Life expectancy isn't rising as much, the health consequences of Hurricanes Milton and Helene and a lead pipe deadline to improve drinking water
Happy Saturday! If you didn’t do so on World Mental Health Day on Thursday, be sure to take some time for yourself this weekend — whether it’s relaxing with a movie or show (Kelsey Weekman has some good ideas here) or decompressing with a walk among all the fall foliage. Now, on to what you may have missed in health and wellness news this week.
What our team has been interested in: These were some of our favorite topics:
Cold and flu season is back. Here’s your fall guide to COVID-19, RSV and more — including what the respiratory virus forecast looks like this year.
Thousands of you have asked Yahoo Search “how to stay calm when I have no idea what is going on.” Natalie Rahhal asks anxiety experts and psychologists for tips on keeping your cool during times of uncertainty.
Should you be taking a pre-workout supplement? Kaitlin Reilly breaks down the risks and benefits.
From walkability to green spaces, Korin Miller shares the seven defining features of a healthy neighborhood.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin talks to Kerry Justich about what he learned after experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest on the football field last year.
What researchers have been studying: Here are some highlights from health and medical studies that came out this week:
A study published on Wednesday found that our toothbrushes and showerheads are teeming with hundreds of viruses. But don’t worry — the viruses don’t infect humans and may actually be useful in developing treatments against antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
After analyzing health data from hundreds of thousands of people aged 50 and over, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health found that getting COVID-19 could make you more susceptible to heart attack, stroke or death, with chances of a major cardiac event nearly doubling in the three years following a positive COVID test.
Know someone who thinks they know it all? Most of us do, apparently. A study of 1,300 Americans published on Wednesday found that most people jump to conclusions and think they have all the information they need to make a decision — even when they do not.
What happened in celebrity health: Celebrities make headlines for more than just fashion and films; they can call our attention to some important health topics too. Here’s what happened this week:
The Office star Jenna Fischer revealed on Tuesday that she was diagnosed with triple-positive breast cancer at the end of last year but is now cancer-free. Here’s what to know about the disease and how it’s treated.
The children’s show character Blippi has a new mission to teach kids body positivity.
Our favorite “Weird Barbie,” Kate McKinnon, offers tips on how to embrace our weirdness and celebrate individuality.
Dr. Anthony Fauci may not be a movie star, but he’s certainly a celebrity in the health world. The former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases described his “harrowing” experience being hospitalized with West Nile virus in August, saying he was afraid he would never recover.
And finally, here are some of the biggest headline makers in health and wellness this week.
The health fallouts from Hurricanes Helene and Milton
In the last two weeks, two major hurricanes — Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton — have devastated the southeastern U.S. In addition to catastrophic damage and lives lost, the storms have also left a host of health concerns in their wake.
In Florida, health officials warned that Vibrio vulnificus, a potentially life-threatening bacteria, may be present in floodwaters left over from the storms. The flooding also forced medical fluid manufacturers to halt production — which led to an IV fluid shortage in several hospitals across the U.S. And residents left to deal with the repercussions of the storm have expressed feelings of helplessness and grief, with NBC News reporting that stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health problems often increase after natural disasters.
Studies also show that there may be long-term health consequences and that catastrophic storms can lead to thousands of additional deaths, possibly by exacerbating socioeconomic differences and the effects on chronic health conditions.
Life expectancy may be plateauing
Don’t expect your grandkids to live to 200 years old. A study published on Monday suggests we may be reaching our limit in terms of life expectancy and that advances in medical technology and genetic research aren’t translating to considerable jumps in lifespan overall.
“We have to recognize there's a limit,” S. Jay Olshansky, the study's lead author, told the Associated Press.
“We're squeezing less and less life out of these life-extending technologies. And the reason is, aging gets in the way.”
Though the number of centenarians, or people age 100 or older, will likely grow in the decades ahead, experts say that's just because of population growth; the percentage of people living to 100 will remain small.
Biden sets a new deadline for lead pipe removal
On Tuesday, President Biden set a 10-year deadline for cities across the U.S. to replace their lead pipes in a bid to improve water quality.
“We’re finally addressing an issue that should’ve been addressed a long time ago in this country,'' Biden said at an event in Milwaukee on Tuesday. “We are showing up as a partner to get it done.”
More than 9 million lead pipes still supply drinking water nationwide despite decades of warnings about lead's hazards. Lead is linked to lower IQ scores and stunted development in children, and to increased blood pressure in adults.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the move will prevent up to 900,000 infants from having low birth weight and result in 1,500 fewer premature deaths a year from heart disease.
The 10-year deadline doesn’t start for three years, and some cities with large numbers of lead pipes may be given a longer time frame.
