People who are on weight-loss journeys should not rely solely on anti-obesity medications, according to a statement from a national nutrition association.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics released the statement on March 4, which is World Obesity Day.

“The academy calls on the medical community, including pharmaceutical manufacturers of anti-obesity medications, obesity medicine providers and other health care practitioners specializing in obesity, to enhance the efficacy of these medications and maximize patient success rates by including a referral for medical nutrition therapy from a registered dietitian nutritionist alongside prescriptions for anti-obesity medications,” said Dr. Lauri Wright, PhD, president of the Chicago-based academy.

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“The anti-obesity medications alone will not end obesity unless they are combined with a collaborative, interprofessional approach that includes policy changes to reduce health inequity and disparity,” she also said in the release. 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Wright emphasized the need to overcome obstacles to obesity treatment. 

“We must reevaluate how we treat and prevent obesity by increasing access to nutritious food and for health insurance plans to cover nutrition services,” she said. 

“Medical nutrition therapy and intensive behavioral therapy provided by a registered dietitian nutritionist are both proven and cost-effective.”

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics released its statement on March 4, which is World Obesity Day. “We must reevaluate how we treat and prevent obesity by increasing access to nutritious food and for health insurance plans to cover nutrition services,” the president of the group said.  (iStock)

Semaglutides, a class of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists — including Ozempic (prescribed for diabetes management), Wegovy (prescribed for weight loss), Rybelsus (type 2 diabetes) and Saxenda (weight loss) — have been spiking in popularity in recent years.

The number of people in the U.S. using GLP-1 agonists for either diabetes or obesity reached 40 million in 2022, research has shown.

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In the academy’s statement, Wright referred to obesity as “a complex, chronic and progressive disease associated with serious complications and risk of mortality.”

“Recognizing World Obesity Day during National Nutrition Month is an opportunity to reevaluate how we best utilize anti-obesity medications to ensure that every patient has access to both lifestyle interventions and safe and effective medications that can improve the health of many adults in the U.S.,” she added.

Semaglutides, a class of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists — including Ozempic (prescribed for diabetes management), Wegovy (prescribed for weight loss), Rybelsus (type 2 diabetes) and Saxenda (weight loss) — have spiked in popularity in recent years. (Getty Images)

The academy said it plans to release a white paper in the spring, which will have detailed recommendations for lifestyle interventions.

Doctors share thoughts on the academy’s stance

Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, responded to the statement in a conversation with Fox News Digital.

“It is important that we put a spotlight on this huge burgeoning problem during World Obesity Day,” he said.

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“With over one billion obese people in the world and over a 40% obesity rate in the U.S., we have a huge problem.”

While Siegel is in agreement with the academy’s stance, he noted that not everyone with obesity needs to be on a weight-loss medication.

Obesity management requires a multi-pronged approach that combines proper nutrition and exercise — and takes psychosocial factors into account, one doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

“The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is right to spotlight this, but wrong to imply that this shifting focus needs to include a prescription for an anti-obesity medication, presumably a semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) or a tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound).”

Given the “tremendous shortage” of these drugs, Siegel warned that many diabetics who need them can’t get them.

“And at the same time, not everyone tolerates them well, and we don’t have a complete handle yet on long-term side effects,” the doctor noted.

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“I certainly think they are useful — and can think of many situations where they decrease risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer as well as the need for bariatric surgery — but they are surely not one size fits all and are mostly not first-line therapy.”

To promote healthy weight management, Siegel recommended increasing daily exercise and adopting a diet rich in vegetables and fiber and lower in “empty calories.”

“With over one billion obese people in the world and over a 40% obesity rate in the U.S., we have a huge problem.”

Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert, is a big proponent of semaglutide medications as a “highly potent” treatment in the fight against obesity.

“They are indeed the holy grail of modern-day medicine and will likely have a similar effect on worldwide health as the advent of antibiotics in the early 1900s,” he predicted to Fox News Digital. 

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Osborn said he agrees with the academy’s recommendation.

“The management of obesity is complex,” he told Fox News Digital. “It is best done through a multi-pronged approach that emphasizes proper nutrition, exercise and psychosocial factors. One cannot anticipate long-term and sustainable results without all three.”

