Americans aren’t iron-y enough

Something like 1 in 6 Americans are iron deficient, at least according to a new US/Egyptian/Saudi study. Specifically, it “estimated that absolute iron deficiency affects 14% and functional iron deficiency affects 15% of adults in the US.”

They based that on the analysis of a survey of more than 8,000 adults between 2017 and 2020. Women, it seemed, were affected much more than men … at least until they were about 50. In fact, after age 50 the prevalence of iron deficiency dropped across the board.

Being overweight increased a person’s risk of being iron deficient, but interestingly alcohol use, food security, or even the amount of iron in a person’s diet had an effect.

The implication: Physicians should test more people for iron deficiency, not just children and pregnant women.

Targeting anxiety, not trips

We know that psychedelics can reduce anxiety, but it hasn’t been clear exactly what was affected that allowed them to work. Now Cornell researchers, with help from colleagues in India, think they know.

They studied a psychedelic called DOI (2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine) that helped mice and rats chill out. They found that when the drug hits the ventral hippocampus, it reduces anxiety but doesn’t cause any of the hallucinations that recreational DOI is known for. And there you have it … for now, at least.

As research on psychedelics as depression and anxiety treatments continues, knowing what area needs to be reached could allow for the development of targeted therapy, sans Lucy, the sky, or diamonds.

Treat inflammation, treat depression

When it’s not gut bacteria, it’s inflammation — and that just might be the case with … depression? Emory researchers found that the anti-inflammatory drug infliximab seems to help improve motivation in people with untreated depression. Motivation is kind of a big deal with depression as it can get patients into a downward spiral of inactivity.

But a bit of infliximab over a couple of weeks made a difference.

Patients who received infliximab demonstrated a greater willingness to exert effort in pursuit of rewards compared to those who received the placebo. This increase in effortful behavior was closely tied to a reduction in signaling pathways directly targeted by infliximab, particularly TNF.

And it wasn’t just self-reported — the changes were visible via fMRI as “alterations in brain activity within key regions associated with motivation, such as the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum, and putamen.”

OD deaths drop

For the first time in … well, a long time, overdose deaths in the US dropped in a big way — about 10% from April 2023 to April 2024, according to CDC data. Health experts are cautiously optimistic that “a widespread, meaningful shift appears underway” for the first time since the opioid epidemic really took hold. As the White House drug czar put it, “This is the largest decrease on record and the fifth consecutive month of recorded decreases.”

Easier methadone access

New federal rules will allow people to take home a 28-day supply of methadone, rather than have to pick it up at a clinic every day. It’s the first major rule change for the addiction treatment in 20 years, and it takes effect Oct. 2.

Some states will need to update their laws to allow the new rule to take effect. Others may have to change their Medicaid payment system so clinics don’t have a financial incentive to deny patients the take-home meds. But most importantly:

Research showed the looser practice was safe. Overdose deaths and drug diversion didn’t increase. And people stayed in treatment longer.

The Long(ish) Read: Winners and Losers edition

Some Medicare recipients might soon be eligible for GLP-1 drugs for weight loss (not just for diabetes), but which ones? Everyone with obesity? Just those who also have diabetes? Heart conditions? Billions of dollars are at stake depending on the answers.

Shut up!

“Study finds staff and visitor voices are major source of excessive noise in hospital ICUs”