Pope Francis undergoes intestinal surgery in Rome

Pope Francis undergoes intestinal surgery in Rome
Pope Francis undergoes intestinal surgery in Rome
ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images

(ROME) — Pope Francis had intestinal surgery on Wednesday and will spend several days in the hospital recovering, Vatican officials said.

The Holy See Press Office announced Wednesday evening local time that the surgery was over and that “it took place without complications and lasted three hours.”

After his general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday, the pontiff went to Gemelli hospital in Rome and underwent “a Laparotomy and abdominal wall plastic surgery with prosthesis under general anaesthesia,” Matteo Bruni, director of the press office for The Holy See, said in a statement in Italian.

The surgery was arranged within the last few days, the Vatican said. He’s expected to stay in the hospital for several days to make a full recovery.

The 86-year-old pontiff spent three days in the hospital in March after he complained he was having difficulty breathing.

The pontiff’s March hospital stay had gone well “with normal medical progress,” as he recovered from bronchitis, Vatican officials said at the time.

Francis also had intestinal surgery two years ago for diverticular stenosis. That three-hour operation included an hemicolectomy, which is the removal of part of the colon.

Francis often uses a wheelchair or walker during public events, including when he presided over the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, his retired predecessor, in January.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Canadian wildfire smoke live updates: Worst air quality yet may be headed to New York City

Canadian wildfire smoke live updates: Worst air quality yet may be headed to New York City
Canadian wildfire smoke live updates: Worst air quality yet may be headed to New York City
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Hazy and dangerous fumes from ongoing Canadian wildfires have engulfed the skies over most of the Northeast coast, prompting serious air quality alerts.

Thirteen states have issued those alerts as the thick fumes block the sky and send people indoors.

Canadian officials said firefighters are scrambling to put out the blazes in Quebec, where more than 160 forest fires are currently active.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Jun 07, 11:32 AM EDT
Worst air quality yet may be headed to NYC

The worst air in the U.S. Wednesday morning is in upstate New York from Syracuse to Binghamton, where the air quality has reached the worst level — “hazardous.”

That air will move toward New York City and Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Tuesday brought the worst air quality to New York City since the 1960s, officials said, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams calling it an “unprecedented event.”

The mayor urged New Yorkers to avoid going outside if they can.

Adams warned Wednesday, “Air quality conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, but they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening.”

-ABC News’ Max Golembo

Jun 07, 10:19 AM EDT
Poor air quality will last into weekend for Toronto

In Toronto, the poor air quality will last into the weekend, officials warned Wednesday.

“Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour,” officials said in a “Special Air Quality Statement.” “Wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone’s health even at low concentrations. Continue to take actions to protect your health and reduce exposure to smoke.”

Jun 07, 9:32 AM EDT
NYC, DC public schools cancel all outdoor activities

Washington, D.C., public schools have canceled all outdoor activities, including athletic games, for Wednesday due to the poor air quality.

A “Code RED Air Quality Alert” has been issued for the nation’s capital.

New York City public schools also canceled outdoor activities.

“We urge everyone to reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors,” NYC Public Schools tweeted.

Jun 07, 8:22 AM EDT
Long Island school district keeping students inside

In Port Washington, New York, on Long Island, the superintendent announced Wednesday that all students will stay inside during physical education and recess.

“This decision is aimed at minimizing exposure to the poor air quality and ensuring a safe learning environment for everyone,” the superintendent said.

Jun 07, 6:37 AM EDT
Air quality alerts issued for 13 states

Most of New England and much of the East Coast were under air quality alerts on Wednesday, with smoke from Canadian wildfires expected to reach as far south as South Carolina.

A new dose of very thick smoke was expected to drift into New York City and Philadelphia by Wednesday afternoon, lasting into the evening.

That smoke is then expected to move south into Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

Conditions around New York City and in the I-95 corridor could improve Thursday evening, but get worse in western New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as the winds shift.

Jun 07, 12:49 AM EDT
NYC mayor says air quality expected to ‘deteriorate further’ Wednesday

The air quality in New York City worsened Tuesday evening and is expected to “deteriorate further” Wednesday afternoon and evening, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.

“At this point, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for all five boroughs. While conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening,” Adams said.

“Currently, we are taking precautions out of an abundance of caution to protect New Yorkers’ health until we are able to get a better sense of future air quality reports,” he said.

Adams said students should still go to school on Wednesday, but New York City public schools won’t have outdoor activities.

“These recommendations may change based on updated air quality conditions that come in, but, in the meantime, we recommend all New Yorkers to take the precautions they see fit to protect their health,” he added.

Jun 06, 10:09 PM EDT
Smoke from wildfires visible over Yankee Stadium

Smoke from wildfires from Canada was visible on Tuesday night over Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, as the Yankees played the White Sox, video obtained by ABC News shows.

Jun 06, 10:01 PM EDT
New York City currently has the worst air quality in the world, data shows

New York City currently has the worst air quality than any other city on Earth, as smoke stemming from wildfires in Canada makes its way across the Northeast, according to the latest data from Swiss technology company IQAir.

The air quality index in NYC is at 196 as of Tuesday evening, followed by Doha, Qatar, and Delhi, India.

The next U.S. city on the list is Detroit, which currently places eighth, according to IQAir. Toronto, Canada, sat in ninth place as of Tuesday night.

Jun 06, 11:00 PM EDT
Who is at most risk from unhealthy air

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has specific guidance for vulnerable groups if the air quality in their area is deemed “unhealthy.”

While the agency warns that all people will experience adverse side effects from exposure to the unhealthy air, it said those with heart or lung disease, pregnant people, children and the elderly are most sensitive.

Those groups should consider moving all of their activities indoors until the air quality alert is lifted, the EPA said.

Jun 06, 11:02 PM EDT
Northeast covered in haze as forecasters warn of more smoke to come

Millions of people in New York City and other locations in the Northeast scrambled to keep themselves free of the smoky air throughout the day and evening Tuesday.

The city’s skyline was barely visible for most parts of the day, and the smell of the smoke was strong as commuters hit the evening rush.

Large cities with the lowest air quality include New York City; Albany, New York and Cincinnati, a map by Airnow, a website that publishes air quality data, shows.

Another large and dense plume of smoke will be moving down across parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, according to forecasters.

That batch of very dense smoke will push down across the Northeast throughout the day on Wednesday, giving some relief to New England and the Midwest.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Questions remain over the disappearance of FBI informant in Russia

Questions remain over the disappearance of FBI informant in Russia
Questions remain over the disappearance of FBI informant in Russia
Wall Street Journal reporter Brett Forrest speaks to ABC News about his book “Lost Son.” — ABC News

(NEW YORK) — The detentions of U.S. citizens, like reporter Evan Gershkovich, Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan by Russia, has kept tensions between the U.S. and Russia high as the war in Ukraine rages on.

Wall Street Journal national security reporter Brett Forrest has taken a look at another case, the 2015 disappearance and murder of Billy Reilly, an FBI informant in his new book, “Lost Son: An American Family Trapped Inside the FBI Secret Wars.”

Forrest spoke about the case and his book with ABC News Live Monday. The FBI didn’t immediately comment on the book and Forrest’s reporting.

ABC NEWS LIVE: So your book dives into the post 9/11 world and the FBI’s Confidential Human Source program. Explain what that program is and how Billy Reilly got pulled into it, and the world of global intelligence.

BRETT FORREST: Well, the FBI, since its foundation, has used cooperators and informants as a fundamental part of its work. But after 9/11, when Congress and the administration mandated that the FBI do more to be proactive in its prevention of terrorist conspiracy, the bureau really stepped up its game with such people and reconfigured their approach with them.

They created something called the Confidential Human Source program, which ultimately they used to gather not just evidence to be used in courtrooms, but intelligence to be used outside of DOJ.
 
ABC NEWS LIVE: And your book is based on an article that you wrote back in 2019 called “The FBI Lost Our Son,” where you followed Billy’s tracks up until the point where he was found without revealing what happened to him. Can you explain how he went missing?

FORREST: Billy Reilly was a young man growing up outside Detroit, and he came of age after 9/11 and was fascinated by global conflict and world religions and foreign languages. And that brought him to the attention of the FBI, as internet traffic did ultimately after the war in Ukraine broke out in 2014.

A year after that, Billy traveled to Russia. His parents weren’t sure why he went and he disappeared there.

ABC NEWS LIVE: How do you hope or perhaps expect people to react at home when hearing his full story?

