the Netherlands.

A new section is devoted to communication of risk in the shared decision making process. The aims are for individuals to understand their risk, the anticipated risk reduction with preventive actions, the pros and cons of intervention, and their own priorities. In healthy people, the standard approach is to calculate the likelihood of CVD within 10 years. Young people may find estimations of lifetime risk and lifetime benefit of preventive action more informative, since their 10-year risk is generally low.

Stopping smoking is potentially the most effective of all preventive measures, with substantial reductions in heart attacks or death. The CVD risk in smokers under 50 years of age is five-fold higher than in non-smokers. Quitting must be encouraged in all smokers, and passive smoking should be avoided where possible. For the first time, the guidelines explicitly state that smoking cessation is recommended, and remains beneficial, regardless of weight gain. While evidence suggests that e-cigarettes may be more effective than nicotine-replacement therapy for smoking cessation, the long-term effects on cardiovascular and lung health are unclear and dual use with tobacco cigarettes should be avoided.

Regarding exercise, adults of all ages should strive for at least 150?300 minutes a week of moderate-intensity, or 75?150 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity, aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination. For the first time it is recommended to reduce sedentary time and engage in at least light activity throughout the day. Also new is to consider wearable activity trackers to increase activity. The guidelines state: "Most important is to encourage activity that people enjoy and/or can include in their daily routines, as such activities are more likely to be sustainable."

Regarding nutrition, a healthy diet is recommended for all individuals to prevent CVD. This should emphasise plant-based foods including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, pulses, and nuts. New recommendations include the adoption of a Mediterranean or similar diet; restricting alcohol intake to a maximum of 100 g per week (a standard drink contains 8 to 14 g); eating fish, preferably fatty, at least once a week; and restricting consumption of meat, particularly processed meat.

In terms of body weight, it is recommended that overweight and obese people lose weight to lower blood pressure, blood lipids, and the risk of diabetes, and thereby reduce the likelihood of CVD. For the first time, the guidelines state that bariatric surgery should be considered for obese individuals at high risk of CVD when a healthy diet and exercise do not result in maintained weight loss.

Mental disorders such as anxiety are associated with an increased risk of CVD and a worse prognosis for those already diagnosed with CVD. A new recommendation is to provide intensified support to patients with these conditions to improve adherence to lifestyle changes and drug treatment. Also new is to consider referral to psychotherapeutic stress management for patients with CVD and stress.

The guidelines recommend policy interventions at the population level to improve heart health and promote healthy choices. These include measures to lower air pollution, reduce fossil fuel use, and limit carbon dioxide emissions. Other measures are greater availability of school playground spaces, and legislation that restricts marketing unhealthy food to children on television, the internet, social media, and food packaging. E-cigarettes, which are addictive, should be subject to similar marketing controls as standard cigarettes, especially flavoured varieties that appeal to children. Labelling alcohol with caloric content and health warnings may be considered.

As summarised by guidelines task force chairperson Professor François Mach of Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland, "CVD prevention requires an integrated, interdisciplinary approach that puts healthy people and patients at the centre and considers other health conditions, and environmental factors including air pollution."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210830095959.htm

Light-to-moderate coffee drinking associated with health benefits

August 30, 2021

Science Daily/European Society of Cardiology

Up to three cups of coffee per day is associated with a lower risk of stroke and fatal heart disease, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2021.1,2

"To our knowledge, this is the largest study to systematically assess the cardiovascular effects of regular coffee consumption in a population without diagnosed heart disease," said study author Dr. Judit Simon, of the Heart and Vascular Centre, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.

"Our results suggest that regular coffee consumption is safe, as even high daily intake was not associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality after a follow-up of 10 to 15 years," she continued. "Moreover, 0.5 to 3 cups of coffee per day was independently associated with lower risks of stroke, death from cardiovascular disease, and death from any cause."

Even though coffee is among the most consumed beverages in the world, little is known about the long-term impact of regular consumption on cardiovascular health.

This study investigated the association between usual coffee intake and incident heart attack, stroke and death. The study included 468,629 participants of the UK Biobank with no signs of heart disease at the time of recruitment. The average age was 56.2 years and 55.8% were women.

Participants were divided into three groups according to their usual coffee intake: none (did not consume coffee on a regular basis, 22.1%), light-to-moderate (0.5 to 3 cups/day, 58.4%) and high (more than 3 cups/day, 19.5%).

