One factor in cardiac deaths has tripled over 20 years — and more

For Monday, Sept. 18, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including:

Obesity as a factor in cardiac deaths triples

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, tracked deaths from 1999 to 2022. 

Black Americans were impacted more than any other group with Black women having a slightly higher mortality rate than Black men. 

Researchers also found that Ischemic heart disease, where the arteries narrow and high blood pressure were the most common causes of obesity-related deaths. 

Researchers found that the increase in obesity related deaths contrasted with a steady decline in heart disease deaths overall. 

Forever chemicals linked to cancer in women

A new study reveals a link between women with cancer and exposure to endocrine-disrupting substances like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and bisphenol A (BPA), which are also known as forever chemicals.

They are used in thousands of household products and can last for decades in the environment… And stay in the human body for years. 

The study, published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, showed that women who developed breast, ovary, skin and uterine cancers had significantly higher levels of forever chemicals in their bodies. 

Researchers did not find similar associations between the chemicals and men. 

Breakthrough ins study of preeclampsia

There’s been a breakthrough in identifying the primary cause and potential treatment for preeclampsia.  

The severe form of high blood pressure is a leading cause of disability and death among childbearing women.  

Researchers at the University of Western Ontario pinpointed a toxic protein in preeclampsia patients’ blood and placenta. They believe an antibody discovered in 2012 can help.  

The antibody targets the toxic protein while leaving its healthy counterpart unscathed.  

It’s undergoing clinical trials in humans with traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease.