Medscape (1/25, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports, “Middle-aged adults who spend just nine additional minutes a day participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity…experience improved cognition,” researchers concluded in the findings of a 4,481-participant study published online January 23 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

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— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (1/23, Mann) reports a study published online in Menopause “finds that older women are also vulnerable to developing” eating disorders, “especially around menopause.” When the “researchers looked at eating disorder symptoms among 36 women aged 45 to 61, they found that body dissatisfaction was a key risk factor for eating disorders across the lifespan, especially in midlife.” The findings showed “perimenopausal and early post-menopausal women were more likely to report a fear of gaining weight or losing control of their eating.”

Related Links:

— “Why Midlife Can Bring Risk of New Eating Disorders “Denise Mann, HealthDay , January 23, 2023

The New York Times (1/24, Belluck) reports a new studypublished by the New York State Insurance Fund shows long COVID is still having a significant impact on the United States’ workforce. The results show a substantial number of people have yet to return to the workforce due to prolonged COVID-19 symptoms like cognitive processing difficulties, fatigue, and respiratory struggles. The study “analyzed Covid-related claims from patients exposed to the virus at work” that were “filed between Jan. 1, 2020, and March 31, 2022.” In that analysis, “nearly a third of 3,139 Covid-related claims” that the fund “paid met its definition of long Covid.”

Related Links:

— “Long Covid Is Keeping Significant Numbers of People Out of Work, Study Finds ” Pam Belluck, The New York Times24, January 24, 2023

Healio (1/24, Downey) reports, “Adverse childhood experiences, such as having a depressive episode or suffering physical abuse, were likely to contribute to risky drinking among children of alcoholics, researchers wrote” in a 150-participant “case-control study” that used “the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test.” These findings were published online Jan. 13 in BMC Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Adverse experiences in childhood contribute to risky drinking among children of alcoholics “Ken Downey Jr., Healio, January 24, 2023

The Washington Post (1/23, Morris) reports, “Practicing mindfulness to relieve anxiety can be just as effective as medication,” research indicates. The findings of a 276-participant study published online Nov. 9, 2022 in JAMA Psychiatry “showed that people who received eight weeks of mindfulness-based interventions experienced a decrease in anxiety that matched those who were prescribed escitalopram.”

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— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)