To promote healthy weight management, a diet should be rich in vegetables and fiber, and lower in “empty calories,” said one physician.  (iStock)

Medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro have “changed the landscape of obesity management,” Osborn said. 

“By sending a robust satiety signal to the brain, these medications force the brain to ‘just say no,’ equating to a caloric deficit and weight loss,” he said. 

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“But absent exercise and a properly designed macronutrient-based food regimen with its full complement of protein, fats and carbohydrates, one may develop a relatively malnourished state … and a compromised immune system.”

For this reason, Osborn recommended that medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro should always be prescribed along with nutrition and exercise counseling. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Novo Nordisk, maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, for comment.

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A community of “long COVID“ patients and activists are planning a march in Washington, D.C., to protest a recent announcement from the CDC.

On March 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially dropped its recommendation for people to isolate for five days after a positive COVID test.

The agency’s new guidance tells people to stay home if they are sick — but when they’re feeling better and have been fever-free for 24 hours, they can return to school or work.

CDC DROPS ITS 5-DAY COVID ISOLATION GUIDELINES

In response, a community called LC/DC, which describes itself as non-partisan, is planning a protest at the Lincoln Memorial on March 15.

“LC/DC is fighting to raise awareness about long COVID, and we recognize that reducing the isolation policy will result in more infections, long-term illnesses and disability,” said Paul Hennessy, one of the three main organizers of the planned event.

“Our main objection is that it’s not based on a period of infectiousness, but false assumptions,” Hennessy, who is based in Los Angeles, told Fox News Digital. 

“The CDC has admitted that COVID can be contagious for over 10 days.”

Hennessey added, “The CDC’s job should not be to negotiate with a deadly airborne pathogen, but to give the best proper guidance.”

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Prior to this most recent update, the CDC called for people who test positive for the virus to “stay home for at least five days and isolate from others in your home,” a recommendation that was implemented in late 2021. 

On March 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially dropped its recommendation for people to isolate for five days after a positive COVID test. (REUTERS/Tami Chappell)

At the start of the pandemic, the agency recommended a 10-day isolation period for people with COVID.

Hennessy said the group believes the CDC’s decision could be political. 

“The CDC’s job should not be to negotiate with a deadly airborne pathogen, but to give the best proper guidance.”

“It’s not lost on us that the CDC has made this decision during an election year,” he said. “We’re not sure if this decision is political, but we do know from our research and standpoint that this was done arbitrarily and is more grounded in connivance than fact.”

Dara York, a San Francisco-based nurse who has long COVID and is one of the event’s organizers, told Fox News Digital that she believes the CDC is “abandoning” the problems related to COVID.

At the start of the pandemic, the CDC recommended a 10-day isolation period for people with COVID. (iStock)

“Reinfections are dangerous,” she said. “There is silent damage in many people. Most don’t even know their symptoms could be long COVID. Doctors and medical staff need training for [the condition].”

The LC/DC group is calling for a 10-day isolation and two negative tests as “best for the health of society.”

Said Hennessey, “Unfortunately, vaccinated and unvaccinated people can still get COVID and long COVID or post-COVID complications. Or they can spread it to someone more vulnerable.”

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In addition to protesting the CDC dropping the five-day isolation guidance, the group is also demanding more government funding for COVID and long COVID treatments. 

“Our ultimate goals are to raise awareness for long COVID and stress the urgent need for prevention, education and treatments,” said Hennessy.

“There are no approved treatments for long COVID.”

Doctor reacts to CDC’s decision

Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, voiced his support of the dropped five-day isolation.

Siegel spoke to Mandy Cohen, CDC director, the day before the announcement.

In addition to protesting the CDC dropping the five-day isolation guidance, the group (not pictured) is also demanding more government funding for COVID and long COVID treatments.  (iStock)

“The change is based on the fact that, according to Dr. Cohen, though wastewater analysis for COVID is very high, at the same time, case counts and hospitalizations are MUCH lower,” he told Fox News Digital.

“The goal is to have one set of guidelines for all respiratory viruses — flu, RSV, COVID, etc.,” Siegel noted.

