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New research finds signs of future disease in children as young as 8

• Researchers identified blood-protein patterns linked to cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic disease risk in children.

• The study found similar protein patterns in adults with higher risks of these diseases.

• The findings could eventually help doctors identify risk earlier, when prevention may have more time to work.

Heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and obesity are often thought of as adult health concerns. But new research suggests some of the biological changes linked to these conditions may begin much earlier potentially during childhood.

In a study published in Nature Metabolism, researchers from UTHealth Houston and other institutions looked for biological clues that could signal cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease (CKMD) risk in children. CKMD refers to a group of conditions involving the heart, kidneys, and metabolism.

The researchers found that certain patterns in children's blood proteins were associated with traits linked to CKMD. Importantly, the findings don't mean that children with these protein patterns will definitely develop disease. Instead, they may provide clues about who could face greater risk later in life.

Understanding the development of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease across the lifecourse is critical, researcher Heather Highland, Ph.D., said in a news release.

Proteins circulating in the blood can serve as markers of nascent pathologies across the body. These early markers can help identify people at greater risk for increased monitoring and potentially early intervention.

How researchers studied the children

The study included 273 Hispanic or Latino children and adolescents from the Border Health Research Cohort in Cameron County, Texas. Their average age was about 13, with participants ranging from childhood through adolescence.

Researchers examined 5,000 proteins circulating in the children's blood and compared those protein levels with 25 different CKMD-related traits. These included measures involving body composition, liver health, kidney function, cholesterol, and blood-sugar regulation.

Using this information, the researchers identified six groups, or "signatures," of proteins associated with multiple CKMD-related traits.

They then looked to see whether the same patterns appeared in adults. The researchers found similar relationships in adults from the same community and in 28,256 adults participating in the U.K. Biobank.

What the findings could mean for families

The results suggest that some biological signs associated with cardiometabolic disease may be detectable years before someone develops obvious disease. That's potentially important because identifying risk earlier could give doctors more time to monitor and address it.

The researchers also compared their findings with data from a clinical trial involving the GLP-1 drug semaglutide. Many of the proteins associated with higher CKMD risk changed in adults taking GLP-1 medication, suggesting these biological markers may be modifiable rather than permanent.

This association is really one of the most exciting messages, because those proteins that predict the risk of cardiometabolic diseases all moved in a healthy direction after these adults took GLP-1. This makes this a modifiable risk state rather than a fixed marker of fate, said corresponding author Kari North, PhD. Childhood is the time that we really need to start intervening because its reversible.

Still, this doesn't mean parents should expect this type of protein testing during a child's routine checkup. Many of the tests used in the study aren't part of standard pediatric visits. More research is needed to determine how these findings could eventually be used in everyday medical care.

For now, the study offers a closer look at how the roots of conditions affecting adult health may begin much earlier than previously recognized.

The dysregulation of the proteins that influence risk of heart attack later in life, if we can reverse them in childhood, then we can really make a huge dent in the cardiovascular disease burden that we see in adult populations around the world today, Dr. North said. "We need to do better screening in children, and if we see children who are at an elevated risk, the time to act is now.

New research finds that changes in breast fat cells may affect how the body fights cancer

• Researchers identified a fatty acid that may help the body destroy damaged or cancerous breast cells.

• Fat cells in lean breast tissue produced more of this fatty acid than fat cells in obese tissue.

• The discovery could eventually lead to new approaches for restoring this natural protection, but more research is needed.

Obesity has been linked with breast cancer risk, but researchers are still working to understand exactly why.

Now, scientists at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah have identified a potential piece of the puzzle: Obesity may cause the body to lose some of the natural protection that helps eliminate cancerous cells.

The researchers focused on fat cells in breast tissue, which are also known as adipocytes. According to the researchers, these cells can behave differently depending on whether they come from lean or obese tissue.

Their findings suggest that fat cells in lean breast tissue produce higher amounts of a fatty acid called 9S-HODE. This substance appears to help trigger a type of cell death called ferroptosis, which can eliminate damaged or potentially cancerous cells.

We uncovered the role of a molecule that normally appears in lean tissue that restrains breast cancer growth but is less present with obesity, researcher Keren Hilgendorf, Ph.D., Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator, assistant professor of biochemistry at the U, and senior author of the study, said in a news release.