The researchers estimated the association of daily coffee consumption with incident outcomes over a median follow-up of 11 years using multivariable models. The analyses were adjusted for factors that could influence the relationship including age, sex, weight, height, smoking status, physical activity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol level, socioeconomic status, and usual intake of alcohol, meat, tea, fruit and vegetables.

Compared to non-coffee drinkers, light-to-moderate consumption was associated with a 12% lower risk of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR]=0.88, p<0.001), 17% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease (HR=0.83, p=0.006), and 21% lower risk of incident stroke (HR=0.79; p=0.037).

To examine the potential underlying mechanisms, the researchers analysed the association between daily coffee intake and heart structure and function over a median follow-up of 11 years. For this, they used data from 30,650 participants who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is considered the gold standard for the assessment of cardiac structure and function.

Dr. Simon said: "The imaging analysis indicated that compared with participants who did not drink coffee regularly, daily consumers had healthier sized and better functioning hearts. This was consistent with reversing the detrimental effects of ageing on the heart."

She concluded: "Our findings suggest that coffee consumption of up to 3 cups per day is associated with favourable cardiovascular outcomes. While further studies are needed to explain the underlying mechanisms, the observed benefits might be partly explained by positive alterations in cardiac structure and function."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210830075619.htm

Integrated treatment for depression and heart failure improves quality of life and mood

August 30, 2021

Science Daily/University of Pittsburgh

Results suggest that simple measures, such as depression care administered by phone, can make a big difference for patients recovering from heart failure.

A telephone-delivered nursing care strategy that combined heart failure care management with depression treatment improved patients' clinical outcomes, discovered clinicians from the University of Pittsburgh. The findings of the clinical trial, called Hopeful Heart, were published today in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The Hopeful Heart Trial is the first study to apply a 'blended' collaborative care approach to treating heart failure and depression, whereby investigators trained medical nurses to deliver depression and heart failure care under guidance of a study cardiologist, psychiatrist and primary care physician.

"Heart failure is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases in the United States, and it's growing even more prevalent as the population ages," said lead author Bruce Rollman, M.D., M.P.H., UPMC endowed chair and professor of medicine at Pitt. "I'm very excited about our results because they show that we can successfully train medical nurses to deliver effective depression care as part of heart failure care management they may already be delivering, and that this pragmatic approach can significantly improve patients' mood and help them regain a better quality of life."

Cardiologists rarely screen their patients for depression, even though it occurs in up to half of all heart failure patients and has been associated with reduced adherence to recommended heart failure care, higher rates of hospital readmission and increased mortality. One potential explanation is that few studies have examined the benefits of depression treatment on heart failure patients' recovery.

To find out if effective depression treatments can be delivered as part of routine heart failure care, the researchers tested a telephone-delivered 'blended' model of collaborative care. Medical nurses who were trained to administer depression care had weekly care-review conference calls with a study psychiatrist and a study cardiologist, and then relayed treatment recommendations to patients and their primary care physicians. Afterward, study nurses monitored patients via regular telephone calls and made recommendations for adjustments in care depending on patients' responses to treatment.

"Collaborative 'blended' care model provides extra layers of emotional and educational support for patients and their families," said co-author Amy Anderson, M.S., clinical coordinator for the Hopeful Heart Trial at Pitt. "When we sit in on case review sessions with doctors and nurses, we end up learning a great deal about these patients' lives; it becomes personal. So, it is always very rewarding to see these patients overcome hurdles and improve over time."

Hopeful Heart recruited 756 participants with heart failure from eight Pittsburgh-area hospitals, including 629 patients who screened positive for depression. At 12-months follow-up, 'blended' care patients reported better mental health-related quality of life -- including fewer limitations in social activities, improved general well-being, higher energy and less fatigue, and improved mood -- compared to patients receiving usual care, and improved mood compared to those who received collaborative care for heart failure alone.

The researchers hope that this innovative and practical approach to patient care could be implemented more broadly, especially as both patients and health care workers have become more accustomed to telemedicine than ever before.