FORREST: Well, I think fundamentally the lesson we have here is that the FBI and other federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies continue to demand our scrutiny, and they need oversight.

In the case of Billy Reilly, the FBI has not been forthcoming with the family, nor with myself and others who are trying to get answers, including folks on Capitol Hill. And his story, the ending, at least, and the FBI’s involvement in it remains a mystery.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Your colleague, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, is still being held. From your research, what can families like his hope for when it comes to dealing with Russia?

FORREST: Well, not every American who goes missing or is detained in Russia gets the same treatment from the U.S. government. Evan, despite the negative experience that he’s undergoing, at least has the support of the U.S. government who has designated him as wrongfully detained.

There are other people, other Americans in Russian prisons who have been there for years under questionable circumstances, who have been forgotten. Nonetheless, all these people face a terrible fate of not really being able to affect their circumstances.

ABC NEWS LIVE: You’ve also been on the ground in Ukraine covering the many brutal battles of the Ukraine-Russia war more than a year into this conflict. What’s your biggest takeaway from your time in the field there?

FORREST: Well, I have had quite a number of years in both countries, so for me, it’s been a terrible personal experience as well. And we all just want to figure out how this could possibly end. And that remains a big question mark because both sides have told themselves that they’re winning, at least to some degree. And that makes it very difficult for them to come to the negotiating table.

ABC NEWS LIVE: Would you go to Russia at this point for work or personal reasons or otherwise?

FORREST: I think that’s probably not a good idea, especially given what’s been happening with Evan. This is something I think many of us were afraid of as a possibility once the war began and the worst forces in Russia came to the fore.

The genie is out of the bottle in Russia. And I don’t think it’s necessarily a good idea for folks to go over there and work there at least Americans.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Graduate and his dad killed in mass shooting after high school graduation in Virginia

Graduate and his dad killed in mass shooting after high school graduation in Virginia
Graduate and his dad killed in mass shooting after high school graduation in Virginia
Douglas Sacha/Getty Images

(RICHMOND, Va.) — A father and son were killed and several others were hurt in a mass shooting following a high school graduation in Richmond, Virginia, police said.

The suspect, 19-year-old Ameri Ty-John Pollard, is in custody in connection with the shooting, which unfolded in a park on Tuesday after the Huguenot High School graduation ended in a nearby theater.

The suspect watched the graduation ceremony, after which it appears he went to his car to get a handgun and then returned, police said.

Killed in the shooting were Huguenot High School graduate Shawn Jackson, 18, and his father, Renzo Smith, 36.

Pollard and Jackson knew each other and had an “ongoing dispute,” Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a news conference Wednesday.

“This was targeted at one individual,” Edwards said.

“I didn’t know Shawn, but I shook his hand and wished him congratulations about 20 minutes before he died,” Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said at Wednesday’s news conference. “Those who did know Shawn described him as bubbly and the life of the party.”

“Getting to the graduation stage was not easy for Shawn, nevertheless, he did it, and he was rightly proud, smiling and celebrating like all of his peers,” Kamras said. “Then, just a few minutes later while enjoying the moment with his family in Monroe Park, he was gunned down. I can’t shake the image of him receiving CPR on the ground, still in his graduation gown.”

Five people were shot and survived: four adults and a 14-year-old boy, authorities said. One victim, a 31-year-old, is in the hospital in life-threatening condition while the other four suffered non-life-threatening injures, authorities said.

Several others suffered various injuries in connection to the shooting. Jackson’s 9-year-old sister was hit by a car and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Two people were treated for falls and nine people were treated for anxiety and minor injuries at the scene, police said.

The shooting took place around 5:13 p.m. in Monroe Park, near Virginia Commonwealth University, officials said. The scene was near the Altria Theater, which was scheduled to host several graduation ceremonies for Richmond Public Schools on Tuesday.

Students in graduation gowns could be seen running away.

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney called the shooting a “selfish, senseless act.”

“A child should be able to go to their graduation and walk up to graduation and enjoy the accomplishment with their friends and their families,” Stoney told reporters.

Thomas Jefferson High School’s graduation ceremony scheduled for Tuesday night was canceled and all Richmond Public Schools are closed Wednesday.

Pollard made his first appearance in court Wednesday where he was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and held without bail. He’s due back in court on June 21.

