Latest news with #UniversityofTexas
Gulf Insider
a day ago
- Health
- Gulf Insider
Why Processed Foods May Be Secretly Raising Your Blood Pressure
Common phosphate additives that keep your packaged foods fresh and flavorful may be driving up your blood pressure, a recent study has found. The study, conducted in laboratory rats over 12 weeks, revealed that inorganic phosphates may contribute to hypertension by stimulating the release of a chemical called fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23). Researchers discovered that high-phosphate diets cause a specific protein called FGF23 to accumulate in the blood and then cross into critical brain regions that control blood pressure, including the brain stem. The findings suggest this effect occurs because high levels of phosphate cause the body to release FGF23, which crosses into the brain and stimulates certain receptors that raise sympathetic nerve activity, ultimately causing hypertension. Further experiments indicate this involves activation of a protein called calcineurin, which is known to influence nerve activity and heart function. Not all phosphates are created equal, the research suggests. The findings relate mainly to inorganic phosphate, said Dr. Wanpen Vongpatanasin, one of the study authors and a hypertension expert at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. While vegetables naturally contain high amounts of phosphate, it exists in an organic form that the body absorbs poorly—only 40 percent to 60 percent is absorbed in the intestines. By contrast, inorganic phosphates added during food processing have an absorption rate exceeding 90 percent, making them far more likely to reach problematic levels in the bloodstream. Phosphate additives, commonly used as preservatives and flavor enhancers in processed foods and cola drinks, are highly absorbable, she noted. 'Vegetables also contain high amounts of phosphate, but it is in the form of organic phosphate, which is not easily absorbed in the gut. Therefore, they do not have the same side effect profile,' Vongpatanasin said. The phosphate problem extends beyond cardiovascular concerns, according to registered dietitian nutritionist Holly Huhlein, who was not involved in the study. 'This is one of the reasons why overconsumption of highly processed foods, such as bakery products, processed dairy products, and highly processed snacks, is not recommended,' said Huhlein. She noted that while phosphates in highly processed foods help preserve them and blend ingredients together, consuming too much phosphate has the potential to cause weak bone structure, damage to the kidneys, and increased risk for heart issues due to the imbalance of the ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the body. 'We tend to store phosphate alongside calcium in the body in our bones, and our bodies naturally do a great job of managing our phosphate levels through balancing hormones and other minerals,' she said. High levels of phosphate can cause the body to pull calcium out from bones. However, Huhlein said that phosphates are also an essential mineral in the body and important for many bodily functions, including the creation of DNA, cellular structure, bone mineralization, and utilizing energy in the body. For the general healthy population, Huhlein said, phosphate is not a concern when eating a well-balanced diet consisting of lean protein sources (animal and plant proteins), whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Rather, she added, concern can come from a diet higher in highly processed foods that, besides tending to have more additives like phosphates, also contain higher amounts of saturated fats and added sugars that people are encouraged to limit. 'For this reason,' Huhlein said, 'if you are focusing on consuming a majority of nutrients from whole food sources while occasionally consuming shelf-stable or highly processed foods, phosphate consumption is not of concern.' However, certain populations that have special dietary needs, such as those with kidney issues or osteoporosis, should be more cautious, she added. 'Osteoporosis is caused by our bones breaking down faster than they can be rebuilt, and maintaining a proper calcium-to-phosphate ratio can play a role in keeping the condition from escalating,' Huhlein said. 'As for our kidneys, they are one of the ways we monitor and manage phosphate levels by excreting them through urine.' Vongpatanasin cautioned that because the research was conducted in animals, it remains unconfirmed whether the same effects would occur in humans. According to Vongpatanasin, the findings also suggest that the brain's FGF receptor 4 pathway could be a promising target for new treatments for high blood pressure linked to diet.
