After decades of struggling with addiction, JD Vance‘s mother has marked a major milestone.

On Monday, April 7, Vice President Vance led a celebration at the White House for Beverly Aikins, 64, who has achieved a decade of sobriety.

“This year marks my mom’s 10th year of sobriety, and I’m grateful that we were able to celebrate in the White House with our family,” Vance wrote in a post on X, sharing several photos of the celebration.

“Mom, I am so proud of you.”

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Several friends and family members attended the celebration in the Roosevelt Room.

Vance spoke about his pride in his mother’s achievement and noted that she was the kind of person people could rely on, as reported by the Washington Examiner.

“That’s what addiction took away. But that’s what recovery has given back, is that you are a person that others can rely on,” he said, according to the same source.

“And I know you’re an inspiration to a lot of people in the recovery and addiction community. So, from the bottom of my heart and speaking for the whole family, we love you.”

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The vice president presented his mother with one of the president’s “challenge coins” to mark the occasion.

Vance, who grew up in Middletown, Ohio, and the Appalachian town of Jackson, Kentucky, spoke on the presidential campaign trail about the impact of Aikins’ addiction on his life, noting that his grandmother, “Mamaw,” stepped in to fill the gap.

“She raised me in part because my own mother struggled with addiction for a big chunk of my early life,” he said during the vice presidential debate in October.

Aikins’ addiction began with a legitimate prescription for medication, but led to her stealing drugs from her patients, as detailed in his bestselling book, “Hillbilly Elegy.” 

Eventually, she became addicted to heroin.

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Throughout his childhood, Vance witnessed many cycles of his mother’s drug abuse, volatile behavior and failed stints in rehab, he wrote.

Even so, he remained committed to helping her to his best ability.

“I knew that a mother could love her son despite the grip of addiction.”

“It was the eternal hope, the thing to which I couldn’t say no,” Vance wrote in his book. 

“That hope drove me to voluntarily attend those many N.A. meetings, consume books on addiction, and participate in Mom’s treatment to the fullest extent that I could.”

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“I knew that a mother could love her son despite the grip of addiction,” he also wrote. “I knew that my family loved me, even when they struggled to take care of themselves.”

Today, Aikins works at Seacrest Recovery Center, a substance abuse treatment center in Cincinnati, Ohio, which lists her as a nurse on its website.

“I knew that a mother could love her son despite the grip of addiction,” Vance wrote in his bestselling book. “I knew that my family loved me, even when they struggled to take care of themselves.” (Reuters)

Last October, she spoke with the Washington Examiner about overcoming her struggles with substance abuse.

“I want people who are struggling with addiction or who have family members who are struggling with addiction to know that recovery is possible, and you get back so much more from recovery than you ever think you can get back,” she said.

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According to Vance’s office, Aikins’ advice to those struggling with substance abuse issues is “to reach out, to try to get help, and that recovery is hard, but it’s so worth it.”

The most recent statistics from the United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that 48.5 million (16.7%) of Americans 12 and older battled a substance-use disorder in the past year.

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed reporting.

High cholesterol has long gotten a bad rap for causing poor heart health — but a new study suggests that the low-carb ketogenic diet may not be linked to cardiovascular disease.

The study, led by The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in collaboration with researchers across multiple institutes, assessed 100 participants following a long-term keto diet who developed elevated levels of LDL cholesterol (known as the “bad” type).

Other than the elevated cholesterol, all participants were “metabolically healthy” and had followed the key diet for an average of five years, according to an April 7 press release.

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They all qualified as LMHR (lean mass hyper-responder), which indicates people who adopt a carbohydrate-restricted diet and experience a significant rise in cholesterol.

Using advanced cardiac imaging, the researchers found that traditional cholesterol markers (ApoB and LDL-C) were not associated with changes in plaque levels in the heart’s arteries or with baseline heart disease over a one-year period.

Instead, existing plaque levels seemed to be a better predictor of future plaque accumulation.

“This population of people — metabolically healthy with elevated LDL due to being in ketosis — are not automatically at increased cardiac risk simply because their LDL is elevated,” Bret Scher, MD, medical director of Baszucki Group, which provided funding for the study, told Fox News Digital.

