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TUESDAY, Dec. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Intermittent fasting is all the rage due to its potential health benefits, and now a new review shows this style of eating really does produce weight loss and may even improve certain markers of heart health.

Intermittent fasting is an umbrella term for several diets that alternate between feasts and fasts. The 5:2 diet involves eating normally five days of the week and restricting your calories on the other two days. Alternate-day fasting calls for a fast day-feast day-fast day pattern. In contrast, time-restricted eating refers to eating only during specific time windows each day.

"The new study demonstrates that the different forms of intermittent fasting, i.e., alternate-day fasting, the 5:2 diet and time-restricted feeding, are all effective weight loss interventions for people with obesity," said study author Krista Varady, director of the Human Nutrition Research Unit at the University of Illinois, in Chicago.

"Intermittent fasting may be an effective means of lowering heart disease risk by decreasing blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein [LDL] or 'bad' cholesterol, and triglycerides," she said. What's more, these diets may help prevent type 2 diabetes by lowering insulin resistance and fasting insulin levels.

Most of these benefits likely stem from weight loss.

"All of these regimens induce a calorie restriction of 15% to 30% daily, which results in weight loss," Varady said. "When an obese person loses weight, they almost always see reductions in LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure and insulin resistance."

For the review, the researchers analyzed 11 studies that comprised 130 trials of various intermittent fasting regimens. When the investigators looked at all of the studies as a whole, intermittent fasting did produce weight loss and improvements in risk factors for heart health. However, only alternate-day fasting and the 5:2 diet resulted in a clinically significant weight loss of more than 5%, the study showed.

The findings were published online Dec. 17 in JAMA Network Open.

So, should you or shouldn't you jump on the intermittent fasting bandwagon, and if you do, which method is right for you?

Two experts who were not involved with the study agreed that it's too early to make any blanket recommendations.

"The study provides strong evidence that some, but not all, of the regimens result in weight loss and related decreases in body mass metrics and improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors, such as cholesterol levels, blood pressure and measures of insulin resistance," said Benjamin Horne. He is the director of cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology at the Intermountain Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The methods in this study that showed the most profound benefits tend to be the most difficult to follow, he noted. "Future studies should evaluate the ability of the average person to adhere to these regimens, because it is unclear that they are sustainable over the long term," Horne said.

The study also could not address if intermittent fasting reduces heart attacks or strokes or extends longevity. "It is unknown whether the average person can adhere to any of the four intermittent fasting regimens for a long enough period of time [years or decades] to affect those outcomes," Horne added.

And importantly, he asked, can weight loss can be sustained without continuing the regimen?

There are also safety considerations. "The hype surrounding intermittent fasting may be leading to harms to unsuspecting people who want to achieve better health," Horne explained, "especially people with diagnosed chronic diseases and asymptomatic health conditions."

New York City dietician Robin Foroutan isn't a fan of the difficult-to-stick-with intermittent fasting regimens that showed the greatest benefits in this study.

"I only recommend time-restricted eating and fasting-mimicking diets," said Foroutan. Fasting-mimicking diets work by tricking your body into thinking that you're fasting even though you're still eating. These methods are easier to follow so people are more likely to stay the course.

The bottom line? Always talk to your doctor before starting a new eating regimen, she said.

More information

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has more on the various types of intermittent fasting.

SOURCES: Krista Varady, PhD, professor, nutrition, and director, Human Nutrition Research Unit, University of Illinois, Chicago; Robin Foroutan, MS, RDN, dietitian, New York City; Benjamin Horne, PhD, director, cardiovascular and genetic epidemiology, Intermountain Heart Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah; JAMA Network Open, Dec. 17, 2021, online

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Big Review Confirms Power of Fasting Diets for Weight Loss - HealthDay News

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Since keto is all about restricting the food intake and intermittent about restricting time intervals, it might not seem harmful to combine them. But scientifically, combining the two can do more harm than good.

First of all, both diets have their shares of pros and cons. Combining the two means double risk, especially for beginners and those suffering from some health conditions.

