Medscape (7/18, Anderson, Subscription Publication) reports researchers found that “older female veterans who have alcohol use disorder (AUD) are at a threefold increased risk of developing dementia compared to their counterparts without AUD.” The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.

Related Links:

— “Heavy Alcohol Use May Triple Dementia Risk, “Pauline Anderson, Medscape, July 18, 2019

MD Magazine (7/18, Walter) reports that even though antipsychotic medications “are considered the preferred treatment for schizophrenia, it is unclear which agent should ultimately be used to treat the disorder.” Now, German researchers “are hoping to provide a baseline guide outlining the risks and rewards after completing a network meta-analysis of placebo-controlled and head-to-head randomized controlled trials, comparing 32 antipsychotics including clozapine, levomepromazine, amisulpride, brexpiprazole, flupentixol, and sulpiride.” The review revealed that “there are some efficacy differences between antipsychotics, but most of them are gradual rather than discrete,” whereas “differences in side-effects are more marked.” The findings of the 402-study, 53,463-participant review were published online July 11 in The Lancet.

Related Links:

— “Study Distinguishes Schizophrenia Drug Effects Among Patients, “Kenny Walter, MD Magazine, July 18, 2019

Reuters (7/17, Mathias) reports, “Men who experience domestic violence and abuse often don’t seek help until the problem becomes a crisis,” researchers concluded after reviewing “12 previous studies of male victims of domestic abuse or violence.” Investigators found that “men tend to worry they would not be believed, or that they would be perceived as less masculine if they reported abuse.” The review’s findingswere published online in the BMJ Open.

Related Links:

— “Male victims of domestic violence struggle to disclose abuse, “Tamara Mathias, Reuters, July 17, 2019

TIME (7/17, Ducharme) reports, “From 2013 to 2016, almost 38% of American adolescents ages 16 to 19 said they had tried to lose weight during the past year…a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics” indicates. The NCHS data brief (pdf) “showed that more than three-quarters of adolescents with obesity tried to lose weight,” but “weight-loss attempts outpaced increases in adolescent obesity,” as “obesity rates among adolescents ages 12 to 19 climbed from 18.4% to almost 21% from 2009-2010 to 2015-2016.” Experts caution, however, that “even seemingly healthy behaviors, like working out and cutting back on calories, can quickly spiral into unhealthy territory, especially for” adolescents for whom “eating disorders are thought to be most common.”

MedPage Today (7/17, Lyles) reports that girls in particular “have been attempting to lose weight,” the data revealed, and also “showed 16.5% of teens saying they skipped meals in order to lose weight.”

Related Links:

— “More U.S. Teenagers Are Trying to Lose Weight Than in Years Past. That May Be Reason for Concern, “Jamie Ducharme, TIME, July 17, 2019

Modern Healthcare (7/17, Johnson, Subscription Publication) reports researchers found that “medical marijuana laws had little impact on curbing non-medical use of prescription opioids.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Medical marijuana laws not linked to reduced opioid misuse, “Steven Ross Johnson, Modern Healthcare, July 17, 2019