Current Events in May 2021

A week ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed its mask guidance and set off confusion in corporate America.

When the CDC said fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear a mask in most settings, some retailers like Walmart and Costco immediately embraced the move. Others, such as Target and Kroger, maintained their requirement to wear a mask while in their stores.

Target dropped its mask mandate for fully vaccinated people earlier this week, and, effective today, Kroger is doing the same. In an update to its mask policy, the supermarket chain said it is seeking to balance “safety and respect.”

“Starting May 20, fully vaccinated customers and most fully vaccinated associates no longer need to wear a mask in our facilities, including stores, distribution centers, plants, and offices, unless otherwise required by state or local jurisdiction. If there is a state or local mandate, we will adhere to that requirement and its timeline,” the company said in a statement.

Associates who are not fully vaccinated will still be required to wear a mask while in the store. Employees working in pharmacy and clinic locations within the stores will also continue to wear masks whether they are vaccinated or not, a policy similar to Costco’s.

“We request that non-vaccinated customers continue to wear a mask and we will continue to respect the choice of individuals who prefer to continue to wear a mask,” the company said.

Follows Target and CVS

On Monday, Target issued an updated policy saying shoppers who are fully vaccinated will not be required to wear a mask while in the store. 

“Face coverings will continue to be strongly recommended for guests and team members who are not fully vaccinated and we’ll continue our increased safety and cleaning measures, including social distancing, throughout our stores,” the company said.

Also this week, CVSdropped its mask mandate and cited the CDC’s latest guidance.

While more retailers appear to be following the agency’s lead, all stores that have dropped their mask requirements have issued a strong caveat. If a store is located in a state or jurisdiction that still has mask mandates in place, then shoppers and employees in those stores must still wear face coverings.

Microsoft has announced that it will officially end support for its Internet Explorer browser next June. The company is encouraging users to switch to its newer browser, Microsoft Edge. 

In a blog post on Wednesday, Microsoft highlighted the myriad benefits of transitioning to Microsoft Edge. Those benefits include enhanced security, speed, and compatibility with a greater range of websites. 

"The future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge," the company said. "Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications."

The tech giant noted that Microsoft Edge has Internet Explorer mode (“IE mode”) built in, so users will still be able to access Explorer-based websites and apps from the newer browser. That said, Microsoft said it’s officially pulling the browser out of service next summer. 

“With Microsoft Edge capable of assuming this responsibility and more, the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10,” the company wrote. 

Upgrading is easy

Microsoft has been moving closer to making this announcement for some time. Last year, Microsoft said its Microsoft 365 apps suite would no longer support Internet Explorer 11 as of August 17, 2021. The company touted the various benefits of switching to Edge and said users would “get the most out of Microsoft 365” by switching to its newer browser. 

The company said it’s committed to helping make the transition to Edge “as smooth as possible.” In its Wednesday blog post, Microsoft said users will find that it’s easy to move all of their passwords and data over to the new browser.  

“We’ve also aimed to make the upgrade to Microsoft Edge simple. Once you’ve opted in to moving to Microsoft Edge, it’s easy to bring over your passwords, favorites and other browsing data from Internet Explorer in a few clicks,” the company said. “And if you run into a site that needs Internet Explorer to open, Microsoft Edge has Internet Explorer mode built-in so you can still access it.”

Chicken products were a hot commodity early on in the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers favored it so much that it created shortages and caused prices to skyrocket. Unfortunately, some of those problems still exist, but the reason for it is different. Now, a labor shortage is causing turmoil in the industry. 

Chicken processors in Georgia — where more poultry is produced than anywhere else in the U.S. — say they’re having trouble finding workers. That’s leading to inventory problems and higher prices at the meat counter. 

A report from Foodmarket.com describes an instance at the Wayne Farms chicken processing facility in Pendergrass, Georgia. The company said it had 200 openings on its production line earlier this month that it had to fill to keep up with demand, but fewer than five people applied. Wayne Farms said it’s having the same bad luck at nine of its other operations, with about one in four production positions begging for a worker. 

Another Georgia chicken processor, Fieldale Farms, said it is 1,000 workers shy of having a full complement. “We have 3,700. We should have 4,700. It’s the worst it’s ever been,” said Tom Hensley, the company’s president.