Secondly, keto is a restrictive diet and following it for a long time may lead to nutrient deficiency and kidney problems. When you pair it with intermittent fasting, you may put excessive stress on your body. The overwhelming experience might lead to mood swings, constipation, irritability and fatigue.

Thirdly, there is no guarantee combining the two diets will work for everyone. We all have different metabolism and different bodies, so naturally, our journey to shed kilos would be unique from others. No two people have the same weight loss journey. What works for one may not work for the other. So, it is not necessary that combining intermittent fasting and keto will help your drop kilos.

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Weight loss: It is safe to follow the Keto diet with Intermittent fasting - Times of India

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Dec 22, 2021, 6:40pmUpdated 12h ago

By: News 12 Staff

Ready to kick start a healthy 2022?

Here are some tips that will help you improve your health and reach your goal:

Dr. Katy Milkman, a professor at the Wharton School, says one of the key findings in her research was about preventing missing more than one scheduled workout in a row.

Milkman says sometimes it can be overwhelming to try to keep up with multiple goals at once, so it's important to have a plan for your top healthy goal.

Spending more time outside seems refreshing. Each day, try to take a walk to your local park, go for a walk around the block, or sit in your backyard, and enjoy some fresh air.

Drinking water increases energy and relieves fatigue, promotes weight loss, flushes out toxins and improves skin complexion! Get a reusable cup, or bottle with markings so you know exactly when you should have your next drink. Health experts commonly recommend eight 8-ounce glasses, which equals about 2 liters, or half a gallon a day.

Dont smoke, vape or use tobacco or nicotine products and avoid secondhand smoke or vapor.

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Guide: Top 8 healthy tips for the New Year - News 12 Bronx

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The dangers of the "New Year, New Me" mentally

January has long been associated with self-reflection and goal setting. While our New Year resolutions are well intentioned, too often they result in pressure, abandonment, self-criticism, and low self-esteem.

The desire to make a change at the beginning of a new year isn't an intrinsically bad thing, but the pressure to make a drastic change runs the risk of damaging both our physical and our mental health.

"Change in our life must be sustainable," says Ruth Micallef, accredited sub-specialised eating disorder counsellor. "More often than not we are encouraged into 'big bang' changes at New Year."

With each new year, the idea of 'detoxification' saturates the media and encourages a great number of us to try a 'detox diet'. This type of dieting aims to rid us of alleged toxins in our bodies that are held responsible for a number of complaints, including bloating, tiredness, headaches, and low moods.

A detox diet typically involves a drastic reduction in calorie intake and increase in water consumption with the intention of 'cleansing' our bodies and 'washing out' harmful toxins. New Year detox diet narratives are based on making an instant and dramatic lifestyle change, but this mindset is flawed.

"Inevitably, these instant changes lead to quick failure and feelings of shame, which certainly doesn't help us create and grow healthier habits," adds Micallef.

Many different detox diet programmes are advertised around New Year, but they are typically very low-calorie, and often include one or more of the following approaches:

These are significant dietary changes that have a physiological impact, meaning they can interfere with our normal bodily functions. Yet our bodies already have an effective system in place for removing toxins. Micallef explains:

"The liver and the kidneys are incredible natural detoxicants; they break down any harmful substances that we put into our bodies, or by-products that the body creates."

The liver acts as the body's main filter, producing proteins (known as metallothioneins) that neutralise harmful toxins, and enzymes that support the metabolism and the body's defence against toxins. The kidneys filter out unneeded waste products and toxins through urine.

There are also other parts of the body protecting us from harmful substances:

Our bodies are highly equipped to remove harmful substances, without us implementing drastic dietary measures.

Despite the commercial attention given to detox diets, there is little clinical evidence to show these are healthy and beneficial at eliminating toxins. There have only been a small number of studies, and while some suggest positive results, experts warn that many are of low quality with few participants, a high risk of bias (selection of study participants, study design or interpretation of data that deliberately encourages the desired result) and study design limitations.

If your goal is also to use a detox diet forweight loss, you will almost inevitably be disappointed: a detox diet is highly unlikely to provide long-term, healthy results. While some research indicates that a detox diet can lead to initial weight loss, it's important to note that this type of low-calorie dieting is often unsustainable.