We know obesity is often a driver of breast cancer, and researchers in our field usually consider how obesity is promoting the disease. But we hadnt really considered that obesity could also be the loss of something that naturally protects us.

How the study worked

The researchers used preclinical models to investigate the differences between lean and obese breast tissue. Their work included studying breast tissue from donors as well as mouse models. They compared fat cells from lean and obese tissue and looked at the substances those cells produced.

One important difference was the amount of 9S-HODE produced by the fat cells. The researchers found that lean fat cells produced much more of the fatty acid than obese fat cells.

They then increased the amount of 9S-HODE in obese fat cells in mouse models to see what effect it had on breast cancer growth.

What the results could mean for consumers

The researchers found that increasing 9S-HODE in obese fat cells suppressed breast cancer tumor growth in their mouse models. The findings suggest that when obesity changes breast fat cells, those cells may produce less of a substance that helps cancerous cells die.

That doesn't mean obesity is the only factor involved in breast cancer, or that everyone with obesity will develop the disease. The researchers specifically note that breast cancer can develop for many reasons.

Still, the discovery could point toward a new treatment strategy. Because 9S-HODE is naturally produced by the body, researchers are interested in whether restoring or increasing it could eventually help restore some of the body's natural protection against breast cancer.

For now, however, this remains an early research finding. The researchers describe it as one discovery that could open the door to further studies rather than an available treatment.

We believe this shift in the understanding of the roles of lean and obese adipocytes is the start of something. This is just one discovery, and its not the end of the road, first author Meghan Curtin, doctoral candidate in molecular biology at the U, said in the release.

This opened our eyes to new ways to think about science, and hopefully we can harness what our bodies are already doing to make progress against this disease.

Working from home added sleep time, but it also meant more sitting and less physical activity

• People slept about 14 minutes longer on remote workdays than office days.

• Remote workdays included about 44 more minutes of sedentary time.

• Some of the movement people got from commuting was replaced by sitting, lying down, and sleeping.

Working from home can make the workday look very different from a day spent in the office. A new study from researchers at the University of Turku in Finland looked at how those different work settings affected sleep, sitting, and physical activity among people who split their time between home and the office.

The researchers found that remote workdays came with a small increase in time spent in bed. But that extra time came alongside a much larger increase in sedentary behavior, meaning time spent sitting or lying down. People also spent less time being physically active on days they worked remotely.

The increase in sedentary behaviour during remote workdays was mostly caused by spending less time standing, researcher Dr. Kristin Suorsa said in a news release. One possible explanation is that, unlike in offices generally, standing workstations are not always available in a home setting.

How researchers studied remote and office days

The study included 97 university employees who worked in a hybrid arrangement. About 84% were women, and participants had an average age of 42.

For seven consecutive days, participants wore a sensor on their thigh that tracked their body position and movement. The seven-day period included at least one day working in the office and at least one day working remotely. On average, participants had 2.4 office days and 2.6 remote days during the measurement period.

The researchers used the sensor data to determine how much time participants spent sleeping or in bed, sitting or lying down, doing light physical activity, and doing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. They then compared those behaviors within the same people on remote versus office workdays.

What the findings could mean for remote workers

On remote workdays, participants spent about 14 additional minutes in bed and 44 additional minutes being sedentary compared with office days. At the same time, they spent about 37 fewer minutes doing light physical activity and 21 fewer minutes doing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

The researchers found that standing and cycling were among the activities most often replaced by sitting, lying down, and time in bed. They suggest that commuting may account for some of the difference, since walking and cycling associated with getting to and from the office were reduced on remote days.

The researchers say remote workers may benefit from intentionally breaking up periods of sitting. Their suggestions include changing working positions, taking active breaks, and adding physical activity during leisure time on remote workdays.

How much risk does an ARM carry?

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARM) accounted for 9.8% of mortgage applications in the week ending Sept. 18, as borrowers sought relief from higher fixed rates.

• An ARM can lower the initial monthly payment, but its rate and payment may rise after the introductory period.

• Buyers should compare the possible payment after a rate increase with what they can afford, even if they expect to sell or refinance.

Nearly one in 10 mortgage applications last week were for adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).