Unemployment supplement change may bring back workers

Processing chicken is not an easy gig to begin with. Workers have to stand to do their job, carve up more than 100 birds per minute, plus do it in 40-degree temperatures just to keep the meat fresh. Given a choice between that and a $300 pandemic unemployment check, many workers are simply staying at home.

Those conditions may be changing soon, though. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced that he’s putting a stop to the $300 weekly federal supplements for unemployed workers effective June 26. Georgia’s Labor Commissioner Mark Butler doubled down on that position, saying that the state’s 200,000+ jobless benefit recipients will have to prove they’re actually applying for jobs — a stipulation that was suspended during the pandemic.

In the meantime, chicken prices are going up

The imperfect storm of having fewer workers and fast-food chains going all-in on chicken is starting to cause problems for consumers.

According to YCharts, the current wholesale price for chicken is $2.26, up from $1.89 last month and $1.27 a year ago. That’s a jump of over 20% from April and more than 78% from one year ago. Prices for wings have made the highest leap. They recently set a record at $2.92 a pound, 180% higher than what they were before the pandemic.

While no fast-food company has said it’s raising prices on chicken products yet, they’re also wrestling with having to pay more for chicken meat. “We are just absorbing that for now and plugging away,” said Executive Chef Brian Morris at Nashville hot chicken chain Hattie B’s.

Internet service provider Frontier Communications had been hit with a one-two punch from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the law enforcement agencies of six states. 

The FTC, Arizona, California, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin have collectively sued Frontier for not delivering internet service at the speeds it advertised.

The company currently provides residential DSL internet service to approximately 1.3 million consumers across 25 states. The FTC says Frontier promoted various internet tiers to consumers using a variety of methods -- including mail and online ads -- and sold them to consumers both online and over the phone. 

The complaints piled up

Dating back to January 2015, the FTC said its complaints desk has been piling up with thousands of consumers complaining about Frontier’s failure to make good on its internet speed pitches. At the top of the list were complaints that things requiring larger transfers of data, such as streaming video and gaming, were impossible when they shouldn’t have been. Many customers complained that the speeds were so slow that they couldn’t even perform typical online activities that should have been possible at the speed tiers Frontier had sold to them.

People also raised plenty of red flags in ConsumerAffairs reviews.

“The slowest high speed internet on the planet. But that doesn't deter Frontier from charging me 110 dollars a month for phone I don't need (can't get internet without it) and internet speed of .4 mps. A call is usually 30 mins or way more. Stay away if you can. Unhappy in Arizona,” said Robert of Yucca, Arizona. 

Another reviewer in Tennessee pointed out that he lives in a rural area and that Frontier is his only option for internet service. Of course, that makes dealing with service problems much more difficult. While it may be a bitter pill to swallow right now, the Federal Communications Commission is currently working to close the digital divide in rural America.

To ensure optimal protection against COVID-19 and its variants, Dr. Anthony Fauci says those who have been vaccinated will likely need another round of shots within a year or so. 

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said a booster COVID-19 vaccine may be needed as early as this fall for those who got vaccinated early on. 

"We know that the vaccine durability of the efficacy lasts at least six months, and likely considerably more, but I think we will almost certainly require a booster sometime within a year or so after getting the primary," Fauci said.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said his company hasn’t yet finished its trials on a booster vaccine, but that data from the trial should be publicly available in the next few months. 

"I believe in one, two months we will have enough data to speak about it with much higher scientific certainty," Bourla said.

Fauci added that vaccines specifically targeting different variants of the virus may not be needed if people keep getting booster doses against the “wild type,” or the non-mutated strain of the virus.

"Instead of having to play whack-a-mole with each individual variant and develop a booster that's variant-specific, it is likely that you could just keep boosting against the wild type, and wind up getting a good enough response that you wouldn't have to worry about the variants," he said.

Could require yearly shots

Experts now believe the coronavirus could end up requiring seasonal mitigation efforts, similar to the flu. The flu requires a new vaccination every year because it mutates and doesn’t provide protection for more than a year. 

Boula said, for example, that people who got their second shot of Pfizer’s vaccine at the end of last year may need a booster by this fall. 

"If they got their second shot eight months ago, they may need a third one," Bourla said, adding that booster shots could be coming between September and October of this year. But it’s ultimately up to the FDA to decide what to recommend and approve,” he noted.  

