Financial hardship may age the brain faster, researchers say in new study

Adults who faced persistent financial hardship showed poorer cognitive performance and signs of accelerated brain aging later in life, according to a new study.

Researchers at University College London looked at 2,759 U.K. participants from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development born in 1946, as stated in a press release.

Adults who reported experiencing persistent financial hardship or low income performed worse on cognitive tests that assessed verbal memory and processing speed.

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Those who had persistent low income also showed poorer brain health based on MRI scans, which measured markers of aging like brain shrinkage and enlarged ventricles.

"[While] we know well that cognitive decline is associated with both genetic risks and adverse childhood experience, we knew very little about what happens during the life course … particularly, the experience of persistent financial stress over the lifetime," study author Dr Jacques Wels from the Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL told Fox News Digital.

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"The study clearly demonstrates … that the accumulation of poverty is linked to cognitive decline. We used different measures of lifecourse financial adversity and different measures of cognitive decline and they all show the same results, which makes the results solid."

The associations were strongest among men, people who had disadvantaged childhoods and carriers of the APOE-ε4 genetic variant that is linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease.

"The study shows that [while] cognitive decline is both a matter of genetic risks and individual behaviors, it is also affected by the experiences we live over our lives that we don’t always have control on," Wels added.

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Based on the findings, the researchers suggested that chronic financial adversity over decades, rather than short-term periods of hardship, is linked to faster cognitive aging.

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This could be the result of chronic stress leading to inflammation or increased cognitive load from persistent financial worry, the authors proposed.

There were some limitations of the study, including that its observational design could not prove that the financial stress caused the cognitive effects.

"We are looking at a cohort of people born in 1946 – so their life course experience is really dependent on the context they lived in," Wels noted. "For instance, we found stronger effects among males, which reflects the ‘breadwinner’ role of men in older cohorts, something we might not observe in more recent generations."

Even after accounting for many other factors that could influence brain health, it's still possible that unmeasured variables may have affected the results, the study authors acknowledged.

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While reducing long-term poverty could help protect brain health, the UCL team said further studies are needed to determine whether improving financial circumstances directly reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

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Dad suffers heart attack days before daughter's wedding — then doctors make sure he walks her down the aisle

A father who suffered a heart attack just days before his daughter's wedding refused to let open-heart surgery keep him from walking her down the aisle.

Days before the planned ceremony, Rick Nelson began having chest pains while at a friend’s home. His wife, Gail, rushed him to Cleveland Clinic’s Marymount Emergency Department, according to a hospital statement sent to Fox News Digital.

When it was confirmed that Nelson was having a heart attack, he was brought by helicopter to Cleveland Clinic's main campus. Doctors found multiple severe coronary blockages that would require open-heart surgery.

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As Nelson was prepped for surgery, he told his doctors, "My daughter, Rachel, is getting married Saturday. I have to be there."

Following a successful quadruple bypass performed by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Faisal Bakaeen, Nelson began recovering in the ICU.

The initial plan was for his daughter to come visit him the hospital so he could have a first look at her in her wedding dress — but that evolved into something much bigger.

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Care teams from across the hospital worked together to make sure Nelson could take part in the June 6 wedding, coordinating every detail to safely move the ceremony to the hospital's rooftop.

Just days after undergoing life-saving heart surgery, Nelson traded his hospital bed for a front-row seat at his daughter's wedding. His care team prepared the venue, helped Nelson get dressed for the occasion and made sure he was able to walk his daughter down the aisle.

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Nearly 80 family members and friends gathered on the hospital rooftop, where caregivers lined the aisle as Nelson — still recovering from the surgery he’d undergone just days earlier — accompanied his daughter to meet her groom, Dana Schultz.

"Moments like these remind us the work we do is about more than medicine. It’s about people, families and milestones that can’t be repeated — and the shared commitment of a team to make something so meaningful possible," said Dr. Bakaeen, according to Cleveland Clinic’s statement.

"It’s hard to put into words what this meant to us," Nelson’s wife said. "Everyone went above and beyond."

The celebration continued later that day at the couple’s reception, where the bride’s mother started her toast with a lighthearted quip: "He didn’t have to make this dramatic of a move to get out of giving a speech."

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Nelson has since been discharged and is recovering at home with his family while beginning cardiac rehabilitation — grateful he was able to keep the promise he made to his daughter.

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Skipping sleep may pack on pounds faster than you think, new study finds

Regularly cutting back on sleep could cause the number on the scale to creep up, according to new research.