"Depression often goes unrecognized and untreated in heart failure patients, and we are encouraged that our integrated approach to addressing depression was not only effective, but that it can be easily scaled up and expanded nationally," Rollman said. "A 'blended' collaborative care that is built on existing systems of care also may enable organized health care systems such as UPMC to deliver effective first-line care for depression and other mental health conditions to patients with complex medical conditions."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210830113314.htm

Drinking sufficient water could prevent heart failure

August 24, 2021

Science Daily/European Society of Cardiology

Staying well-hydrated throughout life could reduce the risk of developing heart failure, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2021.

“Our study suggests that maintaining good hydration can prevent or at least slow down the changes within the heart that lead to heart failure,” said study author Dr. Natalia Dmitrieva of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, US. “The findings indicate that we need to pay attention to the amount of fluid we consume every day and take action if we find that we drink too little.”

Recommendations on daily fluid intake vary from 1.6 to 2.1 litres for women and 2 to 3 litres for men. However, worldwide surveys have shown that many people do not meet even the lower ends of these ranges. Serum sodium is a precise measure of hydration status: when people drink less fluid, the concentration of serum sodium increases. The body then attempts to conserve water, activating processes known to contribute to the development of heart failure.

Dr. Dmitrieva said: “It is natural to think that hydration and serum sodium should change day to day depending on how much we drink on each day. However, serum sodium concentration remains within a narrow range over long periods,3 which is likely related to habitual fluid consumption.”

This study examined whether serum sodium concentration in middle age, as a measure of hydration habits, predicts the development of heart failure 25 years later. The researchers also examined the connection between hydration and thickening of the walls of the heart's main pumping chamber (left ventricle) – called left ventricular hypertrophy – which is a precursor to heart failure diagnosis.

The analysis was performed in 15,792 adults in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Participants were 44 to 66 years old at recruitment and were evaluated over five visits until age 70 to 90.

Participants were divided into four groups based on their average serum sodium concentration at study visits one and two (conducted in the first three years): 135–139.5, 140–141.5, 142–143.5, and 144–146 mmol/l. For each sodium group, the researchers then analysed the proportion of people who developed heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy at visit five (25 years later).

Higher serum sodium concentration in midlife was associated with both heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy 25 years later. Serum sodium remained significantly associated with heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy after adjusting for other factors related to the development of heart failure: age, blood pressure, kidney function, blood cholesterol, blood glucose, body mass index, sex and smoking status. Every 1 mmol/l increase in serum sodium concentration in midlife was associated with 1.20 and 1.11 increased odds of developing left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure, respectively, 25 years later.

The risks of both left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure at age 70 to 90 began to increase when serum sodium exceeded 142 mmol/l in midlife.

Dr. Dmitrieva said: “The results suggest that good hydration throughout life may decrease the risk of developing left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure. In addition, our finding that serum sodium exceeding 142mmol/l increases the risk of adverse effects in the heart may help to identify people who could benefit from an evaluation of their hydration level. This sodium level is within the normal range and would not be labelled as abnormal in lab test results but could be used by physicians during regular physical exams to identify people whose usual fluid intake should be assessed.”-

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210824104113.htm

There’s a bright side to being a ‘Debbie Downer’

New study finds changing it up could prompt negative emotions and that’s OK

August 24, 2021

Science Daily/University of South Florida (USF Innovation)

New research shows that keeping busy with a variety of activities can elicit both positive and negative emotions, and some of the relationship could depend on your age. A new study published in the Journal of Gerontology finds that engaging in diverse daily activities is associated with a diverse set of emotions.

"Experiencing a broad spectrum of emotions is adaptive and beneficial to health because it means having a more balanced and nuanced appraisal of daily life," said Soomi Lee, assistant professor of aging studies in the University of South Florida College of Behavioral and Community Sciences. "For example, even for negative emotions, feeling intense anger across situations may mean that the individual has a narrow appraisal of situations, whereas feeling a mix of anger, sadness and shame may indicate a broader and more nuanced appraisal."

Lee reviewed data collected on nearly 3,000 middle-aged participants enrolled in the Midlife in the United States Study who are considered relatively healthy and well-educated. She found individuals who regularly participated in a broad range of daily activities experienced diverse emotional experiences -- both positive and negative -- with those between ages 33-44 experiencing more diverse positive emotions compared to those between ages 68-84.

The study looked at the amount of time individuals spent participating in seven activities: paid work, spending time with children, chores, leisure, physical activities, formal volunteering and helping someone outside of their household, such as a neighbor. Participants recorded their activities for eight consecutive days, as well as their positive and negative emotions, which were used to calculate emodiversity scores.

