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Health24.com | Why are some people more sensitive than others? Genes may tell

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  • Some people are more sensitive to their experiences than others
  • A British study set out to determine if this sensitivity is caused by the environment or genes
  • They found that the environment was slightly more influential than genes in causing sensitivity

Very sensitive people may owe about half of their heightened feelings to their genes, a British study of twins suggests.

Researchers looked at pairs of identical and fraternal 17-year-old twins to gauge how much differences in sensitivity owed to genes or the environment.

While identical twins share the same genes, fraternal twins don’t, so findings among identical twins are more likely to be genetic than environmental, the researchers explained.

The study found that 47% of the differences in sensitivity were due to genetics and 53% environmental.

Biology and environment

“We know from previous research that around a third of people are at the higher end of the sensitivity spectrum. They are generally more strongly affected by their experiences,” said study leader Michael Pluess, a professor of developmental psychology at Queen Mary University of London.

“Because we now know that this sensitivity is as much due to biology as environment, it is important for people to accept their sensitivity as an important part of who they are and consider it as a strength, not just as a weakness,” he said in a university news release.

Pluess said this was the first time researchers have been able to quantify how much of the differences can be explained by genetics.

The study included more than 2 800 twins, 1 000 of whom were identical. Participants answered questions about how sensitive they were.

Shared genetic links

“If a child is more sensitive to negative experiences, it may be that they become more easily stressed and anxious in challenging situations,” said co-author Elham Assary, a postdoctoral researcher at Queen Mary.

“On the other hand, if a child has a higher sensitivity to positive experiences, it may be that they are more responsive to good parenting or benefit more from psychological interventions at school. What our study shows is that these different aspects of sensitivity all have a genetic basis,” she said in the release.

The researchers also looked at other personality traits, including openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion and neuroticism. They found shared genetic links between sensitivity, neuroticism and extraversion, but not any other traits.

The findings were recently published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

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Health24.com | Coffee: good for you or not

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  • There has been much debate over the years about the impact of coffee on human health 
  • Caffeinated coffee, however, appears not to increase the risk of disease
  • Moderation appears to be key, as caffeine is a stimulant and can make people jittery

Coffee has been tied to many potential health benefits, but people should drink it for pleasure, and not disease prevention.

That’s one of the main conclusions of a new research review. In it, researchers give an overview of the evidence on coffee and caffeine – the subjects of many health studies over the years.

“The impact of coffee consumption on health is important because there are few other dietary factors that so many people across the world are so frequently exposed to,” said Rob van Dam, the lead author on the review.

And overall, his team found, the news is good for coffee lovers: Caffeinated coffee does not appear to raise any disease risks, and is instead linked to lower odds of various diseases. And moderate doses of caffeine are generally safe for most people.

Pregnant women should be careful

“Moderate” is the key, however. Too much caffeine can disrupt sleep or make people jittery.

“The amount of caffeine that leads to unpleasant side effects varies greatly from person to person,” said van Dam, a professor at the National University of Singapore.

He suggested people pay attention to whether caffeine seems to affect their ability to fall asleep or lead to “agitation or anxiety”. If it does, van Dam said, “they can adapt their level of intake or timing of intake during the day.”

That’s the advice for most adults. Pregnant women, however, should be particularly careful about caffeine intake. Based on the evidence, van Dam’s team said, they should limit themselves to no more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day.

That’s roughly the amount in 12 ounces of coffee.

For non-pregnant people, van Dam said that up to five 8-ounce cups of coffee a day may be fine, depending on a person’s caffeine tolerance.

Much back-and-forth

Lauri Wright is chair of nutrition and dietetics at the University of North Florida, and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“There’s been so much back-and-forth over the years about whether caffeine is good or bad,” said Wright, who was not involved in the review. “So it’s good to come back to the evidence.”

In general, studies show that despite caffeine’s bad reputation as a stimulant, caffeinated coffee does not seem to raise the risk of developing high blood pressure – or worsen existing blood pressure problems.

In fact, coffee consumption has been linked to lower risks of developing heart disease, as well as other serious conditions. The list includes type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, Parkinson’s disease, liver disease and gallstones, according to the review.

None of those studies, however, proves that coffee – or caffeine – is responsible for the lower risks, Wright said. She agreed with the report’s conclusion that people should not rely on java to prevent any diseases.

“But coffee and caffeine can be part of a healthy lifestyle,” Wright said.

