UF Health Podcasts

If you could add years to your life, would you consider moving to another state? Some of us, of course, would move to Pluto if it increased longevity. But good luck finding a flight or bus to get you there.

So, which state is the healthiest? Hint: Head for the green mountains.

A recent nationwide analysis of factors that influence health found that the top state in the nation for good health is Vermont — the Green Mountain State — followed closely by New Hampshire.

This “Healthy States Index” by the health care staffing platform Nursa looked at numerous health indicators to assign the 50 states with an aggregate score.

Among the factors the study examined were life expectancy, pollution, percentage of smokers and hospital readmission rates. The index also calculated the per capita number of gyms, pools, parks, routes for running or walking and stores selling healthy foods.

Vermonters’ life expectancy is 78.4 years, about six years longer than the state in 50th place on the index, Louisiana, at 72.2. Vermont’s outdoor activities are legendary. And if you can’t find time for a trail hike, it’s got more gyms and pools per capita than just about anyone.

Northern New England enjoyed a robust presence on the list, with three of its states in the top 5. Maine came in fourth, with Washington leading all states west of the Mississippi in third place.

One commonality among the top states is a relatively lower percentage of its citizens who smoke. About 13% of the citizens of Vermont and New Hampshire smoke, compared with about 21% in Louisiana.

Utah rounds out the top 5 … where hardly anyone ever seems to pick up a pack of cigarettes.

Aside from the debt, getting a new car is loads of fun. Learning all its features. Feeling fancy when you drive it. And of course, delighting in that new-car aroma. Its time-limited bouquet hits every time you buckle up, fooling you into thinking you absolutely will go years never sullying your ride with so much as a single wayward French fry.

New research may take away your zest for that new-car essence, however.

A study by researchers at Harvard and in Beijing finds that the volatile organic compounds, or VOCs [V-O-Cs], that create the new-car smell may pose significant health risks.

The scientists analyzed VOC emissions in a new car during summer. VOCs are gases emitted from products or processes. In cars, they come from materials like plastics, leather and synthetic fibers. Some are harmless, but others can cause health issues like headaches or irritated eyes, or more serious damage, like lung disease. The study found that formaldehyde, which can cause cancer with repeated exposure, was the most prevalent VOC in the new car’s cabin. More than one-third of the readings exceeded China’s air-quality standards for car interiors.

Part of the problem lies not with the air, but with the temperature of the car’s interior surfaces. That’s why the new-car smell can be extra potent on a hot day. Americans spend an average of 5.5% of our lives in our vehicles. So it’s helpful to understand the air-quality dangers lurking in this classic fragrance. The hope is that automakers can one day give us the aroma minus the toxins.

The new-car smell, after all, helps us forget a malodorous byproduct of the dealership experience: the new-car loan.

When venomous snakes spread across Australia millions of years ago, they posed an existential threat to native lizards. Now, new research from the University of Queensland reveals that skinks weren’t just passive prey — they fought back on a molecular level.

The study showed that Australian skinks evolved tiny changes in a crucial muscle receptor, effectively building natural resistance to the otherwise paralyzing snake venom. The receptor in question — a type of acetylcholine [uh-seet-l-koh-leen] receptor — is typically where neurotoxins strike, acting by powering down communication between nerves and muscles. Most of the time, that’s a fast track to paralysis and death.

For skinks? Not so much. In an impressive case of evolutionary déjà vu, researchers found different skink species independently developed mutations to the exact venom-binding site … across 25 different cases. One species, the major skink, even shares the very mutation that gives honey badgers their famous resistance to the cunning cobra.

According to the senior author, it’s a textbook case of high-stakes evolutionary pressure, where survival necessitated altering basic biology. Some skinks even evolved sugar-based shields to physically block toxins from latching on. To test these defenses, scientists recreated venom interactions using synthetic models. They saw exactly what they hoped for: Some receptors simply didn’t react at all.

Why the excitement? Well, researchers say, understanding how venom resistance works in nature could be essential to shaping future treatments geared toward neurotoxin venoms. After all, when nature figures out how to outsmart venom, humans might be wise to take notes.

Grandpa isn’t the only one who can benefit from eating prunes. A new study found that eating prunes improved bone health and lowered the risk of bone disease in postmenopausal women.

