Specific amount of nightly sleep may lower diabetes risk, researchers find

Getting a certain amount of sleep could help ward off diabetes, a new study suggests.

A team of Chinese researchers studied how sleep duration on weekdays is associated with insulin resistance, a key risk factor for type 2 diabetes. The long-term observational study, held from 2009 to 2023, included about 25,000 participants.

The "sweet spot" for low insulin resistance was about seven hours and 18 minutes of sleep per night, found the research, which was published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care.

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Large deviations from this benchmark — either too much or too little sleep — were associated with worse insulin sensitivity. Shorter sleep was linked with higher insulin resistance, while longer sleep had worse metabolic markers.

Getting extra "catch-up" sleep on the weekends did not make up for deficits during the week, the study found, as excessive sleep showed a risk of worsening glucose metabolism in some participants.

"These correlational findings suggest that sleep patterns, particularly weekend recovery sleep, may be relevant for metabolic regulation in diabetes and could inform considerations for healthcare professionals in managing patient care," the researchers concluded in the study.

As this was an observational study, the findings show associations rather than cause and effect, they noted. Sleep duration was also self-reported, which could pose a limitation.

The study did not measure sleep quality, which could play a role in outcomes. Other lifestyle factors, like diet, stress and shift work, could influence results as well.

Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for comment.

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel said the study produced "useful information."

"We have long known that there is an association between sleep and insulin resistance," Siegel, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital. "This is because the restorative aspect of sleep helps to regulate metabolic function and hormones, and also decrease inflammation."

"But as this study shows, both too much and too little sleep may lead to more insulin resistance (and diabetes) via metabolic dysregulation," he added.

Dr. Aaron Pinkhasov, a board-certified psychiatrist and chair of the department of psychiatry at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, said the concept of sleeping a certain number of hours to prevent diabetes is "too simplistic."

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"Sleep is only one part of metabolic health, along with genetics, body weight, diet, physical activity and stress," the sleep expert, who also wasn't part of the study, told Fox News Digital.

"The study provides only a snapshot in time, so it cannot prove that sleep duration actually causes insulin resistance," he went on. "It is also possible that underlying problems — such as metabolic illness, pain, depression or low activity — lead people to sleep longer or shorter."

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The "practical message" for adults, according to Pinkhasov, is to aim for about seven to nine hours of quality sleep on a regular schedule, as part of an "overall strategy to reduce diabetes risk."

"The study strengthens the idea that sleep should be considered as important as diet and exercise when discussing diabetes risk," he added. "The key message is not the exact number of hours, but that both chronic sleep deprivation and irregular sleep patterns are associated with higher insulin resistance."

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More than 40 million Americans — about 12% of the population — have diabetes, according to 2026 CDC data. About 11 million (27.6%) of cases are undiagnosed, and more than 115 million U.S. adults have prediabetes.

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First case of severe mpox disease reported in major city: ‘Life-threatening’

The first case of severe mpox (formerly monkeypox) has been identified in New York City, according to an advisory issued by the NYC Health Department.

One resident has tested positive for mpox clade I, one of the two main genetic groups (clades) of the mpox virus, which causes the illness.

"Clade I causes more severe symptoms and can be life-threatening," Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital. "It spreads via direct contact or sex, and kissing, and very close respiratory droplets, but not over longer distances by respiratory spread."

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Clade II was the strain that caused a 2022 global outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Survival rates for this type are more than 99.9%.

Clade I, which was responsible for the 2024 outbreak in the DRC and Africa, is known to cause more severe illness and deaths. 

The New York City patient recently traveled out of the country, the advisory states. "This appears to have come here from travel and has not spread locally," Siegel noted.

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There is no known local transmission of mpox clade I in New York City and the risk remains low for local residents, according to NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin.

"The NYC Health Department recommends that New Yorkers who are at risk for mpox receive and complete the two-dose vaccine series that works to prevent mpox," he said in a statement.

To help prevent transmission, the CDC recommends vaccination for men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with men, are age 18 or older, and have other specific risks. Those who plan to travel to areas where clade I mpox is spreading should also seek the vaccine.

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People who may have been in close contact with an infected person should get the vaccine within 14 days.

As with other viral infections, those who are immunocompromised or very young are at the greatest risk of severe infection.

