Health

(NEW YORK) — While Dry January — giving up alcohol for the month of January — has been shown to have benefits like better sleep and increased energy, giving up drinks could also help you live longer and look younger, research shows.

“Everyone will feel better [after] a month of alcohol-free. Everyone,” said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News chief medical correspondent and a board-certified physician in OB-GYN and obesity medicine, who has participated in Dry January for the past seven years.

Here are three things to know about how replacing a cocktail with a non-alcoholic alternative, even for a month, can help you live longer, feel better and potentially make you look younger.

1. Alcohol use is related to age-related diseases

There are a number of negative health effects of alcohol consumption, particularly when done in excess or binge drinking.

Beyond the risk of accidents and injury when under the influence of alcohol, it is a risk factor for diseases including several cancers — such as breast and gastrointestinal cancers — liver disease, stroke, heart disease, and mood and memory problems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many of which can lead to premature death and early aging.

“Alcohol’s negative impact ripples across communities, affecting our bodies and minds, burdening our health care systems and leaving a trail of shattered lives,” Dr. Michael Caldwell, chief medical officer of Dry January USA, the U.S. branch of Alcohol Change UK — the charity that launched the Dry January movement a decade ago — told ABC News.

Studies do show some of these negative health effects can improve as alcohol consumption is reduced, which can help people live longer lives.

A 2018 study published in the British Medical Journal found that among nearly 100 participants abstaining from alcohol for a month, and 50 who did not, moderate-heavy drinkers who abstained had improved health markers including lower insulin resistance, weight, blood pressure and certain cancer-related biological markers.

2. Alcohol can worsen skin conditions

Alcohol use is also related to skin health.

A 2019 study of over 3,000 women ages 18 to 75 found that heavy alcohol use, defined as eight or more drinks per week, was associated with under-eye puffiness, increased upper facial lines, blood vessels and the loss of volume in the face.

Alcohol is dehydrating, which can decrease the skin’s elasticity and cause it to have a dry appearance.

Studies have shown that alcohol use can also worsen skin conditions, including psoriasis, an inflammatory disease that visibly damages skin.

3. Alcohol is linked to biological aging

Beyond diseases and visible signs of aging, alcohol consumption is also associated with biological aging.

A large 2022 study published in Nature analyzed nearly 250,000 biological samples in the United Kingdom and found that higher alcohol consumption resulted in shorter telomer length, a potential biological marker of aging that can contribute to more age-related diseases.

While studies specifically looking at anti-aging effects of alcohol cessation are lacking, some evidence has shown negative health effects can be improved as alcohol use is reduced, which can help people live longer lives.

As mentioned previously, the 2018 study published in the British Medical Journal found that among nearly 100 participants abstaining from alcohol for a month, and 50 who did not, moderate-heavy drinkers who abstained had improved health markers including lower insulin resistance, weight, blood pressure and certain cancer-related biological markers.

Doctors also say what is known about the negative health effects of alcohol use can be used to understand how cutting back could slow age-related diseases, visible signs of aging, and prevent people from mental health declines with age.

“Consumption dehydrates our skin and increases inflammation, which promotes premature aging,” Caldwell said, adding that reducing alcohol intake may mean “your mental health will improve, you will be more present with increased clarity of thought and you will have more meaningful relationships.”

How to get started reducing alcohol use

For anyone deciding to participate in Dry January or looking to simply cut back on their alcohol consumption, Ashton recommends telling friends you’re participating, which helps provide accountability.

Ashton also recommends marking successful days off on a calendar to track progress, and trying mocktails or other non-alcoholic beverages, especially if triggering social situations cannot be avoided.

There are also mobile apps, such as Try Dry, run by Alcohol Change UK, that can provide similar tracking and accountability reaching the Dry January goal.

“Even for a short period of time, you will gain much more than you realize by reducing and eliminating alcohol use from your life,” Caldwell said.

Ashton warned that the Dry January movement is not meant to be a tool for people struggling with alcohol addiction.

“I can’t emphasize this enough,” she said. “This is not for abstinence and sobriety reasons, but if you cut try to cut down and you are struggling, please seek professional help.”

If you are concerned about yourself or a loved one, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMSA) confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). For information and resources about alcohol-related problems and health, visit the website of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) HERE.

Dr. Jade A Cobern, M.D., MPH, is a board-certified pediatrician specializing in general preventive medicine and is a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

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(NEW YORK) — In a small group of veterans diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury, treatment with a psychedelic drug, ibogaine was associated with improvements in daily function and mental health symptoms, a new study out of Stanford found.