Researchers from U.S. universities found that those who routinely ate prunes maintained better bone density and strength than those who didn’t. The scientists separated 235 postmenopausal women into three groups and followed them for one year. One group ate four to six prunes daily, another group ate 10 to 12 prunes daily, and the last group ate no prunes.

The study focused on postmenopausal women because they are at a higher risk for osteoporosis, a bone loss condition. Bone density, bone strength and bone geometry — the measurement of a bone’s dimensions, used to predict fracture risk — were assessed twice during the study.

The findings showed that long-term consumption of prunes protected the women against age-related declines in shin bone geometry and strength. After a year, those who ate at least four to six prunes per day had maintained bone density, strength and structure. That was especially true in cortical bone [kor-ti-kuhl], which forms the outer layer of long bones like the shin and makes up 80% of the skeleton.

Those who did not eat prunes saw a drop in bone mass density and strength in the shin bone. The researchers said prunes might be used as a treatment strategy to preserve bone strength and lower fracture risk. They recommended eating four to six a day to avoid prune burnout.

In a nutshell: Adding prunes to your daily menu can help your bones stay strong, so don’t write them off as just a nursing home snack.

In a world where we’ve grown accustomed to the digital convenience of scrolling, clicking and shipping in an instant, it may seem easy to take shortcuts when acquiring prescriptions and medications for your animals. Dr. Megan Eide and Dr. Martha Mallicote join Animal Airwaves Live to talk about obtaining safe meds for your pets, the right way. Eide, one of less than 50 board-certified veterinary pharmacists globally, and Mallicote, an equine internal medicine and biosecurity expert, will examine topics like compounded medications, purchasing from online pharmacies and using international products. They’ll also discuss the integrative function of veterinary pharmacists on the care team, and the role veterinary pharmacists play in educating pet owners, ensuring safe, effective medication use across species, optimizing medication regimens, preventing errors and much more.

Let’s say you’re 4 years old. You can’t yet read, but your little eye spies something on the kitchen counter that looks like an unexpected treat.

It’s in a round package and looks just like those candy mints Mom always has in her purse.

A new study warns that this kind of confusion is behind a 763% spike in children under age 6 accidentally ingesting nicotine pouches, sometimes landing them in the hospital.

Researchers from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Central Ohio Poison Center analyzed calls that came into U.S. poison centers from 2020 through 2023.

The team examined nearly 135,000 cases of nicotine ingestions among children younger than 6 and found that most involved children under the age of 2. While most ingestions did not result in longstanding effects, 39 cases involved major medical outcomes and two children died.

Nicotine pouches contain a crystalline powder with nicotine, flavorings and other additives. Some people use them try to stop smoking cigarettes.

The researchers advise that the safest thing for parents or guardians who use nicotine pouches is to keep them away from home. If that’s not avoidable, then lock them out of sight, away from food.

If you must keep them in a purse or backpack, store them so that curious eyes and prying little fingers can’t get to them. And don’t use nicotine pouches in front of your kids.

Children who ingest nicotine pouches might vomit or stumble, sweat heavily, develop a rapid heartbeat or have seizures.

The study authors suggest that flavor bans and childproof storage rules could help keep pouches out of youngsters’ hands, ensuring that the only cost of adults quitting nicotine is some crankiness.

How do you feel on Sunday evenings? Is there a knot in your gut? Do you keep an anxious eye on the time and wish it would stop reminding you that, come tomorrow, it’s no longer your own?

A case of the Mondays is a real thing. And our bodies keep the receipts.

A new study from the University of Hong Kong shows that Mondays, in their own unique, awful way, drive long-term biological stress. For some of us, this holds true even if we’re no longer part of the rat race.

The study analyzed data from more than 3,500 older adults 50 and older who took part in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging between 2012 and 2013.

They found that the adults who reported Monday anxiety had 23% higher cortisol and cortisone levels in their hair samples, compared with those who regarded Mondays as just an average day.

Some participants who reported high stress weren’t working, suggesting that job stress isn’t the only explanation for the heightened anxiety.

Scientists already knew that Mondays are linked to a 19% spike in heart attacks. The new study identifies what is known as the hypothalamic [high-po-tha-lam-ick]-pituitary-adrenal axis — they call it the HPA for short — as a possible biological reason for that spike.

