Study: Rise in alcohol deaths

Medical Watch Digest for Sept 17

Study: Rise in alcohol deaths

Deadly alcohol use on the rise.

The rates of alcohol induced deaths have nearly doubled since 1999.

Although overall rates for men are greater, females 25-34 showed a shocking 255-percent surge in alcohol related deaths in that time.

 The UCLA study looked at alcohol death by sex, age, race and geography and considered 14 specific alcohol-induced causes of death including liver disease,  and mental and behavioral disorders.

American Indian and Alaska native populations were the most affected.

The worst years for alcohol related death were during the stress of the pandemic, but numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Surgery vs shots for weight loss

When trying to lose weight, which is better — weight loss surgery or glp-1 shots?

Researchers, writing in the journal of the American Medical Association, wanted to know so they put the two to the test in people with Class 2 and Class 3 obesity, meaning a body mass index greater than 35.

They found metabolic bariatric surgery was associated with more weight loss at a lower ongoing cost than GLP weight loss medications.

The study included more than 30,000 patients over two years.

Surgery cost about 11-thousand dollars less than GLP 1’s and yielded an 18% greater weight loss.

Researchers: Boys follow fullness cues better

Boys know better than girls when it comes to not overeating.

Young girls are less responsive to food fullness cues than boys.

Penn State researchers found young boys ate less during a meal when they enjoyed a fruit snack before.

 But girls still consumed both the fruit and the entire meal.

Nutritional scientists believe girls are socialized to pay attention to external cues when deciding how much to eat ignoring their level of hunger, while boys focus on listening to their own bodies.

 Eating speed also impacted fullness.

Eating more slowly makes people feel more full without overeating.