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Census Data Shows Where US White Population Is in Decline
New data released by the United States Census Bureau Thursday showed that the country's Asian population grew the fastest in the past year, while the white population became the racial group to decline. The latest population estimates, through July 2024, showed a shift in demographics across the U.S., with a 4.4 percent growth in the Asian population compared to a 0.1 percent decline among the white population. "The major implication is the major change that is taking place in the U.S. population with respect to its race and ethnic structure," Rogelio Saenz, a professor in the department of sociology and demography at the University of Texas in San Antonio, told Newsweek. "The Census Bureau has projected that in 2044 the nation would be majority minority, or more non-white than white in the in the population, and I think that that these patterns are well afoot. We're getting closer to that reality." The Census Bureau data also highlights an aging population overall, along with fewer children and young people, at a time when there are concerns around a shrinking U.S.-born workforce and mass deportations of illegal immigrants, as well as broader concerns across much of the West about declining birthrates. What To Know The yearly population estimates, which are taken on July 1 of each year, showed a shifting demographics balance across the country. While the white population maintains the largest share overall, it was also the singular declining racial group - a trend that has been identified for several years. The 2020 Census was the first time in U.S. history that the white-alone population declined, going from 223.6 million in 2010 to 204.3 million a decade later. The nine states that saw drops in their white populations were Alaska, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Vermont. The Hispanic or Latino population remains the second-largest racial group in the U.S., totaling 68 million in mid-2024, having grown by nearly 3 percent. Saenz said that could decline in the coming year. "That's been the major worry I think in terms of the mass deportations," Saenz said. "The impact that that's going to have on already a nation that is aging and particularly with the white population and the workforce itself, aging as well, who's going to do those jobs?" Research in October by the non-partisan National Foundation for American Policy found the majority of the domestic labor market's growth came from immigrants over the past five years, while many states had continued to see their immigrant populations grow, including Texas, Florida, California and New York. Other data points highlighted by the Census Bureau included the U.S.' aging population, with the 65-plus group growing from 12.4 percent of the national population 20 years ago to 18 percent last year. The share of children, defined as those under 18, dropped from 25 percent to 21.5 percent across the same period. The number of states where older adults outnumbered children rose from three in 2020 – Florida, Maine, and Vermont – to 11 in 2024, with Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia joining them. Lauren Bowers, chief of the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Branch, in a press release: "Children still outnumber older adults in the United States, despite a decline in births this decade. However, the gap is narrowing as baby boomers continue to age into their retirement years. In fact, the number of states and counties where older adults outnumber children is on the rise, especially in sparsely populated areas." The U.S. Census Bureau publishes data on a regular basis, with the next update due in December. Related Articles Here's Why Tech Enthusiasts Are Embracing 'Dumb' Phones and Digital DetoxesFlorida's Population Makes Major ShiftMap Reveals Fastest-Growing Cities Across USScientists Reveal Alarming Climate Future Awaiting Gen Z: 'Unprecedented Exposure' 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Medscape
2 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Higher Stroke Risk Decades After Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes
A significant risk for stroke was found up to 46 years after delivery in a third of women who'd had any of five adverse pregnancy outcomes, according to a large national cohort study. An international team of investigators discovered that compared with women who'd had no adverse pregnancy outcomes, those who'd experienced preterm delivery, delivery of an infant small for gestational age, preeclampsia, other hypertensive disorders, or gestational diabetes, still faced a 1.2- to 2.5-fold greater risk for stroke anywhere from 30 to 46 years after delivery. The results were published in the European Heart Journal . 