Energy drinks the exception

There is a question over whether filtered coffee (from a drip coffee maker, for instance) is healthier than unfiltered. The latter includes espresso, boiled coffee and coffee made by French press, for example.

According to van Dam, research shows that unfiltered coffee can raise blood cholesterol levels.

Wright, however, said, “What you put into the coffee is what really matters, rather than whether it’s filtered or unfiltered.” That is, avoid loading that coffee cup with sugar and cream.

“Some of these coffee drinks people buy are more like milkshakes,” Wright said.

There are other sources of dietary caffeine, including tea, sodas and chocolate. For the most part, though, they contain low amounts, Wright said.

Two exceptions, she noted, are energy drinks and “shots”, which can contain as much or more caffeine than a cup of coffee. High intake of those beverages can cause spikes in blood pressure and heart palpitations, according to the review.

Caffeine can also interact with certain medications. If people have questions about their medications, Wright said, they can talk to their pharmacist.

The review was published on 23 July in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Health24.com | A woman’s egg may prefer one man’s sperm over another’s

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  • A woman’s eggs may be able to choose which sperm to accept
  • Chemical signals released by the eggs ‘attract’ certain sperm
  • This means that egg-sperm chemical dynamics may make particular egg-sperm combinations work better

People have certain qualities they look for in a mate, and now a new study finds that a woman’s eggs may be choosy about sperm, too.

Researchers said the findings offer new insight into human reproduction – showing that eggs will not accept just any sperm, and actually have more say in the union than previously recognised.

In the moments just before fertilisation, there is a chemical “conversation” between an egg and sperm, explained John Fitzpatrick, an associate professor at Stockholm University, in Sweden, and leader of the new study.

“The chemical signals released from eggs allow sperm to change their swimming behaviour,” Fitzpatrick said. “Sperm swim straighter and move towards the egg when they are exposed to the chemical signals. In other words, eggs are releasing sperm-guidance chemicals, like a trail of bread crumbs leading the sperm to the egg, and this can influence fertility.”

Chemicals draw sperm in

Based on the new findings, a woman’s eggs use those signals preferentially, to better attract sperm from certain men.

The researchers arrived at that conclusion after studying samples of sperm and follicular fluid from couples undergoing infertility treatment. Follicular fluid surrounds eggs and contains the chemicals that draw sperm in.

It turned out that follicular fluid from any one woman was better at attracting sperm from certain men, versus others. And the egg’s preferences did not always match with the woman’s choice of mate.

It’s not clear whether there could be any practical implications for addressing infertility, Fitzpatrick said.

“But,” he said, “about one-third of cases of infertility don’t have a clear cause. We weren’t considering how chemical signals might influence egg-sperm interactions and infertility before. Our work helps open the door to consider this in the future.”

The findings were published online on 10 June in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Vying for the fittest sperm

Dr Natan Bar-Chama is president of the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, in Birmingham, Alabama. He cautioned that the findings are based on a small number of couples, and a statistical finding in a study does not always translate into actual physiology.

That said, the existence of such a process makes sense, according to Bar-Chama. The implication, he said, is that right up to the last moment, the egg is vying for the most fit sperm.

But it’s not clear how important that “final filter” is in a couple’s chances of having a baby, Bar-Chama said.

“This is one step, and its impact has yet to be determined,” he said.

Fitzpatrick said that in the context of infertility treatment, the effects of the egg’s chemical signals may, in fact, be minimal. “This is because eggs and sperm are treated very well under clinical in-vitro fertilisation protocols and given every chance to produce viable embryos,” he explained.

Few sperm ‘make it’

Plus, Bar-Chama pointed out, during infertility treatment sperm are often injected directly into eggs – in a process called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

But could bypassing that final chemical interaction between eggs and sperm have consequences? Again, Bar-Chama pointed to all the steps that are taken to ensure the most viable embryo is implanted.

“I think all the data we have on (the health of) ICSI babies speaks for itself,” he said.

But eggs’ chemical attractants may be more critical during natural fertilisation, according to Fitzpatrick. On average, the study found, when follicular fluid was being “more attractive” in its chemical signals, about 18% more sperm swam for their goal. And that could be “pretty important”, Fitzpatrick said.

“Our best estimates are that only a few hundred sperm make it to the egg,” he noted. “And only around 10% of these sperm are able to fertilise an egg at any given time.”

