8 top health stories of the past week that you need to know now

All week long, Fox News Digital keeps you up-to-date on the latest wellness news — clinical trials, medical research, new medications, cutting-edge health technologies, success stories and more.

In case you missed them, here are a few of the biggest health stories from the past week.

As always, you can see a full list of recent health pieces at http://www.foxnews/health. 

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the French drugmaker Ipsen’s medication Iqirvo (elafibranor). Doctors and patients discuss how this new option could transform the landscape of liver treatment. Click here to get the story.

In an Alzheimer’s breakthrough, researchers identified a genetic marker that delayed cognitive decline in a high-risk family. Among 27 family members with the gene, disease progression was slowed by an average of five years. Click here to get the story.

For Men’s Health Month, several doctors shared with Fox News Digital some common reasons for energy and vitality to decline — along with tips for getting back up to speed. Click here to get the story.

A new blood test that uses artificial intelligence could detect Parkinson's disease up to 7 years before symptoms. An AI health care expert discusses its potential impact. Click here to get the story.

Each year, some 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths occur in the U.S., with the highest rates among children between 1 and 4 years of age. From choosing the right bathing suit color to installing pool alarms, these eight tips can help prevent tragic accidents. Click here to get the story.

A recent study by Stanford University, published in the journal Psychiatry Research, found that going to bed after a certain time could lead to mental health issues. Researchers and sleep experts share the negative effects of staying up past that hour. Click here to get the story.

The first study of its kind, funded by the National Institutes of Health, looked into exactly how pairing service dogs with PTSD-diagnosed veterans improves symptoms. A veteran also shares his personal story. Click here to get the story.

The US Preventive Services Task Force says that kids and teens with a high BMI (95% or greater) should receive at least 26 hours of "comprehensive, intensive behavioral interventions." Dr. Brett Osborn weighs in on the recommendation. Click here to get the story.

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New study suggests ditching BMI for 'roundness'-based system

A recently-published study suggests that a body "roundness" index may be a better measure of health than body mass index (BMI).

The article, called "Body Roundness Index and All-Cause Mortality Among US Adults," was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) this month. It promotes the use of the body roundness index (BRI), which was created in 2013.

BMI, which has been the standard for measuring obesity since the 1980s, is calculated by dividing a person's weight by the square of their height in feet. It was first developed by Belgian mathematician Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet in the 19th century.

On the BMI scale, any number lower than 18.5 is considered underweight. A BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight, and a BMI score exceeding 30 is considered obese.

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Although BMI is the standard way to measure obesity, it does come with its downsides. For example, because muscle adds on pounds, a healthy, muscular person who weighs a certain amount could be deemed overweight or obese using BMI.

BRI, on the other hand, is calculated using height and weight circumference, instead of just height and weight. BRI scores are also determined by using a more complicated mathematical equation.

"Besides weight and height, BRI additionally considers waist circumference, and hence it can more comprehensively reflect visceral fat distribution," the study explains.

According to the study, BRI was found to be a more effective way of measuring mortality in a group of patients.

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"BRI was found to be superior over other anthropometric indicators in estimating the risk for various clinical end points, including cardiometabolic disease, kidney disease, and cancer," the study claimed.

Researchers also said that their findings suggested that BRI "may be promising as a newer anthropometric measure associated with all-cause mortality."

"Our findings provide compelling evidence for the application of BRI as a noninvasive and easy to obtain screening tool for estimation of mortality risk and identification of high-risk individuals, a novel concept that could be incorporated into public health practice pending consistent validation in other independent studies," the article concluded.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has taken aim at BMI in the past. Last year, an AMA report called the use of BMI "imperfect" and "problematic," and claimed that it has been used for "racist exclusion."

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"BMI cutoffs are based on the imagined ideal Caucasian and [do] not consider a person’s gender or ethnicity," a report presented at the 2023 AMA Annual Meeting read.

Fox News contributor Dr. Marc Siegel criticized the allegations, calling the criticisms "politics, not medicine."

"I didn’t believe the AMA was going to get involved in cancel culture, but now they’re canceling the body mass index, which is the thing I look at to at least start me off in the direction of obesity," Siegel said.

"It’s not racist — it’s called good medicine."

Fox News Digital's Melissa Rudy contributed to this report. 

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How southern European nations will be among the highest life expectancies worldwide

Life expectancy is expected to rise worldwide by 2050, according to findings recently published by The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

The institute cites many factors for its findings, including "declining deaths from cardiovascular diseases, respiratory infections and tuberculosis, and maternal and neonatal death."