The ARM share reached 9.8% for the week ending Sept. 18 as the average contract rate on a conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 7.12%. The average rate on a 5/1 ARM was 6.10%. Those are survey averages; an individual borrowers offer will depend on the loan and lender.

The appeal is the lower starting rate. A 5/1 ARM keeps its initial rate for five years. Typically, it would then go up or down on an annual basis.

On a hypothetical $400,000, 30-year loan, the two rates in the MBA survey would produce initial principal-and-interest payments of about $2,424 a month with the ARM, compared with $2,694 with the fixed-rate loan a difference of roughly $270 a month. The example excludes taxes, insurance, fees, and differences between loan offers.

That saving comes with uncertainty. After the fixed period ends, an ARMs rate changes under a formula set out in the loan agreement, generally using a market index plus a lenders margin. If the resulting rate rises, the monthly payment generally rises, too. If it falls, the payment may decline, subject to the loans terms.

When an ARM may help

An ARM can make sense for a buyer who can comfortably afford the loan and expects to move before the first adjustment. The initial savings could also give a household room to build reserves or pay down the loan balance.

But a plan to sell or refinance is not a guarantee. A buyer may stay longer than expected, mortgage rates may remain high, or a decline in home value or income may make refinancing harder. The borrower would then face the ARMs adjustment under its existing terms.

Rate caps limit how much an ARM rate can change at its first adjustment, at later adjustments, and over the life of the loan. A cap limits the increase; it does not guarantee an affordable payment. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) advises borrowers to ask lenders to calculate the highest payment the loan could require.

Before choosing an ARM, buyers should compare loan estimates for both loan types, including the starting rate, closing costs, adjustment schedule, index, margin, and caps. They should also check whether the loan has a minimum rate, called a floor, or a prepayment penalty.

The most useful test is a household budget: Could it cover the payment after a substantial rate increase, alongside property taxes, insurance, and other housing costs? If the answer depends on refinancing before the rate adjusts, the initial saving may carry more risk than it appears.

Researchers found a substantial safety advantage in four cities

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Waymos driverless vehicles were involved in 68% fewer police-reportable crashes per mile than human-driven vehicles in the same areas and years, an IIHS study found.

• Their rate of crashes involving injuries was 81% lower, though the results cover Waymos operations in four cities rather than all self-driving vehicles.

• Researchers say better reporting of crashes and miles driven is needed to monitor safety as robotaxi services expand.

Waymos driverless cars were involved in fewer crashes than human-driven vehicles in the places where they operated, according to a recent study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Measured per mile traveled, Waymo vehicles operating without a human driver had a 68% lower rate of crashes that a person would typically report to police. Their rates of crashes involving injuries and single vehicles were 81% and 85% lower, respectively.

The researchers compared Waymos operations in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin with human driving in the same areas and years. Waymo logged about 50 million driverless miles during the study period; human drivers traveled about 222 billion miles in those locations.

The results varied by city. Waymos crash involvement rate was 76% lower than the human-driver rate in Phoenix, 71% lower in Los Angeles, and 35% lower in San Francisco. In Austin, it was 4% higher, though IIHS cautioned that the sample there was relatively small.

The study concerns crash involvement, which includes incidents a Waymo vehicle may not have caused. It also applies to Waymos driverless vehicles under the conditions in which they operated. It does not establish that every self-driving system is safer than a human driver. The driver-assistance features available in many personal vehicles still require an attentive driver and are a different type of technology.

Why crashes are hard to compare

Companies operating self-driving vehicles generally must report incidents that ordinary drivers might never report to police. To make a more comparable measure, IIHS researchers reviewed federal crash reports and assessed which incidents a reasonable person would likely have reported. They estimated that only 22% of 736 reported crashes involving automated vehicles on public roads met that standard.

The researchers could calculate a driverless crash rate for Waymo because it voluntarily provides data on miles traveled without a driver. Other companies do not have to disclose comparable mileage, making their crash rates difficult to assess.

That gap matters as robotaxi services grow. IIHS said the current reporting system does not provide a practical way to keep comparing automated vehicles with human drivers at a larger scale. The Waymo findings are encouraging, the researchers said, but consistent crash and mileage data will be needed to see whether that safety record continues.