05/27/24 - #138

Good morning. In today’s edition:

  • Are You Actually Supposed to Drink 2 Liters of Water a Day?

  • Weight Loss Drug Works "For Up to Four Years", Study Suggests

  • Patients With Female Doctors Have a Lower Risk of Death or Serious Complications, Research Shows

  • Diabetes Drugs Test a New Side Effect: Slowing Down Symptoms of Parkinson’s

…and lots more. Have a great day!

FOOD & NUTRITION

Are You Actually Supposed to Drink 2 Liters of Water a Day?

Have you heard that you should drink eight glasses of water every day? That's about 2 liters. Dr. Berg says this common advice might not be right for everyone.

First, Dr. Berg explains that our bodies are not just filled with water. Our blood and other fluids have water and electrolytes like minerals. So, saying we need a lot of pure water is too simple.

Also, the idea that our body doesn't know when it's thirsty isn't true. Our body can tell when it needs water—when we're thirsty, we should drink.

Some people say drinking lots of water helps you lose weight or cleans out toxins. But water doesn't dissolve fat or flush out toxins because they are not water-soluble. They stick in fat, not water.

Dr. Berg also says that drinking water doesn't fix dry skin. Dry skin needs oils and vitamins, like Vitamin A, not just water.

Drinking too much water can actually be bad. It can wash out important minerals and even lead to health problems if you drink way too much.

So, how much water should you drink? Dr. Berg believes you should just drink when you're thirsty. That's the best way to know your body needs water. Forget about strict rules and just listen to what your body tells you.

WEIGHT LOSS

Weight Loss Drug Works "For Up to Four Years", Study Suggests

Recent research has shown that Wegovy, a weight loss drug approved in 2021, can help people keep off extra pounds for up to four years. Wegovy is an injectable medication that works by making you feel full longer, which helps you eat less. It does this by mimicking a natural hormone in our body that controls hunger and blood sugar.

The main ingredient in Wegovy is called semaglutide, which is also used in a diabetes drug named Ozempic. A study in the journal Nature Medicine found that Wegovy users lost about 10% of their body weight. They kept it off for nearly four years. This is a big deal compared to those who took a placebo and barely lost any weight.

Besides helping with weight loss, Wegovy also has benefits for heart health. It helps even if people don’t lose a lot of weight, which could be great news for treating health problems linked to being overweight.

Researchers looked at over 17,600 adults who were overweight but didn’t have diabetes. They studied the effects of the drug over an average of 40 months. These findings could change how long doctors prescribe this drug. Right now, it’s usually given for two years because of its cost, but these results show it might be useful for longer.

This drug could potentially play a big role in reducing health issues related to obesity.

HEALTH

Patients With Female Doctors Have a Lower Risk of Death or Serious Complications, Research Shows

Recent studies have found that patients who have female doctors usually have better health results. A new report in the British Journal of Surgery shows that teams with more female surgeons have fewer patient complications.

Researchers looked at more than 700,000 surgeries at 88 hospitals in Ontario, Canada, between 2009 and 2019. They found that in hospitals where at least 35% of the surgeons and anesthesiologists were women, patients had a 3% lower risk of serious health problems after major surgeries.

This finding is not alone. Past studies over the last ten years have shown similar results. Female doctors often spend more time with their patients. They also follow treatment guidelines more closely. They work with patients to make decisions. These habits may help explain why their patients do better.

But Dr. Julie Hallet leads the research. She is a surgery professor at the University of Toronto. She says the point isn't to say female doctors are better than male ones. Instead, the focus is on the value of having diverse teams in hospitals. Having different kinds of doctors working together can lead to better care for patients.

Dr. Hallet also noted that having more women in the team can improve how the team works together, which is important for patient care. This research shows how having diverse teams is not just good; it’s smart and necessary.

Diabetes Drugs Test a New Side Effect: Slowing Down Symptoms of Parkinson’s

Researchers found a surprising use for a diabetes drug called lixisenatide. It might help slow Parkinson's disease. This drug, which is usually used to control blood sugar, showed promising results in a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

In a year-long study, patients with Parkinson's disease took lixisenatide. They kept their ability to move around almost the same. Those who didn't take it got worse. The study suggests that lixisenatide could protect brain cells from damage, a new idea in treating Parkinson's.

Doctors noticed that people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to get Parkinson's. They also found that those treated with drugs like lixisenatide were less likely to get Parkinson's. This was compared to those who took other diabetes drugs. This led researchers to study lixisenatide more closely.

Although the improvements were small, they are important. Current Parkinson's treatments, like levodopa, only help symptoms. They do this by adding dopamine to the brain. Lixisenatide might help save the brain cells that make dopamine. Future studies may show that this benefit lasts longer. If so, lixisenatide could be a new way to treat Parkinson's. It would do so by tackling the disease's root causes.

More research is needed to confirm lixisenatide's benefits. Scientists are also studying whether this drug could help with other brain diseases like Alzheimer's. It reduces brain inflammation.

✢ 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.