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“Therefore, we should likely shift away from LDL and ApoB and toward vascular imaging with CAC or CTA for better risk prediction and informing how or if to treat someone’s cardiac risk factors,” added the California-based doctor.

The study findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Advances.

Using advanced cardiac imaging, the researchers found that traditional cholesterol markers (ApoB and LDL-C) were not associated with changes in plaque levels in the heart’s arteries or with baseline heart disease over a one-year period. (iStock)

Previous studies have also shown that people qualifying as LMHR have similar levels of coronary plaque to otherwise comparable groups that have normal LDL levels, “underscoring that ketogenic diet-induced LDL increases may not indicate a higher risk of coronary plaque,” the researcher said.

Dr. Nick Norwitz, a study leader and independent researcher at the University of Oxford, noted that this is the first study to isolate very high LDL and ApoB as risk factors for heart disease. 

“All other human studies have included populations with metabolic dysfunction or individuals with congenital genetic causes of high LDL,” he told Fox News Digital.

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The results seem to contradict what most clinicians would have predicted and what doctors are taught in medical training, according to Norwitz. 

“While these data do not prove the conventional understanding is ‘wrong,’ per se, they do suggest the conventional model has a large blind spot.”

This is the first prospective trial of its kind in a unique population often labeled ‘high-risk’ by traditional guidelines, one doctor said, raising important questions about how cardiovascular risk is assessed in the context of low-carb, high-fat diets. (iStock)

According to Norwitz, cardiac imaging, including a CAC score, has “far more value” than cholesterol levels in predicting plaque progression.

“Thus, CAC scores can be used to risk-stratify patients and help individualize care,” he told Fox News Digital.

Scher noted that “ketogenic therapy” can be effective in treating certain metabolic-related conditions, but some people are afraid of continuing a keto diet because of their cholesterol. 

“This study provides support that they do not necessarily need to stop the diet or treat their cholesterol — rather, they can work with their healthcare team for a more individualized and appropriate cardiac workup,” he advised.

Raising important questions

Dr. Ken Berry, a family physician and diabetes specialist in Tennessee, was not involved in the research but shared his thoughts on what he described as a “groundbreaking” study.

“The study found no association between LDL-C, ApoB and progression of coronary plaque over one year using high-resolution CT angiography,” he said to Fox News Digital.

“Instead, the strongest predictor of plaque progression was pre-existing plaque, not cholesterol levels — leading researchers to conclude that ‘plaque begets plaque, ApoB does not.’”

Existing plaque levels seemed to be a better predictor of future plaque accumulation, although some experts cautioned that limitations exist. (iStock)

This is the first prospective trial of its kind in a unique population often labeled ‘high-risk’ by traditional guidelines, Berry said, raising important questions about how cardiovascular risk is assessed in the context of low-carb, high-fat diets.

“The obvious implication is that if very high ApoB levels is not a good predictor of heart attack risk in this specific group of people, then is it a good predictor in any group of people?” he said.

“Or is it, as I suspect, just the latest popular lab test being used to scare people away from eating a proper human diet rich in saturated fat?”

Potential study limitations

Dr. Bradley Serwer, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, a Cincinnati-based company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals nationwide, reviewed the study and pointed out some potential limitations.

“The study’s limited scope, involving a low-risk population over a short duration, renders it challenging to generalize findings to a broader, more vulnerable population,” Serwer told Fox News Digital.

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“While the study’s objective was to propose a hypothesis regarding dietary cholesterol’s role, it does not provide definitive evidence for or against its significance.”

The cardiologist does, however, agree with the authors’ conclusions that “improved risk stratification tools” are essential for identifying individuals at higher risk of coronary artery disease.

The effects of a ketogenic diet can be measured using a ketosis meter. “I hope doctors will embrace this research and treat this specific population of people differently from the rest of their patients, understanding the unique physiologic state of ketosis and the metabolic benefits it provides,” a researcher said. (iStock)

“As physicians, our primary responsibility lies in evaluating each patient on an individual basis and collaborating with them through shared decision-making to develop the most appropriate long-term care plan,” he added.

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Michelle Routhenstein, a New York City registered dietitian who specializes in heart disease, noted that plaque formation is a multistep process that can take years to progress.

“The environment of the artery needs to be conducive to plaque formation,” Routhenstein, who was not part of the study, told Fox News Digital. 

“This is a remarkable group of humans demonstrating remarkable physiology.”

“For example, individuals with high blood pressure, a subgroup that was excluded from the study, are more prone to endothelial damage that can cause apoB to deposit more readily in the artery wall.”

“If someone already has plaque in the arteries and sustains an elevated level of LDL and apoB, then it can develop into more plaque, as seen in this study.”

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“However, if someone is metabolically healthy, has no plaque at baseline, and has elevated apoB and LDL levels alone, then the environment may not necessarily cause plaque to form over a one-year period.”

Routhenstein pointed to prior research showing that high LDL and apoB over years of someone’s life, typically coupled with inflammation, insulin resistance and/or oxidative stress, can increase the risk of plaque development.

“It is important to note that many people who are implementing a ketogenic diet and are ignoring high LDL and apoB levels typically do not know they have soft plaque brewing,” said a dietitian nutritionist. (iStock)

“It is important to note that many people who are implementing a ketogenic diet and are ignoring high LDL and apoB levels typically do not know they have soft plaque brewing,” she added.

“Therefore, advising them to ignore LDL and apoB levels can be harmful — especially in a world where heart disease is so prevalent and remains the leading cause of death globally.”

Looking ahead

Scher said he hopes that more researchers will become inspired to further this study and apply it to different populations. 

“But for now, I hope doctors will embrace this research and treat this specific population of people differently from the rest of their patients, understanding the unique physiologic state of ketosis and the metabolic benefits it provides,” he said.

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In addition to more studies assessing risk in this population, Norwitz said the team hopes to further investigate the mechanisms of the lean mass hyper-responder (LMHR) phenotype.

“This is a remarkable group of humans demonstrating remarkable physiology,” he added.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday he plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending the addition of fluoride in water, while also putting together a task force to take on the issue.

The Associated Press reported that Kennedy told the publication about his plans after attending a news conference with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin.

The EPA announced Monday that it is reviewing new science on the potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water, as the agency has the authority to set maximum levels of fluoride in public water systems.

While Kennedy does not have the authority to tell communities to stop adding fluoride to water systems, he can direct the CDC to stop recommending it, while also working with the EPA to set allowable levels.

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Kennedy oversees the CDC, though the agency’s recommendations are just that, and are not mandatory.

Utah became the first state last month to ban the addition of fluoride in public drinking water, despite opposition from dentists and national health organizations that warned the action would lead to medical issues among low-income communities.

Still, Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, signed the legislation that prohibits cities and communities from deciding whether to add fluoride – a mineral that prevents cavities – to water systems managed by those cities and communities.

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A water utility foreman at a plant where fluoride is added to the drinking water in Healdsburg, California. (Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

By May 7, all water systems across the state will be required to have fluoridation systems shut down.

Kennedy told the AP he was proud of Utah for being the first state to ban fluoride, adding that he hopes other states will follow suit.

More than 200 million people in the U.S. receive fluoridated water through community water systems, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Grand Rapids, Michigan, was the first city to implement water fluoridation in 1945, according to the CDC.

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A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta. (REUTERS/Tami Chappell)

“Community water fluoridation benefits all members of a community by preventing cavities, reducing oral health disparities, and saving money for everyone,” the CDC’s website states.

Kennedy and supporters of his initiative to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) have been outspoken about banning fluoride in drinking water.

“Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease,” Kennedy wrote on X in November.

A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives on July 20, 2012, conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, “found strong indications that fluoride may adversely affect cognitive development in children.”

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A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives on July 20, 2012, conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, “found strong indications that fluoride may adversely affect cognitive development in children.”

The CDC does not mandate community water fluoridation, but it named fluoridation of drinking water one of 10 great public health interventions of the 20th century, citing the dramatic decline of cavities.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

New research has identified a common supplement that could boost longevity.