Of course, couples presumably get together without a clue of their egg-sperm compatibility. And no one is saying these egg-sperm chemical dynamics are likely to make or break the chances of conceiving.

“Instead, it may make particular egg-sperm combinations easier to fertilise,” Fitzpatrick said. “We still have a long way to go before we can say this definitely, but it is certainly a possibility.”

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Health24.com | Dangerous ‘drunkorexia’ hits college campuses

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  • Researchers have found that many students diet, exercise or purge to offset calories from drinking
  • This behaviour was observed among female Australian students and is called ‘drunkorexia’
  • Drunkorexia appears to be motivated by two key social norms: consuming alcohol and thinness

College students are known to drink too much and eat a poor diet.

So it may not be surprising that new research has revealed that these two unhealthy behaviours often collide on campus.

When students diet, exercise or purge to purposely offset calories they consume from alcohol, experts sometimes call this “drunkorexia”.

The new study, published online recently in the journal Australian Psychologist, discovered that drunkorexia is incredibly common among female college students, and certain psychological thought patterns may be partially to blame.

Early ‘maladaptive schemas’

Based on a survey of nearly 500 female university students in Australia, researchers found that eight in 10 had engaged in drunkorexic behaviours – skipping meals, drinking low-calorie or sugar-free alcoholic beverages, and purging or exercising after drinking – over a three-month period.

Close to three in 10 reported engaging in these behaviours to offset the calories they took in from alcohol. They did not otherwise show signs of an eating disorder.

The study also found that those who engaged in drunkorexic behaviours were likely to share particular thought patterns – called early maladaptive schemas – or deeply held beliefs about oneself that often develop in childhood.

The researchers identified insufficient self-control, emotional deprivation and social isolation as the three particular schemas associated with drunkorexia.

“Drunkorexia behaviour appears to be motivated by two key social norms for young adults – consuming alcohol and thinness,” said study author Alycia Powell-Jones, a clinical psychologist at the University of South Australia.

More intense intoxication

“However, our research indicates that this behaviour can be a coping strategy potentially to manage social anxieties, through becoming accepted and fitting in,” she added.

Prior research has confirmed that excessive drinking and disordered eating often go hand-in-hand, but this study was the first to identify potential underlying causes.

The prevalence of drunkorexia should be cause for concern, according to two experts, as the combination of these two behaviours comes with consequences.

One concern is that restricting food while drinking alcohol increases the intensity of intoxication.

“Having food in your stomach prior to drinking helps to slow down how quickly alcohol enters your bloodstream,” explained Lisa Fucito, an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

Relatively common behaviours

And alcohol is not a replacement for food – it is just empty calories, added Fucito.

“Individuals who engage in these patterns may actually put on weight and have nutritional deficits,” she noted.

Besides the well-established dangers inherent to eating disorders and excessive alcohol consumption, the combination heightens the risk that one will progress towards more severe forms of the two conditions.

According to Simon Sherry, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, “Individuals who engage in these relatively common behaviours will be at risk to develop the full-blown version of an eating disorder or the full-blown version of a substance use disorder.”

Sherry said, “One of the riskiest things here is that you could move further down a continuum of having a mental illness.”

But he emphasised that there are well-established interventions to treat eating disorders, and he believes that these techniques could manage drunkorexia.

Deeply ingrained psychological factors

“We have roughly three decades of research that suggests cognitive behavioural therapy is an effective intervention for disordered eating, and I think that intervention could easily and flexibly take into account this pattern of behaviour whereby alcohol gets woven into a pattern of disordered eating,” Sherry said.

“I’d be quite optimistic about helping someone who was suffering from this particular collision between food and alcohol problem,” he said.

As this study revealed, there may be deeply ingrained psychological factors that contribute to the development of drunkorexia, and Fucito said that effective intervention would need to address them.

“An effective intervention needs to address both risks – the pressures to be thin and to drink heavily,” Fucito explained.

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Health24.com | A silver lining for foster, adopted pets – and their people – during coronavirus pandemic

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At a time when it’s hard to be close to old friends, new furry ones are helping fill the gap. They also may be helping improve their humans’ health.

Amid Covid-19 stay-at-home orders, animal adoptions and foster care have skyrocketed, with shelters across the US reporting empty kennels. From March 15 to late April, nearly 600 people had completed online applications for the New York City foster programme of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – about twice the usual number, society President and CEO Matt Bershadker said. In Los Angeles, more than 800 people had completed ASPCA online foster applications.