While the study has outlier countries with much greater gains in lifespan – Singapore tops the list with an estimated life expectancy of 88 – the region of southern Europe, despite poor GDP, has also made strides.

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The institute's findings conclude that the relatively poorer southern European countries of France, Italy, Spain and Portugal will gain higher life expectancy by 2050. The world's oldest living woman at 117, Maria Branyas Morera, is Spanish.

Despite these relatively poorer countries scoring low on GDP in comparison to their high life expectancy, they all possess common characteristics. Normally, more wealth correlates with better health worldwide.

Unlike their fellow top 20 lifespan countries in the study, like Switzerland or Denmark, health might not mean wealth for these southern European nations. 

A 2017 study reveals that Spaniards take 5,936 steps per day on average. For reference, the average American makes only 4,774 in the same study. The cultural heritage of daily movement like walking in nations like Italy and Spain may contribute to their projected high life expectancies.

Additionally, Spanish cities are built more densely populated than their counterparts. Regular social interaction could contribute to higher life expectancy. A 2023 Gallup poll among Spaniards found that just over three quarters, or 76%, reported feeling "fairly" or "very" socially supported.

Intergenerational family living is also more common among Spaniards than Americans, with the same poll reporting that 83% of Spaniards had seen "friends or family who live with you or near you" in the same week of polling.

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The institute projects France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain having life expectancies in 2050 somewhere between 84 and 86 years.

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Experts weigh in on the benefits, risks of using castor oil for weight loss

On social media, castor oil has become a popular trend for various uses, from hair growth to weight loss.

There have been millions of posts about the vegetable oil on TikTok, with many creators sharing how they’ve used it to improve their health.

In more controversial cases, creators have applied castor oil directly to their belly buttons — and have even taken to drinking it as a detox and weight-loss method, since the FDA has approved castor oil as a natural laxative.

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While some people on the internet have reported positive results, experts are warning that castor oil consumption could be dangerous for overall health.

Registered dietitian Ilana Muhlstein told Fox News Digital she has "never heard of castor oil being used for anything other than its traditional applications." 

The Los Angeles-based expert assumed that a primary use is for short-term, mild weight loss, since castor oil acts as a laxative.

"Laxatives can dehydrate you and cause dependency," she said. "There are much safer alternatives." 

She added, "If you're having trouble in the bathroom, try increasing your water intake, adding more fiber to your diet and getting more exercise. Speak with your doctor or dietitian if you have any questions."

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Katrina Mattingly, M.D., chief medical officer at Option Medical Weight Loss in Chicago, said castor oil is a "tried-and-true, old-school laxative."

She told Fox News Digital in an email, "The first thing that comes to mind is diarrhea."

"I remember my 97-year-old grandmother giving it to us as kids, along with prune juice, when our GI systems needed help moving things along," Mattingly said.

Castor oil "hastens our bodies’ elimination of solid waste products and also rids the body of essential water," the expert noted.

While this can trigger weight loss, Mattingly said that "along with all the solid waste and essential water going down the toilet are essential vitamins and minerals, such as potassium and chloride" — which can lead to deficiencies.

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While castor oil can be helpful in relieving occasional constipation, overusing it as a laxative can lead to the bowels becoming dependent on laxatives, Mattingly warned, "making it difficult to go naturally on your own."

The obesity doctor emphasized that she would not recommend castor oil for weight loss in any capacity.

"Although castor oil has been in use for centuries for a variety of reasons, from body detoxification to vision problems to labor induction, there's no safety data to recommend routine use for any of these conditions, except constipation," she said.

Current scientific studies and research do not support its use solely for the purpose of weight loss, the doctor noted.

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Mattingly said she would recommend ingesting castor oil in "small amounts" only for occasional bouts of constipation if it has worked in the past.

"Just remember to hydrate to replace the fluid loss, and if you have long-term or chronic constipation, that warrants a trip to your physician."

Women’s health expert Dr. Mindy Pelz advocated for the use of castor oil packs to regulate organ function and move toxins through the body.

The California-based doctor claimed that castor oil can absorb through the skin and move into the organs "very easily."

"When it goes into our system, it creates dilation," Pelz said to Fox News Digital. "It's so simple, and so inexpensive … You could just rub it over your liver and gallbladder. You need castor oil to stay on there for two hours for it to … start to dilate these organs."

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Pelz recommended applying castor oil at night, up to three times a week, for a "massive detox that opens the whole system up."

Mattingly, however, countered that castor oil "does not show promise in having inflammatory, antimicrobial properties or antioxidant properties."