Emodiversity is a term used to describe rich and balanced emotions. Emodiversity was broken into 13 positive emotions: cheerful, in good spirits, extremely happy, calm and peaceful, satisfied, full of life, enthusiastic, attentive, proud, active, close to others, belonging and confident, as well as 14 negative emotions: worthlessness, nervous, restless or fidgety, hopeless, afraid, jittery, irritable, ashamed, upset, lonely, angry, frustrated, that everything is an effort and so sad that nothing could cheer you up.

Lee says the younger demographic may have stronger emotions than older adults since their activities are more diverse. Many spend more time at work and with children, which tends to decrease with age. Also, older adults may have more muted or monotonic emotions as a result of wisdom or their strategy to reduce the range of novel social interactions to avoid potentially negative situations. Interestingly, the overall amount of time spent participating in activities was not associated with neither positive nor negative emodiversity, suggesting that total activity time is not what matters, but rather that an even amount of time is spent participating in a broad range of activities.

In addition to emodiversity, previous studies have found greater activity diversity is also associated with higher psychological well-being, better cognitive functioning and brain volume that governs memory and learning.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210824135331.htm

Think leisure is a waste? That may not bode well for your mental health

August 23, 2021

Science Daily/Ohio State University

Feeling like leisure is wasteful and unproductive may lead to less happiness and higher levels of stress and depression, new research suggests.

In a series of studies, researchers examined the effects of a common belief in modern society: that productivity is the ultimate goal and time's a-wasting if you're just having fun.

People who most strongly agreed with this belief not only enjoyed leisure less, but also reported poorer mental health outcomes, said Selin Malkoc, co-author of the study and associate professor of marketing at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.

"There is plenty of research which suggests that leisure has mental health benefits and that it can make us more productive and less stressed," Malkoc said.

"But we find that if people start to believe that leisure is wasteful, they may end up being more depressed and more stressed."

One bright side: Some skeptical people could enjoy fun activities if leisure was part of a larger goal, and not an end in itself.

"If leisure can be framed as having some kind of productive goal, that helps people who think leisure is wasteful get some of the same benefits," said study co-author Rebecca Reczek, professor of marketing at Ohio State.

The study was published online Aug. 21, 2021 in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

In one study, 199 college students rated how much they enjoyed a variety of leisure activities and completed assessments that measured their levels of happiness, depression, anxiety and stress.

They were also asked how much they agreed with five statements assessing the degree to which they believed leisure is wasteful (such as "Time spent on leisure activities is often wasted time.")

Results showed that the more the participants believed leisure to be wasteful, the less they enjoyed leisure activities.

That was true whether the leisure activity was active (exercising) or passive (watching TV), social (hanging out with friends) or solitary (meditating).

In addition, the more they thought leisure was wasteful, the lower their levels of happiness and the higher their levels of depression, anxiety and stress.

In one study, 302 online participants were asked what they did to celebrate Halloween a few days after the holiday in 2019. Some of the activities they could choose from were fun for their own sake, like going to a party. Others served a larger goal, such as taking your kids out trick or treating.

The participants were asked to rate how much they enjoyed their Halloween experience.

Results showed that those who thought leisure was more wasteful reported less enjoyment of activities, like parties, that were only about the fun.

"But those who participated in fun activities that fulfilled responsibilities, like trick or treating with your kids, didn't see such a reduction in how much they enjoyed their Halloween," said study co-author Gabriela Tonietto, an assistant professor of marketing at the Rutgers Business School.

The negative view of leisure is not just an American issue. One study, which compared people in the United States, India and France, found that the French were less likely than those in the U.S. and India to believe leisure was wasteful - as is consistent with cultural stereotypes. But for those in France who did disdain leisure, the bad effects were the same.

"We live in a global society and there are people everywhere that hear the same messages about how important it is to be busy and productive," Reczek said.

"And once you believe that, and internalize the message that leisure is a waste, our results suggest you're going to be more depressed and less happy, no matter where you live."

The researchers were struck by how the negative views of leisure affected enjoyment of anything fun, no matter the situation or how short the leisure activity was.

In one study, college student participants were asked to watch a short funny cat video in the middle of other parts of an experiment. Some read articles beforehand that touted leisure as a way to manage stress and increase energy. Even then, the same effects persisted.

