New research from the American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that parents might want to keep a closer eye on their kids’ blood pressure.

About one in seven (14%) of children and teens in the U.S. have high blood pressure or are headed toward it, according to the preliminary findings.

Nearly half of U.S. adults have the condition, according to the AHA, which can raise the risk of heart attack, stroke and other events due to damaged arteries and plaque buildup.

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Lead researcher Dr. Ahlia Sekkarie and her team analyzed the blood pressure and BMI (body mass index) of 2,600 children and teens between the ages of 8 and 19, obtained from the 2017 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.

The researchers found that 8.7% of youths had elevated blood pressure (systolic pressure between 120 and 19 and diastolic pressure less than 80) and 5.4% had high blood pressure, or hypertension (systolic pressure between 130 and 139 or diastolic pressure between 80 and 89).

Blood pressure measurements were higher among boys compared to girls and continued to rise with age.

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Those with severe obesity were found to have a greater prevalence of high blood pressure, while Hispanic youths had the lowest rate of elevated blood pressure.

This research is considered preliminary until full results have been published in a peer-reviewed journal, the release noted.

“Childhood is a great time to learn healthy habits to reduce these risks,” the lead study author wrote in a statement. (iStock)

Sekkarie, an epidemiologist in the division for heart disease and stroke prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, confirmed in a press release that hypertension can begin in childhood and is a “risk factor for heart disease and stroke.”

“It’s important to monitor blood pressure in youth, because young people with heart disease and stroke risk factors are more likely to have cardiovascular disease as adults,” she warned. 

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“Childhood is a great time to learn healthy habits to reduce these risks.”

Although the research did not investigate the reason why pediatric hypertension rates are high, Sekkarie suggested that obesity could be a major risk factor, as one in five children in the U.S. is affected.

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High blood pressure can be managed or prevented through maintaining a healthy weight and eating a nutritious diet that’s high in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats, according to the AHA.

The experts also recommended limiting sodium and alcohol, not smoking and staying physically active as a means of regulating blood pressure.

Blood pressure measurements were higher among boys compared to girls, the research found. (iStock)

Dr. Bradley Serwer, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, a Cincinnati-based company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals nationwide, told Fox News Digital that this study highlights the importance of starting screening at an early age.

“Young people with heart disease and stroke risk factors are more likely to have cardiovascular disease as adults.”

“Knowing your blood pressure and cholesterol is always important,” Serwer, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital. 

“If borderline blood pressure or high blood pressure is noted, the first-line therapy is always to assess the individual’s diet and make changes to lower the sodium intake.”

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Serwer added, “If there are questions regarding medication, I always recommend deferring to a pediatrician or pediatric cardiologist.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.

A patient in Missouri was hospitalized with bird flu despite having no known contact with animals.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the positive case of avian influenza A (H5) on Friday.

The patient, who had underlying medical conditions, was successfully treated with antiviral medications at the hospital and has since been discharged, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).

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This marks the 14th person (in three states) to contract bird flu in the U.S. this year — and the first infection to occur without any reported exposure to sick or infected animals, the CDC alert stated.

The prior 13 cases came after exposure to dairy cows or poultry.

Dr. Benjamin Anderson, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Global Health at the University of Florida, said the fact that an individual has tested positive for H5 without any reported animal exposure is “very concerning,” but noted that very little is known about the case.

“We don’t know if the individual had indirect exposure to people or products from agricultural settings,” he told Fox News Digital. 

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“We also do not yet know the sequence of the virus to determine if it is related to the strains circulating in dairy cattle or not.”

A full epidemiological investigation is necessary to determine all potential paths of exposure, Anderson said.

“If our cases of influenza A spike, we need to test more samples to see if some are avian influenza.”

“This is definitely something we need to pay very close attention to.”

Dr. Edward Liu, chief of infectious diseases at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, echoed the concern about human-to-human spread. 

“When that happens, you won’t see an animal vector or source,” he told Fox News Digital.

A full epidemiological investigation is necessary to determine all potential paths of exposure, said an infectious disease expert. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

“One of the underlying concerns is that the avian influenza will adapt itself to be more efficient at replicating in humans and better at spreading in respiratory droplets and secretions.”