Omega-3, a “healthy fat” that can help improve brain and heart health, has been found to also slow down biological aging.

Researchers in Switzerland studied 777 participants ranging from 70 to 85 years old in a randomized clinical trial called DO-HEALTH over a three-year period.

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The participants took daily omega-3 (1-gram) supplements, as well as a daily vitamin D supplement (2,000 IU), and/or participated in an at-home exercise program.

Upon measuring biological aging in the individuals at the end of the trial, researchers found that omega-3 alone slowed biological aging markers.

The study, published in the journal Nature, found a three- to four-month rejuvenation in biological aging, a 61% cancer risk reduction and 39% reduction in pre-frailty risk (a risk state that precedes frailty or weakness).

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This effect was stronger when omega-3 supplementation was combined with daily vitamin D and at least 30 minutes of simple strength training three times per week, according to researchers.

Study co-author Professor Heike Bischoff-Ferrari of the University of Basel in Switzerland shared the impact of the clinical trial.

Fatty types of fish, including salmon, tuna and mackerel, are also rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids. (iStock)

“DO-HEALTH is the largest clinical trial to date showing that we can rejuvenate biological aging in humans aged 70 and older, and this with simple strategies,” he told Fox News Digital.

“As in the same trial, the interventions also reduced cancer risk and early frailty. This is relevant to public health efforts.”

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The professor noted that the study findings support the supplementation of 1 gram of algae-based omega-3 daily “as safe and effective.”

Pairing omega-3 with regular exercise can also boost longevity, according to researchers. (iStock)

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel applauded the findings, noting that the impact over just three years is “significant, with an additive impact of vitamin D.”

The doctor said he believes omega-3 fatty acids can impact longevity due to their antioxidant properties.

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“[Antioxidants] work as an anti-inflammatory in the body and are good for heart health,” he told Fox News Digital.

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“Inflammation is behind many chronic diseases that may shorten health span and lifespan, from heart disease to high cholesterol to cancer.”

Fatty types of fish, including salmon, tuna and mackerel, are also rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

Those interested in taking omega-3 supplements should see their doctor to discuss potential benefits and risks, experts recommend.

Hantavirus, the disease that caused the death of Betsy Arakawa, actor Gene Hackman’s wife, has claimed the lives of three people in California.

After Arakawa, 65, was found dead along with Hackman, 95, on Feb. 26, authorities confirmed her cause of death as “hantavirus pulmonary syndrome” (HPS), while Hackman succumbed to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease along with advanced Alzheimer’s disease.

Now, Mono County Public Health has confirmed a total of three deaths due to hantavirus in Mammoth Lakes, a town in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. 

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Hantaviruses include a group of viruses primarily carried by rodents that can cause severe respiratory or renal diseases in humans, according to Dr. Rhys Parry, a molecular virologist at the University of Queensland in Australia. 

Most hantaviruses that are found in North, Central and South America can cause HPS. The disease has a nearly 40% fatality rate in those who are infected.

All three of the recent California cases have been fatal, which Dr. Tom Boo, Mono County’s public health officer described as “tragic and alarming.”

“We don’t have a clear sense of where this young adult may have contracted the virus,” Boo said in a press release. 

“An increase in indoor mice elevates the risk of hantavirus exposure.”

One person had “numerous mice” in their home, but no evidence of mice was found in the other two homes, the release stated.

“The occurrence of three cases in a short period has me worried, especially this early in the year,” Boo said.

“We observed some mice in the workplace, which is not unusual for indoor spaces this time of year in Mammoth Lakes,” he went on. “We haven’t identified any other activities in the weeks before illness that would have increased this person’s exposure to mice or their droppings.”

The most common type of rodent to carry it in the U.S. is the deer mouse. “Many of us encounter deer mice in our daily lives and there is some risk. We should pay attention to the presence of mice and be careful around their waste,” a health official advised. (iStock)

Hantavirus cases are usually seen in the area in late spring and summer, the public health officer stated.

Seeing three cases this early in the year is “strikingly unusual.”