“This could be one of the first treatments for traumatic brain injury,” said Dr. Nolan Williams, associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford, and principal study investigator. “I think it’s a moment of hope for veterans and folks with permanent neurological injury.”

The Federal Drug Administration classifies ibogaine as a Schedule I drug, citing “high abuse potential” and “no accepted medical use.” To receive the one-time dose, 30 Special Ops veterans traveled to a treatment site in Mexico where ibogaine use is unregulated.

The veterans received ibogaine under medical supervision while engaging in complementary activities including breathwork and yoga. Researchers found that both a few days and one month after the dose of ibogaine, the veterans reported improvement in cognitive abilities, in areas like daily life activities and interpersonal relationships, and in PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms.

Ibogaine is the psychoactive component of the iboga plant, which grows in Gabon and other countries of western equatorial Africa, and is used by local Bwiti religious practices for its hallucinogenic properties.

Mental and medical therapy currently exist for conditions like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder, but they work differently for everyone and for some are not enough, leading some to pursue unapproved therapies like ibogaine.

Although other hallucinogens, such as psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and MDMA, have been researched for varying psychiatric conditions, with increasingly promising results, ibogaine is still in the very early stages of this research. The drug’s side effects, including the risk of inducing a potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythm, may pose a challenge for future studies. The hallucinogenic properties of the drug could also be a risk for some patients. “Hallucinations for most people are brief and formative, but occasionally it could lead to significant psychological stress and poor outcomes,” said Dr. Lewis Nelson, chair of emergency medicine and chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology at Rutgers.

Researchers are not sure why ibogaine might help these different disorders, but some theorize that it acts on receptors implicated in addiction. Some experts say the hallucinogenic properties of ibogaine might allow participants to process their past experiences and emerge with new perspectives. “It’s a really complex drug that’s working across a lot of different systems,” said Williams. “That’s what makes it so powerful and so complicated to understand.”

While this study adds to growing literature around ibogaine therapy, Williams cautions against being too hopeful about ibogaine being a cure-all, especially since the medication was administered internationally with other complementary therapies. Nelson agreed, pointing to similar effects for other hallucinogens like psilocybin and MDMA. “This drug gives me a great experience and now I’m done with the drug and I feel great,” said Nelson. “Did the drug do it or did the experience do it?”

Questioning how future research would help balance benefits and risks of ibogaine, “What’s an acceptable death rate? I guess a little bit of that depends on how efficacious it is,” Nelson said.

For Williams and Nelson, these uncertainties emphasize the need for more trials in the United States. Controlled, supervised administration of the treatment could help remove some of the confounding factors, and reverse abnormal heart rhythms if they start. Future research trials would need many more participants to show efficacy and safety, and more rigorous evaluation for the cardiac side effects, said Nelson.

The road to ibogaine as a widely available therapy remains long and uncertain. There are already concerns about ethical and safe sourcing of the natural compound, and its applicability to structurally marginalized populations, as research pools for psychedelics remain predominantly white.

For now, Stanford researchers are gathering one-year follow-up data on the same veterans, while other studies are underway internationally, and some states discuss changing policy and increasing research funding to facilitate studying ibogaine.

“These are really tough diseases, so I love the fact that we’re looking at alternative treatments,” said Nelson. “We nibble around the edges and we struggle, and there’s not a lot of great therapies. I just think we have to be honest with ourselves about how good and safe the treatment is before we go out there and unleash it on the community writ large.”

Angela Y. Zhang, MD (she/hers), is a pediatric resident at University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Hospital and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

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(NEW YORK) — The final food recall of 2023 could still be in some people’s fridges or freezers, so it’s time to check on any raw ground beef you may have on hand to ensure 2024 starts off with safe, healthy meals.

Valley Meats, LLC, has recalled approximately 6,768 pounds of raw ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Dec. 31.

“The problem was discovered when the establishment notified FSIS that samples of ground beef products submitted to a third-party laboratory for microbiological analysis tested positive for E. coli O157:H7,” the agency wrote.

The items recalled by the Coal Valley, Illinois-based manufacturer were produced Dec. 22, 2023, and shipped to distributors in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan for further distribution to restaurants.

The products subject to this recall bear an establishment number EST. 5712, marked inside the USDA inspection label.