We are unable to follow detox diets for long periods, as our bodies require more nutrition and more calories to function healthily. Yet, rather than returning to our original weight, there's a risk of gaining weight more once we resume our normal eating habits.

"Yo-yo dieting and unhealthy snap calorie deficit diets wreak havoc on our metabolism," Micallef explains. "Often this results in us gaining even more weight than we started with."

This is because detoxing - and other very low-calorie diets - lower the body's basal metabolic rate - the amount of calories it needs to perform the most basic life-sustaining functions.

Not only is weight gain a possible long-term outcome, any initial weight loss may in fact be fluid loss. Detox diets are typically low in carbohydrates and often involve herbal teas which can act as laxatives, both of which can result in more water being expelled from our bodies. Consuming too much food and drink that have a laxative effect can result in dehydration.

A detox diet usually involves drinking a great deal of water, which is intended to 'wash' toxins out of the body. While being well hydrated is healthy, drinking too much can cause water intoxication, a condition that can cause serious health problems, and in the most severe cases can be fatal.

Many detox diets severely restrict the types of food you eat. In doing so, there's a high risk of not getting all the nutrients you need for your body to function healthily. Often, a detox diet will deprive you of adequate levels of protein, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and other essential substances.

It's also worth noting that alongside detox diets, there are also many potentially dangerous 'detoxification' products on the market. Some may contain harmful ingredients: examples include 'detox juices' which may contain bacteria that can cause illness, or laxative supplements which can cause diarrhoea severe enough to lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.

It's not just our physical health which can suffer, but our mental health as well. A detox diet is a type of restrictive diet that sends the dangerous and false message that we should dramatically reduce our calorie consumption and narrow the variety of foods we eat.

"Telling us that specific products or restrictive diets will help 'detox' the body can send us into a spiral of restriction, or bingeing and purging," says Micallef. "Detox diets generally result in us swinging from restrictive, unrealistic diets, to bingeing after the calorie deficit.

"Additionally, we can spiral into disordered eating habits, constantly searching for the 'magic bullet' to help us cope with our traumas and life stressors via our body image. Inevitably, 'detoxing' pushes us away from healthy sustainable life choices that would, in fact, benefit our bodies."

Sadly, research into detox diets such as juice cleanses show the dangers they pose to mental health, namely through links with eating disorders. The idea that it's good to greatly restrict what you consume can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.

If you want to make some positive lifestyle changes in the new year, self-love is an important lesson. Remember to make sure your goals are both healthy and realistic. However, should your resolutions not last, don't beat yourself up. Micallef believes that the best and easiest way to 'detox ourselves' is "simply to treat our bodies with compassion and care".

The best way to ensure your body is protected against toxins is to support your body's natural self-cleaning functions. You can do this by following a healthy, well-balanced diet that contains a wide variety of nutrients. Drinking enough water, getting good sleep, and exercising regularly will also help. These long-term, sustainable interventions are recommended by experts.

The good news is, they are also free of dietary restrictions that can lead to hunger. Usually, the healthiest changes you can make in your life are easier to implement.

"When making any sort of significant change in our life, we need to make gradual, gentle movements towards it, to allow ourselves a sense of stability and sustainability with the action we have made."

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What are the dangers of a detox diet? - Patient.info

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Ah, the power of the time honored New Years resolution but are they real commitments or hollow promises? We all hope to embrace positive habits for a better future and perhaps, a better figure? Lets make it right with ourselves to perform a transformation toward better health with a long term commitment to sustainable weight loss.

It is a statistical fact that most weight loss programs do not work all the way to the tune of 97% of weight loss programs. Why are these programs broken? Many focus on the short term and are band-aid solutions at best, much to the expense of the holistic, whole human.