'Women with adverse pregnancy outcomes need early preventive actions and long-term follow-up to reduce their lifelong risk of stroke,' wrote the investigators led by Casey Crump, MD, PhD, MS, MPH, an epidemiologist in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine and Epidemiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston. About a third of all women in their reproductive years experience an adverse pregnancy outcome, according to experts. Meanwhile, stroke is the third leading cause of death worldwide, with women bearing the brunt of the disease. To determine which adverse pregnancy outcomes are associated with the highest risk for stroke in women, Crump and his co-investigators examined data on 2,201,393 women who gave birth to a singleton between 1973 and 2015 in Sweden. The cohort was followed up for stroke through 2018. Cox regression was used to determine hazard ratios (HRs) for stroke associated with each of the five adverse outcomes and was adjusted for other maternal factors such as age, BMI, and smoking history. Crump and colleagues found that in 48 million person-years of follow-up, 667,774 (30%) women experienced an adverse pregnancy outcome and 35,824 (1.6%) women were diagnosed with any form of stroke, including ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke with all its major subtypes such as intracerebral hemorrhage and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. All five adverse pregnancy outcomes were independently associated with long-term increased risks of stroke. With up to 46 years of follow-up, the highest adjusted HR for stroke was associated with gestational diabetes at 1.86 (95% CI, 1.69-2.04). For hypertensive disorders other than preeclampsia, the HR was 1.82 (95% CI, 1.67-1.98). For preterm delivery it was 1.40 (95% CI, 1.36-1.45) and for preeclampsia, the HR was 1.36 (95% CI, 1.31-1.41). In deliveries with the infant being small for gestational age, the HR was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.22-1.29). All HRs remained significantly elevated (1.2- to 2.5-fold) even 30-46 years after delivery. The adjusted HRs for associated stroke were highest in the first 10 years after delivery in hypertensive disorders other than preeclampsia, preterm delivery, and small for gestational age. However, the adjusted HRs associated with gestational diabetes, largely mediated by type 2 diabetes, increased with additional follow-up time between 30 and 46 years (2.51; 95% CI 2.15-2.93). Genetics and common familial factors only partially explained the stroke risks. The investigators conducted co-sibling analyses for potential confounding by shared genetic or environmental factors such as air pollution or passive smoking in 1,191,316 (54%) women in the cohort who had at least one full sister who also had a singleton delivery, regardless of adverse outcome status. Psychological factors could also be at play in the sustained elevated stroke risk, according to Abbi D. Lane, PhD, an assistant professor of applied exercise science at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, Ann Arbor, Michigan, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study. 'Not only does the complicated pregnancy/birth itself cause stress, but the psychological and/or medical sequelae of the adverse pregnancy outcome can last for months or years,' Lane wrote. Referencing the 2017 INTERSTROKE Study of population level risks for stroke, Lane noted that the population-attributable risk associated in women with psychosocial stress (15.0%; 95% CI 8.5%-25.2%), which was measured using questions about work and home stress, life events, and depression, was similar to that associated with poor diet (22.9%; 95% CI 15.3%-32.7%), cardiac causes (11.1%; 95% CI 9.4%-12.9%), and smoking (5.3%; 95% CI% 3.7%-7.6%). 'Babies born after an adverse pregnancy outcome are more likely to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit,' she wrote. '[They] are more likely to have short- or longer- term medical complications and to be diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders. Managing medical and neurodevelopmental disorders can lead to months or years of emotional, logistical, and financial strain for parents.' The INTERSTROKE study's finding that strokes are 90% preventable, plus this study's finding that a third of women with adverse pregnancy outcomes have an elevated risk for stroke, requires preemptive action, according to Lane. 'Delivery methods for any postpartum intervention could include home-based or virtual sessions to reduce child care or travel burden, and improve feasibility,' she wrote. Another expert said the study also provides opportunities for treating patients at risk for stroke. 'This study adds to our clinical practice by emphasizing the need to acknowledge sex-specific risk factors and their impact on stroke risk while actively improving their current modifiable risk factors with individualized care,' Lily Dastmalchi, DO, told Medscape Medical News . Dastmalchi is a cardiologist at the Inova Health System in greater Washington, DC.
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
NBA draft: NFL draft lottery could be fun but unlikely for 3 reasons
Seriously, consider the mayhem - in sports bars, on the internet and social media, within league circles - if the Dallas Cowboys had another good-but-not-great season in 2025 yet subsequently learned they'd won the NFL's first draft lottery and secured first dibs on University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning, the next presumed prince from the league's most royal bloodline, in 2026. The debates would rage for weeks. Should Dallas keep the pick or try to trade it for a Herschel Walker-level return? What might they do with incumbent quarterback Dak Prescott? Would Manning's grandfather, Archie, even allow it to transpire? Or might he try to steer Arch to, say, the hometown New Orleans Saints two decades after ensuring his son, Eli, would never play a down for the then-San Diego Chargers? And was this whole thing completely rigged? The NFL media corps would just instantly redline into complete overdrive. Naturally, such a tectonic outcome would presume a seismic change - geology is neat, folks - to the traditional mechanics of the NFL draft, which I've tried to toy with before. Presently, the 18 teams who fail to make the playoffs in