See the full details of all eight recalled products below:

• 12-pound box package containing “ANGUS GROUND BEEF PATTIES” with product code 1208PL, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamps between 7:36:38 a.m. to 08:00:48 a.m.
• 16-pound box packages containing “ANGUS GROUND BEEF PATTIES” with the product code 1253PL, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamps between 7:25:50 a.m. to 08:00:36 a.m.
• 28-pound box package containing “Ground Beef Patties” with product code 72287, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamps between 12:44:00 p.m. to 12:54:32 p.m.
• 28-pound box packaging containing “Ground Beef Patties” with product code 72287, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamp 1:02:55 p.m.
• 24-pound box packaging containing “Ground Beef Patties” with product code 72284, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamps between 1:10:09 p.m. to 1:10:17 p.m.
• 13.5-pound box packaging containing “GROUND BEEF PATTIES” with product code 1103, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, Use By date Jan. 15, 2024, and time stamps between 1:41:55:55 p.m. to 1:57:53 p.m.
• 20-pound box packaging containing “GROUND BEEF” with product code 8515, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, and time stamps between 1:16:24 p.m. to 1:31:15 p.m.
• 40-pound box packaging containing “GROUND BEEF” with product code 8020VP, Run No. 3356GRDB, date code 231222, and time stamps between 1:34:54 p.m. to 2:00:49 p.m.

As of time of publication, there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

Distributors and customers who may have purchased these products are urged by the USDA not to use them or distribute them further.

FSIS is also “concerned that some product may be in institutional or restaurant refrigerators or freezers.” The agency urged restaurants and institutions “not to serve these products” and instead throw them away or return the ground beef to the original place of purchase.

Valley Meats did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

People can become ill one to 10 days after consumption of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria, or STEC bacteria. Symptoms of E. coli bacteria include vomiting or diarrhea (sometimes bloody) that worsens over several days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people recover within a week; some may develop a more severe infection.

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(NEW YORK) — A Connecticut woman will be the first non-resident of Vermont to use the state’s medical aid in dying law on Thursday morning, according to local reports.

Lynda Bluestein, a 76-year-old from Bridgeport, is suffering from terminal ovarian cancer and fallopian tube cancer. The five-year survival rate for these cancers is 31%, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Currently, there are nine other states aside from Vermont — California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington — as well as the District of Columbia where medical aid in dying is legal.

Until recently, Oregon was the only state that allowed terminally ill non-residents to seek physician-assisted suicide after a ruling in 2022 that it was unconstitutional to deny medical aid in dying to those who didn’t live in Oregon.

Bluestein and a physician, Dr. Diana Barnard, sued Vermont in summer 2022 claiming its residency requirement violated Vermont’s state constitution.

“Ms. Bluestein has lived a happy and meaningful life and does not want to die,” the lawsuit reads. “Should her suffering become unbearable, however, she wishes to have the option of medical aid in dying available to her.”

She reached a settlement in March 2023 after the state waived the residency requirement for Bluestein, allowing her to access medical aid in dying in Vermont.

Shortly after, in May 2023, Vermont become the second state to remove a residency requirement from its law, permitting doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to any terminally ill patient who is aged 18 or older. The bill was signed by Gov. Phil Scott.

According to local reports, Bluestein is set to die by lethal injection at 10 a.m. ET.

In 2022, she told The Associated Press that she watched her mother die of cancer and didn’t want her children to experience the same thing.

“She said, ‘I never wanted you to see me like this,'” Bluestein said of her mother.

“I don’t want my children to see me like that, either. I’d like their last memories of me to be as strong as possible, to interact with them and not in an adult diaper curled up in a fetal position, drugged out of my mind,” she continued.

While medical aid in dying is still a point of contention for many, as of 2018, a Gallup poll found that 72% believe doctors should be able to help terminally ill patients die while a slim majority, 54%, believe it is morally acceptable.

 

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(NEW YORK) — Regular use of hearing aids is associated with decreased death rates in U.S. adults with hearing loss, a new study out of USC found.

The findings highlight the importance of encouraging people to use hearing aids and of ensuring everyone who needs hearing aids can get them, according to the study’s authors.

“Hearing is so important for just maintaining health across our life course,” said Dr. Frank Lin, director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at Johns Hopkins and an author on the study.

The World Health Organization estimates that by 2050, seven million people — 1 out of every 14 people — will have hearing loss severe enough to require treatment. The most common causes of hearing loss are exposure to loud noises and natural aging-related degeneration, both of which affect the inner hair cells of the ear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Everyone will develop some degree of hearing loss during their life, said Lin: “It’s inevitable.”