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By the time someone tests positive for COVID, they are most likely at least two days into the illness, according to Cohen — and emerging data shows that the times of greatest transmission are right before symptoms begin and in the first few days of illness.

“The goal is to have one set of guidelines for all respiratory viruses.”

“The pandemic has been over for several months, and though there was an uptick this winter, with over 20,000 hospitalizations and 1,500 deaths per week at one point, it is now diminishing,” said Siegel.

As of the most recently reported week ending Feb. 24, the share of administered COVID tests with positive results was 7.4%, a 0.6% decrease from the prior week, per CDC data.

What is long COVID?

Long COVID is a condition in which symptoms of the virus persist for an extended period of time, generally three months or more.

Those symptoms can include fatigue, respiratory issues, cough, rapid heart rate and neurologic symptoms (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”).

Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, voiced his support of the dropped five-day isolation. (Fox News)

Approximately 18 million Americans reported ever having long COVID and 8.8 million reported having it currently, according to the CDC’s 2022 National Health Interview Survey, which was released in Sept. 2023.

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“We continue to see long-term effects from COVID, including viral persistence, damaged immune systems, organ damage, neurological complications such as dementia progression and Parkinson’s, and cardiovascular issues such as blood clots,” Hennessy said. 

Symptoms can include fatigue, respiratory issues, cough, rapid heart rate and neurologic symptoms (sometimes referred to as “brain fog”). (iStock)

“Someone I love who was otherwise fit and healthy now has microclots after a recent infection.”

“Those in our group who have long COVID are desperate to get back to work and contribute to society, but don’t have the support they need to do so.”

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The demonstration at Lincoln Memorial will take place on March 15 from 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Fox News Digital reached out to the CDC and to National Mall and Memorial Parks, which manages the Lincoln Memorial, requesting comment on the planned protest.

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As colorectal cancer continues to spike among younger patients, doctors are warning of a little-known but widespread condition that greatly increases the risk.

Lynch syndrome is a genetic disorder that makes someone more susceptible to many different kinds of cancer.

Fox News Digital spoke with two experts about what people should know about this inherited condition.

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Dr. Matthew Grossman, an interventional endoscopist and gastroenterologist with Atlantic Health System in New Jersey, explained the relationship between Lynch syndrome and human DNA.

“Think of DNA as a ladder,” he said. “Normally, errors in the rungs — called mismatches — are fixed by a repair system. In Lynch syndrome, this system is faulty, increasing the risk of mismatches.”

Because of the mismatch repair defect, a person with Lynch syndrome is much more likely to develop abnormalities and defects in cells, which eventually lead to cancer, he said.

“Lynch syndrome is a type of germline mutation, meaning it’s inherited genetically, versus a somatic mutation, which can happen spontaneously to only a few cells,” said Grossman.

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Dr. Ajay Bansal, a gastroenterologist at KU Medical Center at the University of Kansas, emphasized that Lynch syndrome largely flies under the radar, as 95% of patients who have the condition don’t know about it.

“They are not aware that they are at increased risk for not only colon cancer, but also uterine, ovarian, stomach, small bowel, kidney, bladder and perhaps brain cancer,” he told Fox News Digital. “So it’s very underdiagnosed.”

In healthy DNA, errors in the rungs — called mismatches — are fixed by a repair system. In Lynch syndrome, the repair system is faulty, increasing the risk of mismatches, a doctor explained. (iStock)

One of the reasons the syndrome often goes unnoticed is because it’s a “silent” condition, Bansal said. “It doesn’t cause any symptoms until you have cancer.”

The two main cancers tied to the syndrome are colon and colorectal cancer and cancer of the uterus.

“Lynch syndrome can result from four or five different mutations,” Bansal said. “Depending on the mutation, the type of cancer risk changes.”

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For example, for those who have a mutation in a gene called MLH1, the risk of getting colorectal cancer at some point in their lifetime is 80%, Bansal warned.

Among young-onset colorectal cancers, the doctor estimated that roughly 25% are a result of Lynch syndrome.

How is Lynch syndrome detected?