And while viral social media claims are often based on personal experiences, Mattingly noted that certain applications may not have the same effect on everyone.

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"When it comes to medical weight loss, leave that to the experts to ensure you are undergoing a safe and effective plan that won't leave you miserable or taking that dreaded trip to the ER," she advised.

There are a few traditional applications for castor oil, including applying it to the scalp or eyelashes to promote hair growth, as well as using it on the belly button for better sleep, Muhlstein said.

"Some people say it helps ease muscle tension and promotes deeper sleep," she said. "Just be cautious," she added, "because I’ve heard that using too much of it can make you feel lethargic."

Another potential use for castor oil is as a topical treatment for skin irritations or scars, Muhlstein added.

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"People have reported positive results," she said. "So, if you've got any annoying skin issues, it might be worth giving it a try, but always consult with a dermatologist for bigger issues."

Mattingly recommended rubbing castor oil on your stomach or skin as a moisturizer only — but not for weight loss.

"Also, castor oil can have an unforgettable smell," she warned. "So be prepared for this, particularly if using it on the face or hair."

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AI blood test could detect Parkinson's disease up to 7 years before symptoms: 'Particularly promising'

A new blood test could reveal Parkinson’s diagnoses up to seven years before symptoms emerge.

Researchers from University College London and University Medical Center Goettingen in Germany used artificial intelligence to develop the test.

The study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, included 72 patients with rapid eye movement behavior disorder (iRBD), a condition that has been linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s.

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When the researchers used machine learning to analyze blood samples from the patients, they discovered that 79% of them had the same biomarkers as people with Parkinson’s.

Over a 10-year follow-up period, the researchers confirmed that 16 of the patients went on to develop Parkinson’s, a movement disorder that affects nearly one million people in the U.S.

"By determining eight proteins in the blood, we can identify potential Parkinson's patients several years in advance," said co-first-author Dr. Michael Bartl from the University Medical Center Goettingen in a press release.

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"This means that drug therapies could potentially be given at an earlier stage, which could possibly slow down disease progression or even prevent it from occurring."

"We have not only developed a test, but can diagnose the disease based on markers that are directly linked to processes such as inflammation and degradation of non-functional proteins. So these markers represent possible targets for new drug treatments."

Blood tests provide a less invasive alternative to a lumbar puncture (also known as a spinal tap), which has been used more often to diagnose Parkinson's in clinical research, according to professor David Dexter, director of research at Parkinson’s UK.

"This research, co-funded by Parkinson’s UK, represents a major step forward in the search for a definitive and patient friendly diagnostic test for Parkinson’s," Dexter said in the release. 

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Looking ahead, the researchers plan to follow the participants to confirm the accuracy of the test, and will also analyze samples from others in the population who have a genetic mutation that puts them at a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s.

"With more work, it may be possible that this blood-based test could distinguish between Parkinson’s and other conditions that have some early similarities, such as multiple systems atrophy or Lewy body dementia," Dexter said in the release.

"The findings add to an exciting flurry of recent activity toward finding a simple way to test for and measure Parkinson’s."

Dr. Harvey Castro, a Dallas, Texas-based board-certified emergency medicine physician and national speaker on AI in health care, was not involved in the blood test but spoke to Fox News Digital about its potential impact.

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"As an ER physician deeply involved in AI applications in health care, I find this development particularly promising," Castro said. 

"It exemplifies the potential of AI to diagnose and predict serious health conditions, allowing for earlier and potentially more effective interventions."

This approach could serve as a model for other diseases, Castro suggested.

"Having a tool that provides more time before significant nerve cell damage occurs offers a substantial opportunity to address diseases at very early stages, where traditional diagnostic methods might not detect them," the doctor said.

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"This early intervention capability could significantly slow the disease progression."

Although knowing about a disease in advance can help patients prepare mentally and emotionally, Castro warned that it could be a "double-edged sword." 

"While some patients may benefit from early knowledge and the ability to plan their lives accordingly, others might prefer not to know about a potential future illness due to the psychological burden it could impose," he said.

Overall, Castro said, this AI-powered blood test represents a "paradigm shift" in the approach to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's. 

"It underscores the importance of integrating advanced technologies into medical practice to enhance patient outcomes and transform health care delivery," he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for additional comment.

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When heat waves turns deadly: How extreme temperatures affect the human body

As temperatures and humidity soar outside, what's happening inside the human body can become a life-or-death battle decided by just a few degrees.