The research team studied 10,000 adults from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES), a collection of data from the CDC. Out of the 1,700 adults with hearing loss, only 13% used hearing aids regularly, which the study defined as at least once a week or at least five hours a week. After 10 years, compared to people who had irregularly or never used hearing aids, 24% fewer of the regular hearing aid users had died. That was the case even when taking into account things like income, medical history and other demographic differences.

“I always had tremendous interest in how hearing loss impacts a lot of health outcomes, and also wanted to see if hearing aids can actually modify it,” said Dr. Janet Choi, an otolaryngology-head and neck surgeon who specializes in ear-related disorders, and the lead researcher of the study. Choi herself was born with hearing loss and started wearing hearing aids as an adult.

The study can’t explain why hearing aid use was linked with reduced deaths, but Choi says it may be because hearing aids help mitigate risk for other conditions like depression, dementia and social isolation.

Previous studies have linked hearing loss and social isolation, which can increase risk for heart disease, dementia and depression. The study was not able to examine these specific medical conditions, but is the first large study to investigate whether hearing aid use, as an intervention for hearing loss, could prevent death.

Regular hearing aid users tended to belong to a higher socioeconomic class, self-identify as white, and have fewer medical conditions, the study found. Cost can be prohibitive, as one pair can cost as much as $4,500 and needs to be replaced every few years, said Lin. While some private insurers cover hearing aids, Medicaid coverage varies by state and most Medicare plans do not cover hearing aids at all.

“This type of hearing care is essentially all out of pocket. For an average American, it could be your third-largest material purchase after a house and a car,” he said.

Other barriers to hearing aids might include lack of access to care, according to Choi. Getting a well-fitting pair of hearing aids includes multiple visits to the otolaryngologist, audiologist, and the hearing aid center, all of which come with their own transportation and language barriers.

In some cases, primary care physicians may not be recommending enough patients to go see a hearing specialist, according to Dr. Doug Backous, president of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

“It’s probably the most under-screened symptom in a primary care office,” he said.

On top of that, there remains a lot of stigma around using hearing aids.

“A lot of people come to me with hearing loss and communication difficulties but they’re not willing to try hearing aids, they’ll say, ‘I don’t think I’m there yet’ or ‘I don’t want to look old’,” Choi said.

Strategies to increasing hearing aid use are multifactorial, from training more audiologists to implementing accessible hearing assessments, according to both Lin and Backous. One promising breakthrough is the availability of over the counter (OTC) hearing aids, which first became available in 2022 after a new FDA rule went into effect.

Advocates like Dr. Lin hope that OTC hearing aids will remove prescription barriers, help drive down prices in a more competitive market, and lead to more innovative features. Others are more skeptical.

“I think they’re a good entry point,” Backous said.

He hopes that OTC hearing aids will ultimately raise awareness to see a specialist for a more comprehensive hearing assessment, and a prescription for custom-fit hearing aids.

As the U.S. population ages, and as more younger Americans turn to hearing aids, Choi says she feels that her research may add to the case for hearing aids as a protective medical treatment against worsening disease or death. But there’s still more to learn — such as if hearing aids benefit younger adults with mild hearing loss who may not yet realize it.

“There are a lot of unanswered questions still in our field,” Choi said.

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(NEW YORK) — A federal appeals court ruled this week that Texas hospitals and doctors are not required to perform emergency abortions despite guidance from the Biden administration.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, in a unanimous decision on Tuesday, said the federal government had misinterpreted the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) and that the law “does not mandate any specific type of medical treatment, let alone abortion.”

Here’s what it means when it comes to abortion access in Texas:

In July 2022, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) issued guidance that under EMTALA, which was passed in 1986, doctors must perform abortions in emergency departments — even in states where the procedure is illegal — if the patient needs “stabilizing medical treatment” for an emergency medical condition.

The move was one of the attempts of the Biden administration to preserve abortion access in Texas since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, ending federal protections for abortion rights.

In response, Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton and two anti-abortion groups — the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations — filed a lawsuit arguing that the guidance would “force abortion” from the federal government despite the state’s laws.

EMTALA ensures that emergency patients receive services and treatment regardless of ability to pay. Hospitals that refuse to provide “necessary stabilizing care” or “an appropriate transfer” can face civil monetary penalties.