ABC News’ Lauren Minore and Laryssa Demkiw contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Former Trump aide, MAGA Inc founder Taylor Budowich, goes before grand jury

Former Trump aide, MAGA Inc founder Taylor Budowich, goes before grand jury
Former Trump aide, MAGA Inc founder Taylor Budowich, goes before grand jury
Mint Images/Getty Images

(MIAMI) — The founder of MAGA Inc and a former Trump aide, Taylor Budowich, is appearing in front of a South Florida grand jury on Wednesday.

An ABC News camera caught Budowich going into the federal court in Miami. He did not respond to questions or a request for comment. His lawyer also didn’t respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

It comes as ABC News has previously reported that the Special Counsel has expanded his probe into political action committees that were formed by Trump allies.

A federal grand jury investigating the activities leading up the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and the push by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, has expanded its probe to include seeking information about Trump’s leadership PAC, Save America, sources with direct knowledge tell ABC News.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht steps down

CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht steps down
CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht steps down
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht is stepping down, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery said on Wednesday.

Over a 13-month tenure, Licht vowed to institute down-the-middle coverage but faced backlash over decisions such as a recent town hall event with former President Donald Trump.

Story developing…

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Neighbor charged in killing of mom of four after ‘stand your ground’ claim rejected

Neighbor charged in killing of mom of four after ‘stand your ground’ claim rejected
Neighbor charged in killing of mom of four after ‘stand your ground’ claim rejected
Ben Crump Law

(OCALA, Fla.) — The family of Ajike Owens, 35, and their attorney Anthony D. Thomas held a news conference on Monday demanding an arrest be made for the shooting death of Owens, a Florida mother of four. The Owens family is also being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Owens was shot and killed last Friday in Ocala, Florida on the doorstep of the suspect’s home, after she went to the suspect’s residence to question the unidentified woman about an alleged dispute with Owens’ children, according to police reports.

Susan Lorincz, 58, the neighbor, was arrested and charged with manslaughter, the sheriff’s office said on Tuesday. She was also charged with culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault.

“She knocked on Susan’s door, a closed, locked door,” Pamela Dias, Owens’ mother, said at the news conference. “Door never opened. My daughter, grandchildren’s mother was shot and killed with her nine-year-old son standing next to her.”

Marion County sheriff Billy Woods held a press conference earlier on Monday. Woods said no arrests had been made yet because his department had to follow due process under Florida Stand Your Ground laws.

“I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into her own hands,” Woods said. “I wish Ms. Owens would have called us in the hopes we could have never gotten to the point at which we are here today.”

In announcing the arrest on Tuesday, Woods’ office said the investigation established that “Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable under Florida law.”

Woods said there was an ongoing feud between Owens and the suspect, and there was a heated confrontation between the two before the shooting.

The day of the shooting, the children were playing in a field on the property in which the suspect’s home is located. The suspect allegedly yelled at the children to get off the field, according to Dias.

One of the children left a tablet on the property and went back to the suspect’s home to retrieve it because the suspect allegedly took it into her possession, according to a police report.

Lorincz allegedly threw a pair of skates at the child and the minor notified Owens, resulting in Owens going to the suspect’s home, according to Woods. Woods said more than one of Owens’ children may have witnessed the shooting. The children have not been interviewed yet out of respect for the trauma of losing their mother, according to Woods.

“According to the one side, there was a lot of aggressiveness from both of them,” Woods said. “Whether it be banging on the doors, banging on the walls and threats being made. And then at that moment is then when Ms. Owens was shot through the door.”

According to police records, when officers arrived on the scene, they found Owens under a nearby tree with a gunshot wound in an undisclosed location on her body. She had a faint pulse as the officers applied medical aid. Owens was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased at 9:33 P.M on June 2.

The police transported Lorincz to the central operations bureau for an interview, according to police reports. Details of the interview were not disclosed. The suspect did not immediately return ABC News’ request for an interview or statement.

Woods said Florida Stand Your Ground laws make it harder to execute an immediate arrest.