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that adults who got about 90 minutes less sleep each night for six weeks gained roughly one pound on average compared with periods when they got enough rest.

Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center studied 95 adults who were already at risk for heart or metabolic disease, comparing six weeks of adequate sleep with six weeks of cutting about 90 minutes of sleep each night.

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By the end of the sleep-restricted phase, participants weighed about one pound more on average and had slightly larger waistlines. They also spent more time sitting, although their levels of moderate and vigorous exercise remained about the same.

While participants gained weight, researchers did not detect significant changes in body fat or muscle mass. They also did not track how much participants ate, so it's unclear what drove the increase.

Dr. Somi Javaid, an Ohio-based OB-GYN and founder of HerMD who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital that sleep plays an important role in regulating the body's metabolism.

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Javaid said chronic sleep deprivation can make it harder for the body to regulate weight, but noted that women going through menopause may be especially vulnerable because sleep problems become more common during that stage of life.

"We are destroying women's sleep at the exact life stage when their metabolism is [the] least able to absorb the hit, then telling them to eat less and exercise more," Javaid said.

She added that the American Heart Association now recognizes sleep as one of its "Life's Essential 8" for heart health and recommends adults get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

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"Chronic short sleep is not a lifestyle quirk," Javaid said. "We need to treat sleep as a vital sign of health."

While the findings suggest regularly getting less sleep may contribute to weight gain, the researchers noted several limitations of the study.

They said the six-week study may not have been long enough to detect meaningful changes in body fat, which can take longer to develop than changes in body weight.

The researchers also noted that the study's relatively small sample size limited their ability to compare results among different groups of participants. In addition, some hormone measurements were collected only in the morning and may not have reflected fluctuations that occur throughout the day.

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Popular pastime sending more Americans to ER with devastating injuries

The Detroit, Michigan, metro area is reporting an uptick in serious incidents related to electric bikes (e-bikes).

Fox 2 Detroit reported that police are seeing a rise in e-bike crashes, while doctors say they're treating a growing number of related injuries.

These incidents have reportedly led some communities to seek restrictions on e-bikes or to ban them altogether.

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Some e-bikes can reach speeds of up to 28 miles per hour, increasing the potential severity of crashes on sidewalks and streets.

Fox 2 Detroit spoke with emergency room doctor Robert Sherwin of the Detroit Medical Center, who reported seeing everything from minor injuries to major trauma related to e-bike incidents.

"These Class 3 bikes are probably more like motor vehicles," he said. "They travel up to 28 miles an hour, and a lot of riders aren't expecting that, might not be experienced in that."

"These e-bikes are heavier than regular bikes, and they travel much faster, but the human body doesn't change just because a bike has a motor."

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Fox 2 Detroit also spoke with local bike shop owner John Hughes, who suggested the "real issue" has always been sharing the road with cars.

"Cars aren't looking out for bikes... people don't respect bikes as a form of transportation, and that's where it gets dangerous."

Hughes continued, "There's a ton of traffic out there. Everyone is on their cellphones. They're texting and driving constantly."

E-bike rider Cam Cason told Fox 2 Detroit that he takes his e-bike to work and school, crediting it as a "very efficient way" to get around.

"Way better than a car, in my opinion," he said. "When you don't have to spend $30 or $40 just to get some gas, use the electric bike to get where you need to go."

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As concerns over e-bike safety grow nationwide, states are beginning to tighten regulations. In New Jersey, a new law enacted this year requires e-bikes to be registered, and riders must be at least 15 years old and possess either a valid driver's license or an e-bike license to operate one.

The law was enacted amid growing concerns about e-bike crashes, including the death of a New Jersey teenager. Supporters argued that licensing, helmet and registration requirements would promote responsible riding and reduce bodily harm.

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NYU Langone Health released an advisory in April on the surge in brain and spine injuries related to e-bikes and scooters among riders and pedestrians in New York City.

According to a study published in the journal Neurosurgery, medical emergencies involving pedal-powered and electric bikes and scooters accounted for nearly 7% of trauma patients admitted to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue.

One-third of the 914 patients treated for injuries involving pedal-powered and electric bikes and scooters suffered a traumatic brain injury. More than two-thirds required hospital admission and about 30% needed intensive care.

Physical harm linked to electric bikes and scooters increased from less than 10% of cases in 2018 to more than half by 2023, according to the study. The most common cause of injury, accounting for about half of all cases, was a collision with a car or truck.