A new study conducted by researchers from Kobe University is highlighting a popular belief about the muscle recovery process that may not actually be true. 

While some people may reach for an ice pack when they have sore muscles, researchers say doing so could actually prolong the recovery process. The team explained that putting ice on injured muscles actually makes it harder for the muscle to fully heal, which can increase the time consumers spend in pain. 

How does icing impact recovery?

For the study, the researchers analyzed how icing impacts the muscle recovery process in mice. The team mimicked severe muscle strain injuries in the mice, and half of the subjects were given ice for their recovery. The ice treatments were administered three times a day for 30 minutes at a time for two days following the injury. The researchers analyzed how well the muscles healed in both groups two weeks after getting hurt. 

Following a muscle injury, the goal is for the muscle to regenerate so the body can heal. This study showed that the group receiving ice for their injuries had fewer regenerated muscle fibers compared to the group that didn’t ice the injury. 

For the muscle to fully heal, pro-inflammatory cells work to rid the body of damaged cells and rebuild new muscle fibers. By icing the muscle, the researchers say it made it more difficult for these pro-inflammatory cells to do their job and initiate the recovery process, which is what slowed down the healing for the mice in the study. 

While many consumers think that icing an injury will help bring down inflammation, the researchers explained that some inflammation is necessary for the body to go through the proper healing process and rebuild a healthy muscle. 

Moving forward, the team hopes that more consumers understand the potential long-term impacts of icing muscle injuries. They also explained that ice shouldn’t be avoided in every scenario because it can be beneficial with certain injuries. The group plans to do more work to better understand when ice is helpful versus when it’s harmful.

Recent studies have highlighted the ways that a Western diet -- one that contains large amounts of fats and sugars -- can negatively impact consumers’ health. Now, experts from Washington University School of Medicine have explored the ways that this type of diet can negatively affect gut inflammation. 

According to the researchers, a Western diet may make consumers more susceptible to intestinal infections and increase the likelihood of gut inflammation and inflammatory bowel disease. 

“Inflammatory bowel disease has historically been a problem primarily in Western countries such as the U.S., but it’s becoming more common globally as more and more people adopt Western lifestyles,” said researcher Dr. Ta-Chiant Lu. “Our research showed that long-term consumption of a Western-style diet high in fat and sugar impairs the function of immune cells in the gut in ways that could promote inflammatory bowel disease or increase the risk of intestinal infections.”  

Diet and its impact on gut health

The researchers conducted two studies -- one on humans and one on mice -- to determine what impact diet had on overall gut health. In both instances, the team analyzed Paneth cells, which are immune cells that regulate gut inflammation. Abnormalities in these cells typically indicate inflammatory bowel disease. 

The team enrolled 400 people in one part of the study, some of whom had gut health issues and others who did not. The study revealed that participants with high body mass indices (BMIs), which the researchers attributed to diets high in sugars and fats, were more likely to have markers of inflammatory bowel disease, including unhealthy Paneth cells. 

However, the researchers also analyzed mice and learned that it wasn’t just obesity that contributed to issues with gut health -- it also had to do with what was specifically being eaten. The team analyzed Paneth cells from mice prone to obesity, and the reports came back healthy. It wasn’t until the researchers gave the mice a traditional Western diet that their Paneth cells changed and revealed gut abnormalities. 

After four weeks on this diet, the mice were more prone to intestinal infections and inflammatory bowel disease. Following that experiment, the researchers switched the mice back to a healthier diet and the results changed. Eating less sugary and fat-dense foods improved the mice’s gut health. 

“Obesity wasn’t the problem, per se,” said Dr. Liu. “Eating too much of a healthy diet didn’t affect the Paneth cells. It was the high-fat, high-sugar diet that was the problem.” 

More research needed

The researchers say there are still questions about whether humans can change the course of their gut health by changing their diets. While adopting a healthier lifestyle certainly comes with benefits, more work needs to be done to determine the impact a change in diet can have on overall gut health. 

“This was a short-term experiment, just eight weeks,” said Dr. Liu. “In people, obesity doesn’t occur overnight or even in eight weeks. People have a suboptimal lifestyle for 20, 30 years before they become obese. It’s possible that if you have a Western diet for so long, you cross a point of no return and your Paneth cells don’t recover even if you change your diet. We’d need to do more research before we can say whether this process is reversible in people.” 

