Medical Notes: Week of November 3, 2019

Medical notes this week… A growing number of young adults have substance use disorders. In fact, many have more than one. A study in the Journal of American College Health shows that about 40% of college-age Americans have been dealing with a substance abuse/use disorder in the last year, and about 15% have more than one. Even on college campuses, where help is available, few seek treatment, and researchers say only one in 100 is able to stop using. People with multiple sclerosis often suffer from crushing fatigue. But a new study shows that following a specific diet could help alleviate it. The study in the journal PLoS One shows that the so-called "Wahls Diet" drives up good cholesterol, which appears to east fatigue in MS patients. The Wahls diet excludes gluten, dairy and eggs, and is high in fruits, vegetables, meat, and plant protein. And finally, women who are trying to get pregnant often stop drinking, but a new study suggests men should stop drinking, too. The study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology shows that drinking among women pre-pregnancy raises the risk of congenital heart disease by 16%. But men who drink alcohol in the three months before conception increase the risk of heart disease in their offspring by 44%.