One software company serving nearly 1 200 shelters reported almost an 800% increase in fostered animals, Bershadker said, compared with the same time last year. Meanwhile, shelters are innovating to meet the adoption demand while adhering to social distancing.

“Animals … provide incredible comfort and companionship,” Bershadker said, “especially during times of crisis.”

They also may provide much more.

Increased daily walking

Having pets, especially dogs, appears to be linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, a 2013 American Heart Association scientific statement concluded. Also, people with existing cardiovascular disease who own pets may have better odds of living longer.

“The clearest benefit of pet, specifically dog, adoption is that most persons increase their regular physical activity, which we know promotes cardiovascular health,” said Dr Glenn Levine, a professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and lead author of the scientific statement. “There is good study data that dog adoption leads, at least in most people, to increased daily walking.”

Dogs may improve health in other ways too.

“People may become more invested in taking care of their health,” Levine said, “and perhaps they better seek medical attention and comply with their medications.”

Kristin Breen and her husband, Russ, are seeing some of those benefits.

The coronavirus crisis caught the Texas couple amid a job-related relocation. When stay-at-home orders kicked in, the Breens decided to hunker down in their Dallas house, with its fenced yard, rather than a new apartment in Austin. Their thoughts turned to Mike, a senior “chug”, or chihuahua-pug mix, whom they had fostered before their planned move.

Something to distract you

“I was pretty down in the dumps when this whole thing started. My husband looked at me and said, ‘Should we get Mike back?’ and I said yes, and it was the best decision we made,” Kristin said.

“He makes things a lot more fun and happy, something to distract you from the world we’re living in right now,” she said. Unless the “perfect home” comes along first, the Breens expect to adopt Mike once their own situation settles down.

Despite his age, 10-year-old Mike is energetic and has prodded the couple to exercise more. “We walk him three times a day and have been getting out and about in the neighbourhood. It’s been beautiful, and we need exercise,” Kristin said. “We’ve definitely both lost a little weight, and it’s spurred us to make some healthier changes.”

Research, in fact, shows people with pets, particularly dogs, are more likely to report adhering to diet and exercise recommendations than are non-pet owners. Studies also have linked:

  • Having a cat to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, especially stroke, in women.
  • Dog ownership to higher survival rates among people hospitalised for heart attacks or strokes caused by a blood vessel blockage.
  • Dog or cat ownership to reduced risk of high blood pressure.

More research is needed to understand the interplay between pets and human health. One thing that’s not clear, Levine said: “Do pets make people happier and healthier, or do happier and healthier people tend to adopt pets?”

The main reason to take on a pet is to provide a loving home, he said. If you want to improve your cardiovascular risk, you have to do more.

“Simply adopting a pet, while still sitting on the couch all day eating potato chips and smoking cigarettes, is not the way to improve your health and prevent heart disease.”

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Health24.com | Lost pregnancies, diabetes may be linked

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The more pregnancies losses a woman has, the greater her risk of developing diabetes, a new study suggests.

Researchers examined data on nearly 25 000 Danish women who were born between 1957 and 1997 and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 1977 to 2017.

The women were compared with a control group of nearly 248 000 women with the same ages and educational levels who didn’t have diabetes.

Compared to women who’d never miscarried, those who had one, two or three lost pregnancies had an 18%, 38% and 71% higher risk, respectively, of developing type 2 diabetes.

The study was published on 20 May in the journal Diabetologia.

Immunological cascade

“We cannot rule out that the psychological distress related to pregnancy loss can initiate lifestyle changes that increase BMI and thereby the risk of type 2 diabetes,” wrote researcher Pia Egerup, of Copenhagen University Hospital, and colleagues. BMI is short for body mass index, an estimate of body fat based on weight and height.

The researchers only had BMI information for 12% of the diabetes group and 17% of the control group.

Even so, they said: “Our subgroup analysis in which we adjusted for obesity still showed a significant association between pregnancy loss and type 2 diabetes, with more losses leading to a higher risk. This subgroup analysis indicated that the higher risk for type 2 diabetes in women with pregnancy losses cannot be explained by obesity alone.”

The link could, however, be due to shared immunological and/or metabolic factors, Egerup and her colleagues said. The study could not prove cause and effect.

“Perhaps the same genetic background could predispose to an increased risk for both pregnancy losses and type 2 diabetes. Also, pregnancy loss could initiate an immunological cascade that also could lead to later type 2 diabetes,” the researchers said in a journal news release.