The critical danger point outdoors for illness and death from relentless heat is several degrees lower than experts once thought, say researchers who put people in hot boxes to see what happens to them.

With much of the United States, Mexico, India and the Middle East suffering through blistering heat waves, worsened by climate change, several doctors, physiologists and other experts explained to The Associated Press what happens to the human body in such heat.

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The body's resting core temperature is typically about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

That's only 7 degrees away from catastrophe in the form of heatstroke, said Ollie Jay, a professor of heat and health at the University of Sydney in Australia, where he runs the thermoergonomics laboratory.

Dr. Neil Gandhi, emergency medicine director at Houston Methodist Hospital, said during heat waves anyone who comes in with a fever of 102 or higher and no clear source of infection will be looked at for heat exhaustion or the more severe heatstroke.

"We routinely will see core temperatures greater than 104, 105 degrees during some of the heat episodes," Gandhi said. Another degree or three and such a patient is at high risk of death, he said.

Heat kills in three main ways, Jay said. The usual first suspect is heatstroke — critical increases in body temperature that cause organs to fail.

When inner body temperature gets too hot, the body redirects blood flow toward the skin to cool down, Jay said. But that diverts blood and oxygen away from the stomach and intestines, and can allow toxins normally confined to the gut area to leak into circulation.

"That sets off a cascade of effects," Jay said. "Clotting around the body and multiple organ failure and, ultimately, death."

But the bigger killer in heat is the strain on the heart, especially for people who have cardiovascular disease, Jay said.

It again starts with blood rushing to the skin to help shed core heat. That causes blood pressure to drop. The heart responds by trying to pump more blood to keep you from passing out.

"You're asking the heart to do a lot more work than it usually has to do," Jay said. For someone with a heart condition "it's like running for a bus with dodgy (hamstring). Something's going to give."

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The third main way is dangerous dehydration. As people sweat, they lose liquids to a point that can severely stress kidneys, Jay said.

Many people may not realize their danger, Houston's Gandhi said.

Dehydration can progress into shock, causing organs to shut down from lack of blood, oxygen and nutrients, leading to seizures and death, said Dr. Renee Salas, a Harvard University professor of public health and an emergency room physician at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"Dehydration can be very dangerous and even deadly for everyone if it gets bad enough — but it is especially dangerous for those with medical conditions and on certain medications," Salas said.

Dehydration also reduces blood flow and magnifies cardiac problems, Jay said.

Heat also affects the brain. It can cause a person to have confusion, or trouble thinking, several doctors said.

"One of the first symptoms you're getting into trouble with the heat is if you get confused," said University of Washington public health and climate professor Kris Ebi. That's little help as a symptom because the person suffering from the heat is unlikely to recognize it, she said. And it becomes a bigger problem as people age.

One of the classic definitions of heat stroke is a core body temperature of 104 degrees "coupled with cognitive dysfunction," said Pennsylvania State University physiology professor W. Larry Kenney.

Some scientists use a complicated outside temperature measurement called wet bulb globe temperature, which takes into account humidity, solar radiation and wind. In the past, it was thought that a wet-bulb reading of 95 Fahrenheit was the point when the body started having trouble, said Kenney, who also runs a hot box lab and has done nearly 600 tests with volunteers.

His tests show the wet-bulb danger point is closer to 87. That's a figure that has started to appear in the Middle East, he said.

And that’s just for young healthy people. For older people, the danger point is a wet bulb temperature of 82, he said.

"Humid heat waves kill a lot more people than dry heat waves," Kenney said.

When Kenney tested young and old people in dry heat, young volunteers could function until 125.6 degrees, while the elderly had to stop at 109.4. With high or moderate humidity, the people could not function at nearly as high a temperature, he said.

"Humidity impacts the ability of sweat to evaporate," Jay said.

Heatstroke is an emergency, and medical workers try to cool a victim down within 30 minutes, Salas said.

The best way: Cold water immersion. Basically, "you drop them in a water bucket," Salas said.

But those aren't always around. So emergency rooms pump patients with cool fluids intravenously, spray them with misters, put ice packs in armpits and groins and place them on a chilling mat with cold water running inside it.

Sometimes it doesn't work.

"We call it the silent killer because it's not this kind of visually dramatic event," Jay said. "It's insidious. It's hidden."

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FDA approves new drug to treat autoimmune liver disease: ‘Giant step forward’

A new drug to control liver disease has gotten the green light.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the French drugmaker Ipsen’s medication Iqirvo (elafibranor).

The drug, an 80 mg tablet administered orally once daily, is intended to treat an autoimmune cholestatic liver disease called primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). 

