Targeting gut microbiota–derived kynurenine to predict and protect ...
Inflammation And Poverty Increase Health And Mortality Risks
Summary: Recent research highlights a synergistic relationship between chronic inflammation and poverty, exacerbating health risks and reducing life expectancy in the U.S.
Analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers found that individuals suffering from both poverty and chronic inflammation face significantly worse health outcomes than those affected by either factor alone. The study used high sensitivity C-reactive protein levels to measure inflammation and considered household income against the poverty threshold.
The findings suggest that the combined effect of poverty and inflammation on mortality is not merely additive but synergistic, emphasizing the need for targeted healthcare interventions.
Key Facts:
Source: Frontiers
In the US, approximately 37.9 million people, or 11.4% of the population, lived below the poverty line in 2022. It has been well demonstrated that poverty negatively affects physical and mental health. For example, people living in poverty run a greater risk of mental illness, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke, and have a higher mortality and lower life expectancy.
The mechanisms by which poverty impacts on health outcomes are manifold: for example, people experiencing poverty have reduced access to healthy food, clean water, safe housing, education, and healthcare.
By comparing the 15-year mortality rate between these, they could thus study the effects of poverty and inflammation separately and jointly. Credit: Neuroscience News Now, researchers have shown for the first time that the effects of poverty may combine in a synergistic manner with another risk factor, chronic inflammation, to reduce health and life expectancy even further. They found that health outcomes for Americans living in poverty and with chronic inflammation are significantly worse than expected from their separate health effects.
The results are published in Frontiers in Medicine.
"Here we show that clinicians need to consider the effect of inflammation on people's health and longevity, especially on those experiencing poverty," said lead author Dr Arch Mainous, a professor at the University of Florida.
Inflammation is a natural physiological reaction to infections or injuries, essential for healing. But chronic inflammation – caused by exposure to environmental toxins, certain diets, autoimmune disorders such as arthritis, or other chronic diseases like Alzheimer's – is a known risk factor for disease and mortality, just like poverty.
NHANES
Mainous and colleagues analyzed data from adults aged 40 and older, enrolled between 1999 and 2002 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and followed them until 31 December 2019. The NHANES, conducted since 1971 by the National Center for Health Statistics, tracks the health and nutritional status of US adults and children.
The NHANES allows for estimates of the US population represented by the cohort, and this study represented nearly 95 million adults. The authors combined NHANES data with records from the National Death Index, to calculate mortality rates over a period of 15 years after enrollment.
Among other demographics, NHANES records the household income. The authors divided this by the official poverty threshold to calculate the 'poverty index ratio', a standard measure of poverty.
Chronic inflammation
Whether participants suffered from severe inflammation was deduced from their plasma concentration of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), produced by the liver in response to the secretion of interleukins by immune and fat cells.
The concentration of hs-CRP, included among NHANES data, is a readily available, informative, and well-studied measure of inflammation: for example, elevated concentrations are known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
Typically, a concentration of greater than 0.3 mg/dl hs-CRP is taken to indicate chronic systemic inflammation, but Mainous et al. also considered the more stringent threshold of 1.0 mg/dl in a separate analysis.
The authors classified participants in four groups: with or without chronic inflammation, and living below the poverty line or not. By comparing the 15-year mortality rate between these, they could thus study the effects of poverty and inflammation separately and jointly.
Synergistic effect
"We found that participants with either inflammation or poverty alone each had about a 50% increased risk in all-cause mortality. In contrast, individuals with both inflammation and poverty had a 127% increased heart disease mortality risk and a 196% increased cancer mortality risk," said Dr Frank A. Orlando, an associate professor at the University of Florida and the study's second author.
"If the effects of inflammation and poverty on mortality were additive, you'd expect a 100% increase in mortality for people where both apply. But since the observed 127% and 196% increases are much greater than 100%, we conclude that the combined effect of inflammation and poverty on mortality is synergistic."