Hyundai Motor America has recalled 2 model year 2021 Santa Fe SUVs with 2.5-litre Turbo engines.

The fuel pipe connecting the high pressure fuel pump to the fuel rail may not have been tightened properly.

An insufficiently tightened fuel pipe may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.

What to do

Dealers inspected and tightened the fuel pipe connection free of charge.

The recalled vehicles have been repaired and therefore no owner notification letters will be sent.

Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at (855) 371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 206.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 32,999,741 (32,975,491)

Total U.S. deaths: 587,245 (586,598)

Total global cases: 164,348,314 (163,736,528)

Total global deaths: 3,407,240 (3,392,840)

Cases continue to decline in the U.S.

For the U.S., news about the pandemic continues to get better. There were just under 28,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported Tuesday, down from a peak of 250,000. The two-week trend is down 37%.

Among health officials, the emphasis this week has been on increasing vaccinations. While 37% of the total population has gotten the shot, the pace of vaccinations has slowed in recent weeks.

Most states are now administering doses without an appointment. Distribution points have been expanded to include churches, public transportation terminals, and other places where people gather on a regular basis.

States with high vaccination rates report fewer cases

Broken down by individual states, the decline in new cases follows a distinct pattern. A CNN analysis shows that states with the highest vaccination rates are reporting the fewest new cases.

Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Vermont all have vaccinated at least 70% of their adult populations. They’re not only reporting the fewest new cases, but hospitalizations and deaths are also sharply lower in those seven states.

Dr. William Schaffner, a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, is among the health officials who worry that concentrations of unvaccinated people in a geographic area could cause a resurgence of the virus. "Clearly if you have geographic areas that are under-immunized, the virus is going to find them,” he told the network.

The majority of college students plan to get vaccinated

Many colleges and universities have already announced that vaccinations will be mandatory for students and staff returning to campus in the fall. A survey by College Finance suggests that will be just fine with most people.

According to the survey, 88% of students said they plan to get vaccinated against the virus. Another 72% said they support the mandatory vaccination rule.

The poll also found a political breakdown when it comes to the vaccination question. Students identifying as Democrats were more likely to accept vaccinations than those identifying as Republicans.

Scientists say other vaccines may also help against COVID-19

Scientists suggest that the COVID-19 vaccines might not be the only type of vaccine to provide protection from the virus. Researchers at the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Maryland say measles, polio, and tuberculosis vaccines may also increase immunity to the virus.

These live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) may induce protective innate immunity that mitigates other infectious diseases, triggering the human body’s natural emergency response to infections including COVID-19, as well as future pandemic threats. 

“A review of epidemiological, clinical and biological evidence suggests that induction of innate immunity by existing LAVs, that is, the broadly effective vaccines, can protect against unrelated infections such as coronavirus, and could be used to control epidemics caused by emerging pathogens,” said Dr. Robert Gallo, the institute’s co-founder.

Unions reportedly unhappy with CDC mask guidance

Organized labor has been pressing the Biden administration to pass tougher workplace safety rules, and some union leaders are reportedly surprised and unhappy with the CDC’s guidance that vaccinated Americans don’t need to wear a mask. Some have told Politico that they have advocated for requiring masks in the workplace.

The administration is finalizing emergency COVID-19 workplace safety rules from OSHA, which unions expected to include a mask mandate. David Michaels, who led OSHA during the Obama administration, called it a public health 101 failure.

“By giving advice to vaccinated people, but ignoring the fact that many or most people in many settings will not be vaccinated, the CDC is causing confusion and setting back our efforts to stop this pandemic,” he told Politico.

Around the nation

• Texas: Texas was the first state to drop its mask mandate, and Gov. Greg Abbott wants to make sure the mandate doesn’t make a comeback. Abbott has signed an executive order that bars public schools and most other government entities from requiring masks. 

• Massachusetts: Gov. Charlie Baker has set June 15 as the date to end the formal state of emergency that has been in place in Massachusetts since March 10 of last year. That means any pandemic-related executive orders put in place last year will expire. Most virus-related restrictions will end Memorial Day weekend.