PBC is a disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys the small bile ducts of the liver. 

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Without the active bile ducts, acids can then leak into the nearby tissue and cause liver damage or failure, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The disease typically involves chronic inflammation along with a stagnant build-up of bile and toxins known as cholestasis, which can lead to irreversible scarring of the liver and ultimately destroy the bile ducts. 

Although PBC is considered a rare condition, it can often go undetected, some health experts said.

"PBC is likely to be way underdiagnosed," Dr. Douglas Dieterich, M.D., director of the Institute for Liver Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, told Fox News Digital.

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"Many people — mostly women — have elevated liver enzymes that can be easily diagnosed with a simple blood test called the AMA."

Patients typically experience severe fatigue and significant itching called pruritus. 

If the disease is not treated or an individual does not respond to current therapies, it can lead to liver failure, the need for a liver transplant or even early death, according to experts.

PBC is diagnosed with a blood test that measures liver enzymes. 

One common test analyzes the patient’s alkaline phosphatase (ALP), an enzyme that helps detect liver or bone disease. 

Another blood test to diagnose PBC measures antimitochondrial antibodies (AMAs), which are positive in approximately 95% of patients with the condition, according to several liver experts.

One New York patient with PBC told Fox News Digital that she did not know she had a liver disease until her primary care physician performed routine blood work and noticed that her liver enzymes were elevated. 

Meredith S., who withheld her last name for privacy reasons, was referred to a hepatologist, whom she credits for saving her life. 

"I was feeling tired, but attributed it to working and studying at school," she told Fox News Digital. 

"I was completely surprised to find out I had a liver disease and learned it was PBC."

She went on, "My doctor performed a liver biopsy and I had significant scarring of my liver in my 30s, even though I didn’t drink alcohol."

Meredith S. said she is glad there are more treatment options available, and hopes for more awareness and research of PBC.

"It is distressing to know that your body is fighting itself and you can’t figure out how to stop it," she told Fox News Digital.

Dieterich of New York City, who is also a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Fox News Digital that this newly approved medication "is a giant step forward in the treatment of PBC."

He noted, "Up until now, there has been only one drug available … Now there are two."  

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The existing drug, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) — commonly called ursodial or "urso" — is a naturally occurring bile acid that has been used to treat liver disease for decades. 

The newly approved Iqirvo (elafibranor) is intended to be used in combination with UDCA in patients who are not responding to the first medication on its own, or can be used on its own for people who cannot tolerate UDCA.

"For a significant number of people living with PBC, available treatments do not control the condition and may exacerbate symptoms of PBC," said Christelle Huguet, executive vice president and head of research and development at Ipsen, in a press release.

"Iqirvo demonstrated statistically significant improvements in biochemical response compared to UDCA alone. Iqirvo is therefore a much-needed treatment option and the first new medicine for PBC in nearly a decade."

The accelerated approval for Iqirvo was based on positive results from the Phase III ELATIVE trial, which showed reduced levels of the alkaline phosphatase enzyme, which is elevated in people with liver disease.

The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, included 161 patients with PBC who were inadequately responding to treatment with UDCA or could not tolerate that medication. 

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Researchers found that 51% of the patients who received the elafibranor had a biochemical response, compared to only 4% who received a placebo.

After 52 weeks, the patients who were treated with elafibranor showed normalized liver enzymes, compared to 15% of patients in the placebo group.

"Data from the pivotal Phase III ELATIVE clinical trial demonstrated that Iqirvo is an effective second-line treatment for patients with PBC with favorable benefit and risk data," Dr. Kris Kowdley, a primary investigator on the ELATIVE study and the director at Liver Institute Northwest, Washington, said in a news release.

"The approval of Iqirvo will allow health care providers in the U.S. to address an unmet need, with the potential to significantly reduce ALP levels for our patients with PBC," he added. 

Continued approval is contingent upon further studies showing improved survival or prevention of liver decomposition, the FDA report noted. 

Some reported side effects of Iqirvo included muscle pain, rhabdomyolysis, myopathy, fractures, weight gain and drug-induced liver injury, according to the FDA report.

Also noted was the potential risk to the fetus in pregnant patients, based on animal study data. 

The FDA cautioned health care providers to ensure that patients are not pregnant prior to starting the medication.

Iqirvo is also not recommended in patients who have advanced stages of cirrhosis. 

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Primary biliary cholangitis affects some 100,000 people in the United States, according to the drugmaker Ipsen.

It is a lifelong disease that can result in liver failure if left untreated, according to experts.

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