05/13/25 - #389

Good morning. In today’s edition:

  • Rising Food Prices in US Getting in Way of Healthy Eating, Survey of Americans Finds

  • Weight-loss Drugs Cut Alcohol Intake by Almost Two-thirds, Ireland Study Suggests: Individuals Who Took Liraglutide or Semaglutide for Weight Loss Reduced Their Alcohol Consumption by Almost Two-thirds in Four Months

  • A New Study Checked the Amounts of Choline and Iodine in Nonprescription and Prescription Prenatal Vitamins, Revealing Many Prenatal Vitamins Don’t Contain Enough of the Nutrients That Are Essential for a Healthy Pregnancy, While Others Contain Toxic Metals

  • Children Born to Mothers With Obesity, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus or a Hypertensive Disorder of Pregnancy Have Higher Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure, With Effects That Grow as Children Age

…and lots more. Have a great day!

FOOD & NUTRITION

Rising Food Prices in US Getting in Way of Healthy Eating, Survey of Americans Finds

A new survey shows that rising food prices in the U.S. are making it harder for many adults to eat healthy. The Pew Research Center asked over 5,000 adults about food costs. Nine out of ten people said healthy food has gotten more expensive. About 7 in 10 said these higher prices make it hard to eat a healthy diet.

People with lower incomes are struggling the most. Almost half of low-income adults said it’s hard to afford healthy meals. Only 15% of high-income adults said the same. But even middle- and upper-income groups are feeling the pressure.

Experts say a big reason is that many Americans rely on costly foods like meat and dairy. Dr. David Katz, a nutrition expert, says healthy food doesn’t have to be expensive. Beans, lentils, and whole grains are cheap and good for you. Drinking more water and less soda also helps.

Taste is the biggest reason people choose certain foods. In the survey, 83% of adults said taste matters most, followed by cost, health, and convenience.

Many low-cost, tasty foods are highly processed. These foods often contain sugar, salt, fat, and chemicals to make them more appealing. Eating too much of them can raise the risk of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

Experts suggest cooking at home and eating more plant-based meals. Even small changes can improve your health and lower your food costs.

It’s never too late to start eating better—at any age or income level.

WEIGHT LOSS

Weight-loss Drugs Cut Alcohol Intake by Almost Two-thirds, Ireland Study Suggests: Individuals Who Took Liraglutide or Semaglutide for Weight Loss Reduced Their Alcohol Consumption by Almost Two-thirds in Four Months

A new study from Ireland found that people taking weight-loss drugs drank much less alcohol after four months. The drugs, liraglutide and semaglutide, are used to help people lose weight. But they may also help people cut back on drinking without much effort.

Researchers followed 262 adults with obesity. Most were women, with an average age of 46. Before starting the drugs, many drank more than 10 units of alcohol per week. After four months, their drinking dropped from about 11 units to just over 4 units per week—a drop of almost two-thirds.

Among regular drinkers, alcohol use dropped even more—from 23 units to 8 units per week. That’s a 68% decrease. This result is similar to what people see when they take a drug called nalmefene, which is used to treat alcohol problems in Europe.

The people in the study said they did not feel like they had to try hard to drink less. Experts think the drugs may reduce cravings for alcohol by changing how parts of the brain work—especially areas that control habits and reward.

The study has some limits. It used self-reported data, and there was no group of people to compare against. But it still shows promising results.

These drugs are already used to treat obesity. Now, researchers are looking into how they might help with other problems, like alcohol use. Talk to your doctor before starting any new medicine or treatment.

HEALTH

A New Study Checked the Amounts of Choline and Iodine in Nonprescription and Prescription Prenatal Vitamins, Revealing Many Prenatal Vitamins Don’t Contain Enough of the Nutrients That Are Essential for a Healthy Pregnancy, While Others Contain Toxic Metals

A new study from the University of Colorado shows that many prenatal vitamins do not have enough choline and iodine—two nutrients that help a baby grow strong and healthy. Some vitamins also had small amounts of toxic metals like lead and arsenic, but they were still within safe limits.

Researchers tested 47 prenatal vitamins, both prescription and nonprescription. Only 12 listed how much choline they had, and just 5 had the correct amount. For iodine, 25 vitamins listed it, but only 4 had the right amount.

Choline and iodine are very important during pregnancy. Choline helps with brain development, and iodine supports the thyroid and baby’s growth. Experts say pregnant women need 450 milligrams of choline and 220 micrograms of iodine each day. But most of the vitamins tested did not meet these amounts.

The researchers also checked for harmful metals. Arsenic was found in 7 products, lead in 32, and cadmium in 29. While the levels were low and did not go past safety limits, the findings still raise concern.

Doctors say it is still important to take prenatal vitamins, but not all products are the same. Reading the label and talking to a doctor or pharmacist can help women choose the best option.

The study shows we need better rules to make sure vitamins are safe and do what they promise. Women deserve to know what’s really in the products they trust during pregnancy.

Children Born to Mothers With Obesity, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus or a Hypertensive Disorder of Pregnancy Have Higher Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure, With Effects That Grow as Children Age

A new study shows that children born to mothers with certain health problems during pregnancy may have higher blood pressure as they grow up. The study looked at 12,480 mother-child pairs over nearly 30 years.

Mothers with obesity, gestational diabetes, or high blood pressure during pregnancy were more likely to have children with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure. These are the top and bottom numbers in a blood pressure reading.

The study found that children of these mothers had blood pressure that rose faster between ages 2 and 18. Children whose mothers had two or more health problems had the highest readings. Girls and Black children were more affected than others.

Researchers say that even small increases in blood pressure in early life can lead to more serious health problems later on. Almost half the mothers in the study had at least one of these health risks. Obesity was the most common.

The findings suggest that it’s important to support women’s health before and during pregnancy. Healthy moms are more likely to have healthy kids.

Doctors may also want to begin checking blood pressure in children earlier—especially if their mothers had pregnancy health problems. This could help find and treat issues before they get worse.

The study was led by the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and funded by the National Institutes of Health. It shows that care during pregnancy can have long-term effects on a child’s heart health.

✢ A Note From Hem Hero

The information in this health newsletter is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment; always consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health. The publishers are not responsible for any actions taken by the reader based on the information provided.