Lynch syndrome can be diagnosed by either a blood test or saliva test, Bansal said.

“If a patient has a family history of multiple colon cancers or multiple other cancers in the family, or if somebody in the family had colon cancer or uterine cancer under the age of 50, we recommend genetic testing to confirm the syndrome,” he said.

Lynch syndrome can be diagnosed through either a blood test or saliva test. (iStock)

Patients who fall into these categories are typically tested for Lynch between the ages of 18 to 25, the doctor said.

Universal genetic testing is not generally performed.

“It’s not approved for the general population, mainly because of costs and insurance concerns,” Bansal noted.

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Before genetic testing was available, clinicians relied on the “3,2,1 criteria” for diagnosing Lynch syndrome, according to Grossman.

“For that criteria, if patients have three or more relatives with one of the affecting cancers on the same side of the family, and this is seen in two or more generations with at least one person under age 50, that is highly diagnostic of Lynch syndrome and they should discuss the condition with a doctor,” he said.

What happens if you’re diagnosed?

There is no treatment or “cure” for Lynch syndrome, as it’s caused by a genetic mutation. 

Those who test positive should closely monitor themselves for the warning signs of cancer through regular screenings — especially colonoscopies, Bansal said.

Patients should talk to their primary care doctors about their family history, a doctor advised. (iStock)

In the general population, among people without Lynch syndrome, it is recommended to start colonoscopies at the age of 45. 

In patients with Lynch syndrome — especially those with more aggressive phenotypes and genotypes — Bansal recommended starting colonoscopies at the age of 25 and repeating them every one to two years.

“The idea here would be to monitor closely so we can prevent colon cancer by removing polyps or catching it at an early stage when we can treat it,” he said.

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Bansal, who specializes in studying vaccines for cancer prevention, is currently running a clinical trial for a new cancer vaccine. The participants are all people with Lynch syndrome.

“We felt that we had to do something to change the natural history of cancer in this high-risk population,” he told Fox News Digital.

In the trial, researchers are testing a combination of three vaccines that were initially created by a scientist at the National Cancer Institute. 

“If a patient has a family history of multiple colon cancers or multiple other cancers in the family, or if somebody in the family had colon cancer or uterine cancer under the age of 50, we recommend genetic testing to confirm the syndrome,” a doctor said. (iStock)

“These vaccines attack those cells in the colorectal area that express abnormal proteins, and then it can train the immune cells to get rid of those cells in the colon — and perhaps in other organs such as the stomach, small bowel, pancreas and uterus — before they turn into cancer or polyps.”

The first two safety phases of the trial have already been completed. 

Next, the researchers will perform randomized controlled trials to gauge the effectiveness of the vaccines in keeping cancer at bay.

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If the trial is successful, Bansal said he envisions the vaccine extending to other types of cancers.

Bansal’s main advice to patients is to talk to their primary care doctors about their family history.

The two main cancers tied to the syndrome are colon and colorectal cancer and cancer of the uterus. (iStock)

“In medical care, everybody’s so busy that we don’t discuss family history enough,” he said. “Patients should ask their doctor about their family history of cancers and the possibility of genetic testing, which has become much cheaper than ever before.”

Grossman agreed that it’s important to be aware of the risks associated with the genetic condition.

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“Knowing you have Lynch syndrome allows for more frequent colonoscopies and additional cancer screenings that will help save lives,” he said. 

“This is a great example of how our increased knowledge of genetics has improved our clinical care.”

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A familiar scent could help individuals with depression recall memories more easily than verbal cues, a recent study published in JAMA Network Open noted.

For people with major depressive disorder (MDD), a familiar smell might help them recall autobiographical memories and potentially help with mental health treatment, according to a group of researchers and social workers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Depression has been linked to issues with short-term memory, according to Healthline.

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“The main takeaway from the study is that individuals with depression do have specific memories and positive memories, but they just have trouble accessing them,” study co-author Dr. Kymberly Young, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, told Fox News Digital. 

“By using odors, we can help them access these memories.”

The findings suggest that using familiar scents in clinical settings could help to stop negative thought patterns and expedite healing, according to the report. 