Vaccination can help reduce the chances of infection and also makes symptoms less severe, according to experts. The two-dose JYNNEOS vaccine is the most common type of protection. Those who have had mpox do not need to be vaccinated.

Mpox symptoms include a sometimes painful, blistery rash on various parts of the body, fever, chills, exhaustion, muscle aches, headache, swollen lymph nodes and respiratory symptoms, according to the CDC. These symptoms usually emerge one to three weeks after exposure.

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In rare cases, mpox can lead to eye infections, severe rash, painful skin lesions and neurological problems.

Treatment for mpox involves supportive care to manage symptoms. In severe cases, patients may receive TPOXX (tecovirimat), an antiviral medication used to treat infections caused by viruses related to smallpox, including mpox, Siegel noted.

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Patient in Canada waits over 12 hours in hospital emergency room: 'I'd rather pay’

A woman seeking emergency care for severe abdominal pain recently shared her frustration on social media with the long wait times at a Canadian hospital.

Amanda Gushue, 37, first visited her primary care physician — who sent her to the emergency department with a swollen appendix.

After waiting for two hours in triage, she was sent to the waiting room — where she was shocked to see that it could be anywhere from five to 15 hours before she could see a doctor or nurse.  

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She ultimately waited another 10 to 12 hours before she was seen.

"There were probably about 150 seats and they were all full," Gushue, a resident of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, told Fox News Digital. "This is what we deal with when we go to the hospital on a regular basis — you’re looking at spending a full day there."

Gushue shared that one elderly woman came in with a head wound, "bleeding profusely," and had to wait for two hours before she was seen.

Gushue said she attributes the long wait times to a scarcity of doctors. "We have tons of nurses, but no doctors."

Even after she was admitted, Gushue said she received sub-par care and was not given sufficient privacy.

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Canada has a universal healthcare system that is funded through taxes, according to the government’s website.

Eligible residents of a province or territory can apply for public health insurance to access free healthcare services, the website states.

"I would rather pay for my healthcare at this point and get treated fairly," Gushe said.

Part of the problem is that Canada is "overpopulated," she said, expressing her point of view.

"The healthcare system is overworked right now, and these doctors are probably exhausted," she said. "They're working around the clock, and then after a 16- or 17-hour shift, you get a cranky doctor."

Gushe was ultimately admitted. She had her appendix removed last week. 

She is now recovering and said she "feels great."

In 2024-2025, there were more than 16.1 million unscheduled emergency department visits in Canada's hospitals, an increase from about 15.5 million the year before, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

Among those patients who were admitted into the hospital from the emergency department, nine out of 10 of the ED visits were completed within 48-½ hours, the above source stated. For those who were not admitted, nine out of 10 were completed within around eight hours.

Median wait times vary widely by province, CIHI stated.

Some of the main factors contributing to the extended wait times include staff and bed shortages, hospital flow issues (due to lack of primary care access), and overcrowding that leads to system stress, according to the Canadian Medical Association.

Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency room doctor in Edmonton, recently shared with the Calgary Journal that he sometimes sees more than 100 people in the waiting room of his hospital, which only has 30 chairs.

"People who can stand, stand. Some are on the ground, and we’re hoping they’re alive," he said. "And you walk by this carnage, and then you start your day."

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The doctor added that some patients wait all night to receive care. "What used to be a mass casualty event is now the new norm," he said, per the report.

Another ER physician, Dr. Michael Howlett, who is president of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, also shared his concerns about the situation.

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"I’ve worked in emergency departments since 1987, and it’s by far the worst it’s ever been. It’s not even close," he told CityNews, a Canadian news outlet. 

"We’ve got people dying in waiting rooms because we don’t have a place to put them," he went on. "People being resuscitated on an ambulance stretcher or a floor. Those things have happened."

In January, Alberta’s minister of hospitals announced an investigation into the death of a 44-year-old man who died after waiting nearly eight hours in an Edmonton emergency department with chest pain, according to local reports. 

A system review has since been completed by Acute Care Alberta, identifying emergency department overcrowding and triage challenges. The review issued multiple recommendations to prevent similar incidents, though a formal investigation into the death remains ongoing.

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The government also announced new triage liaison physician roles in major hospitals, as physicians report continued overcrowding and capacity issues.