“We have to rule out whether deadly force was justified or not before we can make an arrest,” Woods said. “And sometimes it makes it difficult and sometimes it becomes an obstacle, but only a temporary obstacle because it will be moved and the final answer will come forward.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Pregnant beauty influencer suffers brain aneurysm, in a coma a week before due date

Pregnant beauty influencer suffers brain aneurysm, in a coma a week before due date
Pregnant beauty influencer suffers brain aneurysm, in a coma a week before due date
Thir Sakdi Phu Cxm / EyeEm/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — A beauty influencer and new mother remains in a coma a week after she suffered a brain aneurysm while nine months pregnant, spotlighting the potential risk of stroke during pregnancy.

Jackie Miller James simultaneously underwent an emergency C-section and brain surgery last week after suffering an aneurysm rupture, which led to severe brain bleeding and injury, ABC News confirmed with a spokesperson for her family. Since the rupture, James has undergone five brain surgeries since being put in a medically induced coma, according to a GoFundMe set up by her family on May 30. However, her newborn baby has just recently been released from the NICU, according to an Instagram posted by James’ sister.

“If Jackie and the baby arrived a few minutes later at the hospital, we likely would have lost both of them,” the GoFundMe said. “But instead, Jackie is continuing to fight for her life each day and we are optimistic she can beat the odds by surrounding her with the right specialists and methods of therapy.”

James, who is based in California, posts skin care and beauty tips to more than 63,000 followers on Instagram and over 4,000 followers on TikTok. In one recent video, she documented the different stages of her pregnancy.

Through a spokesperson, James’ family told ABC News that they think James will be in the hospital for months but are committed to bringing both James and her daughter home.

ABC News’ Good Morning America medical contributor and stroke specialist Dr. Leah Croll said strokes are uncommon during pregnancy but being pregnant does put a woman at higher risk for stroke, especially those with high blood pressure, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and blood clots.

“Pregnant women are three times as likely to have a stroke compared to non-pregnant women,” Croll told Good Morning America. “So pregnancy and the postpartum period are a higher risk time in a woman’s life in a lot of ways. And one of those ways is for her cardiovascular system.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of stroke can come suddenly and can include numbness, weakness especially on one side of the body, trouble speaking, walking or seeing, or a severe headache. Doctors said if someone is experiencing these symptoms, call 911 immediately.

Croll said that for those who are pregnant, it’s important to be an advocate for their health care, as well as remain vigilant of worrisome symptoms.

“I think the bottom line here is for pregnant women to make sure that they’re keeping their doctors, their obstetricians in the loop about their personal medical history, their family history,” she said. “And keeping them up to date with any new or worrisome symptoms they might be experiencing.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Chris Christie says path to the Republican nomination means going ‘right through’ Trump

Chris Christie says path to the Republican nomination means going ‘right through’ Trump
Chris Christie says path to the Republican nomination means going ‘right through’ Trump
ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, appearing on ABC News’ Good Morning America on Wednesday, made clear that any path to the Republican nomination in 2024 means taking down former President Donald Trump.

“There’s only one lane to the Republican nomination for president and Donald Trump is at the head of it and you have to go right through him and make the case against him. And that’s what I intend to do,” Christie said.

Christie kicked off his second presidential campaign Tuesday with a town hall-style event at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, where he pitched himself to voters as a foil to Trump.

He continued that message on Wednesday, telling ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos the Trump administration failed to deliver on immigration, health care and other issues.

“Broken promises like that, George, aren’t acceptable anymore to the American people,” Christie said. “The stakes are too high. That’s the case you need to make and if you make it effectively, I think we will be the nominee.”

Christie is joining a crowded Republican primary field that includes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Former Vice President Mike Pence announced his 2024 run in a video released early Wednesday, in which he criticized President Joe Biden and cast the country as “in trouble” but didn’t mention Trump.

Christie’s willingness to take on Trump directly sets him somewhat apart from the other candidates, who’ve so far been reluctant to openly criticize the former president and early front-runner. Christie took a jab at his opponents, likening their treatment of Trump to Voldemort, the Harry Potter villain.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

What’s the connection between hormones and weight? A doctor breaks it down for women

What’s the connection between hormones and weight? A doctor breaks it down for women
What’s the connection between hormones and weight? A doctor breaks it down for women
Zave Smith/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — Dr. Jennifer Ashton is a board-certified OBGYN and obesity medicine specialist who has worked with thousands of female patients over her decades-long career.

