Rapid weight loss on popular drugs could ‘starve’ the brain, expert warns

As GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy continue to surge in popularity, experts warn that rapid weight loss and severe caloric restriction could deprive the brain of vital energy and nutrients.

Dr. Tommy Wood, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at the University of Washington, said the drugs' effects on the brain may depend on whether the body is getting enough energy and nutrients during weight loss.

"The best way to think about this is the spectrum of what we call energy availability," Wood told Fox News Digital at Strong NY, New York City's largest annual fitness and wellness festival. "The brain is your most energy-hungry organ in the body."

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According to Wood, brain reserve — the physical amount and integrity of brain tissue — follows a bell-shaped curve relative to the body's energy availability.

Excess energy caused by obesity, high blood sugar and metabolic disease can lower the brain's resilience by damaging blood vessels and contributing to insulin resistance.

In these cases, GLP-1 medications can provide cognitive benefits by lowering blood pressure and improving blood sugar control.

However, Wood noted that the lower end of the energy spectrum poses its own structural risks to the brain. Because the brain relies heavily on continuous fuel, extreme caloric deficits can force the organ to consume its own tissue.

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"There was a study that looked at the brains of people who ran a marathon ... because the marathon is so energy-intensive, the white matter in the brain actually shrank during a marathon because the brain didn't have enough energy … so it was eating its own white matter," Wood said, noting that the participants' brains recovered after resting and refueling.

"It just shows that the brain is really energy-hungry, and it will decrease its size if it's not getting enough energy."

Concerns about lean muscle loss when taking GLP-1 medications are often nuanced, Wood said. Some of the early "lean mass" that's lost is actually fat that had built up inside the muscles.

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"So technically, your muscles get smaller, but you don't get weaker," he told Fox News Digital. "And the quality and functioning of your muscles actually gets better."

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However, risks arise when individuals taking GLP-1 medications drastically reduce their food intake for extended periods. Chronic under-eating can deprive the central nervous system of essential structural nutrients, Wood warned.

"It is possible that you can end up going too far," he said. "If you're not eating enough, you're not getting the nutrients that are critical for the brain. So you're not getting in enough omega-3 fats, which we know are really important. You're not getting enough iron and protein and all those kinds of things."

To safeguard brain health while losing weight, Wood recommends pairing weight-loss regimens with resistance training twice a week to maintain functional muscle mass and to stimulate brain growth factors.

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Additionally, ensuring adequate intake of core "neuro-nutrients" — including B vitamins (B12, folate, B6), vitamin D, iron and omega-3 fatty acids — prevents long-term cognitive impairment, according to Wood.

"For most people, I think it's going to be beneficial to start, but you just need to make sure that you don't push it too far, that you're now getting enough of everything that the brain needs," he advised.

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Heavy drinking surges among Americans in one age group as other generations cut back

New research shows that U.S. alcohol use has declined for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, but drinking remains above pre-pandemic levels — with one particular group showing a sharp increase in heavy intake.

A study led by the University of Southern California/Keck Medicine found that among adults ages 50 to 64, alcohol use increased by nearly 4% from 2018 to 2024, while heavy drinking increased by more than 36%.

Across all age groups, alcohol use declined by nearly 2% and heavy drinking declined by more than 8% from 2022 to 2024. However, overall alcohol use remained above pre-pandemic levels.

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Among Gen Z adults, alcohol use declined by more than 5%. Millennials drank approximately 17% less from 2022 to 2024.

The findings, which were published on Sept. 21 in Annals of Internal Medicine, were based on self-reported data from the National Health Interview Survey, which included 114,352 U.S. adults from 2018 to 2024.

Heavy drinking was defined as five or more drinks per day or 15 or more drinks per week for men within the preceding 12 months, and at least four daily drinks or eight weekly drinks for women.

Men were found to have a larger alcohol decline than women (2.4% vs. 1.1%), but women had a larger reduction in heavy drinking (9%) compared to men (7.7%).

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"Women’s heavy drinking rose more than men's during the pandemic and is still about 13% above where it was in 2018," lead study author Brian P. Lee, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, told Fox News Digital. "Women develop liver damage at lower levels of drinking than men, so that number carries more weight than it looks."

The study was funded in part by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institutes of Health.

The chief limitation of the study is that people reported their own levels of drinking, which tend to run low, according to Lee.

"It also can't tell us why drinking changed, only that it did," he told Fox News Digital. "And we have two years of decline after four years of increases, so I'd describe this as a promising turn rather than an established trend."

The researchers also did not investigate the reasons younger adults reduced alcohol consumption.