“Being able to access specific memories is important for problem-solving and emotion regulation — if we can help individuals with depression to access specific memories, they should be able to use them when needed and improve their quality of life,” Young said.

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In healthy individuals, scents could trigger memories that feel vivid and “real” — likely because they engage the part of the brain called the amygdala, which plays a role in processing memory and emotional responses, according to a press release from the university. 

“Memories accessed by a familiar scent tend to be very vivid, with a more intense feeling of being ‘real,’ likely due at least in part to the engagement of emotions via the amygdala,” Dr. Krystine Batcho, PhD, a licensed psychologist ad professor at Le Moyne University in Syracuse, New York, explained to Fox News Digital. 

Batcho was not involved with the study.

Memories cued by scents were more specific than the ones sparked by verbal cues, the investigators found in a new study. (iStock)

As Young told Fox News Digital, anyone could use scents as a means of recalling vivid and specific memories.

“Sit with an odor and really focus on the memory and try to relive it,” Young suggested. 

“Practice recalling these types of memories so that when you need to recall one in daily life — for things like problem-solving and emotion regulation — you will easily be able to do so.”

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In the study, the team of researchers looked at 32 individuals between 18 and 55 years of age who had a diagnosis of MDD. 

The participants were given 12 samples of scents in opaque glass jars. They were then asked to recall a specific memory for each of 12 different words. 

Each person rated the memory as positive or negative, and also rated the level of arousal and vividness. The individuals also indicated whether they thought of the memory often or not until that particular moment, according to the study.

Recalling vivid and specific memories using odors could theoretically be used by anyone to improve their memory, a researcher told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

Memories cued by odors were more specific than the ones sparked by verbal cues, the investigators found.

Participants also tended to recall more positive memories and fewer negative ones, and they rated these memories as more arousing and vivid when using odor cues compared to verbal cues.

“This study just shows that odors are effective at cuing memories when words are not,” Young said.

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Although the investigators did not measure depressive symptoms nor expect them to change in this short study, Young noted that improving memory recall should boost problem-solving and emotion regulation and might help to alleviate depression. 

“This is a future direction for this work, now that we know smells are such effective cues in these patients,” he told Fox News Digital. 

Improving memory recall should improve problem-solving and emotion regulation and might improve depression, an expert said. (iStock)

Batcho, the psychologist from Le Moyne University, noted that fragrance is an especially powerful trigger for retrieving autobiographical memories.  

“While verbal material is also able to retrieve memories, words function at a higher, more abstract level than sensory stimuli,” she told Fox News Digital. “Depression can trap a person in a counterproductive cycle of sadness by triggering sad memories.”

“Reliving the best times can help break the depression cycle and begin to restore more positive thoughts and feelings.” 

Certain types of memories are likely to be more beneficial in alleviating depression, the expert said.

“Reliving the best times can help break the depression cycle and begin to restore more positive thoughts and feelings,” Batcho said.

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“Nostalgic memories have been shown to elevate mood, buffer anxiety, counteract loneliness and strengthen social connectedness,” she went on. “Fragrances associated with positive past experiences would be the most effective in retrieving nostalgic memories.”

Specific fragrances are often associated with people, places or special occasions that bring joy, according to the expert.

“Our mother’s favorite perfume, the fragrance of flowers in the garden where we fell in love, or the aroma of holiday foods can revive the positive feelings we once enjoyed,” she said.

“It can be hard for people who are suffering from depression to remember things other than sad memories,” a psychologist told Fox News Digital.  (iStock)

Dr. Nancy Frye, PhD, a professor of psychology at Long Island University in Brookville, New York, who was not involved with the study, commented on the significance of the findings.

“It can be hard for people who are suffering from depression to remember things other than sad memories,” she told Fox News Digital. 

“We’re better able to remember things that match the mood we’re currently in, according to the mood-congruent memory effect,” Frye said. “So it’s easier to remember happy memories when we’re happy, and it’s easier to remember sad memories when we’re sad.”

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“This research gives a promising direction to look in to help people with depression.”

Based on this initial study, the researchers aim to complete larger studies with healthy control groups to further investigate the link between scents and memories in those with depression.

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