The IAA One Minute Blog

Pigs could be the key to restoring sight in people who have lost their vision due to a damaged cornea, a new study reports.

New Experimental Implant

In a pilot study, the implant restored vision to 20 patients with diseased corneas, most of whom were blind prior to the procedure, researchers said.

The human cornea consists mainly of collagen. To create the implant, researchers distilled highly purified collagen from pig skin and then stabilized the loose collagen molecules to form a tough and transparent material that could be implanted into a human eye. Collagen from pig skin is a byproduct of the food industry and is abundant.

The implant could be a breakthrough in treating vision loss due to cornea damage or disease, researchers said.

The implant runs a much lower risk of rejection than corneas transplanted from human donors. This is because the collagen is highly purified and no cells or other biological materials are in the bioengineered corneas, thus it minimizes the risk of rejection.

An estimated 12.7 million people worldwide are blind due to their corneas, and the only way to restore their vision is a cornea transplant from a human donor, researchers said. But the donor supply is low, with just 1 in 70 patients receiving the transplant they need.  

New Surgical Method

For a normal corneal transplant, the entire thickness of the cornea is removed and replaced with a human donor cornea that is sewn into place.

Because it is a foreign human tissue, the patient must receive immunosuppressive eyedrops for at least a year or even longer to avoid rejection.

With the new method, the patient’s own cornea is kept, only making a small incision within it, and inserting a bioengineered implant. The implant does not have cells, so it does not trigger an immune response. Only an eight-week course of immune suppression eyedrops is needed. No sutures are needed, so the procedure can be performed in a single hospital visit.

The implants and the new surgical method were evaluated on 20 patients and the results surprised researchers. Prior to the operation, 14 of the 20 patients were fully blind. After two years, none were blind and three had perfect 20/20 vision.

The advantage that the implants have over donated corneas is that they can sit on a shelf for up to two years before use, while donor corneas must be transplanted within two weeks.

The trial was reported in the journal, “Nature Biotechnology.”

What IAA has to Say

Insurance Administrator of America is here to bring you news from the world of health. Researchers are finding new information every day, and IAA wants to make sure you are in the know.

Social isolation and loneliness put people at a 30 percent higher risk of heart attack, stroke or death from either, the American Heart Association (AHA) warns.

Social Isolation and Loneliness can Hurt Your Health

Although social isolation and feeling lonely are related, they are not the same thing. Social isolation is having infrequent in-person contact with people for social relationships, such as family and friends. Loneliness is when you feel like you are alone or have less connection with others than you desire.

Nearly a quarter of adults in the United States aged 65 and older are socially isolated, and as many as 47 percent may be lonely, according to the AHA.

To investigate the relationship between social isolation and heart, blood vessels and brain health, the group reviewed research on social isolation published through July 2021. The review found:

1. Social isolation and loneliness are frequent, but under-appreciated factors that affect the heart, blood vessels and brain.
2. Lack of social connections is associated with a higher risk of premature death from any cause, particularly in men.
3. Folks who were less socially connected were more likely to exhibit physical symptoms of chronic stress. Isolation and loneliness are linked to increased inflammation.
4. When evaluating risk factors for social isolation, it is important to remember that depression may cause isolation, and isolation may make depression more likely.
5. Social isolation in childhood is linked to increased heart health risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar levels.
6. Transportation, housing, family discontent, the pandemic, and natural disasters are a few social and environmental factors that have affects on social interactions.

The strongest evidence points to a connection between social isolation, loneliness and death from heart disease and stroke, with a 32 percent higher risk of stroke and death from stroke and a 29 percent higher heart attack risk.

The statement was published in the “Journal of the American Heart Association.”

Stay Connected

There is strong evidence that many adults aged 50 and older are socially isolated or lonely in ways that put their health at risk. Some strategies that can help you stay connected are:

• Consider adopting a pet: Animals can be a source of comfort and may also lower stress and blood pressure.
• Find an activity that you enjoy or learn something new: You might have fun and meet people who like to do the same thing.
• Get moving: Exercise decreases stress, boosts your mood, and increases your energy.
• Volunteer: You’ll feel better by helping others.

Of course, it is always important to stay in touch. Keep in contact with family, friends and neighbors in person, online or by phone.

What IAA has to Say

If you are feeling lonely or isolated Insurance Administrator of America encourages you to find a strategy to help you stay connected. You and your health deserve it! Remember, with IAA one call does it all.

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Eating a lot of ultra-processed foods may dramatically increase your risk for dementia, according to a new study.

Ultra-Processed Foods and Your Brain

Ultra-processed foods are high in sugar, fat, and salt, but low in protein and fiber. Replacing these foods with healthier alternatives may lower the odds for dementia by 19 percent, the study found.

For the study, the team collected data on more than 72,000 people listed in the UK Biobank, a large database of health information of people in the United Kingdom. At the outset, participants were age 55 and older and none had dementia. Over an average of 10 years, 518 people developed dementia.

Researchers compared 18,000 people whose diets included little processed food with a like number who ate a lot of it.

Among the participants who ate the least amount of processed foods (about eight ounces a day) 100 developed dementia, compared to 150 of those who ate the most (about 28-29 ounces a day).

Drinks, sugary products, and ultra-processed dairy were the main contributors to ultra-processed food intake.

The researchers estimated that substituting 10 percent of ultra-processed foods with un-processed or minimally processed foods such as fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, milk, and meat, could lower dementia risk by 19 percent.

The study doesn’t prove that eating ultra-processed foods increases the risk of dementia, only that there seems to be a link.

