When mom should take B12

Vitamin B12 is important for infants; they get it from their mothers either in utero or via breast milk. But if you’re going to supplement it, when’s the best time?

It matters, found George Mason public health researchers. To cut to the chase, you need both but one might be more important. Pre-natal supplements give a short-term B12 boost, but it’s the post-natal vitamin that gives the longer-term benefits.

Weirdly, they tend to interfere with each other to some extent:

[T]he effect of the prenatal vitamin B-12 supplement diminished when used together with the postnatal supplement. Likewise, the effect of the postnatal vitamin B-12 supplement diminished when used together with the prenatal supplement.

The Masonites still recommend using the two together, although their findings mean either A) once deficiency is corrected there aren’t any more benefits, or 2) Mom might need a higher dose to overcome that ‘cancellation’ effect. They aren’t sure … yet.

Congress to FDA: What took you so long?

Why did it take so long for the FDA to pull phenylephrine from the shelves? House Republicans want to know.

The FDA “relied upon outdated and insufficient evidence regarding phenylephrine’s use as a decongestant for so many years, despite numerous appeals by the scientific community.”

We, too, would like to hear the answer.

A new drug for Fido

There could soon be a drug available to help your dog live longer. Yes, that simple — a drug to tackle one of the root causes of premature aging on larger dogs.

Veterinary biotech company Loyal for Dogs got FDA blessing to begin clinical trials of its anti-aging drug LOY-001. Right now it’s a four-times-a-year injection for older (7+ years) and larger (40+ pounds) dogs, but the company is working on versions for smaller dogs as well as a pill form.

All versions of the drug work by limiting the power of a growth-related hormone, called insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which as well as contributing to growth is linked to aging and longevity in animals like roundworms, fruit flies, and mice.

IGF-1 is partly responsible for larger dogs growing larger, but it’s also a culprit in their dying younger. So that third “Clifford the Big Red Dog” book? Probably fantasy.

The Long Read: Pharmacists are revolting

It’s more than just about being overworked. The new corporate reality of American healthcare has pharmacists and physicians rethinking their jobs — and unionizing.

Once accustomed to a status outside the usual management-labor hierarchy, many health professionals now feel as put upon as any clock-punching worker.

More older folks are ‘self medicating’

Picture eight of your older patients. Chances are one of them is using some kind of cannabis product — especially the ones who drink a lot of alcohol.

That’s what a new study out of the University of Michigan found: “with 12% [of patients 50–80] saying they’ve consumed a THC-containing substance in the past year and 4% saying they do so multiple times a week.”

That’s up from less than 10% in 2019, and it’s important for healthcare providers to know.

Older adults represent a vulnerable age group for cannabis use due to interactions with medications, risky driving, cannabis-related mental health impacts and increased possibility of falls and memory issues.

So when you think about medication interaction, it’s important to consider that there’s a decent chance that people over 50 are engaging in a little extracurricular activity.

One of the right gut bugs

Oh, lactobacillus, what can’t you do? It seems everyone’s favorite gut bacteria “helps the body manage stress and may help prevent depression and anxiety,” according to UVa researchers.

This is important because while it’s clear that “healthy gut bacteria” is good for you, what exactly constitutes those healthy bacteria isn’t clear. Of the thousands (millions?) of species floating around inside us, it’s hard to tell the good from the bad, making probiotics are hit or miss.

By using a new technique to create mice with and without lactobacillus in their guts, the Virginians were able to tease out exactly why it’s good for mood:

Lactobacilli in the family Lactobaccillacea maintain the levels of an immune mediator called interferon gamma that regulates the body’s response to stress and helps stave off depression.

This could lead to either a targeted probiotic or even a treatment for mood disorders that takes advantage of the same pathway.

Muppets explain addiction

You know the opioid crisis is really a crisis when the Muppets get into the act. As tempting as it is to think that Elmo has a painkiller problem, in fact he and friend Karli are explaining to kids why Karli’s mother is in a special place. (Not Heaven — rehab.)