Tag

Epidemiology

All articles tagged with #epidemiology

health11 hours ago•261 min saved

Never-married status linked to higher cancer risk in large U.S. study

A large University of Miami study of more than 4 million Americans across 12 states finds that adults who have never been married are significantly more likely to develop cancer across major types, with men about 70% and women about 85% higher risk; anal cancer was notably higher for never-married men and cervical cancer higher for never-married women. Being married was linked to lower risks of ovarian and endometrial cancers. Researchers stress that marriage is not protective by itself and that social factors may reflect other risk factors; more research is needed.

via AOL.com|

#cancer-risk #cancer-screenings #epidemiology

health2 days ago•176 min saved

Marriage May Lower Cancer Risk, New Study Finds

A Cancer Research Communications study finds never-married men have 68% higher cancer rates and never-married women 83% higher than their married counterparts, with the protective effect seemingly accumulating with age. Researchers say marriage may confer health benefits through social support, better healthcare access, and reduced risky behaviors, though some experts caution that findings could reflect broader social systems or biases. The authors advocate more research and increased support for unmarried individuals to ensure equitable care and screening.

via CNN|

#cancer #epidemiology #health

health11 days ago•263 min saved

Eating Ultra-Processed Foods May Jump Heart Disease Risk by 67%, Study Finds

A Prevention-backed study followed 6,814 U.S. adults aged 45–84 without cardiovascular disease for 12 years and found that those who consumed the most ultra-processed foods (about 9 servings per day) were 67% more likely to have a major cardiovascular event than those with about 1.1 servings daily. Each additional daily serving was linked to roughly a 5.1% higher risk, with a stronger pattern seen among Black participants. The results show a correlation, not causation. Ultra-processed foods (e.g., packaged breads, ready meals, sugary snacks) may raise risk by replacing healthier options and adding high sodium, refined carbs, and added sugars. Experts advocate focusing on overall dietary patterns (e.g., Mediterranean-like diets) and an 80/20 approach rather than demonizing single snacks.

via AOL.com|

#diet-patterns #epidemiology #health

health14 days ago•5 min saved

Blood Type B Linked to Modest Increase in Type 2 Diabetes Risk, Study Finds

A 2024 umbrella review of 51 meta-analyses (covering about 270 blood-group–health links) finds only one robust association: blood type B has about a 28% higher risk of type 2 diabetes than non-B types; the effect is modest and far smaller than risk factors like diet, obesity, or inactivity, and researchers call for more rigorous work and study of potential mechanisms such as the gut microbiome; published in BMC Medicine.

via ScienceAlert|

#abo-blood-groups #blood-type-b #epidemiology

health16 days ago•6 min saved

Hospital-treated infections tied to higher dementia risk, Finnish study finds

A Finnish nationwide registry study of 62,555 dementia patients and 312,772 controls found two severe infections—cystitis and a bacterial infection of an unspecified site—were linked to higher dementia risk years before diagnosis, with infections appearing to independently raise risk even after accounting for other dementia-related diseases; the study is observational, and generalizability may be limited.

via Medical News Today|

#cystitis #dementia #epidemiology

health18 days ago•2 min saved

Fathers face delayed depression spike a year after childbirth, study finds.

A large Swedish study of over a million fathers shows that while psychiatric diagnoses decline during pregnancy and the first months after birth, depression and stress-related disorders rise by more than 30% one year after childbirth, underscoring the need for long-term support for paternal mental health.

via Karolinska Institutet|

#depression #epidemiology #fatherhood

science18 days ago•41 min saved

Decades of Coffee Data Hint at an 18% Dementia Risk Reduction

A 43-year study of 131,821 healthcare professionals (Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study) found that regular caffeinated coffee intake (2–3 cups daily) or tea (1–2 cups daily) was associated with about an 18% lower risk of developing dementia versus those who rarely or never drank them. Decaf coffee did not confer the same benefit. The analysis included 11,033 dementia cases and showed similar patterns across genetic risk groups, but as an observational study it cannot establish causation, calling for further research into the mechanisms behind caffeine’s brain health effects.

via Good News Network|

#caffeine #coffee #dementia

health18 days ago•8 min saved

UCLA study links chlorpyrifos exposure to elevated Parkinson's risk

A UCLA-led study published in Springer Nature Link found long-term exposure to chlorpyrifos associated with a more-than-2.5-fold increase in Parkinson's risk in humans, with mice and zebrafish experiments showing brain effects; the study is observational and cannot prove causation, and researchers note limitations such as unmeasured diet and lifestyle factors while regulators reassess chlorpyrifos use.

via Fox News|

#chlorpyrifos #environmental-health #epidemiology

health1 month ago•8 min saved

Ice Cream Shows Unexpected Link to Lower Diabetes Risk in Big Studies

Large dairy studies have occasionally found that higher ice cream consumption correlates with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a surprising result that researchers cannot fully explain. Explanations include reverse causation (people at risk cutting out desserts), reporting bias in dietary surveys, or possible biological factors; yogurt shows a more consistent protective effect. The finding should be interpreted cautiously and ice cream should not be considered a health food, with more research needed to understand dairy’s impact on metabolism and diabetes risk.

via SciTechDaily|

#dairy #diabetes #epidemiology

science1 month ago•12 min saved

Green Math: Can Abstract Category Theory Help Tame Earth’s Complexity?

Natalie Wolchover surveys applied category theory—an abstract branch of math that models systems by their relationships—to see if it can help tame Earth's complexity. While climate modeling remains hard and skepticism persists, practitioners have already built tools like StockFlow for epidemiology and are applying category-theoretic reasoning to AI safety, suggesting that highly abstract math could eventually improve how we understand and govern real-world systems.

via Quanta Magazine|

#aisafety #categorytheory #climatemodeling

health1 month ago•52 min saved

Widespread health issues linked to higher dementia risk, study finds

A Vanderbilt University and University of Chicago study analyzed electronic health records for about 150 million people and found that more than 70 pre-existing conditions across mental health, neurological, circulatory, and metabolic categories are associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease; while the study does not prove causation, these patterns could enable earlier risk detection and targeted prevention.

via Daily Mail|

#alzheimers #dementia #epidemiology

health1 month ago•6 min saved

Colorectal Cancer Goes Younger: Nearly Half of New Cases Are Under 65

New American Cancer Society data show nearly half of colorectal cancers now occur in adults under 65, with rising cases in ages 50–64 and a notable increase in rectal cancer, likely reflecting a birth-cohort effect and environmental influences; experts emphasize paying attention to symptoms and that screening for average risk starts at age 45, while treatment varies by stage and may involve surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation for rectal cancer.

via The New York Times|

#birth-cohort #colorectal-cancer #epidemiology

health1 month ago•2 min saved

Proximity to Nuclear Plants Linked to Higher Cancer Mortality, Study Finds

A Harvard-led study published in Nature Communications finds that U.S. counties closer to operating nuclear power plants have higher cancer mortality than those farther away, even after adjusting for factors like income, race, BMI, smoking, and hospital access. The researchers estimate about 115,000 cancer deaths (roughly 6,400 per year) may be associated with proximity to plants from 2000–2018, though they caution that correlation does not prove causation and call for more research into exposure pathways as nuclear energy policy seeks expansion.

via Gizmodo|

#cancer #environment #epidemiology

health1 month ago•2 min saved

Vegetarian diets linked to lower risk for several cancers, Oxford study finds

A large Oxford-led analysis combining data from around 1.64 million meat eaters and vegetarians found vegetarians have lower risks of pancreatic (21%), breast (9%), prostate (12%), kidney (28%), and multiple myeloma (31%). However, vegetarians also face nearly double the risk of esophageal cancer. Researchers caution that more work is needed to determine causality and whether meat consumption drives these differences, emphasizing that overall healthy, balanced diets matter for cancer risk.

via BBC|

#cancer #diet #epidemiology

epidemiology1 month ago•47 min saved

Global study links diet type to varied cancer risks across 1.8 million participants

A pooled analysis of 1.8 million adults from nine prospective cohorts across the UK, US, Taiwan, and India found diet‑related differences in cancer risk. Compared with meat eaters, poultry eaters had a lower prostate cancer risk; pescatarians had lower colorectal, breast, and kidney cancer risks; vegetarians had lower risks of pancreatic, breast, prostate, kidney cancers and multiple myeloma but a higher risk of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma; vegans had a higher risk of colorectal cancer. The authors caution that results may not generalize and could be influenced by residual confounding and misclassification in diet groups.

via Nature|

#cancer-risk #cohort-study #colorectal-cancer