Fox News Digital reached out to Nova Scotia Health and Canada Health requesting comment.

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Common vitamin could bring relief from long COVID symptoms, study suggests

Vitamin D supplements may offer researchers a new clue about lingering COVID symptoms that persist after infection, according to a new study.

Researchers at Mass General Brigham examined whether high doses of vitamin D could influence COVID-19 outcomes, including the risk of developing long COVID, a condition in which symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath and brain fog continue weeks or months after the initial infection.

The findings were published in The Journal of Nutrition.

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The randomized clinical trial included 1,747 adults who had recently tested positive for COVID-19, along with 277 members of their households. Participants were assigned to receive either vitamin D3 supplements or a placebo for four weeks.

Dr. JoAnn Manson, senior author of the study and a physician at Mass General Brigham, told Fox News Digital that the results point to a possible benefit related to long-term symptoms.

"A key takeaway is that vitamin D supplementation looks promising for reducing the risk of developing long COVID but does not appear to affect the severity of the acute infection," Manson said.

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Researchers found that vitamin D supplementation did not significantly change short-term outcomes such as symptom severity, hospital visits or emergency care.

The study also showed no difference between the vitamin D and placebo groups in the likelihood that household contacts would contract the virus.

However, when researchers analyzed participants who closely followed the supplement regimen, they observed a possible difference in lingering symptoms.

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About 21% of participants who took vitamin D reported at least one ongoing symptom eight weeks after infection, compared with 25% of those who received a placebo.

"There’s been tremendous interest in whether vitamin D supplements can be of benefit in COVID, and this is one of the largest and most rigorous randomized trials on the subject," Manson said in the press release.

"While we didn’t find that high-dose vitamin D reduced COVID severity or hospitalizations, we observed a promising signal for long COVID that merits additional research," she added.

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Manson said vitamin D may influence longer-term complications because the nutrient plays a role in regulating inflammation in the body.

The researchers noted several limitations in the trial. The study had to be conducted remotely during the pandemic, and participants began taking vitamin D several days after their COVID diagnosis.

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Ideally, Manson said, supplementation would begin before infection or immediately after diagnosis.

She added that larger studies will be needed to confirm whether vitamin D could reduce the risk or severity of long COVID symptoms.

Researchers are planning additional trials to examine whether vitamin D supplementation may help treat people already experiencing long COVID.

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The real reason for sagging jowls, and what will and won't help, according to an expert

For many people, sagging jowls — loose skin that develops along the lower cheeks and jawline — are one of the first unexpected signs of aging.

Dr. Shereene Idriss, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Idriss Dermatology in New York City, spoke to Fox News Digital about the best practices for managing the downward "drag."

To understand why jowls form and how to treat them, Idriss suggests visualizing the face as a piece of furniture.

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"I like to explain facial aging using a couch analogy: The bones are the frame, the fat and muscle are the cushions, and the skin is the fabric," she said.

When a person notices the early stages of "jowling," it is rarely just a skin ("fabric") issue. Instead, it is typically a combination of loss of structural support and fat shifting downward with gravity, according to Idriss.

As the frame of the "couch" changes and the cushions compress, the fabric has no choice but to "naturally begin to drape differently," she said.

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Even so, it’s never too late for non-invasive treatments, according to the doctor.

The key to success is a multi-layered strategy rather than a "miracle" fix, she said.

While the market is saturated with jawline sculpting gadgets, Idriss urges patients to manage their expectations when experimenting with these. 

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Facial rollers and massage may move lymphatic fluid to temporarily reduce puffiness, but they cannot eliminate true jowling, she said.

Idriss advises against getting buccal fat removal, a popular cosmetic surgical procedure that involves removing the natural fat pads in the cheeks to create a more contoured, hollowed look.

For many people, removing that fat can actually "accelerate [the formation of] jowls and age you faster," she warned, noting that the goal should be to preserve the "cushions" of the face, not discard them.

Surgical options like facelifts have limitations because, according to Idriss, "a facelift repositions tissue and tightens skin, but it doesn’t rebuild the deeper structural changes that happen with aging." 

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Some patients may feel their reflection changes almost overnight, Idriss noted, pointing out that there are specific "aging peaks," including a scientifically documented shift in the mid-40s.

