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Oregon needs to listen to its patients
“More than half of Oregonians are living with at least one chronic health condition. One in four adults has a disability, and around 20,000 people receive a cancer diagnosis each year. Right now, our state is making critical drug pricing decisions that could make it harder for these patients to access the care they need. And it’s doing so without even giving them a seat at the table.”

Grant to Support Liver Disease Drug Development, Potentially Reduce Animal Testing
“Liver disease researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSM) will use a $7.8 million federal grant to build a new drug discovery center, which will test whether using human cells can replace animals in determining if and how a new drug works.”

Complementary Health Approaches for Pain Management Increasing in Popularity
“Complementary health approaches, like yoga or acupuncture, can be particularly appealing to patients seeking natural and non-invasive approaches to improve their health.”

Guidance on Use of Race, Ethnicity, and Geographic Origin as Proxies for Genetic Ancestry Groups in Biomedical Publications
“In March 2023, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released a consensus study report titled Using Population Descriptors in Genetics and Genomics Research.1 Sponsored by the US National Institutes of Health, the report is more than a discussion of the use of terminology; the authors of the NASEM report suggest a tectonic shift away from current models that use race, ethnicity, and geographic origin as proxies for genetic ancestry groups (ie, a set of individuals who share more similar genetic ancestries) in genetic and genomic science.”

Why Diet Matters for the Planet and Your Health
““The hottest year was even hotter than expected,” read a recent headline in Science. If, like me, you want to do more to stave off the worst, then cast a more critical eye on diet. What we eat has a major climate impact, because food production generates high levels of the greenhouse gases (GHG) that underlie climate change.”

Navigating nutrition facts and fads
“In a world of diet trends and conflicting nutrition information, it can feel like you are bombarded by tons of “solutions” for health improvement every day. The truth is there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to personal nutrition. Jaime Gnau, clinical assistant professor in the public health and sports medicine department at Missouri State University, brings over 20 years of health care experience to her role.”

Habitual Short Sleep Duration, Diet, and Development of Type 2 Diabetes in Adults
Question  Is there an association between adherence to healthy diet, sleep duration, and risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) in adults?
Findings  This cohort study analyzing data from 247 867 adults in the UK Biobank found that individuals sleeping less than 6 hours daily had a notably higher risk of developing T2D compared with those with 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Despite the association between healthier diets and reduced T2D risk, the increased risk associated with short sleep duration persisted even among adults with healthy eating habits.
Meaning  These findings suggest that adopting a healthy diet may not reduce the risk of developing T2D among those with habitual short sleep duration.”

Women who do strength training live longer. How much is enough?
“Resistance training does more than help us build strong muscles. A new study finds women who do strength training exercises two to three days a week are more likely to live longer and have a lower risk of death from heart disease, compared to women who do none.”

Walking 5,000 Steps Three Times Per Week Could Add Three Years to Life Expectancy
“LONDON, March 12, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–New research published by Vitality and the London School of Economics shows that sustaining a healthy exercise habit of at least 5,000 steps three times per week for two years can add up to three years to an individual’s life expectancy and reduce their healthcare costs by up to 13%.”

Demographic, health, physical activity, and workplace factors are associated with lower healthy working life expectancy and life expectancy at age 50
“This study identified demographic, health, physical activity, and workplace factors associated with lower HWLE and life expectancy at age 50. Identifying the extent of the impact on healthy working life highlights these factors as targets and the potential to mitigate against premature work exit is encouraging to policy-makers seeking to extend working life as well as people with musculoskeletal and mental health conditions and their employers. The HWLE gaps suggest that interventions are needed to promote the health, wellbeing and work outcomes of subpopulations with long-term health conditions.”