a given season are slotted atop the draft order, the club with the worst record picking first and the one with the most wins parked in the 18th spot (strength of schedule breaks ties). The current system is sensible but does have flaws. Just reference Week 18 of last season, when the Buffalo Bills, locked in as the second seed of the AFC playoff field, all but threw a game in Foxborough to a New England Patriots squad that entered the weekend with a 3-13 record and spent most of the day playing rookie QB Joe Milton in his NFL debut. Yet the Pats won a getaway game for both clubs 23-16 ... and instead of picking first in the 2025 draft, they slid to fourth. Remember the 2011 Indianapolis Colts? A franchise coming off nine consecutive playoff appearances didn't have injured quarterback Peyton Manning that season - inarguably a devastating setback ... and apparently enough to suddenly render Indy the worst team in the league, one rewarded with the opportunity to draft Andrew Luck in 2012 and replace Manning permanently (for all the good it did). I'm not accusing those Colts of anything, just pointing out the remarkable circumstances surrounding what was otherwise a dominant operation - apparently predicated on one singularly sublime player. Adding some type of lottery mechanism to the NFL draft could neutralize any appearance of chicanery between the lines - not to mention the likelihood of yet another layer of explosive interest during the weeks and months following the Super Bowl. "It's a really interesting idea," Mike Tannenbaum, an ESPN analyst who was formerly the general manager of the New York Jets and later the executive vice president of football operations for the Miami Dolphins, told USA TODAY Sports. "From a fan perspective, it's a lot of fun - it would make for really fun offseason conversations." Yes, Mike, that's virtually irrefutable - from the occasional chaos that would ensue after a lottery, to the likelihood more players and picks would be traded. Yet the chance it comes to fruition seems rather remote, particularly in a league typically open to incremental changes but rarely massive ones, and here are three reasons why: Tanking doesn't seem to be an NFL problem The NBA implemented its lottery in 1985 to curb the notion its teams were purposefully losing games in order to position themselves for top draft picks and prospects. However tanking rarely arises as a concern in the NFL, and the reasons are multiple. ? NFL players rarely last more than four seasons. Good luck asking one to put a bad year on film - effectively any player's football resume. ? Putting five substandard players on a hardcourt, especially in a game so reliant on superstars, is going to lead to poor results in basketball. It's near impossible for an NFL team to field 22 bad players simultaneously, aside from any necessary coordination they'd need to lose intentionally. ? Tanking in the NFL would almost unquestionably have to be an organizational decision - and one that would undermine any coaching staff and/or front office trying to imbue or maintain a winning culture. Not only that, football coaches rarely survive 3-14 seasons that result in premier draft picks. The Arizona Cardinals fired Steve Wilks after one season - he went 3-13 - before drafting Kyler Murray No. 1 in 2019. In their lone season under Lovie Smith, the Houston Texans won a seemingly meaningless regular-season finale in Indianapolis 32-31 with a touchdown and two-point conversion in the final minute - no tanking there - which cost them the No. 1 pick and Smith his job. (Houston still wound up with QB C.J. Stroud in the 2023 draft.) The Chicago Bears took Caleb Williams as the apparent prize of the 2024 draft, yet coach Matt Eberflus didn't even survive Williams' rookie season. ? If tanking means playing less than your best, then ask any football player about one of the likeliest ways to get injured. He'll probably tell you the risk is inversely proportional to the effort expended - it's among the reasons why most veterans don't want to go through the motions and play half-speed in preseason contests. ? Even if NFL teams could successfully lose as a means to an end, think about the players many fan bases in recent years have urged their teams to tank for: Reggie Bush, Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa, Luck and Williams, among others. Bush helped the Saints win a Super Bowl, but he was hardly the second coming of Gale Sayers. Luck's promising career was scuttled by injuries while the man he perhaps should have never replaced, Peyton Manning, led the Denver Broncos to two Super Bowls. Lawrence, Tagovailoa and Williams are all in the early stages of their careers, but you'd mistake none of them for John Elway. And did anyone ever suggest tanking for Joe Montana or Tom Brady or even Patrick Mahomes? Football is ... just different. "I was part of the National Football League for almost 30 years," former Oakland Raiders CEO Amy Trask, now an analyst for CBS Sports, told USA TODAY Sports. "In all those years, I never ever knew, knew of or observed any player who had any interest whatsoever in tanking. Never, ever, ever. "Players in the National Football League take the field to win. And irrespective of any discussions that are going on in the ether, they step on that field, and they play to win. I don't think anyone should be concerned about that in the NFL." Go back to Week 17 of last season, when the seemingly lifeless New York Giants beat the heavily favored Colts 45-33 - Indianapolis was chasing a wild-card berth but had no answers for Giants backup Drew