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Eating more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is linked to a higher risk of
developing cancers in the upper aerodigestive tract, including the
mouth, throat, and esophagus, according to an international study
analyzing data from 450,111 adults over approximately 14 years. The
study suggests that the association between UPF consumption and
these cancers is not solely explained by obesity, highlighting potential
contributions from additives, artificial sweeteners, contaminants, and
other mechanisms.
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Accumulation of visceral fat around organs, even in individuals with
healthy body mass indexes (BMIs), may be linked to an increased risk
of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study presented at
the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting.
The
research, analyzing MRI scans and health parameters of individuals
aged 40 to 60, suggests that the association between visceral fat and
Alzheimer's risk may be independent of traditional measures like BMI,
emphasizing the importance of considering fat distribution for
understanding health risks.
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Life expectancy data in the United States reveals a widening gap
between men and women, increasing to 5.8 years in 2021, the largest
difference since 1996, according to research led by UC San Francisco
and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The trend, attributed to
factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid overdose crisis,
emphasizes the need for specialized care for men and public health
interventions to address the decline in life expectancy, which dropped
to 76.1 years in 2021 from 78.8 years in 2019.
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Duke University researchers have developed a brain implant,
described in the journal Nature Communications, which translates
brain signals into speech. The device, evaluated on patients
undergoing brain surgery, uses 256 microscopic sensors to record
brain activity during a simple listen-and-repeat task, achieving 40%
accuracy in decoding the spoken sounds. The researchers aim to
create a wireless version of the device with a recent $2.4 million grant
from the National Institutes of Health, potentially offering a
communication solution for individuals with speech impairments due
to neurological disorders.
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