New studies on midlife reveal lifelong habits for optimal longevity

Tired clichés about midlife are so… yawn. So let’s jump to the good stuff. This week, we recap recent studies on midlifers exploring how lifestyle factors affect gut, brain + hormone health from our 20s to 70s. Then, close with surreal health news about tampons, migraines and the plague!

• The Checkup: celebs + metabolism + corn
• Get a Midlife! CRP + diet + menopause 
• Healthcare: metals + migraines + plague

The Checkup: 

• Check out this friendly guide to midlife changes
• The 411 on Whoopi’s comic book, The Change!
• How women shut down mansplainers at the gym
• Does pooping a lot suggest a fast metabolism?
• Violet Affleck is chronically ill + wants protections
• Olympians can be obese + BMI is a flawed metric
• Paramedics share a few lifesaving advice tips
• What we know about the menopause + ADHD link
• Celebrate summer with 12 sweet corn recipes
• Shelly Duvall passed from diabetes complications
• 4 tips to keep summer from damaging your eyes 

Inflammation now, brain fog later?

Chronic inflammation—which happens when cells attack healthy tissue over long periods—is linked to conditions including heart disease, diabetes, dementia and Alzheimer’s. When considering risk, most researchers look at inflammation in older adults. But a new study suggests the risk may start as early as our twenties!

For the study, researchers tracked over 2,000 participants ages 18-30 over 18 years, comparing C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (an inflammation marker) against how well they performed on cognitive tests.

By the study’s end, those with consistently high or moderate/increasing CRP levels were over two times more likely to have poorer processing speeds than those with low CRP. They had the same risk for lowered executive function (our ability to coordinate + control behavior, common in those with dementia).

Lack of sleep, stress, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle can cause chronic inflammation. So the findings support the importance of prioritizing healthy habits throughout our lifespan.

Learn more at Eating Well.

Eat well at 40, healthy at 70?!

A new study shows that even if we don’t start eating well until our 40s, the commitment pays off big down the line!

Harvard researchers considered 30 years of data from over 100K people. In their analysis, they found that those who ate healthfully from their 40s onward were 43%-84% more likely to be physically, cognitively and mentally well at 70 than those who did not—even if they smoked or didn’t exercise! They presumed that a strengthened microbiome was at play.

Those who followed the alternative healthy eating index had the best odds. But the MIND, DASH, Mediterranean + similar diets also improved physical, cognitive and mental health outcomes.

Learn more at Nutrition.

What awe know now about menopause.

Menopause can unleash a storm of symptoms before one suspects the change is at play. They can persist for two decades. And more treatments are available than patients probably suspect!

Historically, a provider's symptom list was limited to halted periods, weight changes, hot flashes + night sweats. Now, a 30-some-odd list includes a burning mouth, itchy ears, rage attacks and recurrent UTIs!

Antidepressants were once the only defense against hot flashes + night sweats (vasomotor symptoms). But now, estrogen therapy is a standard offering + nonhormonal medications are more readily available.

Gabapentin (an anticonvulsant) helps with hot flashes and sleep issues. Last year, Veozah became the first FDA-approved drug for vasomotor symptoms. A second, Elinzanetant, is currently under FDA review.

For more on risk, hormone therapy cancer concerns + menopause clinics nationwide, read this fabulously thorough Arlington Magazine article.

Healthcare 411

Arsenic, lead and other toxic metals detected in tampons, US study finds (Time). Researchers tested 30 tampon products across 14 brands and found 16 types of metal in every single one. Tissue in the vagina readily absorbs metal, so regular use may put users at high risk for chronic metal absorption, which increases cancer, infertility and dementia risk. The study didn't test if/how the body absorbed the metals + replicated studies are needed to confirm the findings. But, yeah.

Brain fluid dynamics are key to migraine mysteries (Futurity). A new study found cerebrospinal fluid can penetrate a gap in the trigeminal ganglion (part of the peripheral nervous system) and pass through the blood-brain barrier, exposing sensory nerves to high concentrations of inflammatory proteins that cause migraine pain. The study authors hope their findings will lead to other targeted therapies to help those with persistent migraines! Until then, Dr. B offers a range of prescription migraine medication online with a $15 consultation. Get online migraine care with Dr. B today!

The US sees 7 plague cases a year. Here’s why (PBS). Last week, a human case of bubonic plague (which killed millions in the 14th century) was diagnosed in Colorado. Caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, plague is now a rare infection easily cured by antibiotics if caught quickly. It’s transmitted by fleas that usually travel by animals like rats and prairie dogs. But it can spread to pets—a cat infected a human in February!