Liu also emphasized that current testing for avian influenza is limited. 

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“Knowing it is influenza A doesn’t mean it is avian influenza,” he said. 

“The confirmation of avian influenza requires another step to send it to the state health department or CDC — so we may be measuring the tip of an iceberg. If our cases of influenza A spike, we need to test more samples to see if some are avian influenza.”

This marks the 14th person to contract bird flu in the U.S. this year. The prior 13 cases came after exposure to dairy cows or poultry. (iStock)

Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, noted that while there hasn’t been evidence of animal exposure, “most likely there was.”

“There has been no evidence of any human-to-human spread at this point,” he told Fox News Digital. 

“Surveillance, wastewater analysis and control in animals are key.”

Risk factors

The biggest concern for bird flu right now, according to Anderson, is the potential for it to evolve and gain human-to-human transmission ability. 

“Influenza viruses can evolve over time through the accumulation of small point mutations in their genetic sequence,” he said. “However, they can also evolve very rapidly through what is called recombination — when two or more influenza viruses infecting the same host exchange their genetic material and make a new strain of virus.”

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The more this strain of influenza virus circulates, the greater the potential for recombination to occur, the doctor said. 

“Right now, the highest-risk human groups are individuals with dairy cow and poultry exposure in areas where spillovers of bird flu have been documented,” Anderson said.

Bird flu is not currently in the seasonal influenza vaccine, although the immunization may still provide some protection, one expert said. (iStock)

So far, those who have contracted the dairy cow strain of influenza virus have mostly had mild infections, the doctor noted. 

“However, we know these viruses change quickly, so we need to continue to be vigilant in monitoring their circulation.”

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Another risk is that avian influenza may cause more severe disease than regular influenza, Liu cautioned. 

“It is not currently in our seasonal influenza vaccine, although the vaccine may still provide some protection,” he said. 

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“Luckily, current prescription antivirals, like Tamiflu, can still treat avian influenza.”

As with other flu strains, avian influenza will likely pose a greater risk to older patients, young children, immunocompromised patients, and those with chronic lung, cardiac or kidney disease, the doctor added.

“If it starts to pass from human to human, it could be a huge problem, but we aren’t there.”

Overall, Siegel said, bird flu poses “no current concern unless it mutates further.”

“It needs to be monitored closely,” he added. “If it starts to pass from human to human, it could be a huge problem, but we aren’t there.”

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The CDC stated on Friday that the public risk for bird flu infection remains low.

The agency will continue to investigate the specimen from the human patient, and the Missouri DHSS is looking into potential means of exposure.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Missouri DHSS for comment.

Move over, “Dad bod” — more men are seeking “six-pack abs” with the help of a surgical procedure called high-definition liposuction, according to plastic surgeons. 

This type of “ab-etching” technique is gaining popularity among men who can’t get rid of stubborn belly fat with exercise alone, according to members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

The method targets removal of stubborn fat much like traditional liposuction, but it also creates defined lines across the stomach muscles to create the illusion of “chiseled” abdominals.

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What is high-definition liposuction?

Dr. Josef Hadeed, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon at the Hadeed Plastic Surgery practice in Beverly Hills, California, and Miami, Florida, described the procedure during an interview with Fox News Digital.

“It is more like creating that six-pack and creating the ‘V lines,’ and giving somebody that more athletic, toned physique that traditional liposuction can’t really achieve,” he said.

Traditional liposuction focuses on removing fat, volume and bulk, but doesn’t address the specifics of the “underlying anatomy,” according to the surgeon.

High-definition liposuction is more detailed, Hadeed said. 

“We remove a little more fat from that vertical line above the belly button, and also those horizontal lines above the belly button,” he said. 

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“We also remove a little more fat in those areas to create the illusion or appearance of somebody having a six-pack.”

In some cases, fat is redistributed to other areas to help create a bulkier, more muscular abdominal appearance, the surgeon added.

A growing trend

There has been an uptick in men undergoing this liposuction procedure, according to members of the ASPS.

“I’m definitely seeing an increase in high-definition liposuction requests for men,” ASPS member Dr. Joubin Gabbay, MD, the medical director at Gabbay Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, California, told Fox News Digital. 