“Additionally, it is possible that prediabetic metabolic conditions – present before the diagnosis of diabetes – could influence the association,” they said.

The authors suggested that women with three or more pregnancy losses could have their blood sugar monitored more often in order to reduce their diabetes risk and start treatment early, if needed.

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Health24.com | After heart attack, home care can prevent a return to hospital

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Receiving home health care reduces heart attack survivors’ risk of hospital readmission after discharge, a new study finds.

In the United States, only a small percentage of heart attack survivors receive home care such as nursing and physical therapy, according to study authors.

The findings were presented recently at a virtual American Heart Association meeting. Research presented at meetings is typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“Little is known regarding the impact of home health care on heart attack patients,” lead author Muhammad Adil Sheikh said. “Since patients who receive home health care tend to be older and sicker than others, and these characteristics themselves can lead to hospital readmission, we wanted to investigate the impact of home health care alone on readmission.”

Previous health conditions

Sheikh is a clinical assistant professor and hospitalist at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor.

He and his team used a national database of hospital readmissions to identify more than 400 000 US heart attack survivors. They included 38 215 (9.4%) who received home health care.

The average age of those who had home health care was 77, compared with 60 for others.

Those who got home care were more likely to have previous health conditions such as diabetes, heart failure, chronic lung or kidney disease, high blood pressure and/or vascular disease.

After adjusting for those conditions, researchers concluded that home health care patients were 11% less likely to be readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of discharge than those who did not have home care.

“Patients who received home health care are older, female or have underlying medical conditions,” Sheikh said in an AHA news release. “These patients are likely to benefit the most from home health care, and this service should be utilised more often to potentially reduce hospital readmission rates.”

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Health24.com | ‘Good bacteria’ might help fight a common gynecologic infection

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A dose of healthy bacteria could give women the upper hand in ridding themselves of a common but annoying vaginal infection, a new clinical trial reports.

Women treated with Lactin-V – an experimental vaginal suppository containing live bacteria – were much more likely to end their recurring bouts of bacterial vaginosis than women treated with a placebo, the researchers said.

“What we’re doing essentially is knocking down the bad bacteria and then replacing the good bacteria, allowing them to grow and keep at bay the bad bacteria as part of an optimal balance,” explained lead researcher Dr Craig Cohen, a professor of obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common vaginal condition in women aged 15 to 44, affecting nearly 30% of women of reproductive age in the United States, researchers said in background notes.

Antibiotic therapy

Every vagina is colonised with different strains of bacteria, Cohen said. Vaginosis occurs when “bad” bacteria overwhelm the normal “good” bacteria.

Symptoms include a thin white or grey vaginal discharge, itching or burning of the vagina, and a strong fishlike odour, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The condition also increases the risk of premature birth or low birth weight among newborns, as well as upping a woman’s risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, the CDC says.

Standard therapy is to treat the infection with a six-month course of a topical antibiotic gel called metronidazole, said Dr Taraneh Shirazian, director of global women’s health at New York University’s School of Global Public Health.

As Cohen and his team see it, there’s a problem with that standard therapy. Once the antibiotic therapy is done, there’s nothing to prevent the bad bacteria from overwhelming the vaginal microbiome again.

Because of that, as many as 75% of women have their infection recur within three months of treatment, researchers said.

“They’re doing what their provider recommends, they’re taking antibiotics, and even though they’re doing that, it’s coming back,” Cohen said.

Recurrent infections

In the study, 228 women who were diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis were treated with a five-day course of metronidazole gel. Two-thirds of those women were then assigned to receive Lactin-V for 11 weeks.

Lactin-V is a powder that women self-administer with a vaginal applicator. It contains Lactobacillus crispatus, a strain of bacteria that naturally occurs in the vagina. This bacteria produces lactic acid, which inhibits the growth of bad bacteria.

By the end of the initial three months, 30% of women in the Lactin-V group had experienced recurrence of their infection, compared with 45% of women in the placebo group, results showed.

“Essentially, it’s associated with a 34% reduced risk of recurrence during that 12-week time period,” Cohen said.

The women were tracked out for six months total, and those who received Lactin-V continued to do better, Cohen said.

“We also found approximately 80% of women who were in the Lactin-V arm were successfully colonized with Lactobacillus crispatus, the actual strain we tested,” Cohen said.

