The Problem With an As-Seen-on-TV Brain Supplement

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Hi, everyone. It's Damian in New York, where my habit of watching Jeopardy! led me down the rabbit hole of a frequently advertised brain supplement. But first ...
You've probably seen the commercials for Prevagen memory support capsules. Acoustic guitars underscore a relatable retiree explaining how, as the years go by, it was much harder to remember things.

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Forbes

8 minutes ago

• Forbes

Why Smoking Is Making A Comeback — And What It Means For Your Health

Gen Z is picking up where past generations left off—with a cigarette in hand. A cigarette lit on screen once symbolized noir, danger and cool detachment — think Bogart or David Lynch. Then came the lawsuits, anti-smoking campaigns, bans and the rise of vaping. For a while, it seemed America had finally kicked the habit. But now, a smoking comeback is underway. Zendaya lights up in 'Euphoria'; Jacob Elordi does the same in 'Saltburn.' Celebrities like Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, Timothée Chalamet and Anya Taylor-Joy have been spotted puffing away, becoming modern-day "cigfluencers." In 2020, cigarette sales rose for the first time in decades — though still far below the 1981 peak of 636.5 billion. Even among teens, nicotine use is shifting from vapes back to traditional cigarettes. A recent report by Truth Initiative found that tobacco depictions in top films have increased for the first time since tracking began in 2002. So what can we do? From Trend to Relapse We've been here before. In the early 20th century, cigarette smoking was glamorized in Hollywood, normalized by doctors and deeply embedded in American life. By the 1960s, nearly half of U.S. adults smoked. Then came the fallout: emphysema, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer. The medical evidence caught up with the image. Public health campaigns, warning labels, advertising bans and billions in legal settlements helped turn the tide. Not to mention, the astronomical price for a pack of cigarettes and the fact that there's no longer any places to smoke in public. The 2020 Surgeon General's report marked a historic milestone: adult cigarette smoking in the U.S. had fallen to just 14% — the lowest rate ever recorded. It was one of the greatest public health wins of the modern era. But smoking never truly disappeared. It shape-shifted. First into cigars and hookahs, then into sleek USB-like vape devices. Vaping was marketed as a safer alternative — a harm-reduction strategy. But the reality is more complicated. Juul didn't kill the cigarette. It trained a new generation to inhale nicotine. Now, we're seeing a strange reversal: from vape to smoke. From digital detox to vintage, Instagrammable vice. And once again, public health is playing catch-up to pop culture. A Healthcare Advisor's Take: Why This Matters Now In my work advising families, executives and individuals navigating complex health decisions, I've learned one truth: the greatest threats aren't the ones making headlines. They're the silent resurgences — the risks we assumed were relegated to history. Like measles. For over 20 years, we nearly eradicated it. Vaccines turned a once-common childhood illness into a relic. But now, declining vaccination rates and global travel have breathed life back into this preventable disease. Outbreaks are flaring in communities we thought were protected. Same goes for whooping cough. The resurgence of smoking may look like an edgy accessory for Gen Z. But it has real consequences, especially for anyone with a family history of heart or lung disease. What makes this moment so dangerous is the normalization. When something taboo gets rebranded as a choice — even a form of rebellion — it catches many with their guard down. People start saying things like: 'I'm just a social smoker.' 'At least it's not vaping.' 'I don't inhale.' These are the same rationalizations we heard in the 1980s. We already know where they lead. Why the Anti-Smoking Playbook of the '90s Worked — and Why It's Not Enough Now Remember those visceral commercials from the Truth Initiative? Or the public testimonies from people with tracheostomies begging kids not to smoke? Those campaigns worked because they made the consequences impossible to ignore. They also had something else: funding, legislation and social momentum. Today, the cultural winds are different. Social media algorithms reward aesthetics, not public health. TikTok doesn't run public service announcements. And with vaping muddying the waters, many young people don't even understand what they're inhaling — or how much. ​​Legislating Against the Cigarette Comeback Even as smoking regains cultural cachet, some states are pushing back with unprecedented measures. Nevada could soon make history by becoming the first U.S. state to outlaw cigarette sales to entire generations. A proposed law (AB 279) would permanently ban sales to anyone born after 2004 — a rising age restriction designed to phase out cigarettes entirely. What's Actually in a Cigarette For all the romanticization, cigarettes remain one of the deadliest consumer products ever marketed. A single cigarette contains more than 7,000 chemicals — 69 of which are known to cause cancer. Smoking contributes to 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S. each year. And it doesn't just affect the lungs. The one question I'll guarantee your doctor will ask for your next annual checkup is this: do you smoke? Smoking increases your risk of: It also accelerates aging, damages skin elasticity and reduces stamina — none of which pairs particularly well with the image of glamour it's trying to recapture. So Why Is Gen Z Smoking? There's no one answer. But here are a few forces at play: So What Can You Do? If you're a parent, provider or simply trying to keep yourself on a healthier path, here's what I advise: In healthcare, it's easy to focus only on diagnoses and prescriptions. But as advisors, we have to stay attuned to the cultural cues — the smoke signals — that precede behavior. When the smoking comeback starts trending again, it's not just an aesthetic choice. It's a public health flare. And if we don't speak up early, we may find ourselves fighting an old war with new casualties. So the next time someone says, 'It's just one,' don't ignore it. Intervene with empathy, context, and truth. Because this time, we know better.

