Healio (1/23, Demko) reports, “Robust evidence supports a protective relationship between objectively assessed physical activity and major depression risk,” researchers concluded in a “two-sample mendelian randomization study” involving data on some 611,583 adults. The findings were published online Jan. 23 in JAMA Psychiatry. The author of an accompanying editorial observed, “The data have told us – over and over – that exercise is a viable plan to minimize the burden of mental illness. The question is how we execute against this plan,” he added.

Related Links:

— “Physical activity protects against depression, “Savannah Demko, Helio, January 23, 2019

The New York Times (1/23, Sanger-Katz) reports that the number of uninsured Americans “plunged” after the ACA took effect, but that figure “inched up throughout last year,” according to a new Gallup poll. Data indicate “the uninsured rate for adults increased by 1.3 percentage points,” which means there was “an increase of more than three million people without insurance between the first quarter of 2018 and the end of the year.” According to Gallup, “this was a four-year high, although a major methodology change a year ago may make such longer-term comparisons less precise.” The article says this “trend matches other data suggesting that health coverage has been eroding under the policies of the Trump administration.”

The Wall Street Journal (1/23, Armour, Subscription Publication) reports that data show the number of uninsured adults rose to 13.7 percent during the fourth quarter of last year, from 12.4 percent in 2017, and 10.9 percent in 2016. That means there were some seven million more uninsured Americans during the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to the same period in 2016. The Journal says this trend provides more fodder for Democrats who contend the Trump Administration is sabotaging the ACA, and Republicans who argue that high ACA premiums are responsible for the increased loss of coverage.

Related Links:

— “After Falling Under Obama, America’s Uninsured Rate Looks to Be Rising, ” Margot Sanger-Katz, The New York Times, January 23, 2019

The New York Times (1/17, Carey) reports multiple studies indicate that “regularly using the new, high-potency cannabis may indeed be a risk for young people who are related to someone with a psychotic condition.” The Times adds that the National Institutes of Health has “launched a $300 million project that will track thousands of children from the age of 9 or 10 through adolescence, and might help clarify causation.”

Related Links:

— “Does Marijuana Use Cause Schizophrenia?, “Benedict Carey, The New York Times, January 17, 2019

The Houston Chronicle (1/17, Report) reports that a recent survey “found that misconceptions regarding postpartum depression persist, despite increased exposure and discussion in recent years.” The survey found that 30 percent of respondents “do not believe there is a difference between the ‘baby blues’ and postpartum depression, even though the two conditions are distinct.” Deepali Patni, M.D., FACOG, an OB/GYN at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, said, “Postpartum depression is a serious mood disorder,” and a diagnosis “can come as a surprise” for new mothers, who chalk up their “feelings of sadness, anxiety, and helplessness to the exhaustion of being a new mom.”

Related Links:

— “Survey: Misconceptions regarding postpartum depression persist despite increased exposure and discussion, The Houston Chronicle, January 17, 2019

On its “All Things Considered” program and in its “Shots” blog, NPR (1/16, Neighmond) reports that “even simple housework like cooking or cleaning may make a difference in brain health” as people age into their “70s and 80s.” For the study, investigators “looked at 454 older adults who were 70 or older when the research began.” Of these participants, “191 had behavioral signs of dementia and 263 did not.” Each participant was “given thinking and memory tests every year for 20 years.” After participants died, investigators examined their brains.

MedPage Today (1/16, George) reports the postmortem study revealed that “higher levels of physical activity and motor abilities were independently associated with better cognition in older adults, even when brain lesions or biomarkers linked to dementia were present.” The findings were published online Jan. 16 in Neurology. The authors of an accompanying editorial wrote, “The results of randomized trials of physical exercise suggest that exercise leads to increases in brain tissue, including in the hippocampus, where atrophy is an early and important finding in Alzheimer’s disease.” They added, “Alternatively, physical exercise itself might reduce brain pathology.”

Related Links:

— “Daily Movement — Even Household Chores — May Boost Brain Health In Elderly, “Patti Neighmond, NPR, January 16, 2019