There is much more than meets the eye theres more to attempting to losing weight than you may think. Learn more about how to make losing weight a healthy, proven, and sustainable mission for life more in the visual deep dive below, courtesy of Relish:

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

The ketogenic diet (keto for short) is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb diet. The idea is that by drastically restricting your carbohydrate intake (usually to 50 grams or less per day, but some people go as low as 20 grams), youll put your body into a state of ketosis, which forces your body to burn fat for energy (instead of carbs) and is thought to lead to faster weight loss. The keto diet focuses on the macronutrients you should consume, but it doesnt get too specific about their sources. For example, even though some fruit is high in natural sugar (not added), its still limited because its a carb; similarly, bacon and cream cheese are on the diet because theyre rich in fat.

Its worth noting that the keto diet was originally used to treat hard-to-control epilepsy in children, and its also been studied in the potential treatment of other neurological disorders like Alzheimers, ALS, Parkinsons and brain cancer. It became popular as an extreme low-carb diet for weight loss in the late 2010s, largely through celebrity endorsement.

One of the most obvious similarities between the Mediterranean and keto diets is that they dont restrict when it comes to fat, though the types of fat arent the same (more on that in a minute). And while both eating plans advice moderate consumption of protein and minimal consumption of sugar, their similarities stop there.

TBH, the Mediterranean and keto diets couldnt be more differentlets start with the fact that the Mediterranean diet is barely a diet at all, instead functioning as a guideline for healthy eating, while the keto diet restricts food groups. Some other differences include:

According to nutritionist Keri Glassman, a truly ketogenic diet is too difficult for most people to stick to in the long run, and she wouldnt recommend it for the majority of people. And, as she explains, one major downside is the dreaded keto flu, the initial period of the diet during which your body is adjusting to its new carb-free existence and symptoms like fatigue, brain fog and nausea are common. Because its so restrictive, Northwestern Medicine dietician Michelle Gomez explains, it can lead to disordered eating and psychological distress in the long run. And according to Zhaoping Li, M.D., Ph.D. in JAMA, low-carbohydrate diets have been linked to increased mortality, while long-term evidence of their benefits is lacking. Plus, as University of Chicago Medicine dietician Mary Condon explains, consuming large amounts of saturated fat can increase your risk of heart disease.

(One caveat: Some proponents of the keto lifestyle argue that theres a difference between clean keto and dirty keto. Clean keto means eating whole foods from quality sources, like grass-fed beef, pasture-raised pork, free-range eggs, wild-caught seafood and plenty of vegetableswhile still maintaining that balance of fat-protein-carbs. Dirty keto means eating anything allowed on the keto diet, even if it lacks micronutrients like vitamins and minerals.)

On the other hand, the Mediterranean diet is widely regarded as a sustainable and healthy way to eat. A 2019 study in the American Heart Associations Circulation Research journal concluded that better conformity with the traditional [Mediterranean diet] is associated with better cardiovascular health outcomes, including clinically meaningful reductions in rates of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke and total cardiovascular disease. It currently ranks first in the U.S. News and World Reports Best Diets Rankings for Best Diets Overall (as well as best for diabetes and heart health, and easiest to follow).

We usually hate to play favorites, but when it comes to keto vs. Mediterranean, the winner is clear: The Mediterranean diet has proven benefits for heart health and overall longevity, and although the keto diet might jumpstart weight loss, its not a great eating plan for long-term health.

Now, about that glass of red wine

RELATED: 5 Diets That Actually Work (and 3 That Definitely Don't), According to Nutritionists

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Keto vs. Mediterranean Diet: Whats the Difference (and Is One Better Than the Other)? - PureWow

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A big cup of coffee is undeniably one of the simple pleasures of every morning, and while black coffee has been known to provide numerous health benefits to the body for both energy and metabolic purposes, there are certain mistakes which can negate the good it does. Loading up your cup of joe with sugar and creamers might be one obvious mistake, but theres another habit which may have just as significant implications on your overall health when followed consistently. In order to create the most well-rounded morning routine to kickstart your day, theres one habit experts say you should kick when it comes to drinking coffee.