Routine screening for both risk factors?
A wide variety of treatments for systemic inflammation exists, ranging from diet and exercise to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids. The present results suggest that clinicians might consider screening socially disadvantaged people – already a medically vulnerable group – for chronic inflammation, and if necessary treat them with such anti-inflammatory drugs.
However, steroids and NSAIDS aren't without risks when taken long-term. More research will thus be needed before patients are routinely prescribed them in clinical practice to decrease systemic inflammation.
"It's important for guidelines panels to take up this issue to help clinicians integrate inflammation screening into their standard of care, particularly for patients who may have factors that place them at risk for chronic inflammation, including living in poverty. It is time to move beyond documenting the health problems that inflammation can cause, to trying to fix these problems," concluded Mainous.
Author: Mischa DijkstraSource: FrontiersContact: Mischa Dijkstra – FrontiersImage: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: The findings will appear in Frontiers in Medicine
Why Fried Foods And Sweet Cravings Could Signal Health Issues
In our contemporary, fast-paced world, the way we eat is frequently shaped by the demands of convenience, the pressures of stress and a yearning for instant gratification. A common manifestation of these dietary choices is the incorporation of fried foods and succumbing to sweet cravings, both of which have become ubiquitous indulgences. However, what if these seemingly innocent pleasures are not merely culinary preferences but rather subtle signals pointing to underlying health issues? Understanding the implications of these choices is a vital step towards fostering a healthier and more informed approach to nutrition in our bustling lifestyles.
The craving connection
Let's begin by understanding the science behind sweet cravings and the allure of fried foods. The human body is wired to seek out high-calorie foods, a survival instinct inherited from our ancestors. In the modern context, however, these cravings can lead to an overconsumption of unhealthy options, triggering various health problems.
When we crave sweets, our bodies might be signaling a need for quick energy. However, frequent and intense sweet cravings could be linked to issues like insulin resistance, which can pave the way for diabetes. It's essential to listen to our bodies but also to decipher the messages they convey.
Fried foods and inflammation
Fried foods, on the other hand, are often laden with unhealthy fats and oils. Regular consumption can contribute to chronic inflammation, a condition linked to various health problems, including heart disease, arthritis and even certain types of cancer.
The process of deep frying foods at high temperatures produces harmful compounds that can lead to oxidative stress in the body. This stress — coupled with the inflammatory response triggered by fried foods — creates an environment conducive to health issues.
Identifying health red flags
If you find yourself consistently drawn to fried foods and sweet treats, it might be time to consider whether your body is trying to communicate an underlying health issue. Pay attention to other potential red flags such as changes in weight, energy levels or digestive patterns.
Persistent sweet cravings may indicate imbalances in blood sugar levels, while a constant hankering for fried foods could suggest an unhealthy relationship with fats. It's crucial to consult with a health care professional to rule out or address any potential health concerns.
Balancing act: Healthy alternatives and moderation
Understanding the connection between cravings and health is the first step toward making positive changes. Instead of succumbing to the allure of deep-fried delights, consider healthier cooking methods like baking, grilling or air frying. These alternatives retain the flavor without the detrimental effects of excessive oil.
Similarly, satisfying a sweet tooth doesn't have to involve refined sugars. Opt for natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup and incorporate fresh fruits into your diet. Balancing your cravings with nutritious alternatives allows you to enjoy your favorite flavors while supporting your overall well-being.
This story was created using AI technology.
Medical Innovation Must Shift Focus From Common Problems To Unsolvable Ones
The economics of healthcare have long incentivized innovation around commonplace conditions with high patient volumes. Consider the century-plus of discovery in cardiovascular disease, the most common cause of death in the world. The Archives of Internal Medicine published the first concept of the pacemaker in 1932 and the first attempt at electrical defibrillation dates to 1775.