“It is more like creating that six-pack and creating the ‘V lines,’ and giving somebody that more athletic, toned physique that traditional liposuction can’t really achieve,” a plastic surgeon said. (iStock)

“They are coming in with specific requests for a defined, chiseled contour.”

Dr. Finny George, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon and partner at New York Plastic Surgical Group, a division of Long Island Plastic Surgical Group, has also seen more male patients looking to improve their muscle definition.

“It is becoming more socially acceptable for men to have plastic surgery.”

“There is definitely a growing desire among men [for] alternate means of achieving an athletic physique for two main reasons,” George told Fox News Digital.

“First, it is becoming more socially acceptable for men to have plastic surgery — and second, many have already tried and failed with conventional diet and exercise,” she added.

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High-definition liposuction isn’t the only procedure growing in popularity among men.

There has been a 207% rise in total cosmetic procedures among males since 2019, according to the 2022 ASPS report.  

One reason may be that men are looking for a more youthful appearance to “maintain career vitality,” the report said. 

This type of “ab-etching” technique is gaining popularity among men who can’t get rid of stubborn belly fat with exercise alone, according to members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (iStock)

Social media influencers and male celebrities have also created an open dialogue about male cosmetic surgery, making it more acceptable for men to seek such enhancement treatments, the ASPS also noted.

“It actually has been very common in Brazil and South America for quite some time now, and it’s slowly been migrating to the United States,” Hadeed told Fox News Digital.

What to know before seeking surgery

If an individual is considering undergoing high-definition liposuction, they should examine their reasons for doing so, said Hadeed.

“They should do it for themselves, not because their spouse or partner is pressuring them to do it,” he advised.

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When a person is seeking those “perfect six-pack abs,” Hadeed said, the surgeon will typically look at the individual’s lifestyle behaviors, such as diet and exercise. 

For example, if someone is sedentary and eats fast food every day, “maybe this isn’t for you,” according to the doctor. 

It is important to research the credentials of the plastic surgeon who will perform the procedure and make sure they are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, an expert advised. (iStock)

Patients should have realistic expectations of what can be achieved rather than trying to look like a certain fitness model or social media influencer, Hadeed cautioned.

In some situations, he said, “we have to lower the expectations a little bit and say, ‘I can’t make you look like this other person who’s completely ripped and shredded, but I can help you look like a more refined version of yourself.’”

“Having elective surgery is a very major decision, and not something that people should take lightly.”

If the individual were to gain or lose a significant amount of weight after the surgery, that could affect the results, leading to the need for a revision or touch-up, Hadeed said — which is why he screens his patients to identify their lifestyle habits and make sure they can maintain the results.

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Gabbay also emphasized the importance of following a good regimen to maintain the benefits of the surgery.

“I think the treatment is certainly effective at helping many achieve the six-pack look, but it requires work and maintenance to maintain,” he told Fox News Digital.

Experts emphasized the importance of following a good regimen to maintain the benefits of the surgery. (iStock)

“It is important to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle and avoid major weight fluctuations after the procedure,” he went on. 

“Unintended weight gain after a high-definition procedure can exaggerate the look of the six-pack, making it look a little less natural.” 

Potential risks

Hadeed, who also serves as chair of the Patient Safety Committee for the ASPS, said it is important for patients to understand the risks involved with the procedure.

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“Having elective surgery is a very major decision, and not something that people should take lightly,” he said.

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Hadeed agreed that while the surgery is typically safe, there are risks involved. 

“In particular, there could be skin necrosis, where some of the skin dies,” he warned. “There could also be fat necrosis, where some of the fatty tissue that’s left behind dies.”

“It is important to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle and avoid major weight fluctuations after the procedure,” a doctor advised. (iStock)

Other potential complications may include blood clots and intestinal perforation.

It is also important to research the credentials of the plastic surgeon who will perform the procedure and make sure they are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Hadeed said.

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The doctor warned, “There are a lot of physicians out there who are not plastic surgeons who are doing these procedures.”

Gut health has been linked to a common neurological disorder in a new study.

Those who have sustained damage to the upper lining of their gastrointestinal (GI) tract are 76% more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, according to research led by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston.

The findings were published in JAMA Network Open on Sept. 5.