Fewer than one-third of riders wore helmets, which was linked to a "significantly higher rate" of brain and facial injuries. The study found that 20% of patients tested positive for alcohol, which was associated with more severe head trauma and lower rates of helmet use.

Pedestrians struck by electric vehicles suffered brain injuries at nearly twice the rate of riders, according to an analysis of 69 pedestrian cases.

Corresponding author Hannah Weiss, MD, a resident in the Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, commented in a statement that these findings suggest "micromobility injuries are producing serious brain and spinal trauma that demands neurosurgical care at a scale we haven’t seen before."

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"In a busy urban setting, we are seeing more and more of these injuries firsthand," she went on. "The data point to actionable solutions – helmet use, safer bike lane design and enforcement – that could prevent many of these injuries and better protect both riders and pedestrians."

Paul P. Huang, MD, associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and chief of neurosurgery at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, added that the study highlights that "urban infrastructure must continue to improve to keep pace with the rapid rise of electric bikes and scooters."

"Future studies should track these injuries across multiple cities and measure whether protected bike lanes, helmet programs and speed enforcement actually reduce the number of brain and spine surgeries we perform," Huang said.

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Too much screen time may trigger lasting brain delays, top health official warns

As screens compete for families' attention, children's development is paying the price, top federal health officials warn.

Early and excessive screen time can trigger severe neurocognitive delays in young children, impacting attention spans, memory and language skills, according to Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos, interim surgeon general and principal deputy assistant secretary of health.

"Parents are now fighting for attention from the screens," Haridopolos told Fox News Digital.

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To help parents combat screen addiction, the U.S. Surgeon General's Office has released a targeted framework known as "the 5 Ds."

Don't wait for a conflict to establish boundaries, experts recommend. Sit down as a family to outline clear, age-appropriate rules regarding when, where and how long screens can be used throughout the day.

Setting explicit expectations ahead of time cuts down on daily arguments, experts say.

Parents should model healthy screen habits themselves, Haridopolos said. 

"If we're constantly on our screens, then perhaps our children will be, too," she said, encouraging adults to "be good role models and lead by example."

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Rather than defaulting to giving children a tablet when they're bored, Haridopolos recommended steering them toward hands-on activities, such as doing arts and crafts or preparing a healthy meal together.

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Breaks like summer and the holidays are critical windows for families to reset digital boundaries, the interim surgeon general suggested.

Haridopolos encouraged families to build regular screen-free periods into their daily routines, including during meals, car rides and before bedtime.

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As part of the "Delay" step, Haridopolos recommended putting off children's access to screens whenever possible. One way to do that, she said, is by requiring phones and other mobile devices to be charged overnight in a shared household space — like the kitchen or living room — rather than in children's bedrooms.

"Those are some simple activities that you can do that will make huge changes in the future," the interim surgeon general added.

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Man who beat rare cancer celebrates by canoeing 2,000 miles with his dog

A 67-year-old cancer survivor from Orange County, Florida, completed a more than 2,000-mile journey down the Missouri River alongside his dog, Amos, after undergoing a groundbreaking immunotherapy treatment.

Frank Carter spent 64 days navigating the longest U.S. river in a cedar-strip canoe he built by hand, according to reports from the Moffitt Cancer Center and FOX 13 News.

The expedition began in Montana and concluded near St. Louis, Missouri, requiring the pair to camp along the riverbank while enduring severe storms, high winds and hail, FOX 13 News reported.

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Before his diagnosis, Carter was a long-distance adventurer. According to the Moffitt Cancer Center, he spent five months hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2019 and completed an eight-week cross-country bicycle ride from San Diego to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, in 2020.

However, his physical limits were tested in a new way in 2021 following a routine 5K race.

"I was wiped out. I just wasn't recovering," Carter told FOX 13 News. "I went to my doctor, had blood tests. Long story short, in two weeks I was getting chemo."

Doctors diagnosed Carter with mantle cell lymphoma, a rare form of blood cancer that originates in white blood cells known as lymphocytes. He underwent 15 rounds of chemotherapy in Orlando, according to Moffitt Cancer Center.

Although the treatment significantly reduced the cancer, follow-up exams showed lingering traces of the disease.

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Carter then sought care at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa to undergo chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which involves extracting the patient's own immune cells, genetically altering them in a laboratory to identify cancer cells, and adding them back into the body.

"We take those T-cells and genetically engineer them by putting something called a CAR into them," Dr. Michael Jain, an oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center, told FOX 13 News. "Now these T-cells can see the tumor and get rid of it, where before the tumor was able to hide from it."