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Drinking a cup of black coffee alongside a balanced breakfast may be one of the healthiest routines to follow in the morning, but drinking your cup on an empty stomach in lieu of a meal has the potential to quickly throw your body into a tailspin, impacting your wellness in a number of ways. When we first wake up, we are in a depleted state due to not having had anything to eat or drink for a long period of time. If we then consume coffee, it speeds up the metabolism and our body requires a fuel source in order to support that boost, explains Jenny Branco, RN, BSN, IHP.

While it may sound like a good thing to spike your metabolism without food in your stomach in order to burn fat, this can actually be potentially dangerous to your nervous system, triggering a spike of energy which may be overwhelming without food to counterbalance. Without proper fuel, the body goes into fight or flight mode and activates the sympathetic nervous system. The endocrine system, responsible for our hormones, then initiates a survival mechanism spiking cortisol, causing blood sugar imbalances and taking a toll on metabolism health long term, Branco explains.

In layman's terms, drinking coffee on an empty stomach can cause those dreaded jitters, making it hard to focus on the day ahead and even sometimes leading to nausea with nothing else in the stomach to absorb the acidity of the coffee. Additionally, it can wreak havoc on your metabolism in the future, reducing its effectiveness with time.

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We often turn to coffee as an external source of energy, and while it may seem like drinking it on an empty stomach would merely amplify those effects, it can actually make you feel worse, even slowing the bodys ability to lose weight. Drinking coffee in a depleted and undernourished state only further heightens our internal stress levels and signals to our body to hold onto fat, rather than burn it, notes Branco.

In order to effectively lose fat you must make sure to properly nourish your body with balanced meals to act as fuel, but without this, your body may think its in a state of starvation and become more resilient to weight loss. This can be the case even when cutting down on calories and drinking coffee as your breakfast. Not to mention, skipping meals is never a long term or even remotely healthy solution to weight loss.

In order to maximize the benefits of your morning cup of coffee, make sure to pair it with a balanced breakfast complete with protein, healthy carbs and a source of fats in order to fuel your body and offset the energy boost of caffeine. This will allow for the metabolic increase that coffee provides to become more effective, sparking further fat burn in the body for healthy and sustainable weight loss.

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Experts Agree: Why People Who Have This Coffee Habit Struggle To Lose Weight - SheFinds

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In case you missed them the first time, take a look back through some of 2021s patient care and public health stories from the CUIMC Newsroom and other medical center sites:

The use of statins to reduce cholesterol is recommended for only a small fraction of young adults who have extremely high levels of LDL cholesterol. A study by VP&S researchers suggests that statins would provide lifetime health benefits for adults under 40 with less severely elevated levels of LDL cholesterol, preventing or delaying many heart attacks and strokes. It would also be cost-effective, particularly for young adult men. Read more.

VP&S researchers found that a single dose of ketamine not only reduced the severity of depression in people with suicide ideation, many of whom had not responded to other antidepressants, but also made them feel safer and less likely to harm themselves. Ketamine also improved neurocognitive skills such as thinking and reasoning.Read more.

The College of Dental Medicine unveiled its new mobile dental center, which will travel to Head Start centers, schools, senior centers, and other partner sites in CDMs Community DentCare Network. The clinic will deliver health screenings and low-cost dental care primarily to patients in Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood, and the South Bronx. Read more.

Social media platforms are important sources of socialization and relationship-building for many young people, but they also can facilitate bullying and exclusion, promote unrealistic expectations about body image, and encourage risk-taking behaviors. In a Q&A, experts from VP&S and the Mailman School of Public Health shared their insights into social medias effect on the mental health of young people and adults and suggest everyone should consider periodic social media vacations. Read more.

TheU.S. Preventive Services Task Force, American Cancer Society, and American Society of Colorectal Surgery now recommend that people at average risk ofcolorectal cancerstart regular screenings at age 45 rather than 50. A VP&S surgeon explains why the change was made and what you need to know. Read more.

In September, Columbia Nursings faculty practice, thePrimary CareNurse Practitioner Group, celebrated five yearsofserving theWashington Heightscommunity. In that time, the group has recorded nearly 42,000 patient visits and 1,500 house calls.The groups services include on-site mental health services and a full range of primary care services for sexual and gender minority individuals. Because thegrouphad pilotedtelehealthinApril 2019,all ofthe practices NPs were experienced in providing remote care whenCOVID hit.In 2020, the group also served as a cough and fever clinic for COVID-19 patients. Read more.