Health Line

12 minutes ago

• Health Line

GLP-1 Weight Loss Results Not as Effective in Everyday Life, Study Finds

Researchers report that people taking GLP-1 drugs in daily life don't lose as much weight as those in clinical trials who take the same medications. The researchers add that people using weight loss drugs don't regain weight as quickly as those in clinical trials. One possible reason for the weight loss differential is that people in the 'real world' tend to stop taking these medications sooner than people in clinical trials. People who use commonly prescribed weight loss medications don't lose as much weight as participants in clinical trials, but they also don't regain weight as quickly. That's the conclusion of a new study published on June 10 in the journal Obesity. The study authors reported that the weight loss differential was mainly due to the fact that people tend to stop using GLP-1 drugs sooner than clinical trial participants. They also tend to use lower doses of these medications. The researchers also reported that A1C blood level reductions were similar for both groups of people. The researchers noted that they will initiate further research into what other measures, such as lifestyle changes or bariatric surgery, people may have adopted after discontinuing weight loss medications such as Wegovy and Zepbound. The researchers also want to look into why people stopped using weight loss drugs before their program regimen ended. 'Our findings indicate that treatment discontinuation and use of lower maintenance dosages might reduce the likelihood of achieving clinically meaningful weight reduction in patients who initiate obesity pharmacotherapy with semaglutide or tirzepatide,' the study authors wrote. 'Our findings could inform the decisions of healthcare providers and their patients on the role of treatment discontinuation and maintenance dosage in achieving clinically meaningful weight loss,' they added. 'Real world' use of weight loss medications For their study, researchers looked at the health records of 7,881 adults with obesity or weight management issues who did not have type 2 diabetes. Those people were seen between 2021 and 2023 at the Cleveland Clinic's facilities in Ohio and Florida. Their average age was about 51 years. Nearly 80% of the subjects were white. Of those participants, 6,109 were prescribed a weight loss medication such as Wegovy with the active ingredient semaglutide. The other 1,772 were prescribed a weight loss drug, such as Zepbound, with the active ingredient tirzepatide. About 80% of those subjects were given low doses of their weekly injectable weight loss medications. Researchers reported significant differences between people using weight loss medications in phase 3 clinical trials and those taking the drugs in the 'real world.' For starters, about half of those taking either medication in daily life stopped within the first 12 months. About 51% of those using a tirzepatide drug discontinued its use in that same time period. That compares with only 17% of semaglutide users and between 14% and 16% of tirzepatide users in clinical trials who quit during the first year. In addition, the average weight reduction for semaglutide participants in daily life was nearly 8% after one year while it was 12% for people taking tirzepatide. By comparison, the average weight loss in clinical trials was nearly 15% for semaglutide subjects as well as 15% for people on low dose tirzepatide and 20% for those on a higher dose of that medication. In general, weight loss was greater in people who took weight loss medications for a longer period of time. In addition, about 54% of people who had prediabetes at the start of their treatment plan improved to healthier A1C levels after one year. Around 3% of those studied progressed to type 2 diabetes after 12 months. Weight loss is a long-term commitment Mir Ali, MD, a surgeon and bariatric surgeon as well as the medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in California, said the main takeaway from this study is that weight loss is a long-term commitment. Ali wasn't involved in the new study. 'The long-term use of medications is more effective than short-term use,' Ali told Healthline. 'The study confirms that obesity is a chronic condition like diabetes or hypertension.' Sarah Kim, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, noted that discontinuing medication is common for people being treated for obesity and other conditions. Kim was likewise not involved in the new study. Kim added that adherence to medication schedules as well as diet and exercise programs isn't as easy in real life because people don't have the supervision and support a person gets during a clinical trial. 'Real life is different and results aren't always as spectacular as in clinical trials,' Kim told Healthline. Kim and Ali agreed that another reason people stop taking medications is that these drugs can be expensive, even if insurance is picking up part of the cost. There is also the fact that the side effects from these medications can be severe for some people. Plus, people in real life sometimes just get tired of the obligation of taking a pill or injecting themselves on a regular basis. Ali and Kim also noted that people need to realize that medications are only a tool to help them eat less. To lose weight and keep it off, a person needs to adopt lifestyle habits such as a healthy diet and regular exercise. 'The medications are not a short-term kickstart. They don't burn fat,' said Kim. 'The medications just help with the suppression of hunger.' 'The ultimate goal of the medications is to give people a tool to get them to a healthy weight,' Ali added. What to know about GLP-1 drug for weight loss Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) work by mimicking a hormone in the body that helps regulate blood sugar levels and reduces hunger pangs. One class of the newer GLP-1 medications uses the active ingredient semaglutide. They are sold under different brand names. Ozempic and Rybelsus have been approved to treat type 2 diabetes. Wegovy is approved for use in weight management. Semaglutide drugs are available as both oral tablets and injections. The other newer group uses the active ingredient tirzepatide. Mounjaro is approved to treat type 2 diabetes. Zepbound is approved for use in weight management. These medications are available only as injections. Previous studies have highlighted the effectiveness of these drugs on helping people lose weight. Past research has also indicated that these weight loss drugs can help lower a person's risk of cancer as well as provide benefits to heart health and brain health. Experts say the medications have proven to be effective and their use is likely to increase. 'This is a massive market and it's not going to go away,' Ali said. 'These medications are going to continue to be a big part of weight loss programs.'

CNN

16 minutes ago

• CNN

Jewish GOP Congressman says he was ‘run off the road'

Jewish GOP Congressman says he was 'run off the road' GOP Rep. Max Miller said he was 'run off the road' on his way to work in Ohio by an individual who yelled "Death to Israel" and had a Palestinian flag. 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Kennedy Jr. 01:02 - Source: CNN IAEA chief says report on Iran's nuclear program 'not new' CNN's Anderson Cooper speaks with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi about the watchdog agency's report findings cited in part by Israeli authorities for its attacks on Iran. 03:24 - Source: CNN Scores killed in Gaza in latest Israeli strikes Israeli strikes in Gaza killed more than 70 people on Thursday, with multiple children dying. 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