Dr. Chris Tuell, clinical director of addiction services at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, said many factors may contribute to the increased rate of drinking among older adults.

"As we approach our 50s and 60s, we start reflecting on our lives, and changes start to happen," Tuell, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.

The loneliness epidemic in the U.S., and the fact that people are more "polarized" and "disconnected," may also come into play, according to Tuell.

Grief and loss may also lead to increased drinking as people seek a way to escape or cope with the loss of friends and family members.

"One out of four people will experience some mental health issue … depression, anxiety, loss, grief — these are real things that are impacting people," Tuell said. "And it's at a time where a person might feel very vulnerable."

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As people age, there may also be increased issues related to chronic pain and medical issues, resulting in reduced function.

"Now I have these aches and pains, or maybe I'm diagnosed with something more serious," Tuell said as an example. "So that becomes a problem that I now have to deal with."

Many aging adults are also approaching retirement age, which can result in a loss of structure and change the identity they’ve had for decades, the expert noted.

"I wake up and something I've done every day for many, many years is no longer happening. So I'm more bored. What do I do with my time? This is unfortunately a perfect storm for things like substance use."

As older adults experience body changes, they don't metabolize alcohol the same way they once did, Tuell noted.

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"What I used to drink maybe five years ago … that same amount now can affect me differently, because I'm not metabolizing it like I used to," he said.

Women are especially impacted by alcohol, Tuell said, likely because they may have less body fat and don't have as much water in their bodies.

Lee noted that while alcohol doesn't harm everyone equally, the risk starts at low levels and goes up with every additional drink.

"There isn't a level the evidence shows to be safe."

To determine whether someone has a problem with alcohol, Tuell recommends using the "three Cs."

Alcohol can still be problematic even if someone doesn’t have an addiction, Tuell noted.

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For example, they might drink more than they should, to the point where they get a hangover or put themselves at risk.

"Maybe it's impacting my interactions with other people, interpersonal relationships, hobbies, interests," he said. "Maybe it's affecting my sleep."

In a normal sleep pattern, people go through a cycle four to five times per night — but when they drink, it's more like two to three times, Tuell said. "So, we're not getting good rest during that period."

It’s never too late to seek help with alcohol dependency, he pointed out.

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"I've treated people in their 80s who still have a lot of life left," Tuell said, pointing out that Americans are living longer. "So we're aging, we're getting older, and there are a lot of life changes happening … physically, emotionally, psychologically."

For those who are over 50 and drinking more than they did before 2020, Lee recommends asking a doctor about liver health, "even if nothing feels wrong."

"There are clear increases in cancer and liver risk with alcohol, even at low levels," he warned. "Even advanced liver disease might have no symptoms, and the earlier alcohol-related liver damage is caught, the more of it can be undone."

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Dengue fever outbreak triggers states of emergency in 3 southern counties

Three Florida counties have declared states of emergency amid the spread of dengue fever in the state.

As of Sept. 23, Pasco County, Hillsborough County and Pinellas County have made the declarations due to a spread of the mosquito-borne disease, according to each county’s news release.

The local emergency declarations allow county officials to expedite mosquito-control operations, make emergency purchases, coordinate response efforts and, where applicable, seek state or federal assistance or reimbursement, the releases state.

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Under Florida law, local emergency declarations expire after seven days unless they are renewed.

A total of 190 locally acquired dengue cases have been confirmed across six Florida counties, according to the latest Florida Department of Health surveillance report, which covered cases with onset through Sept. 19.

Of the 190 locally acquired cases, 170 were reported in Hillsborough County, seven each in Miami-Dade and Pinellas counties, three in Orange County, two in Pasco County and one in Palm Beach County.

The 190 locally acquired infections are separate from travel-associated dengue cases reported in Florida this year.

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Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral illness that can cause fever, severe aches, nausea, rash and, in rare cases, life-threatening complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dengue is endemic in many tropical and subtropical regions, including Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific islands, Latin America and Africa. Though less common in the continental U.S., locally acquired cases have been recorded in Florida, California and Texas.

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"The Aedes mosquitoes that can transmit dengue are active during the day and thrive in warm, humid environments like those found in Florida," an entomologist spokesperson at the SC Johnson Center for Insect Science and Family Health, makers of OFF!, said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.

"As dengue cases continue to be reported in the Tampa area, taking steps to help prevent mosquito bites is especially important," the expert went on. "Staying aware of local mosquito activity and consistently protecting against bites are important steps people can take to help reduce their risk."