"That moment often feels like it happened overnight, but it’s really the accumulation of years of collagen loss and tissue movement," the doctor said.

For individuals in their 20s or 30s, the focus should be on "maintaining the couch before the cushions start sinking." 

This involves protecting collagen by consistently applying sunscreen, using retinoids (vitamin A-derived compounds that can help improve skin cell turnover and stimulate collagen production), and managing inflammation, according to Idriss.

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However, she noted, jowls are not a result of skincare failure. "It is quite literally your bone structure," Idriss said.

The objective, according to the expert, is to address the root cause of the "drape" rather than chasing a fleeting trend. "Less is usually more — overtreating can create unnatural results."

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Cigarette smoking in America plummets to historic single-digit low, new study finds

The percentage of American adults who smoke cigarettes has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded, according to a new study.

About 9.9% of U.S. adults reported smoking cigarettes in 2024, a drop from 10.8% in 2023, according to an analysis of National Health Interview Survey data published Tuesday in the journal NEJM Evidence. 

The findings mark the first time the adult smoking rate in the U.S. has fallen to the single digits, a milestone public health officials have pursued for decades. The decline suggests the U.S. may be moving closer to the Healthy People 2030 goal — a national public health target — of reducing adult smoking to 6.1%.

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"If this decline continues, the target might be met or exceeded by 2030," the researchers, led by Israel Agaku, Ph.D., an Atlanta-based public health researcher and professor, wrote in the paper.

But the milestone does not mean tobacco use has disappeared. About 25.2 million adults still smoke cigarettes — the most commonly used tobacco product in the United States — while nearly 47.7 million adults, or 18.8% of the population, use at least one tobacco product, including cigarettes, cigars or e-cigarettes, according to the researchers.

The study analyzed responses from more than 29,500 adults in 2023 and 32,600 adults in 2024 who participated in the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative household survey and the most recent national data available on adult tobacco use.

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The drop in cigarette smoking helped drive a decline in overall combustible tobacco use, which includes cigarettes and cigars. About 12.6% of adults used combustible tobacco in 2024, down from 13.5% the year prior, according to the study.

However, the prevalence of other tobacco products — including e-cigarettes and cigars — did not significantly change between 2023 and 2024, according to the study.

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"The lack of change in cigar and e-cigarette use calls for intensified implementation of comprehensive tobacco control policies addressing all products," the researchers wrote.

The study also found that tobacco use was not evenly distributed across the population.

Men reported significantly higher tobacco use than women, with just over 24% of men using at least one tobacco product compared with nearly 14% of women, according to the study.

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Tobacco use was also higher among certain demographic and occupational groups, particularly adults in industries such as agriculture, construction and manufacturing.

The highest tobacco use was reported among people with a General Educational Development certificate at 42.8%, as well as rural residents, low-income individuals and people with disabilities.

Young adults were more likely to use e-cigarettes than traditional cigarettes. Nearly 15% of adults ages 18 to 24 reported using e-cigarettes, compared with 3.4% who smoked cigarettes, according to the study.

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Some experts note the findings reflect a shift in nicotine use rather than a disappearance of addiction.

John Puls, a psychotherapist and addiction specialist who runs Full Life Comprehensive Care in Boca Raton, Florida, said the trend away from cigarettes but continued use of tobacco and e-cigarettes mirrors what he sees with patients.

"Most of my patients use e-cigarettes and various vape products," Puls, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. "They’re easier to conceal, can be used almost anywhere and deliver a much more powerful nicotine dose."

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Cigarette smoking, on the other hand, is "more socially unacceptable than it has ever been," he added. "I work with many patients who are addicted to nicotine, and the vast majority have never smoked a cigarette."

Puls said this pattern is especially common among adolescents and young adults and is concerning because cigarettes typically deliver about 1 to 2 milligrams of nicotine, while some vape products can contain 20 to 60 milligrams.

"There’s also a perception that e-cigarettes are a safer form of smoking, which is contributing to the decline in cigarette smoking," Puls added.

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Health officials stress that no tobacco product is safe, including e-cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. and is responsible for about one in three cancer deaths, the agency says.

Overall, sustained public health measures — including smoke-free laws, tobacco taxes and access to quitting support — remain critical to further reducing tobacco use, the researchers noted.