Our approach to medical discovery, however, must evolve as technology grows more sophisticated. The innovator's mindset is shifting from solving the problems right in front of us to solving problems once considered impossible to fix. The lines between curable and incurable diseases are blurring in surgery because medical devices are scaling up precision and scaling down the size of anatomy that surgeons can operate on.
The next great breakthroughs in medicine will come from fixing the "unfixable" problems – and advances in surgical technology will reimagine where physicians draw the line between possible and impossible.
Too small to fix
Repairing microscopic anatomy – vessels, arteries, nerves – has earned "impossible" classification in many cases because the human hand simply cannot operate on something the width of a couple of strands of hair. By unlocking the ability to work on a microscopic level, we can address a wide array of disease states that negatively impact population health today.
Lymphedema, for example, is a life-altering disease that afflicts nearly one in three women who receive treatment for breast cancer and 250 million patients worldwide. There are no drugs or therapeutic cures for lymphedema, because until now, we have not had the ability to surgically repair the lymphatic system, which flushes waste – known as lymph – from the body. But robotic platforms, coupled with powerful magnified vision, allow surgeons to see the problem and manipulate instruments with a delicate precision that they've never had before.
We can also reconsider existing treatment options and improve upon them. For instance, reconstruction surgery after breast cancer treatment can become safer and more effective. Rather than relying on synthetics, which are prone to infections, we can normalize autologous breast reconstruction. It is a more challenging procedure but produces better outcomes, as it utilizes the patient's own tissue instead of synthetics. The less superficial flap reduces donor site morbidity and the risk of infection, while robotic-enabled precision can make the procedure as minimally invasive as possible.
Another opportunity to improve treatments exists in post-traumatic surgery. Today, physicians default to amputating a large percentage of limbs or digits after a serious trauma because they lack the tools to save the appendage in a highly complex surgery. The effects of amputation create significant mental and physical burdens for patients, which we can avoid by revascularizing, or restoring blood flow to the limb. 28 million people in the U.S. Are at risk of amputation surgery each year and an estimated 58 million people worldwide live with an amputated limb worldwide.
We choose to go to the moon
When President John F. Kennedy famously declared "We choose to go to the moon" in his 1962 speech at Rice University, he set the tone for a new era of scientific discovery. It ultimately resulted in the successful Apollo 11 mission and subsequent decades of exploration of outer space, despite widespread public opposition to investing in the space program.
Kennedy's ambition marks one of history's best examples of thinking beyond what we currently perceive as "possible", and it is a valuable lesson that medical innovators should take to heart today. In medicine, however, the next frontier of exploration is not as big and grand as flying to the moon – rather, it is characterized by the microscopic parts of human anatomy that traditional medicine has never reached.
A perfect example of Kennedy's spirit occurred earlier this year when physicians at Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital repaired a brain malformation in a baby still in her mother's womb – the first such surgery in the U.S.
The landmark procedure serves as a remarkable case study in treating emergent conditions in unborn children or very young infants, while it also begs the question, "how small can medicine go?" The once prohibitive complications of operating on highly delicate anatomy no longer represent a barrier to care, and pediatric medicine stands to benefit from advances in surgical precision.
As an investor in medical technology, I have seen how device makers have altered their approach in recent years to tackle more complex and specialized conditions. That paradigm shift is channeling more funds into complex disease states, rather than the most common ones.
Intuitive Surgical – the first company to dominate the surgical robotics space – burst onto the scene in the early 2000's with a device for minimally invasive general surgery. Since then, a new generation of devices has emerged that focus on very specific procedures. The devices themselves are evolving from generalist to specialist, and that is making them more capable in areas of medicine that historically lacked treatment options.
As the specialized devices continue to gain momentum in clinical use with highly skilled surgeons, they will cross more uncrossable barriers and open the door for surgeries we haven't even imagined yet. Medical innovation's "landing on the moon" moment is coming, and it will rewrite our definitions of curable and incurable disease.
Source: champpixs, Getty Images
Comments
Post a Comment