The Florida Mosquito Control Association (FMCA) previously said crews are increasing aerial and ground treatments in areas showing dengue virus activity, while also inspecting private properties for potential mosquito breeding sites, according to reports.

FMCA has urged residents to empty or cover standing water around their homes. The mosquito that spreads dengue is a container breeder, meaning it lays eggs in buckets, planters, plant saucers, tires, discarded toys and other objects that collect small amounts of water, experts say.

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The SC Johnson Center for Insect Science and Family Health entomologist shared the following recommendations to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne disease.

The FMCA also advises people to dress in long sleeves, light colors and closed-toed shoes outdoors.

Many people infected with dengue have no symptoms, and most people who do become sick recover within a week or two, according to Mayo Clinic.

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In some cases, however, the illness can progress to severe dengue, a potentially life-threatening condition.

Symptoms typically begin four to 10 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.

Warning signs can develop quickly, often within a day or two after the fever subsides. Those may include severe stomach pain, repeated vomiting, unusual bleeding or bruising, difficulty breathing, extreme tiredness and irritability, or restlessness.

People experiencing warning signs of severe dengue should seek immediate medical care.

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‘Superman’ star Christopher Reeve’s son reveals 'shock' cancer diagnosis at age 34

Will Reeve, son of the late famed "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve, announced that he recently battled cancer.

The "Good Morning America" correspondent, 34, shared during Tuesday’s show that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer earlier this year, assuring viewers that he is "OK."

"The diagnosis was a shock and the treatments were a slog," he said. "Today, though, I am relieved to announce that we arrived at our destination and this cancer is in the rearview mirror. But what a journey."

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Reeve said he found a "hard, tender lump in [his] left testicle" just a few months after his wedding to luxury event planner Amanda Dubin.

An ultrasound revealed that he had "a mass that had to come out." After undergoing surgery to remove the testicle (an orchiectomy), Reeve discovered the mass was embryonal carcinoma.

The aggressive subtype of testicular cancer can spread more quickly than some other forms, according to the American Cancer Society.

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Reeve later underwent a second surgery to remove lymph nodes from his abdomen after some cancer cells had spread there.

The surgery took place at Memorial Sloan Kettering, which is where his mother, Dana Reeve, died from lung cancer in 2006 at age 44. His father died in 2004 at the age of 52.

Reeve shared that he also underwent two rounds of chemotherapy to lower the risk that the cancer would return. He said he experienced several side effects from the medication, including ringing in the ears, bone pain, night sweats, blood clots and constant headaches.

He did not lose his hair because he used a method called "cold capping," which is used during certain chemotherapy treatments to help reduce hair loss by cooling the scalp and constricting blood vessels.

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After finishing his second round of chemotherapy on July 31, Reeve said he received "clean scans" on Sept. 8.

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In an interview with People, Reeve said he is "going to be fine," although it has been "one heck of a chapter."

"I’m fortunate that I caught this early," he said. "Yes, I had to jump through some flaming hoops to get to the other side, but it could have been much worse had I ignored it or delayed going to the doctor."

Reeve also praised his wife for serving as his "caregiver," similar to how his mother helped care for his father after a 1995 horseback-riding accident left him paralyzed.

"I learn[ed] more about what it was like to be my dad in the final nine years of his life, where he had my mom and our family taking care of him," Reeve said.

He added that the experience taught him how to "repurpose [adversity] into something hopeful."

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Testicular cancer is among the most treatable cancers, particularly when detected early, according to the American Cancer Society. Experts recommend seeing a doctor promptly for any lump, swelling, pain or change in a testicle.

Fox News Digital reached out to Reeve’s representatives requesting comment.

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4 simple habits can help slow muscle loss as you age, fitness expert says

As Americans increasingly turn to GLP-1 medications — which have been linked to a loss of lean muscle, especially during rapid weight loss — experts say preserving strength and mobility should be a priority as people age.

Jacob Zemer, a New York-based fitness coach who primarily trains clients ranging from 35 to 55 years old, said that beyond GLP-1s, there are several other reasons that adults start losing muscle as they get older.

"The biggest change is lifestyle," he told Fox News Digital. "When you're in your teen years or your 20s, you're running around, you're doing activities that lend themselves to building muscle."

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That tends to change as people shift focus to career and family, the expert said.

"You simply become more sedentary, which lowers your metabolism and your level of activity, so you're going to have less muscle."

As people approach their 40s, hormone levels begin to change for both men and women, Zemer noted.

"That means we partition the calories we're using less and less for protein and building muscle, and more and more for simply storing as fat," he said.