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Carter has remained cancer-free for four years following the single infusion. Throughout his recovery, he has found constant support in his dog, Amos, whom he brought home right before beginning chemotherapy.

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"After my cancer diagnosis, I told myself I was going to beat this, and I really wanted a dog during the process," Carter told Moffitt's Endeavor publication. "I got Amos right before my first treatment."

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Longer lives, worse health? Scientists uncover troubling trend across generations

People across the world are living longer, but they’re also spending more years coping with ill health, a recent study observed.

The "morbidity gap" — the number of years people spend in poor health, typically struggling with chronic challenges such as low back pain, hearing loss and depression — widened across 203 of 204 countries analyzed, and was the most pronounced in America, the researchers found.

"Globally in 2023, an average of 14·5% of life was spent in poor health, compared to 13·6% in 1990," the researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington reported.

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In the United States, the morbidity gap is about 14 years, or 17.8% of the expected lifespan.

"Between 1990 and 2023, global life expectancy at birth increased from 64.6 years to 73.8 years, while healthy life expectancy rose from 55.9 years to 63.1 years," the researchers reported in a news release.

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"Because gains in survival consistently outpaced gains in healthy years of life, people are spending more years living with chronic disease and disability," they wrote.

The gap widened the most in the wealthiest countries where populations have access to life-extending resources, the researchers reported. Women are also living longer than men, but also spending more years in poor health, they found.

"To me, the most important message of this study is not that people are living longer — it is that we have become far better at delaying death than delaying functional decline," Dr. Antony Chu, clinical assistant professor at Brown University’s Warren Alpert School of Medicine, told Fox News Digital.

"Modern medicine has achieved remarkable success in reducing mortality from cardiovascular disease, cancer, trauma and infectious illness," he said. "Yet many of those additional years are now lived with chronic pain, disability, sensory loss, depression or reduced independence."

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Researchers analyzed Global Burden of Disease data covering 204 countries and territories from 1990 through 2023. In their report, published by The Lancet Public Health, scientists observed that a small number of chronic, largely non-fatal causes were the primary contributors to the morbidity gap.

Musculoskeletal disorders, especially low back pain, mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, hearing loss, falls and other non-communicable accounted for about 57% of all years lived in poor health worldwide. High fasting plasma glucose, obesity and aging populations were also important contributors.

The researchers noted that the study points to broad health trends but doesn’t prove exactly what's causing people to spend more years in poor health.

"Our findings suggest that future gains in population health will come not only from helping people live longer, but from helping them live healthier," said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine and senior author of the study.

"Progress in healthy aging should be measured not only by lifespan, but by healthspan [the number of years spent in good health], with greater investment in prevention, long-term disease management and chronic care to reduce years lived in poor health," Murray added.

The goal should no longer be simply extending lifespan, but compressing morbidity and maximizing the number of years people remain physically, cognitively and socially well, Chu told Fox News Digital.

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"Ultimately, I believe the next frontier of medicine is not simply adding years to life, but adding life to years," he said. "First, we need to focus on preserving function rather than simply reacting to disease."

The approach involves routinely assessing mobility, muscle strength, balance, hearing, cognition and overall physical resilience. Chu said this may prove just as important as monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose.

"Functional decline often begins years before disability becomes obvious, providing an opportunity for earlier intervention," he said.

Musculoskeletal health also deserves much greater emphasis, Chu said.

"Progressive resistance training, fall prevention, maintenance of muscle mass and early treatment of chronic back pain should become core components of preventive medicine rather than afterthoughts," he said. "Preserving mobility may ultimately have as much impact on healthy aging as preventing heart disease."

Mental health and social connection are another vital component to healthspan, Chu said.

"Hearing loss, depression, anxiety and loneliness frequently reinforce one another, accelerating physical decline while diminishing quality of life," he said. "Addressing these conditions early may improve both longevity and independence."

Chu, who is the child of immigrants, said it’s his belief that Americans often overlook an important cultural dimension of healthy aging.

"In many societies outside the United States, older adults continue to play an active and respected role within multigenerational families," he said. "They remain mentors, caregivers, historians and sources of wisdom. This continued sense of purpose and belonging may provide meaningful protection against loneliness, depression and loss of identity."

"By contrast, many older Americans experience increasing social isolation precisely when maintaining meaningful relationships may be most important," Chu added. "Healthy aging is not determined solely by biology; it is also shaped by community, purpose and human connection."

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