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The study included 9,350 patients (averaging 52 years of age) who underwent an upper endoscopy — a procedure that examines the esophagus, stomach and first portion of the small intestine — between 2000 and 2005 within the Mass General Brigham system.

Those who had “mucosal damage” were shown to have an elevated risk, the researchers found.

Parkinson’s disease was diagnosed an average of 14.2 years after the damage was detected, the study showed.

Mucosa, also called the mucous membrane, is the “soft tissue that lines the body’s canals and organs in the digestive, respiratory and reproductive systems,” according to Cleveland Clinic. 

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“When asked, many of my patients with Parkinson’s disease will say, ‘Come to think of it, yeah, I started to get bad constipation or nausea, years before anyone diagnosed me with Parkinson’s,’” lead study author Trisha Pasricha, MD, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told Fox News Digital.

“We now know that gut symptoms like these herald a future diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.”

The study included 9,350 patients who underwent an upper endoscopy, a procedure that examines the esophagus, stomach and first portion of the small intestine. (iStock)

Dr. Earnest Lee Murray, a board-certified neurologist at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee, was not involved in the study, but confirmed that gastrointestinal dysfunction is very common in patients with Parkinson’s. 

“Motor symptoms, such as stiffness, tremors and difficulty walking, are the stereotypical features of Parkinson’s,” Murray said. 

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“However, there are several non-motor symptoms that are often seen, the most common being gastrointestinal dysfunction, especially constipation and difficulty swallowing.”

These gastrointestinal symptoms can appear years before the motor symptoms, the neurologist added.

Patients who had “mucosal damage” were shown to have an elevated risk, the researchers found. (iStock)

“Given the prominence of early gastrointestinal issues in Parkinson’s, there has been a theory suggesting that the pathology that causes Parkinson’s can originate in the GI tract and travel to the brain via the vagus nerve,” Murray said. 

“This study gives additional evidence to the ‘gut-first’ theory.” 

Causes and prevention of upper GI damage

Many factors can cause damage to the mucosal lining, Pasricha said. 

“Those include taking NSAIDs like ibuprofen, drinking alcohol, stress or bacteria like H. pylori,” she said.

“Our study only examined people whose stomach symptoms were so severe that they sought an upper endoscopy to investigate the etiology, but we all experience small amounts of damage to our gut lining throughout our lives for various reasons.”

Gastrointestinal symptoms can appear years before the motor symptoms, such as tremors and stiffness, a neurologist said. (iStock)

It is not clear how those frequent, smaller amounts of damage impact the risk of Parkinson’s, the doctor noted. 

“Nonetheless, I advise my patients — regardless of their risk of any neurological disease — that minimizing NSAIDs, reducing stress and cutting down on alcohol will only help their gut health,” she added.

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As Murray noted, Parkinson’s is caused by a depletion of the neurotransmitter dopamine — which leads to slowed muscle movements, stiffness and tremors — and is also involved in the integrity of the GI tract. 

Parkinson’s is caused by a depletion of the neurotransmitter dopamine — which leads to slowed muscle movements, stiffness and tremors — and is also involved in the integrity of the GI tract, a neurologist said. (iStock)

“As the study authors point out, we don’t know if the injury to the GI tissue triggers a depletion in dopamine or if the destruction of the GI tissue is the earliest sign of an issue with dopamine that eventually leads to more stereotypical Parkinson’s symptoms,” he told Fox News Digital.

Potential study limitations

While the study reveals a “strong link” between injury to the upper gastrointestinal tract and later development of Parkinson’s disease, Pasricha noted that the mechanisms leading to this effect are not yet known. 

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The study did not include cases of Parkinson’s that were diagnosed outside the Mass General Brigham system, the researchers noted.

“The brain-gut connection is really a two-way street.”

Due to the small sample sizes in the study — and the risk of “confounding variables” that could introduce a measure of bias — the research team called for additional studies to confirm the association.

“The brain-gut connection is really a two-way street,” said Pasricha.

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“The gut can exert an enormous influence on the brain in ways we are still only beginning to understand — but when we do,​ we might be able to open new avenues for early intervention and treatment strategies for many diseases.”

The study was funded by grants from the National Institute on Aging, the American Gastroenterological Association and Harvard University.