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"We see this all the time … people start to store fat in their tummies, and they start have less muscle."

Zemer said he believes that everyone should be "very mindful" about building muscle, starting from a young age.

"All the way up into your 50s, your goal should be to build muscle so that when you enter your golden years — your 60s, 70s, 80s — it's kind of like your 401K," he said. 

"You're going to be depleting from it as you go through life. So in your 30s and 40s, you just have to be more strategic about it, because your lifestyle has changed. You need to go to the gym and train in order to have that muscle later in life."

Zemer shared the following strategies that can help people slow down muscle loss as they age.

Protein helps to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, the body's process of repairing and building muscle, according to Zemer.

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Including enough protein in your daily diet can help reduce the risk of sarcopenia, which is the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength.

While people’s protein needs will vary based on age, activity level and fitness goals, Zemer said people who regularly strength-train generally benefit from higher intake.

"If you're a sedentary person, you don't need to be obsessed with protein," he told Fox News Digital. "Very few people aren't getting enough protein in terms of macronutrients. But if you're training and going to the gym, you want to be getting somewhere between 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight."

For general health, the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults strength train at least two days per week, working all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises using moderate or greater intensity until it's difficult to complete another repetition with good form.

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The guidelines also recommend pairing the strength training with 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity) each week.

Lifting weights isn’t just about building muscle, but also preserving muscle, according to Zemer.

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"Even if you have a busy week, and you went to the gym and you lifted weights 30 minutes twice a week, that may not be enough to build new muscle, but that is certainly enough to maintain muscle," he said.

"So it's very important that you lift weights a couple of times a week as you age."

For beginners, Zemer recommends focusing on a few basic functional movements. Body-weight exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups and pulling movements help build strength for everyday activities, while carrying weighted objects — known as a farmer's carry, Zemer said — can improve grip, balance and overall stability.

For people who feel intimidated by the gym, working with a qualified trainer for a few sessions can help boost confidence and refine technique, according to Zemer.

Perhaps the most difficult strategy for maintaining muscle is to get enough quality sleep — seven to nine hours, Zemer emphasized.

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"Now, if you don't get that every night, you're not going to lose muscle," he noted. "But when you start to look at actual serious sleep deficiency, like we're talking five hours consistently, that is when you see rapid muscle loss."

"The worst thing you can do, even if you're injured, is to stop doing anything," Zemer said.

"Find things you can do. Even if something hurts you, even if your knees aren't like what they used to be."

Even without structured workouts, regular movement can help slow age-related muscle loss, while being sedentary is associated with rapid declines in muscle mass and strength, the expert cautioned.

The above strategies are especially important for people who are taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss, Zemer noted, as these drugs can lead to muscle loss in the absence of strengthntraining or adequate protein.

"If you are on a GLP-1, just remember you're accelerating the rate of fat loss, but you're also accelerating the rate of lean muscle," he said.

"You want to make sure you're getting that protein and training, so that you are not losing muscle on top of the fat loss."

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Sylvester Stallone reveals surprising health struggle behind his famously ripped physique

Sylvester Stallone is sharing some health obstacles he has faced while playing physically demanding roles over the decades.

The Academy Award-nominated actor, 80, revealed during an interview with The New York Times that he has suffered from an eating disorder.

While prepping for his role in the 1982 movie "Rambo," Stallone — who has authored a new memoir, titled "The Steps" — said he took pains to appear more "animalistic," drawing inspiration from jaguars and cats.

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"Then it became an obsession. Really bad. It got to the point where I became bulimic," he said during the interview.

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder marked by episodes of binge eating — consuming a large amount of food while feeling a loss of control — followed by purging behaviors such as vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, fasting or excessive exercise, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

"I couldn’t hold anything down. Or I didn’t want to keep it down because I became so obsessed with staying at that point of fitness, literally an obsessive body-worship kind of thing," Stallone shared.

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The actor said that while filming "Rocky III," he reached his lowest body fat of 2.6%. The National Academy of Sports Medicine classifies body fat as "dangerously low" if it falls below 8% for men ages 20–69 and below 14% for women ages 20–69.

Stallone also admitted that he took steroids during some time periods. "You have to," he said. "But you do it in a sensitive way — six weeks on, six weeks off … that also took a terrible toll."

Years of injuries sustained while doing his own stunts — something he described as "very masochistic" — have also taken a toll on Stallone’s body, he said, leading to multiple surgeries on his back, shoulder and neck.

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"I’ve abused my body," he said. "Everything is held together with baling wire, but I still want to stay in good shape."