Lock, who threw four touchdown passes. Eventually, the Colts would barely miss the postseason. Meanwhile, the win directly cost the Giants the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft. "There's too many variables in our sport," says Tannenbaum. "Teams are going to be competitive. Backup players that get chances - that opportunity could (extend) their career." Parity is paramount in the NFL The league loves the notion that almost every season begins with nearly every fan base believing their team has a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl - and those hopes are elevated by the fact that teams routinely go from last place to first year over year while the playoff field annually undergoes significant changes. "The league is designed on the concept of parity," says Trask. "If you institute something of this nature (a lottery), you've got to factor in the prioritization of parity." And a lottery would undoubtedly interject an X factor that would upset that. Despite last season's controversial trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks - with Flagg aboard and assuming injuries don't derail them again - will very likely contend for another NBA championship next season. It takes you back to when the Orlando Magic Powerballed the 1993 lottery, the year after they won the Shaquille O'Neal sweepstakes, and thrust their championship window wide open. Giving a solid team like the Cowboys the opportunity to draft a prospect like Arch Manning - or the ability to incite a bidding war for him - could certainly upset the competitive balance the NFL strives so hard to maintain. "I don't think we'll ever see it is my sense," Tannenbaum says of an NFL lottery, noting it would take the approval of 75% of the league's ownership to initiate. "I don't think the owners would ever want to see the team that just lost out on making the playoffs getting the franchise quarterback. Like, the hope of the NFL world is if you have a terrible season, you're lined up and ready to get Andrew Luck, Trevor Lawrence, whomever." Transparency beats conspiracy The Giants and Patriots knew what was at stake last season, when their late-season victories ultimately damaged their draft positions. So did everyone else given the top of the draft order evolves for all to see over the final weeks of the season. And maybe that's the way it should be. Ever since the first NBA draft lottery in 1985, when the New York Knicks won that year's grand prize (Georgetown center Patrick Ewing), the league has been routinely accused of fishy outcomes. Even James, the No. 1 pick in 2003 - yes, that was the year the Akron, Ohio, wunderkind was drafted by his local team, the Cleveland Cavaliers - was one of many NBA players this year hinting at a conspiracy theory after his year's lottery, when highly touted Flagg, who made a name for himself in practices against Team USA's 2024 Olympics squad, fell into the Mavs' laps. ???????????????????????????????????? — LeBron James (@KingJames) May 12, 2025 I mean come on man ???????????? — Kevin Love (@kevinlove) May 12, 2025 Mavericks CEO Rick Welts from draft lottery: "I'm the only person who was in this room and the room 40 years ago. I was in charge of the NBA draft lottery 40 years ago when Patrick Ewing won. I've been doing conspiracy theory stories ever since. This is very surreal, personally." — Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 12, 2025 If Arch Manning does indeed blossom into the franchise-changing prospect many forecast him to be and defines the 2026 or '27 NFL draft, it's probably for the best that the preceding season effectively determines his destination. Because even though the NFL would surely strive to be at least as aboveboard as the NBA has always claimed to be with its lottery security, many would cry foul regardless - whether Manning went to the Cowboys, or one of his uncles' teams, or the Saints, or maybe most deliciously, the Chargers, whose fans are owed a Manning more than two decades after being snubbed by Archie and Eli. And just imagine if the announcement came as the capstone of, say, the annual scouting combine, when so many casual fans have had their first look at that year's draft market. "There are certainly positives associated with doing (a lottery)," admits Trask. "It would just enlarge the conversation." Alas, for now, an NFL draft lottery is probably a solution in search of a problem. All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Kansas City Chiefs 90-man roster by jersey number: No. 12, TE Jared Wiley
The Kansas City Chiefs selected tight end Jared Wiley with the No. 131 pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft. A native of Temple, Texas, Wiley began his collegiate career at the University of Texas and played for the Longhorns from 2019 through 2021. In 2022, he transferred to Texas Christian University, where he finished his college career with the Horned Frogs. Wiley earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2023 and was expected to push for a modest role as a rotational pass-catcher in Kansas City's offense before suffering a torn ACL that prematurely ended his rookie season. What jersey number does Jared Wiley wear? Jared Wiley currently wears the No. 12 jersey for the Kansas City Chiefs. How much money will Jared Wiley make in 2025? According to Wiley will receive a base salary of $960,000 in addition to a prorated signing bonus of $172,155 next season. His total cap number will be $1,132,155 in 2025. Top Jared Wiley highlight The TE with the most TDs in college football this past season? Jared Wiley 🔥