The Cohen Center for Health and Recovery from Tick-Borne Diseases is the first in New York City to offer dedicated treatment for people with Lyme and related diseases. The center also has a national clinical trials network that will focus on identifying more effective treatments for patients with Lyme and tick-borne diseases. Read more.

A study of an investigational gene therapy for sickle cell disease has found that a single dose restored blood cells to their normal shape and eliminated the most serious complication of the disease for at least three years in some patients. Four patients at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian participated in the multicenter study, the first to report such long-term outcomes of a sickle cell gene therapy. Read more.

New results from a long-term epidemiologic study reveal that one of the oldest racially based diagnostic formulas in medicine is no better than a race-neutral equation, suggesting the formula used to diagnose lung disease should be changed.Because the formula includes racial adjustments in defining normal lung function, Black people may be less likely to be treated with medications for COPD or diagnosed with other serious lung disorders compared to white people. Read more.

People who are trying to lose weight have a new option: A medication called semaglutide received FDA approval earlier this summer. In this Q&A, a VP&S weight loss expert explains how the drug works and who may benefit from it. Read more.

A new program at ColumbiaDoctors embeds behavioral health specialists alongside primary care providers to care for patients mental health needs. The program launched in November at all ColumbiaDoctors Primary Care locations to care for patients with depression. Expansion into other behavioral health needs, such as anxiety, substance use disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is planned for the future. Read more.

Columbia University Irving Medical Center with NewYork-Presbyterian has been named a Center of Excellence by the National Organization for Rare Disorders and joins a national network dedicated to improving treatment and care for people with rare diseases. Columbia was chosen as a Center of Excellence because it has experts across multiple specialties to meet the needs of patients with rare diseases and has a wide range of clinical, patient education, and research programs for people living with rare diseases. Read more.

The latest advance in radiation therapyusing artificial intelligence to adjust treatments as needed without delayis now available for select cancer patients at Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian. The new advance solves a long-standing issue in radiation oncology: the difficulty of adapting treatment to anatomical changes in the patient or the tumor that can occur during the many weeks of therapy. Read more.

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A substantial number of individuals with an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection do not recover fully within the first 34 weeks after developing an illness.

These COVID-19 symptoms often persist for weeks and months beyond the initial phase of the infection. Health experts have described these lingering COVID-19 symptoms collectively as long COVID and post-COVID-19 condition.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), long COVID occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS CoV-2 infection, usually 3 months from the onset of COVID-19 with symptoms and that last for at least 2 months and cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis.

Previously hospitalized patients are more likely to experience persistent symptoms at 1014 weeks after contracting SARS CoV-2 than nonhospitalized individuals.

Moreover, some previously hospitalized COVID-19 patients show more severe health impairments associated with long COVID than their peers.

A recent study characterized traits associated with differences in severity of health impairments 1 year after discharge in patients previously hospitalized with acute COVID-19.

These findings may help doctors identify individuals with COVID-19 who are at risk of developing persistent, severe health impairments and may facilitate the development of treatments for long COVID.

A preprint version of the study appears on the site Medrxiv.

Previous studies have shown that cognitive and physical deficits persist at least 6 months after discharge in people hospitalized with acute COVID-19. Moreover, there is considerable variation in the severity of symptoms and their persistence at 6 months post-discharge in these individuals.

However, there are limited data tracking differences in the recovery of people with the disease over longer durations after discharge.

A recent study from the Post-Hospitalization COVID-19 (PHOSP-COVID) group characterized the physical and mental health impairments at 5 and 12 months after discharge in individuals previously hospitalized with acute COVID-19.

The study found that less than 30% of patients felt that they had fully recovered at 12 months post-discharge. Factors, such as being female, having obesity, and requiring mechanical ventilation, during initial illness with COVID-19 were associated with more severe health impairments after 12 months.