Stallone also revealed that he has dealt with anxiety over the decades, recounting the first incident while watching footage from one of his films when he was 36 years old.

"All of a sudden, I stood up and the hair on my neck went up and I started getting hot and I go, ‘I’m dying, this is it, I’m on my way out,’" he said in the interview.

The actor said the panic attacks happened "again and again and again," often resurfacing before high-profile television appearances. As he aged, Stallone continued to experience anxiety and sometimes felt compelled to leave crowded rooms.

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Brian Pollack, a licensed clinical social worker and certified eating disorders specialist at Hilltop Behavioral Health in Summit, New Jersey, said it was "incredibly admirable" for Stallone to share his experience.

"There are so many examples of what can take place in Sylvester Stallone's life that have led him to moments of objectivity and body awareness," Pollack, who has not treated Stallone, told Fox News Digital.

The expert suggested that a desire to maintain his success may have fueled Stallone’s rigid routines, steroid use, intense performance expectations, fear of failure, and the pressures associated with the entertainment industry.

"The idea that a man enhances his appearance to remain consistent with his own public image and internal comfort goes back decades — [Stallone] isn’t the first, and he isn’t the last," Pollack said.

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"He has to almost keep himself in this homeostatic state where people expect Sylvestor Stallone to be Rocky, which is his quintessential role," he went on.

"And through his career, one could surmise the need to be able to put all of that together and keep it consistent as he goes through the development and life cycles of maturation, not only in his brain, but also in his body."

Giulia Suro, a licensed clinical psychologist and certified eating disorder expert at Monte Nido in Washington, D.C., added that the Sylvester Stallone revelation was a "game-changer."

"Eating disorders continue to be misconstrued as primarily female illnesses," she told Fox News Digital.

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Popular weight-loss drugs can become an ‘atomic bomb’ at high doses, doctor warns

As interest in peptides continues to grow, experts are increasingly looking beyond weight loss to their potential role in healthy aging.

Functional medicine expert Dr. Will Cole told Fox News Digital that peptides are "intimately connected" with longevity, cellular healing and metabolic health.

"[Peptides] help with cellular communication," said Cole, co-author of the upcoming book "Heal Your Cells." The recommendations for peptides depend on the context in which they're used, he said, noting that the answer often falls "somewhere in the middle."

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Citing previous research, Cole noted that an estimated 93% of U.S. adults are metabolically unhealthy, leaving only about 7% who meet the criteria for optimal metabolic health — a figure he described as "wild."

"That's common, but not normal," Cole said. He added that while GLP-1 medications can be beneficial, improving metabolic health also requires addressing lifestyle and other underlying factors.

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Cole shared that he does not believe "macro-dosing" GLP-1s "forever and ever in perpetuity" is the solution to improving metabolic health.

While GLP-1s can reduce food cravings — often referred to as "food noise" — and promote weight loss, Cole said he’d like to see more research on how decreasing the desire for food could also decrease cravings for love, relationships and other mood-boosting factors.

Cole questioned whether suppressing food cravings could have unintended effects on other reward-related behaviors, including social relationships.

"So, are we circumventing pathways and pathologizing things that don't have to be pathologized?"

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Cole argued that some degree of hunger signaling is healthy. "Food noise is actually a decent thing in balance, so shutting down your hunger cues with an 'atomic bomb' peptide dose is not the solution."

He added that he believes overreliance on GLP-1 medications may contribute to disordered eating patterns and a growing fear of hunger.

Cole attributed the trend to a culture that favors simple, fast solutions over sustained lifestyle changes. "We want a magic pill," he said.

"And the truth is somewhere in the middle: Can we micro-dose? Can we do it cyclically? And can we pair it with lifestyle?"

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The expert questioned why there has been an "epidemic rise" of metabolic problems, pointing to factors such as diets high in ultraprocessed foods, nutrient deficiencies, environmental toxins, and the presence of stress and trauma.

"That is why we're seeing a rise of chronic health problems, not a pharmaceutical deficiency," he said.

Cole said he supports wider access to peptides, but emphasized the importance of transparency, product purity and clear labeling so healthcare professionals and consumers can make informed decisions.

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Despite those concerns, Cole said he believes GLP-1s also hold significant therapeutic promise, citing their potential to reduce inflammation, help manage autoimmune conditions and improve gut health.

"But again, what's the lowest dose that yields a beneficial result paired with lifestyle? I think that's where peptides can really shine," he said.

"And I am actually more excited about some of these other [peptides], like the inflammation ones or the longevity peptides."

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