"These are students who are coming into the lab to answer surveys, which can be boring. In the middle of that we give them a funny video to watch, which you would expect would be a nice break - and even then, some participants didn't enjoy it as much," Malkoc said.

"They had no way to use the time more productively. We were giving them a break from other, more boring activities. And still, those who believe leisure is wasteful didn't think watching the videos was as fun as others did."

The study showed it is not easy to change people's beliefs about the value of leisure. So a different approach may be needed, the researchers said.

For those who believe leisure is wasteful, "it may be helpful to think about the productive ways that individual leisure activities can serve their long-term goals," Tonietto said.

In other words, connect each leisure activity to something you want to accomplish, she said.

"Find ways to make fun activities part of a larger goal in your life," Malkoc added. "Think about how it is productive, instrumental and useful."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210823104334.htm

Too much time on a computer, watching TV or other sedentary activities raises stroke risk

August 19, 2021

Science Daily/American Heart Association

Adults younger than age 60 who spent eight or more hours a day during their free time using a computer, watching TV or reading and participated in little physical activity had an increased risk of stroke. Boosting physical activity may reduce or eliminate the increased stroke risk from prolonged sedentary time. Public health efforts to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time in adults younger than age 60 could help to lower their long-term stroke risk.

According to American Heart Association statistics, U.S. adults spend an average of 10.5 hours a day connected to media such as smartphones, computers or television watching, and adults ages 50 to 64 spend the most time of any age group connected to media. Data also indicate that stroke-related deaths decreased in 2010 among adults 65 years and older. However, death from stroke appears to be on the rise among younger adults, ages 35 to 64 years -- increasing from 14.7 in every 100,000 adults in 2010 to 15.4 per 100,000 in 2016. Previous research suggests the more time adults spend sedentary, the greater their risk of cardiovascular disease including stroke, and nearly 9 in 10 strokes could be attributed to modifiable risk factors such as sedentary behaviors.

"Sedentary time is increasing in the United States and Canada," said study author Raed A. Joundi, M.D., D.Phil., a stroke fellow in the department of clinical neurosciences at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary in Canada. "Sedentary time is the duration of awake activities that are done sitting or lying down. Leisure sedentary time is specific to the sedentary activities done while not at work. It is important to understand whether high amounts of sedentary time can lead to stroke in young individuals, as a stroke can cause premature death or significantly impair function and quality of life."

In this study, researchers reviewed health and lifestyle information for 143,000 adults with no prior stroke, heart disease or cancer who participated in the Canadian Community Health Survey in years 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007-2012. Researchers followed the participants for an average of 9.4 years (until Dec. 31, 2017) and identified strokes through linkages with hospital records.

They reviewed the amount of time spent each day in leisure sedentary activities (hours spent on computer, reading and watching TV) and divided them into categories of less than four hours per day; four to less than six hours per day; six to less than eight hours per day; and eight hours or more a day. They also divided physical activity into quartiles, or four equal categories, where the lowest quartile was the least physically active and equivalent to going for a walk for 10 minutes or less daily. "A walk of 10 minutes or less per day is lower than half of what the American Heart Association's physical activity guidelines recommend," Joundi said.

The American Heart Association recommends adults get at least 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours, of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.

Analysis of study participants found:

• During the follow-up period, an average of 9.4 years, 2,965 strokes occurred. Nearly 90% of those were ischemic strokes, the most common stroke type, which occurs when a vessel supplying blood to the brain is obstructed.

• The average daily leisure sedentary time among all participants was 4.08 hours. Individuals aged 60 and younger had an average leisure sedentary time of 3.9 hours per day. Average daily leisure sedentary time was 4.4 hours for adults aged 60 to 79, and 4.3 hours for those 80 years and older.

• Adults 60 years and younger who had low physical activity and reported eight or more hours of leisure sedentary time a day had a 4.2 times higher risk of stroke compared to those reporting less than four hours of daily leisure sedentary time.

• The most inactive group -- those reporting eight or more hours of sedentary time and low physical activity -- had 7 times higher risk of stroke compared to those reporting less than four hours of sedentary time a day and higher levels of physical activity.

"Adults 60 years and younger should be aware that very high sedentary time with little time spent on physical activity can have adverse effects on health, including increased risk of stroke," Joundi said. "Physical activity has a very important role in that it reduces the actual time spent sedentary, and it also seems to diminish the negative impact of excess sedentary time. Physician recommendations and public health policies should emphasize increased physical activity and lower sedentary time among young adults in combination with other healthy habits to lower the risks of cardiovascular events and stroke."