When the hormone cortisol is chronically high in our bodies, it contributes to high blood pressure, insulin resistance and immune dysfunction. All of these can drive heart disease.

So, how do Monday fretters find peace? Try reserving Sundays for self-care. Give yourself a facial. Or go on a hike. Turns out, a dedicated moment for taking care of yourself may be one of the few social media trends actually backed by science.

Consider the delicate web of fat in a Wagyu (waa·gyoo) steak. The “marbling” that makes carnivore connoisseurs swoon is a visual heuristic for quality flavor.

Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Florida suggests the very same marbling of fat inside our own muscles points to trouble. This condition, known as intramuscular adipose tissue, has long been recognized by scientists as a strong indicator of poor health.

It’s linked to a wide range of diseases: obesity, Type 2 diabetes, neuromuscular disorders (including Duchenne muscular dystrophy) and neurogenerative conditions such as ALS. In some cases, clinicians can even track the progress of a disease by the amount of fat in muscle tissue.

In the study, researchers sought to understand the precise function this might play on muscle health, suspecting it could act as a driver of declining muscle function. The team developed a genetic model that allowed researchers to damage the muscle while preventing the infiltration of intramuscular fat.

When fat cells were present in the muscle, the muscle fibers were unable to properly form and grow. The fat tissue’s roadblock led to a disorganized and chaotic healing process that ultimately resulted in smaller, weaker muscle fibers. This directly translated to a loss of strength. Where space is occupied by fat cells, muscle fibers cannot grow.

Ultimately, these findings tell us more about the role of fat in muscle disease and aging. Future solutions might focus on decreasing or removing the physical blockage of fat, rather than just muscle growth…like removing a pebble in the way of a struggling sprout. Once it’s gone, something healthier might have room to grow.

Ever reach your front door after a long drive home and suddenly feel the desperate urge to pee? You’re far from the only one, and no, it’s not just in your head. The inopportune phenomenon is called latchkey incontinence, and yes, it’s as real as the mailbox you sprint by on your way to the loo.

Now, a pill-free solution may be on the horizon.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have been studying the bothersome bladder betrayal often triggered by daily cues like your door, car or even the sound of running water. As it turns out, this type of situational urinary incontinence is a kind of Pavlovian response. Similar to a dog drooling at a dinner bell, years of going to the bathroom as soon as you’re home have trained your brain to demand a bathroom break the second your front lawn comes into view.

The good news, though? You and your brain can come to a kind of agreement.

In the study, the team of researchers explored whether mindfulness and a little electric current (specifically, one that is noninvasive and directly stimulates the brain) could help calm the bladder. They asked 61 women over 40 to look at photos of their “trigger” cues while doing a body scan meditation, receiving brain stimulation — or both.

Promisingly, participants noted that improvements were felt across the board — to the point that 90% of enrollees completed the study despite its requirement for on-site visits. Now, as with many pilot studies, the team hopes to take this approach further … and maybe even bring it to your smartphone. Because no one wants to make a hundred-step dash every time they hear their garage door begin to open.

Age is just a number — especially if your heart is aging faster than you are. And for many Americans, their heart is blowing out increasing numbers of birthday candles.

A recent study revealed that the average American’s cardiovascular system reflects that of an adult several years older than their chronological age. The study looked at data from a group of participants representative of about 138 million Americans ages 30 to 79 without heart disease.

American women’s hearts were on average four years older than their actual age and men’s hearts were about seven years older than their actual age.

Education levels and socioeconomic factors made a big difference in heart age. Women and men with less than a high school education, as well as those in lower income groups, showed notably higher heart ages. In fact, 24% of lower-income women and 35% of lower-income men showed a “heart age” of 10 years older than their true ages.

These results were captured by a heart age calculator that included factors like kidney function, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, diabetes status and smoking habits.

While the results of the study might be sobering, the good news is that being aware of this new information and the risk factors involved can help people make positive changes.

Small actions around your lifestyle and day-to-day habits, like quitting smoking, managing high blood pressure or improving your diet and exercise routine, can make a big difference over time.

So, though it’s not always polite to ask someone’s age, your heart might be an important exception to the rule.