“The question before the court is whether EMTALA, according to HHS’s Guidance, mandates physicians to provide abortions when that is the necessary stabilizing treatment for an emergency medical condition,” Judge Kurt Engelhardt of the 5th Circuit wrote in the ruling. “It does not. We therefore decline to expand the scope of EMTALA.”

Engelhardt also wrote that EMTALA “does not provide an unqualified right for the pregnant mother to abort her child.”

The federal court upheld a lower court order preventing enforcement statewide and against members of either of the two anti-abortion groups anywhere in the United States.

Texas has multiple abortion bans in place and is one of at least 16 states that has ceased nearly all abortion services since Roe was overturned, according to an ABC News review.

Texas’ bans include exceptions that allow abortions in cases of medical emergencies and fatal fetal diagnoses, but doctors and patients have claimed, in a separate lawsuit filed in March, that they are unable to provide care or have been denied care, respectively, under the laws.

Under state law, it is a second-degree felony to perform or attempt an abortion, punishable by up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The law also allows private citizens to sue anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion.

In the limited cases when abortion is allowed, a person is required to make two trips, one for in-person counseling and another 24 hours later or longer for the abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that focuses on sexual and reproductive health.

Only a physician is allowed to perform an abortion and medication abortion must be given in person because the use of telemedicine for abortion services is banned.

Recently, the Texas Supreme Court ruled against a woman, Kate Cox, who sued the state for an emergency abortion after she was denied despite the fetus having a fetal anomaly and being told that continuing the pregnancy would impact her fertility.

Last month, the state high court ruled that those two aspects did not “pose the heightened risks to the mother the exception encompasses.”

The court is also considering a lawsuit brought by 20 women and two doctors on behalf of their patients asking the Court to clarify what conditions qualify under the “medical emergency” exceptions of the state’s abortion bans and allow doctors to use their medical judgement to decide if a patient needs an abortion without fear of being prosecuted.

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(NEW YORK) — Indoor mask requirements have been reinstated at all New York City public hospitals amid a rise in respiratory viruses including COVID-19 and flu.

The mandate extends to the 11 hospitals, 30 health centers and five long-term care facilities run by NYC Health + Hospitals.

The city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, said Wednesday masks will only be required in areas where patients are being treated, according to local ABC News affiliate ABC 7 NY.

Vasan said hospitals have been handling the recent rise in patients well and none are currently overwhelmed, but that the mandate will help protect staff from getting sick.

Data from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene shows the seven-day average of COVID-19 hospitalizations has declined from 106 on Dec. 20 to 50 on Dec. 25, although this may be due to reporting delays over the holidays.

Meanwhile, weekly flu hospitalizations in the city have been steadily increasing since early October. For the week ending Dec. 23, hospitalizations rose from 653 to 696, according to the New York State Department of Health.

NYC Health + Hospitals did not immediately reply to ABC News’ request for comment.

It comes as hospitals in at least six states — California, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin — have put masking guidelines in place, according to an ABC News count.

During the week ending Dec. 23, there were 29,059 new weekly hospital admissions due to COVID-19 across the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It marks the seventh consecutive week of increases and the highest figure reported since late January 2023.

Additionally, there were 14,732 new hospital admissions nationwide linked to influenza for the week ending Dec. 23 compared to 9,930 the previous week, CDC data shows.

Other respiratory tract infections have also been on the rise. In Suffolk County, located on New York’s Long Island, cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, have been increasing.

In 2023, there were 108 cases of pertussis reported or suspected in Suffolk County with 100 reported since Nov. 28, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services told ABC News on Tuesday.

Officials say there have been no known hospitalizations to date, and this outbreak has been mostly among vaccinated children and their parents, according to a press release.

ABC News’ Dr. Jade Cobern contributed to this report.

 

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(NEW YORK) — For the seventh straight year, the Mediterranean diet has won the title of best overall diet in U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of best diets.

The diet is endorsed by the American Heart Association for its cardiovascular benefits. The diet was shown to reduce the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth and stillbirth when followed in pregnancy, according to one study.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil and flavorful herbs and spices; fish and seafood at least twice a week; and poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt in moderation, according to U.S. News and World Report.

“Any plan that cuts out an entire food group or fruit or dairy for non-medical reasons is a red flag and it’s the reason the Mediterranean diet is always such a big winner,” Gretel Schueller, managing editor of U.S. News and World Report, previously told ABC News. “The Mediterranean diet is healthy, it’s sustainable, it’s a flavorful way to eat and it’s adaptable.”