Cutting Down on Ultra-Processed Foods

Having less processed food in your diet can only be beneficial. Here are some strategies for making changes:

• Don’t be fooled by advertising: If you see fat or sugar-modified food, be wary. These may have artificial ingredients.
• Drink more water: Sugary beverages are high in sugar and calories, but low in essential nutrients. Gradually trading these drinks for water throughout the day is a great way to cut back in your intake of processed foods and improve your overall diet.
• Eat more vegetables: When you are preparing meals at home, include at least one serving of vegetables to increase your intake of healthy un-processed food.
• Get creative in the kitchen: Give your favorite processed foods a healthy twist by recreating them in your kitchen. This gives you complete control of what you’re putting on your plate while letting you experiment with new ingredients.
• Keep healthy snacks on hand: If you’re running short on time, grabbing a packaged snack on your way out the door may be tempting. However, keeping your kitchen stocked with plenty of portable, nutritious snacks can make it easier to make healthier choices on the go.
• Meal prepping: Prepping meals in large batches once or twice a week can make it much less tempting to hit the drive through on the way home or turn to frozen convenience meals when pressed for time.
• Swap refined grains for whole grains: Whole grains are higher in important nutrients like fiber, but they’ve also been shown to protect against conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
• Switch up your grocery routine: Next time you go to the grocery store fill your cart up with healthy, minimally processed ingredients. Also, be sure to read the labels on your favorite food products when you’re shopping.  

It is important to make changes slowly, as it is often more effective and sustainable in the long run.

What IAA has to Say

Insurance Administrator of America wants you to check what’s in your grocery cart! IAA knows processed foods are part of peoples’ daily meals, but it is important to balance it out with healthy un-processed foods.

Interested in reading more on this topic? Click here.

New research shows that eating potassium-rich bananas can improve heart health in women.

Potassium-Rich Foods Help Lower Blood Pressure

Foods high in potassium help to counteract the negative effects of salt in the diet and lower blood pressure, researchers say.

The study included close to 25,000 British men and women between 40 and 79 years of age who were part of a research study between 1993 and 1997. Participants completed questionnaires about their lifestyle habits and their blood pressure and urine samples were analyzed. Participants were followed a median of 19.5 years.

The researchers found that as potassium consumption in women went up, blood pressure went down.

Every one gram increase in daily potassium was associated with a 2.4mm Hg lower systolic blood pressure for these women. No link between potassium and blood pressure was found in men.

After adjusting for such factors as age, gender, BMI, use of tobacco, alcohol, lipid-lowering drugs, diabetes, and prior heart attack or stroke, researchers found that people with the highest potassium-intake had a 13 percent lower risk of heart-related problems to those with the lowest intake.

The findings were published in the “European Heart Journal.”

Sodium and Your Health

Sodium is a mineral that’s essential for life. It is regulated by your kidneys and it helps control your body’s fluid balance. It also helps send nerve impulses and affects muscle function.

When there is extra sodium in your bloodstream, it pulls water into your blood vessels, increasing the total amount of blood inside them. With more blood flowing through your blood vessels, blood pressure increases.

Overtime, high blood pressure may overstretch or injure the blood vessel walls and spread the buildup of gunky plaque that can block blood flow. The added pressure tires out the heart by forcing it to work harder to pump blood through the body. And the extra water in your body can lead to bloating and weight gain.

Eating less sodium can help blunt the rise in blood pressure that occurs with age. It can also reduce your risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney disease, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, and even headaches.

To reduce sodium intake:

• Cook at home: Restaurant food is often high in salt. Preparing and cooking your food is a good way to reduce salt as you are in control of how much is added and can choose ingredients lower in salt.
• Eat more vegetables: The best way to reduce the salt in your diet is to base your diet around fresh unprocessed foods, particularly with fruits and vegetables. These foods are naturally low in salt and can improve heart health.
• Read labels: Many packaged and processed foods contain hidden salt so it is important to read the label and find out how much is inside.
• Use herbs and spices instead of salt.

More than 70 percent of the sodium we consume comes from prepackaged and restaurant foods. The rest of the sodium in the diet occurs naturally in food (about 15 percent) or is added when we’re cooking food or sitting down to eat (about 11 percent).

What IAA has to Say

Insurance Administrator of America wants you to cut down on your sodium and pick up that banana! When you go down those grocery store aisles, think of IAA reminding you to put down the chips and pick up the fresh vegetables.

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A new three digit emergency hotline (similar to 911) is now available to take calls across the nation.

Emergency Hotline

The number of the new hotline is 988 and anyone experiencing an urgent mental health crisis can call for free and confidential professional help. The number connects callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Officials say the new hotline will be able to receive and send text messages.

Anyone experiencing a mental health or substance use issue can call or text 988 and they will be connected to professional counselors who are trained to handle issues like self-harm, addiction and thoughts of suicide.

Experts and officials decided that the three digit number would be easier for Americans in crisis to remember than the existing number.

The new 988 service will connect to any one of about 200 crisis centers nationwide, which can aid callers or connect them to community resources. They can also dispatch emergency responders if needed. If the main centers are busy, the caller will be automatically directed to a backup center.  

Congress and federal regulators approved the new hotline two years ago.

Signs and Symptoms of Depression

Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.

Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include:

• Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration even over small matters
• Feelings of sadness, tearfulness emptiness or hopelessness
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame
• Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death
• Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities
• Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased food cravings and weight gain
• Sleep disturbances
• Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
• Tiredness and lack of energy
• Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things
• Unexplained physical problems

For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in day to day activities. Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without knowing why.

What IAA has to Say

Insurance Administrator of America wants you to know what is going on in the world of health. Keep up to date with IAA!

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