The studys co-author, Dr. Rachael Evans, a professor at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, says:

The findings that many patients had not fully recovered 1 year after leaving hospital indicate that healthcare professionals will need to proactively continue assessing their patients for some time to come in order to identify their ongoing healthcare needs and provide support.

The study also investigated the association between whole-body or systemic inflammation and severity of health impairments at 5 months.

An increase in inflammation is associated with more severe illness during the acute phase of a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Severe inflammation during the acute phase may result in dysregulation of the immune system, leading to a chronic inflammatory state. This chronic increase in inflammation could potentially result in the persistent symptoms that healthcare professionals have seen in long COVID patients.

The study found that individuals with more severe long COVID-19 symptoms 5 months after discharge had higher plasma levels of pro-inflammatory proteins than those with mild symptoms.

The good news is that we have identified some differences in the blood samples [pro-inflammatory proteins] of those who are still experiencing the long-term physical and cognitive effects of their COVID-19 hospital admission, explains study co-author Dr. Louise Wain.

These differences give us clues about the potential underlying mechanisms and suggest that we may be able to use existing medicines that target these mechanisms to help these subgroups of patients.

Medical News Today spoke with Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, the chief of the Research and Education Service at the VA Saint Louis Health Care System, MO.

Dr. Al-Aly, who was not involved with the study, said, The shocking thing is that most people are not recovering; they report that less than a third of patients reported full recovery. This is alarming, but I am not completely surprised. It is consistent with our evolving understanding of long COVID features.

I worry that health systems, governments, and the WHO are all knee-deep dealing with the acute situation (Omicron, etc.) that very little attention is being paid to the millions of people with long COVID, he continued.

Long COVID will create a tsunami of medical illnesses that our systems are simply unprepared for. People need to pay attention and deal with this now before it is too late.

Dr. Al-Aly

The PHOSP-COVID study included patients hospitalized for acute COVID who agreed to visit the research site for assessment at 5 and 12 months after discharge.

During these visits, the researchers conducted physical tests and tests to measure pulmonary function. They also collected blood samples to evaluate the levels of inflammatory proteins.

During these visits, the team used a questionnaire to assess the participants perception of recovery. They also used questionnaires to evaluate the individuals health and health-related quality of life.

The researchers found that a majority of patients perceived their recovery from COVID-19 to be incomplete or were not sure whether they had recovered at 12 months after hospital discharge.

Around 25% of the participants reported having recovered fully at 5 months post-discharge. Similarly, a little over 29% of participants felt they had fully recovered at 12 months after discharge.

There were limited improvements in cognitive and physical health during the period between the 5-month and 12-month visits.

Some commonly observed symptoms at 12 months post-discharge included fatigue, difficulty breathing, muscle aches, and poor sleep.

The factors associated with participants reporting a lack of recovery after 12 months included being female, having obesity, and receiving invasive mechanical ventilation.

The researchers then classified participants into four groups according to physical and mental health symptoms at 5 months after discharge. The team achieved this using a statistical method called cluster analysis.

According to the cluster analysis, the researchers were able to categorize participants as having very severe, severe, moderate, or mild physical and mental health impairments at 5 months after hospital discharge.

The researchers found that being female and having obesity were associated with an increased risk of belonging to the more severe health impairment cluster.

This suggests that weight reduction could potentially help alleviate long COVID symptoms. Moreover, healthcare professionals may need to closely monitor female patients with COVID-19 for the development of severe impairments.

Individuals in the very severe group had an increased likelihood of having lower exercise capacity, a higher number of symptoms, and feeling not fully recovered than the mild group at 12 months post-discharge.

Individuals in the more severe group also had higher plasma levels of C-reactive protein, a protein associated with increased inflammation.

The reduced exercise capacity of patients with severe health impairments may interfere with their participation in physical rehabilitation programs generally recommended to long COVID patients. Therefore, other interventions may be necessary to improve the physical function of these individuals.

The researchers asked the participants to estimate their health-related quality of life before the SARS-CoV-2 infection based on their recollection. The team then compared these pre-COVID-19 estimates with the results of the health-related quality of life assessments conducted during the 5-month and 12-month post-discharge visits.