If you’re looking to start the Mediterranean diet in the new year, here is what you need to know.

What is the Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet is not one way of eating but a broad term used to describe the eating habits popularized in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including Italy, Greece, Morocco, Spain and Lebanon.

The way of eating focuses on the quality of foods consumed rather than focusing on a single nutrient or food group, according to U.S. News and World Report.

There are no specific serving size recommendations or calculations with the diet, meaning the amount of food a person eats on the diet depends on their own needs.

Nutrition experts say there’s no one diet that will work for everyone. Certain diets may be more beneficial depending on your circumstances, and some may be harmful depending on your health conditions. Anyone considering changes to their diet should consult with their doctor.

What types of foods are eaten on the Mediterranean diet?

Overall, the diet is mostly plant-based and focuses on healthy fats.

Healthy fats emphasized in the Mediterranean way of eating include virgin olive oil, avocados, nuts, salmon and sardines, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Red meat consumption is limited to a few times a month.

All types of vegetables and fruits are encouraged on the diet, as are non-meat sources of protein like beans and other legumes.

Fish is encouraged twice weekly and other animal proteins like poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt are encouraged in smaller portions, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

The main source of hydration should be water.

Mild to moderate wine consumption, often with meals, is typical of the Mediterranean diet but is considered optional. In this context, moderation in wine consumption is defined as one to two glasses per day for men and as one glass per day for women.

Are any foods prohibited?

No, the diet does not totally eliminate any foods or food groups.

Some foods though are encouraged sparingly on the diet, like desserts, butter, heavily processed foods like frozen meals and candy and refined grains and oils.

U.S. News and World Report describes the diet as leaving “little room for the saturated fat, added sugars and sodium that inundate the standard American diet.”

What are the health benefits?

According to U.S. News and World Report, “People who eat a Mediterranean-style diet have longer lifespans, report a higher quality of life and are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.”

The American Heart Association says the Mediterranean diet can “play a big role” in helping to prevent heart disease and stroke and reducing risk factors like diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Consuming virgin olive oil, in particular, may help the body “remove excess cholesterol from arteries and keep blood vessels open,” according to the AHA.

Citing research, the Cleveland Clinic touts the Mediterranean diet as a way to help maintain a healthy weight, slow the decline of brain function, increase longevity, support a healthy gut and lower the risk of certain cancers.

Is the diet adaptable and budget-friendly?

In U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 ranking of best diets, the Mediterranean diet was not only best overall diet but also rated high in the categories of Best Weight Loss Diets, Best Family-Friendly Diets and Easiest Diets to Follow.

Schueller said the foods promoted in the Mediterranean way of eating are not only budget-friendly and easily accessible but also adaptable.

“Olive oil is one of the cores of the of the Mediterranean diet as a primary source of healthy fat, but you can replace that with a similar oil like grapeseed oil or sesame oil or another heart-healthy, fun saturated fat like nuts or avocado,” she said. “And you can take those principles and adapt them to other cuisines by adding the vegetables and whole grains from that country or region, lowering the red meat [intake] and eating more efficient plant proteins.”

Schueller continued, “For example, if you prefer Asian cuisine, you can apply the Mediterranean diet principles and that might mean eating more brown or black rice instead of white rice, and seafood or tofu instead of meat.”

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(NEW YORK) — Health officials in Suffolk County, New York, are warning the public that cases of the respiratory bacterial infection called pertussis, also known as whooping cough, have been on the rise in the area.

In Suffolk County, 108 cases of pertussis were reported or suspected in 2023. One hundred of those cases have been reported since Nov. 28, 2023, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services told ABC News.

Officials say there have been no known hospitalizations to date, and this outbreak has been mostly among vaccinated children and their parents, according to a press release.

“The recent uptick in pertussis cases in New York serves as an important signal for health departments nationwide to ramp up monitoring and vaccination efforts,” Dr. John Brownstein, epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and ABC News medical contributor, told ABC News.

Across the United States, pertussis cases in 2023 were over twice as many as in 2022 but remain significantly lower than in pre-pandemic years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is not uncommon for pertussis outbreaks to impact vaccinated populations, but when it does, infections are usually milder, according to the CDC. Health officials say vaccination is still the best possible protection and prevention.

“This is a reminder of the persistent threat of vaccine-preventable diseases and the need for communities to stay vigilant in protecting their most vulnerable populations, especially infants and the immunocompromised,” Brownstein said.