Ashton, also ABC News’ chief medical correspondent, said she had a “lightbulb moment” 10 years ago when she was working one-on-one with a patient.

“In fact, I had the lightbulb moment,” Ashton told ABC’s Good Morning America. “It was at that time that I realized that pretty much every significant hormonal stage in a woman’s life is associated with metabolic, or weight, changes.”

The realization pushed Ashton to go back to school to earn a degree in nutrition and become board-certified in obesity medicine.

It also transformed the way she practices medicine, she said, explaining that it taught her that patients struggling with their weight weren’t just eating too much or the wrong types of foods.

Ashton said she likes to talk about the connection between hormones and weight in order to normalize weight changes women see naturally throughout their lives.

“For a woman’s reproductive life, her entire life, actually, every single major hormonal stage is often-slash-almost always associated with changes in metabolism, cravings and actually bodyweight,” Ashton said, noting that the hormonal stages for women include puberty, peripregnancy, peripartum, perimenopause and menopause.

“The first thing that I like to remind people of is recognize, appreciate, acknowledge and normalize these changes. That is your body doing what it is supposed to do,” Ashton continued. “The key is, how can you help it and how can you strategize your way through these normal and important hormonal milestones so that you come out feeling good about the way that you look and feel and, more importantly, that you come out of them healthy.”

While women may notice weight fluctuations as they go through life changes like puberty and menopause, unfortunately for women, there is still little medical research in the field, according to Ashton.

“That’s where it gets a little frustrating,” Ashton said. “A lot of what we know is based on observation and association, and then safe trial-and-error, which I encourage women to do.”

Ashton wrote about the connection between women’s hormonal changes and their weight in her new magazine, Better With Dr. Jen Ashton, which is available now online and in newsstands across the country.

Ashton said she wants women to understand what their body is going through hormonally at each stage, so they can work appropriately to support those changes and not get frustrated.

“If you’ve just had a baby, or you’re thinking of becoming pregnant, or you know someone who is about to go through puberty or going through puberty, or if you or someone you know is perimenopausal or menopausal, that’s not a separate issue to your weight, to your metabolism, to the way you eat,” Ashton said. “Connecting the dots on those two is really going to help people get through these periods of time without kind of feeling like they’re a dog chasing its tail.”

Here are Ashton’s three tips to help women navigate hormonal changes in their lives:

1. Be observant of changes to your body, appetite and cravings.

Ashton said to pay attention to any changes in your appetite, your cravings for certain foods and your weight, and to see if those correspond to different stages in life, like certain times of a menstrual cycle or perimenopause, the time when ovaries gradually begin to make less estrogen.

“At this time, weight gain is incredibly common,” Ashton said of perimenopause, which usually hits women in their 40s. “Typically, it’s midsection, midtorso weight gain that occurs despite a woman not changing what she’s eating or how she’s moving.”

2. Use trial and error to see what works.

“If you’ve noticed a change in your weight or your appetite, I recommend that you can try things, but give them one to two weeks at minimum to see how do you feel in terms of your energy level, your hunger, your satiety, and then your weight,” Ashton said, noting that the number on a scale is just one measure.

Ashton said another part of trial and error is testing whether certain foods make your symptoms better or worse. For example, she said that science shows carbohydrates help women during their menstrual cycle, but not all carbs are created equal.

“Just be aware there are carbs that are probably better for those cravings than others when it comes to retaining water and gaining weight,” Ashton said. “And also remember that some carbs … tend to be calorie-rich, nutrient-poor, so proceed with caution when reaching for that, especially if it’s to address a craving.”

3. Know that no specific food is ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’

“There is no conclusive, good peer-reviewed nutritional science or medical science data that suggests or confirms that if you eat one thing, you will have a definite hormonal effect on the other side of the equation,” Ashton said of the medical research to date.

Ashton said the lack of data points women back to the trial-and-error method to see what works for them.

She pointed out as an example, that some research has shown that a plant-based diet can have a “plethora of benefits” for women in perimenopause and menopause. With that information, women can decide the risk versus benefit of trying for themselves.

“You always have to ask yourself risk versus benefit,” Ashton said. “What is the downside of eating, let’s say for example, a largely plant-based, low-processed food diet. Really, no downside. Is there a potential upside on getting you through these major hormonal stages in life, absolutely.”

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