A significant limitation of the study's results was that the survey did not ask participants about occupation-related sedentary time; this could mean sedentary time is underreported among people who have desk jobs, for example.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210819081501.htm

Lonely flies, like many humans, eat more and sleep less

August 18, 2021

Science Daily/Rockefeller University

Single fruit flies quarantined in test tubes sleep too little and eat too much after only about one week of social isolation, according to a new study.

COVID-19 lockdowns scrambled sleep schedules and stretched waistlines. One culprit may be social isolation itself. Scientists have found that lone fruit flies quarantined in test tubes sleep too little and eat too much after only about one week of social isolation, according to a new study published in Nature. The findings, which describe how chronic separation from the group leads to changes in gene expression, neural activity, and behavior in flies, provide one of the first robust animal models for studying the body's biological reaction to loneliness.

"Flies are wired to have a specific response to social isolation," says Michael W. Young, the Richard and Jeanne Fisher Professor and head of the Laboratory of Genetics at Rockefeller. "We found that loneliness has pathological consequences, connected to changes in a small group of neurons, and we've begun to understand what those neurons are doing."

The science of loneliness

Drosophila are social creatures. The fruit flies forage and feed in groups, serenade one another through complex mating rituals, tussle in miniature boxing matches. And then they conk out: flies sleep 16 hours each day, split between a languorous midday nap and a full night's rest.

So when Wanhe Li, a research associate in Young's lab, began investigating the biological underpinnings of chronic social isolation, she turned to the gregarious and well-studied fruit fly. "Over and over again, Drosophila have put us on the right track," says Young. "Evolution packed a great deal of complexity into these insects long ago and, when we dig into their systems, we often find the rudiments of something that is also manifest in mammals and humans."

"When we have no roadmap, the fruit fly becomes our roadmap," Li adds.

For the study, Wanhe Li first compared how flies fare under various lockdown conditions. After seven days, flies housed together in groups of varying sizes produced no anomalous behaviors. Even two flies cut off from the crowd were content with one another. But when a single fly was entirely isolated, the lonely insect began eating more and sleeping less.

Further investigation revealed that a group of genes linked to starvation were expressed differently in the brains of lonely flies -- a tempting genetic basis for the observed connection between isolation and overeating.

Li then found that a small group of brain cells known as P2 neurons were involved in the observed changes to sleep and feeding behavior. Shutting down the P2 neurons of chronically-isolated flies suppressed overeating and restored sleep; boosting P2 in flies isolated from the group for only one day caused them to eat and sleep as if they had been alone for a full week.

"We managed to trick the fly into thinking that it had been chronically isolated," says Wanhe Li. "The P2 neurons seem to be linked to the perception of the duration of social isolation, or the intensiveness of loneliness, like a timer counting down how long the fly has been alone."

The Young lab painstakingly confirmed these observations. They engineered insomniac flies, to make sure that lack of sleep alone did not cause overeating (it didn't). They tested group-reared flies to find out whether manipulating P2 neurons would cause overeating and sleep loss in socialized flies (it doesn't). Ultimately, they concluded that only a perfect storm of both P2 neuron activity and social isolation will cause flies to begin to losing sleep and overeating.

Explaining the "Quarantine 15"

Scientists have observed that many social animals -- from fruit flies to humans -- eat more and sleep less when isolated. The reason for this is unclear. One possibility, Young says, is that social isolation signals a degree of uncertainty about the future. Preparation for tough times may include being alert and awake as often as possible and eating whenever food is available.

This study can hardly confirm that humans in COVID-19 lockdowns ate more and slept less due to the same biological mechanisms that keep lonely flies hungry and sleep deprived. But now that Li and Young have identified the neurons and genes responding to chronic isolation in fruit flies, future researchers can search for corresponding connections between loneliness, overeating, and insomnia in laboratory animals and, eventually, humans.

"Clinically-oriented studies suggest that a large number of adults in the United States experienced significant weight gains and loss of sleep throughout the past year of isolation precautions due to COVID-19," Young says. "It may well be that our little flies are mimicking the behaviors of humans living under pandemic conditions for shared biological reasons."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210818130604.htm