In Suffolk County, 64 cases of pertussis were reported in 2019, according to the department of health services — current cases nearly double that.

Like many respiratory infections other than COVID-19, pertussis cases were much lower in 2020-2022 in Suffolk County and across the U.S. Experts say this is likely due to a combination of reduced testing for other infections and pandemic precautions like masking that reduced the spread of pertussis.

The CDC reported that 5,436 pertussis cases were reported in the U.S. in 2023, and there were 2,388 cases in 2022. In comparison, there were about 15,000 and 18,000 reported cases in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

What parents need to know

Whooping cough, officially known as Bortadella pertussis, is a vaccine-preventable illness. This infection can be treated with antibiotics and causes some similar symptoms as common cold respiratory illnesses, like nasal congestion, runny nose and low grade-fever, but the duration of cough can last weeks to months, according to the CDC. Someone is usually considered infectious for about two weeks after they develop the cough. The CDC also says babies can get the most severe illness from pertussis and may not have the characteristic cough but may struggle to breathe, turn blue, or even stop breathing.

“With so many respiratory illnesses currently circulating, some for which there are no treatment, we wanted to make sure that parents know that pertussis, also called whooping cough, can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed early,” Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County Health Commissioner, said in the release.

“Whooping cough can be very serious for infants too young to be vaccinated, which is why we are alerting both medical providers and the public that this illness is circulating,” Pigott said.

The CDC and the American College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians recommend that pregnant women get vaccinated with a pertussis shot, called Tdap, in the third trimester of pregnancy to pass on antibody protection to their newborn. According to the CDC immunization schedule, babies should get three doses of a whooping cough shot — called DTaP — at 2, 4, and 6 months old, with two additional boosters at 15-18 months old and 4-6 years old. Older kids then get a Tdap shot when they are between 11-12 years old, followed by once every 10 years.

“Parents should be aware that the rise in pertussis cases, predominantly affecting children, underscores the importance of timely vaccinations, including the DTaP and Tdap boosters, according to the recommended schedule,” Brownstein said.

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(NEW YORK) — At least 22 people were hospitalized after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building in Utah on New Year’s Eve, officials said.

The Sevier County Sherriff’s Office (SCSO) said it received two medical calls from the building in Monroe East, about 170 miles south of Salt Lake City. The first was about a 4-year-old girl having breathing problems. She had been sick earlier in the week, so it was believed she was having further symptoms of that illness, SCSO said in a Monday press release.

EMS services, however, were called back to the same building after an adult man reported feeling unwell. At the time, the man believed he was suffering from low blood sugar levels, officials said.

When another family reported headaches after arriving home from church, the Monroe City Fire Department was called to check the building for potential carbon monoxide poisoning.

Firefighters found high levels of carbon monoxide and the building was evacuated.

Some of the 22 individuals sought treatment at Sevier Hospital while others had to be transported to area hospitals.

“This required 10 ambulance transports to get everyone to a hospital that had a hyperbaric chamber that could treat the patients,” the SCSO said. “Sevier County EMS did not have enough ambulances or personnel for this many transports so other agencies were contacted for assistance. The last ambulance was back from the final transfer at 10:00 a.m. [Monday] morning. Some of the Ambulance crews made more than one trip.”

The patients’ symptoms and their conditions are currently unclear. The SCSO did not immediately reply to ABC News’ request for comment.

The cause of the carbon monoxide poisoning is currently unknown, but church officials said they are investigating and working to resolve the problem, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not immediately reply to ABC News’ request for comment.

Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs when someone breathes a large amount of the gas, which replaces oxygen for carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide is particularly dangerous because it is odorless and tasteless and ingesting too much of it can lead to serious damage and death.

The most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are headache, weakness, dizziness, chest pain, nausea, vomiting and confusion, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Everyone is at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, although elderly people and infants, as well as those with chronic heart disease, breathing problems or anemia, are more likely to get sick, the federal health agency said.

More than 400 people die due to carbon monoxide poisoning each year, according to the CDC.

To prevent poisoning, the CDC recommends installing a battery-operated or battery-backup carbon monoxide detector and replacing the batteries each spring and fall.

Additionally, it’s recommended to have heating systems and water heaters serviced every year and, if you have a chimney, make sure it’s checked or cleaned every year.

If you believe you’re experiencing the signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, seek further medical evaluation.

 

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