They found that health-related quality of life at 5 and 12 months post-discharge was inferior to that before the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The researchers noted a correlation between the severity of physical and mental health impairments and patients with long COVID.

In other words, individuals with severe physical health impairments also simultaneously showed severe cognitive symptoms. These findings suggest that integrative care addressing both physical and mental health may be necessary for the treatment of long COVID.

Dr. Al-Aly said, We need a multipronged holistic approach to treating these patients. Long COVID is a multifaceted disease and requires multidisciplinary care.

The researchers then used the plasma samples collected during the 5-month visit to compare the expression of 296 inflammatory proteins.

The participants in the very severe impairment group had higher levels of 13 proteins associated with systemic inflammation than the mild impairment group.

The moderate impairment group also showed elevated levels of two inflammatory proteins than the mild impairment group.

These inflammatory proteins may be useful markers to identify individuals at high risk of developing severe health impairments.

Moreover, reducing systemic inflammation could be a potential target for the treatment of long COVID. For instance, there was a rise in pro-inflammatory protein interleukin-6 (IL-6) in both the severe and moderate impairment group, so anti-IL-6 treatments could be potential treatments for long COVID.

Identifying different inflammatory proteins associated with specific recovery clusters may also allow the use of anti-inflammatory drugs targeted to a particular cluster.

The authors note that the proportion of participants in the study who had received invasive mechanical ventilation was greater than that observed in patients hospitalized with acute COVID-19 in the U.K. Therefore, their results may not be generalizable to the entire population.

Also, the measurements of health-related quality of life before COVID-19 came from participants recollections of their health before illness. There is a chance that these measurements could be biased.

Lastly, the authors noted that their results show a correlation between various traits and severity of health impairments due to long COVID. Therefore, further research is necessary to establish causation.

Dr. Claire Steves, a researcher at Kings College London, told MNT, This study is about people who have been hospitalized and often been very ill, requiring intensive care. Therefore the findings do not apply to people who have not been hospitalized.

Dr. Steves added, Its likely that recovery is quite different in people living with long COVID who have not been hospitalized. [Hence], we need further studies on these groups, which constitute the majority of people living with long COVID.

This study cannot separate the long-term effects of being severely ill in general (especially during this traumatic time where they could not be visited) from the effects of COVID-19 itself, as they do not follow up people who have been admitted to hospital for other conditions.

Nevertheless, this does show just how many people have long-term symptoms after severe illness which is important for the delivery of services, noted Dr. Steves.

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COVID-19: 3 in 10 patients not fully recovered after 1 year - Medical News Today

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Honey G has lost almost two stone and looks incredible in new photos.

The rapper, 40, dropped down to a size 12 during the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns in the UK.

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The star has released new photos in which she poses in a cream miniskirt and shows off her amazing legs.

And she has completely overhauled her image.

Last year, she shared a glimpse of her new physique in a skintight leotard after completing a triathlon, which consisted of a 750m swim, 20km cycle and a 5km run.

Speaking her weight loss, she told Daily Star: "The weight loss has definitely given me the confidence to put myself out there.

"I've always had a bit of a complex about my weight and now I can shop in the likes of Topshop and Miss Selfridge.

"I used to be Size 16 to 18 but I recently bought a pair of size 12 trousers which feels so good."

Honey - real name Anna Gilford - finished fifth on 2016's X Factor and was signed by Simon Cowell's label Syco.

But she was axed when her debut release The Honey G Show flopped.

The TV star had thought she could combine a music career with selling homes and joined an estate agent in 2019.

But she was sacked after just a few months, telling The Sun: "They didn't realise how famous I am.

"My boss had told me that he was expecting me to give up my music career which I am obviously not prepared to do.

"Music is my love and passion, and my ambitions are about being a worldwide music artist.

"I had no intention of being an estate agent long-term. I was hoping that a big opportunity for my music career would come in. I do believe I belong on stage."

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X Factor's Honey G looks unrecognisable after two stone weight loss and dramatic transformation - The US Sun

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