Consumer News: BJ’s turns 42 with big discounts on everyday favorites

A 50-year study found that healthier habits were linked to more years, better function, and greater happiness in old age

• Men with lower cardiovascular risk in their 40s were more likely to live to age 90.

• Those with healthier measurements earlier in life were less likely to become frail later on.

• The study also linked a healthier middle age with greater happiness and psychological well-being in old age.

Living longer is one thing. Being able to enjoy those extra years is another.

New research from the University of Helsinki suggests that maintaining better cardiovascular health in middle age may be connected not only with a longer life, but also with better quality of life in old age.

The findings come from a study that followed nearly 2,700 Finnish men for more than 50 years. The researchers were interested in whether cardiovascular health earlier in adulthood was related to how people lived and felt decades later.

The study began in the 1960s and 1970s, when the men were an average of 42 years old and generally healthy. Researchers continued following them throughout adulthood and, ultimately, through the end of their lives.

Weve long been interested in this question, while in many places the topic is only now attracting attention, Professor Emeritus and lead researcher Timo Strandberg from the University of Helsinki said in a news release. This studys strength was in a follow-up that extended to the end of life.

How the study worked

The researchers focused on five factors that can affect cardiovascular health: smoking, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose.

The men's measurements were assessed when they were younger, with better values indicating a lower cardiovascular risk. Researchers then looked at what happened to the men over the following decades.

In 2007, the surviving participants were an average of 79 years old. At that point, researchers assessed several aspects of their health and well-being, including their ability to function in everyday life, happiness, quality of life, and frailty.

Frailty refers to a state in which the body's ability to function and handle physical stress becomes reduced.

Because the researchers followed the men for more than five decades, the study was able to connect health measurements from middle age with outcomes much later in life.

What the findings could mean

The differences between the groups were notable. Among men who had positive values for all five cardiovascular risk factors when they were younger, 42% reached age 90. Among those with poor values for all five factors, just 7% reached that age.

The healthier group also appeared to maintain better physical function. Only 2% of men with positive values across all five factors were considered frail in old age, compared with one-quarter of those who had poor values for all five.

The researchers also found that men with healthier measurements earlier in life reported more happiness and psychological well-being later on.

For consumers, the findings highlight five familiar areas of health: smoking, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose.

The body mass index, smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose can all be measured and addressed. If not through lifestyle choices, then with safe and mostly inexpensive drugs, Strandberg says.

The common adage is that you either live a short and pleasant life, or a long and unpleasant one. This study indicates that healthy lifestyles can add both years and functional capacity to your life.

Automated recommendations should get close scrutiny

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• NatWest and Bank of America are among banks warning that AI shopping agents could expose consumers to , fraud, and privacy breaches.

• Potential problems include mishandled card details, purchases that exceed shoppers instructions, and payment methods with weaker protections.

• Consumers can reduce their exposure by approving purchases themselves, checking sellers independently, and paying by credit card when possible.

Artificial intelligence promises to make shopping easier by finding products, comparing prices, and completing purchases. But major banks are warning that handing those decisions to software could create new opportunities for fraud.

NatWest and Bank of America are among a group of lenders calling for stronger safeguards as agentic commerce shopping systems that can act on a customers behalf develops. The banks say the technology is moving faster than industry standards and consumer protections, according to Reuters.

Their concerns include agents requesting card details and entering them directly into websites, or directing shoppers toward payment methods that provide weaker protections. Customers also could face uncertainty about whom to contact when an automated purchase goes wrong.

The banks want clearer disclosure when AI participates in transactions, more transparency about how agents make decisions, and stronger protection for customer information.

For consumers, the practical implication is that an automated recommendation should receive the same scrutiny as any unfamiliar online offer. A convenient shopping experience does not establish that the seller is trustworthy.

What to do

Several precautions can help:

• Keep control of the checkout. Where settings allow, require approval before every purchase and set firm spending limits. Review the seller, exact item, quantity, total price, and payment method before authorizing an order. If a service cannot provide those controls, consider using it only to research purchases.

• Check the merchant independently. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends searching a sellers name alongside words such as complaint or scam, and consulting reviews from multiple sources. Check return policies and delivery promises. An encrypted website identified by https in its address does not establish that the business is legitimate.

• Choose the payment method yourself. The FTC recommends credit cards for online shopping because they offer protections when purchases go wrong. Avoid sellers that insist on gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or payment apps as the only way to pay. These demands can signal a scam.

• Limit what you share. Avoid pasting banking passwords, security codes, or full card details into ordinary chatbot conversations. Before connecting a payment account, examine the services permissions and privacy terms. Understand how to disconnect the account and stop future purchases.

Keep the instructions

Save evidence of your instructions. Along with receipts and seller communications, retain the instructions you gave the agent, spending limits, and purchase approvals. Those records could help explain a disputed transaction.

If something goes wrong, act quickly. Contact the card issuer, bank, or payment provider through its official app or a verified phone number, explain what happened, and ask whether the payment can be reversed. Describe accurately what you authorized and what the bot actually did.

The FTC also recommends changing compromised passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, and reporting at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Recovery is not guaranteed, but prompt reporting gives the payment provider an opportunity to help.

New research suggests injured children may show dangerous changes at higher blood pressure levels than current standards recognize

• A study of more than 233,000 injured children found that blood pressure linked with a higher risk of death was higher than current pediatric standards.

