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A new study found that women who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened beverage daily had a nearly five times greater chance of developing oral cancer than those who avoided sugary soft drinks.

Sugar and Cancer

The study found that high sugary soft-drink intake was associated with a significantly increased risk of oral cancer in otherwise low-risk women, regardless of their smoking or drinking habits.

The data was compiled from responses to the national Nurses’ Health Study, begun in 1976, and Nurses’ Health Study II, begun in 1989. These studies contain information submitted by nearly 163,000 female nurses every two years over the course of three decades on demographics, lifestyle, and medical conditions.

In their modules, those nurses who reported drinking one or more sugar-sweetened beverage daily, had a 4.8 percent higher risk of oral cavity cancer compared with those who drank fewer than one beverage monthly, increasing the rate of oral cancer.

The study was published in “JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.”

Oral Cancer

Mouth cancer is a growth of cells that starts in the mouth. The mouth is also called the oral cavity. Cancer that happens in the mouth is sometimes called oral cancer or oral cavity cancer.

Signs and symptoms of mouth cancer may include:

• A growth or a lump inside the mouth
• A lip or mouth sore that won’t heal
• Difficult or painful swallowing
• Ear pain
• Mouth pain
• White or reddish patch on the inside of the mouth

More than 355,000 new cases of oral cavity cancer were diagnosed globally in 2020, with nearly 177,000 deaths.

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People who consume loads of butter have a higher risk of premature death, while those who use mostly plant-based oils have a lower-than-average risk, according to a new study.

Exchanging Butter for Plant-Based Oils

Swapping out butter for plant-based oils causes a person’s risk of premature death to drop dramatically, researchers reported.

Substituting 10 grams of butter a day with plant-based oils, could lower by 17 percent, a person’s risk of death from any reason and from cancer specifically, results show.

The findings are based on diet and health data from more than 220,000 people followed for more than three decades as part of three long-term studies of health professionals. Every four years participants answered questions about their diets.

Total intake included butter and margarine blends, spreadable butter and butter used for baking and frying at home.

Intake of plant-based oils was estimated based on people’s use of them by frying, sauteing, baking, and dressing salads.

Results show that people who ate the most butter had a 15 percent higher risk of dying compared to those who ate the least.

In contrast, those who ate the most plant-based oils had a 16 percent lower risk of death than those who ate the least.

The research was published in “JAMA Internal Medicine.”

Butter vs. Plant-Based Oils

Butter and plant-based oils contain different types of fatty acids, and those fatty acids act differently upon the body.

Butter contains saturated fatty acids, which have been linked to higher cholesterol and hardening of the arteries.

Plant-based oils are made up of unsaturated fatty acids which can lower cholesterol, help maintain cell and brain health, and fight inflammation.

The American Heart Association recommends getting less than six percent of total daily calories from saturated fat.

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Insurance Administrator of America wants you to make healthy choices. IAA wants you to live a long and healthy life.

 About two-thirds of Americans are getting too little or too much sleep, risking their health, a new study suggests.

New Sleep Research

People who did not get the right amount of sleep a night, had a 29 percent increased risk of premature death from any cause, according to researchers.

For the study, researchers analyzed sleep and health data on nearly 47,000 people aged 40 to 79. Participants entered the study between 2002 and 2009 and completed follow-up surveys between 2008 and 2013.

Researchers grouped the participants based on their sleep “trajectory,” differences between the sleep they reported at the start and then during follow up. Long-short is equivalent to too much sleep at the beginning and too little sleep by the end, while short-long is the opposite.

Specific results for different sleep trajectories included:

• A 29 percent increased risk of death from any cause for short-long, 19 percent for long-short and 27 percent for long-long.
• A 22 percent increased risk of heart-related death for long-long, 32 percent for long-short, and 22 percent for short-long.

Overall, 66 percent of participants reported getting too much or too little sleep, results show.

The research was reported in JAMA Network Open.

Sleep and Your Health

During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and support your physical health.

Getting enough quality sleep at the right time can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.

• You might be sleep deficient if you often feel like you could doze off while:
• Riding in a car for an hour without stopping
• Sitting and reading or watching TV
• Sitting and talking to someone
• Sitting in traffic for a few minutes
• Sitting quietly after lunch
• Sitting still in a public place

Sleep deficiency can cause problems with learning, focusing, and reacting. You may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, remembering things, managing your emotions and behavior, and coping with change.

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Insurance Administrator of America knows that a good night’s sleep is good for your health. IAA wants you to catch some zzzz’s.

The malva nut could have a more important future as a sustainable source for medical applications, researchers say.

Malva Nut as a Medical Resource

The nut known as pangdahail (PDH) has the ability to expand tremendously when submerged in water. That ability led to the idea to utilize the nut for use as a low-cost, natural, and sustainable resource for medical devices that use hydrogels for such things as wound care, regenerative medicine and adhesives for skin-attached sensors and devices, according to scientists.

The research team demonstrated that the gooey residue left over from soaking PDH to make an herbal tea for soothing sore throats, possesses previously unrealized abilities when processed into an all-natural hydrogel. The nut expands to eight times its volume and 20 times its weight when immersed in water, leaving a jelly that is thrown out. This “waste” looked and acted like a hydrogel to the research team.

Hydrogels are widely used in wound care and medical monitoring due to their excellent mechanical properties, electrical conductivity, and adhesion.

The substance out-performed commercially available gels in transmitting accurate signals, while monitoring heartbeats for electrocardiograms via skin-attached patches.

The study was published in the journal “Matter.”

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Insurance Administrator of America knows that even little things can make a big difference in the world of health. Stay tuned to IAA’s blog to learn more.

After seeing their children be diagnosed, adults are seeking their own autism diagnosis.

Autism in Adults

Autism spectrum disorder is a range of intellectual, language, and social difficulties. Autism is typically diagnosed during childhood, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children be screened as early as 18 months.

Many adults have sought their own insight on their own neurodiversity in the last decade. A study published last year in JAMA Network Open showed a 452 percent increase in autism diagnosis among adults ages 26 to 34 from 2011 to 2022.

Some traits of autism can go unnoticed until adulthood when there are new social demands. Others may have learned how to hide certain behaviors.

There’s also an overlap of symptoms between various disorders like ADHD and OCD that can complicate an autism diagnosis due to difficulties with non-verbal social cues or executive functions like attention span, working memory and problem-solving.

There are many reasons why autistic adults may remain undiagnosed. Some may not be aware that their behaviors are related to autism. Others have learned coping strategies that allow them to navigate their differences in their daily lives. Still, others may find the cost of the diagnosis to be inaccessible.

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