The findings were published on 14 May in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Shorter therapy

Shirazian said this new treatment looks promising, given that it took three months as opposed to the standard treatment of six months. Currently, women apply antibiotic gel for seven days, then twice weekly for six months to treat recurring bacterial vaginosis.

“That’s a lot shorter, which is advantageous,” said Shirazian, who wasn’t part of the study. “It’s hard to continue a therapy for six months. It’s hard to maintain it.”

However, Shirazian said future trials of Lactin-V would produce stronger results if they compare the new treatment against the current standard therapy as well as placebo.

Researchers are discussing proceeding to stage three clinical trials with the maker of Lactin-V, California-based Osel, Inc., Cohen said. There’s currently no timeline for getting the new treatment to market.

“I know there are a lot of women suffering from BV, and this product is not available now. It’s a long timeline to go through the drug approval process with the [US Food and Drug Administration],” Cohen said.

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Health24.com | More evidence sugary drinks harm women’s hearts

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Women who drink a lot of sodas, sweetened juices and other sugary drinks are at greater risk of developing heart disease, a new study finds.

Those who drink one or more a day have nearly a 20% higher risk than women who never do. And it’s not just soda that’s problematic: Fruit drinks with added sugars are also a culprit, researchers say.

Though the study does not prove cause and effect, researchers suspect there are several reasons sugar can increase heart disease risk, according to lead author Cheryl Anderson, interim chair of Family and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego.

“It raises glucose levels and insulin concentrations in the blood, which may increase appetite and lead to obesity, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease,” she said in a news release from the Journal of the American Heart Association, where the study was published on 13 May.

Different types of drinks

“In addition, too much sugar in the blood is associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, insulin resistance, unhealthy cholesterol profiles and type 2 diabetes, conditions that are strongly linked to the development of atherosclerosis, the slow narrowing of the arteries that underlies most cardiovascular disease,” Anderson noted.

More than 100 000 female teachers in California took part in the study.

Those who drank one or more sugary drinks a day were 26% more likely to need surgery such as angioplasty to restore blood flow and 21% more likely to have a stroke, compared with women who rarely or never drank sugary beverages.

Differences were also found in the type of drinks consumed.

Water is best

Those who drank one or more sugar-sweetened fruit drinks a day had a 42% higher risk of heart disease than women who seldom or never consumed sugary beverages. Those who drank sweetened soda every day had a 23% higher risk of heart disease.

Women who consumed the most sugar-sweetened drinks were more likely to be younger, smokers, obese and less likely have a healthy diet, the researchers found.

Diet soda is sometimes seen as an alternative for people trying to cut back on sugary drinks. But diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, aspartame, sucralose and others that also have been associated with health risks.

Water is the most accessible and healthy drink, according to the American Heart Association. It has no sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no calories.

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Health24.com | Extra pounds could bring more painful joints

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Carrying excess pounds can be painful, literally. A new study finds that being overweight or obese ups the risk of pain in people with musculoskeletal disorders.

“Pain, osteoarthritis and weight share a complicated relationship,” said study author Dr Diana Higgins. She’s a researcher with the VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine.

“Overall, the more weight a patient with a musculoskeletal disorder carries, the more likely they are to report experiencing pain, which may affect functioning and quality of life,” Higgins said in a VA news release.

Researchers analysed data on nearly two million US veterans with musculoskeletal disorders, such as non-traumatic joint disorder; arthritis; low back, back or neck pain.

Strongest in arthritis patients

Overall, 58% said they had pain. Nearly eight in 10 patients were overweight or obese. The higher a patient’s body mass index (BMI), the more likely they were to report pain. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on weight and height.

Compared to those of normal weight, those with moderate obesity (BMI of 35 to 39) were 9% more likely to report pain. And those with severe obesity (BMI of 40 or higher) were 23% more likely.

The connection between excess weight and increased risk of pain was strongest in patients with arthritis, with 40% of overweight patients and 55% of severely obese patients reporting pain.

The association between weight and pain was less pronounced in patients with back or low back pain, according to the study. The results were published recently in the journal Pain Medicine.

While the study shows a link between weight and pain in arthritis patients, further research is needed to understand this relationship, the authors said.

Strain on the joints from excess weight could lead to arthritis pain, but that relationship might also go the other way, they suggested. Pain caused by arthritis could cause patients to avoid physical activity, which could result in a higher BMI.

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