The study had several limitations, including changes to how smokeless tobacco has been defined over the survey years, reliance on self-reported data and less reliable estimates for some smaller subgroups.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Agaku for comment.

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Woman's alarming cancer symptoms blamed on pregnancy for years before stage 3 diagnosis

A Los Angeles mother said her jarring symptoms were dismissed by doctors for years, chalked up to a side effect of childbirth — but they turned out to be signals of colorectal cancer.

Marisa Peters, 44, a mother of three and former Broadway vocalist, first noticed bleeding when going to the bathroom after having her first son.

"Symptoms intensified to where blood was filling the toilet … then I had increased urgency to go to the bathroom," she shared with Fox News Digital. "The size, shape and texture of my stool also changed."

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As these symptoms progressed, Peters voiced her concerns to her primary care physician and other doctors.

Since Peters was only in her early 30s at the time, she wasn’t seen as the "typical" colorectal cancer (CRC) patient, as most cases occur in older adults. In recent years, however, statistics show the disease has been rising in younger individuals.

"They didn't realize the face of colorectal cancer had changed," Peters said. "It now looked like someone much younger."

"We're seeing a rise in people, younger and younger, unfortunately, with late-stage diagnosis, which leads to pretty abysmal mortality rates," she added, noting the power of earlier detection and intervention through colonoscopy.

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Instead of considering cancer, Peters’ doctors told her that "our bodies change when we have babies" and that her concerns were "ultimately dismissed."

Meanwhile, her symptoms were "checking every single box" for CRC, including severe anemia, although she was unaware at the time.

Over the next five years, Peters had two more children while battling on-again, off-again symptoms. During the last year, she noted there was "always blood" in her bowel movements, motivating her to seek answers from a gastroenterologist.

"I will never forget [the doctor’s] face," she said. "She was stunned and shocked by what I shared."

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The doctor ran blood and stool-based tests, which came back positive for CRC, prompting an urgent colonoscopy to confirm the cancer.

In June 2021, Peters was officially diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer after a 5-centimeter tumor was found at the top of her rectum.

Peters had a complete response to the next 11 months of chemotherapy and radiation, as her tumor shrunk by half. She then underwent rectal reconstruction and was fitted with a temporary ileostomy bag, which diverted waste away from the area for four months so it could heal.

After six more rounds of chemo, Peters had an ileostomy reversal, where her body was "essentially put back together."

At the time of Peters' diagnosis, she was still nursing her 16-month-old baby and continued to take care of all three kids while undergoing treatment, with support from her husband.

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"Thankfully, I have a tremendous mental health team, and they have helped me redefine my life, really communicate with my husband, with my children — not only throughout the journey, but also through the reformation of what family and motherhood looks like," she told Fox News Digital. 

Although Peters’ cancer was already "too far gone" for a colonoscopy to have made a difference in her diagnosis, she highly encourages the "gold standard" screening for anyone who has concerns or is at high risk.

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After her diagnosis, Peters said her sister went in for a colonoscopy, during which her doctors found and removed some pre-cancerous polyps, although she never had any symptoms. Peters later discovered that her parents both had pre-cancerous polyps removed.

"Knowing your family's health history is tremendously important," she said.

Peters founded BE SEEN, a colorectal cancer nonprofit advocating for earlier intervention and screening, to help others find their voice and get ahead of the disease. BE SEEN offers resources and community programs.

"Colorectal cancer is an entirely preventable disease, even though it's on the rise in people in their 20s, 30s and 40s for reasons we don't know," she said.

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"I want people to be seen for their symptoms … I want them to be seen for their story. And I want them to be seen, ultimately, for their screenings, because we know they save lives."

"I lost so much time, and I'm still deeply questioning why I am here to talk about it when so many other people get a late-stage diagnosis and don't have the complete response that I had," Peters added. "We're losing people far too soon, and it's just not okay. This is not something we should be settling for."

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50 and the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S.

Adults 65 and younger comprise nearly half (45%) of all new cases — a significant increase from 27% in 1995, according to a report from the American Cancer Society.

Official health agencies recommend that CRC screenings start at age 45 and continue through age 75 for adults at "average risk."

Anyone with concerning symptoms or questions about risk should consult a doctor for guidance.

Fox News' Melissa Rudy contributed reporting.

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