• Researchers found the biggest differences among children ages 1 and 2.

• The findings could help doctors recognize circulatory problems sooner, but more research is needed before new thresholds can be adopted.

When a child is seriously injured, doctors closely monitor vital signs such as blood pressure and heart rate. These measurements can help medical teams determine whether the body is getting enough blood flow to vital organs and whether treatments such as blood transfusions may be needed.

But researchers behind a new study say the blood pressure levels commonly used to identify dangerously low blood pressure in children may not be designed with injured children in mind. Current standards are based largely on reference values from healthy children.

That could mean some injured children are already experiencing dangerous circulatory problems before their blood pressure falls low enough to meet the usual definition of hypotension, according to the study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Recognizing hemodynamic instability is fundamental in trauma care because these vital signs tell us when a child may be at increased risk of death or complications and when we may need to intervene, Zain G. Hashmi, MD, FACS, an assistant professor of trauma and acute care surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and senior author of the study, said in a news release.

Blood pressure and heart rate often help determine when clinicians should begin resuscitative interventions, including a blood transfusion. However, commonly-used pediatric reference values were not developed specifically for trauma patients and may not accurately reflect when the risk of death begins to rise in injured children.

Researchers looked at more than 230,000 children

The researchers conducted a retrospective study using data from the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program. They examined records from 233,490 children between ages 1 and 15 who were treated for traumatic injuries at participating trauma centers between 2018 and 2023.

The team looked at three measurements: systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and something called the shock index. The shock index combines heart rate and systolic blood pressure into one measurement.

Researchers then used statistical analyses to identify age-specific values associated with death and compared those numbers with existing pediatric standards, including Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) definitions for low blood pressure and the Pediatric Age-adjusted Shock Index (SIPA).

Higher blood pressure levels were linked to increased risk

The blood pressure levels associated with mortality were consistently 15 to 30 mmHg higher than the PALS thresholds currently used to define hypotension. Researchers said that the difference was about 18%.

Using the study's trauma-specific thresholds, about 7% of injured children would have been classified as having low blood pressure, compared with less than 2% under the current thresholds. The biggest differences between the study's findings and existing standards occurred among children ages 1 and 2.

The researchers also found that heart rate and shock index can provide useful information about a child's condition. The study's shock-index thresholds closely matched existing SIPA values, providing additional support for using that measurement alongside blood pressure.

The findings don't immediately change how injured children are treated. The researchers said additional studies are needed to determine whether higher blood pressure thresholds would actually improve outcomes. The study also relied on data from participating trauma centers, so its findings may not represent every U.S. hospital.

Trauma care is improved by research that challenges the status quo and defines clear parameters for organizing the most efficient, effective trauma care possible, said Jeffrey D. Kerby, MD, PhD, FACS, medical director of ACS Trauma Education, director of the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery at UAB, and a co-author of the JACS paper.

This research provides an opportunity to use a data-driven approach to improve treatment for the most critically injured children.

Shoppers will no longer get fuel points

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Kroger has announced that its rewards credit card program is ending, with existing accounts moving to the U.S. Bank Smartly Visa.

• Cardholders will lose Kroger-specific perks, including enhanced cash back on certain purchases and an additional fuel discount.

• The change affects the credit card program; Krogers regular shopper loyalty rewards will continue.

Kroger shoppers who rely on the chains rewards credit card to stretch their grocery and gasoline budgets are losing some of those benefits as the retailers partnership with U.S. Bank ends.

Existing Kroger credit card accounts are being converted to the U.S. Bank Smartly Visa, with the transition expected to be completed this fall. U.S. Bank will continue to own and service the accounts, according to the banks announcement.

The change ends the Kroger-branded credit card arrangement. It does not eliminate the retailers separate shopper loyalty program, through which customers can continue earning and redeeming points. A spokesperson for Kroger-owned King Soopers confirmed that its loyalty program continues despite the credit card change.

Whats going away

For credit card customers, the biggest loss may be the higher cash-back rates available through Kroger Pay and eligible mobile-wallet purchases.

The Kroger card offered 5% cash back on the first $3,000 in eligible Kroger Pay purchases each calendar year, dropping to 2% afterward. Eligible mobile-wallet purchases had a separate $3,000 annual limit for 5% rewards, followed by 1%. Those benefits will disappear with the conversion.

The replacement card offers 2% cash back on eligible purchases, with full value available through qualifying redemptions, including statement credits or deposits into eligible U.S. Bank accounts. Converted customers also receive 3% back on grocery and gas purchases during their first 12 months, according to media reports.

Other Kroger-specific benefits are ending. The additional five-cent-per-gallon discount at Kroger Fuel Centers stops when customers activate their replacement card. Complimentary Boost memberships obtained through the credit card will remain available through their current expiration dates, but the new card does not include that benefit.

What to do

Customers do not need to submit a new application. Replacement cards are being sent between August and October, and existing balances, credit limits and earned rewards transfer automatically. Current APR terms carry over, and there is still no annual fee.

The financial effect will depend on spending habits. Customers who regularly qualified for 5% rewards could earn less, while those using the card for purchases previously earning 1% could benefit from the replacements higher base rate.

Cardholders should review their transition notices, check when their complimentary Boost membership expires and update recurring charges as necessary because replacement cards have new account numbers and expiration dates. Questions about individual accounts can be directed to the number on the back of the card.