“We believe that deer mouse numbers are high this year in Mammoth (and probably elsewhere in the Eastern Sierra),” Boo wrote. “An increase in indoor mice elevates the risk of Hantavirus exposure. Therefore, it is crucial to take precautions.”

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None of the infected individuals engaged in activities that would have exposed them to the virus, such as cleaning out poorly ventilated indoor areas or outbuildings with a lot of mouse waste, the official went on. 

“Instead, these folks may have been exposed during normal daily activities, either in the home or the workplace,” he said. 

“Many of us encounter deer mice in our daily lives and there is some risk. We should pay attention to the presence of mice and be careful around their waste.”

How hantavirus spreads

“Hantaviruses typically spread when humans breathe in virus particles from disturbed rodent urine, droppings or nesting materials,” Parry previously told Fox News Digital.

The hantaviruses found in the U.S. are not known to spread between people, according to the CDC.

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Other mechanisms of spread, according to the CDC, include breathing in contaminated air when cleaning up after rodents, touching contaminated objects and then touching the nose or mouth, getting bitten or scratched by an infected rodent, and eating food contaminated with the virus.

Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, agreed that hantavirus can spread via dust from rodents’ saliva, urine and places they touch. 

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The most common type of rodent to carry it in the U.S. is the deer mouse, the doctor confirmed.

Most hantavirus cases are seen in rural areas, where it is more likely for rodents to get into homes or barns, the CDC noted. 

Siegel added that it rarely affects humans “because only some of the rodents have it, and they don’t all come into contact — but one-third to one-half of cases are fatal.”

Symptoms and treatment

Early symptoms of hantavirus include fever, muscle aches, fatigue and gastrointestinal issues that appear anywhere from one to eight weeks after exposure, according to Parry. 

“These progress to serious respiratory symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath and fluid in the lungs four to 10 days later,” he said.

Hantavirus is an RNA virus that can be transmitted to humans through rodent droppings, causing severe illness. (iStock)

Sin Nombre virus is the most common hantavirus in the United States, which causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome with a mortality rate of approximately 38%. 

“It typically becomes fatal when the lungs fill with fluid, leading to respiratory failure and insufficient oxygen reaching vital organs,” Parry noted.

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There is no specific antiviral treatment for hantavirus, the expert said, although early intensive care with oxygen therapy and supportive measures is crucial. 

“Early intensive medical care is critical because patients who have sudden acute disease can rapidly become severely sick and die,” the CDC states. 

Early symptoms of hantavirus include fever, muscle aches, fatigue and gastrointestinal issues that appear anywhere from one to eight weeks after exposure. (iStock)

“If a patient is experiencing full distress, it is less likely the treatment will be effective.”

Supportive care can include monitoring heart function, administering fluids and oxygen, and placing the patient on a ventilator as needed. Patients may also receive broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, fever reducers and pain relievers.

“Early intensive medical care is critical, because patients who have sudden acute disease can rapidly become severely sick and die.”

“Although there is no cure for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, it is important to seek medical care when short of breath, because the patient may need support from a mechanical ventilator or extra-corporal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) machine to deliver enough oxygen to their body,” Dr. Sonja Bartolome, an expert in pulmonology and critical care at UT Southwestern Medical Center, previously told Fox News Digital.  

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“Even with medical care, 30% to 40% of people who develop hantavirus pulmonary syndrome will not survive.” 

Prevention of hantavirus

To prevent the virus from spreading, Mono County Public Health recommended sealing up gaps in the home to prevent mice from entering and storing food in rodent-proof containers.

Health officials advised against vacuuming or sweeping rodent droppings, nests or urine, as that can stir up the virus into the air. (iStock)

They also advised against vacuuming or sweeping rodent droppings, nests or urine, as that can stir up the virus into the air.

Any contaminated areas should be sprayed with a disinfectant or a freshly made 10% bleach solution, they recommended, and any enclosed areas should be aired out for at least 30 minutes before activities.

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People should wear gloves and an N-95 mask when cleaning contaminated areas.

“Do not eat food that may have been contaminated by rodents, and always wash your hands thoroughly after any potential exposure,” health officials added.