• Ohio: The state legislature is debating a bill that would prohibit a business or government agency from requiring vaccinations against COVID-19. “There are thousands of Ohioans that are asking for the freedom to decide to make their own medical choices,” said Rep. Jennifer Gross. “Vaccination is a medical choice.”

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documents the decline in bicycle accidents in the U.S., but it shows that adults continue to be injured at a much higher rate than children. In fact, adult deaths from bike accidents are increasing. From 2009 to 2018, nearly 597,000 bicycle-related traumatic brain injuries were treated in hospital emergency rooms (ER).

Bicycle accidents involving head injuries fell 50% among children, largely because parents required kids to wear helmets when riding. But many adults apparently failed to follow their own rules since adult head injuries fell only 6% during that time.

The research also pointed to the effectiveness of wearing bike helmets. As helmet use has increased over the years, there has been a 20%-55% reduction in head injuries.

In a separate report, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found that bike helmets that meet its minimum standards reduce the risk of head injury, including traumatic brain injuries. It said helmets absorb much of the impact energy from a fall or collision and can protect the skull and brain from more severe injury.

The agency said consumers should look for a label stating that the product meets CPSC's federal safety standard. The label can usually be found on the liner inside of the helmet, on the exterior surface, or attached to the chin strap.  

“Think of a helmet as you would a seatbelt in your car,” Alison Dewey, education director at the League of American Bicyclists, recently told NBC News. “You never want to have it come in handy, but when you need it, you’ll be glad you’re wearing it.”

Helmets are the best line of defense

The National Safety Council says a helmet is a cyclist’s best line of defense against serious head injury, but it must be designed to offer maximum protection and should be properly fitted. In recent years, designers have offered helmets that provide a range of protection, identified by a new rating system.

The National Safety Council said you can’t tell a helmet’s quality by its price, but style can also be a factor. So-called road helmets, which have an elongated, aerodynamic shape, tend to perform better than round “urban” helmets with fewer vents and thicker shells, the organization said.

Tips on choosing the right bicycle helmet can be found on the CPSC's "Which Helmet for Which Activity" webpage.

Zoom announced Wednesday that it will soon launch a dedicated product that will enable businesses and social users to create and execute virtual events. 

The video chat service describes its new feature as “an all-in-one platform that gives you the tools to create engaging virtual experiences that attendees will love.” When it launches later this summer, “Zoom Events” will enable users to do following: 

• Build an event hub;

• Host events (free, paid, one-time, or series);

• Manage and share events;

• Customize ticketing and registration;

• Control access to billing;

• Bring attendees together with integrated networking, and; 

• Track event statistics, like attendance and revenue. 

Events held on the new platform can be kept private or posted to a public directory for others to discover. The service will be available to users with an existing paid Zoom Meetings or Video Webinar license. 

Zoom previously stepped into the paid event marketplace last fall through the launch of OnZoom, a service that allows smaller businesses to host and monetize online events. Zoom Events expands on that concept by supporting larger multi-day events and adding non-video activities, like group chat. 

Burger King has become the latest fast food chain to roll out a new crispy chicken sandwich. The fast food chain said it worked on the new product, which is called the “Ch’King,” for about two years before bringing it to market. It’s served on a potato bun with pickles and a savory sauce. 

The addition of the sandwich as an offering at U.S. stores comes in the midst of soaring consumer demand for chicken sandwiches. Springboarding off the growth in popularity of Chick-Fil-A, Popeyes debuted a massively successful chicken sandwich in 2019. Following in Popeye’s footsteps, several other fast food giants -- including McDonald’s and KFC -- launched their own new crispy chicken sandwiches. 

Americans’ appetite for these menu items has grown so much that it’s led to shortages in the industry. KFC said recently that its new chicken sandwich is selling at twice the volume of its previous version and that it’s struggling to keep up with demand. 

Comes during a chicken shortage

Burger King said it’s “not immune” to the challenges created by limited chicken supplies, but the chain said it secured its chicken supply during the phased rollout. 

"We feel confident in our ability to supply our launches. The phased rollout also gave employees time to get used to the process of preparing the new sandwich,” Ellie Doty, chief marketing office for Burger King North America, told CNN Business.

The sandwich will be priced between $3.99 and $4.99, depending on the market. From June 3 until June 20, consumers who order a Ch’King through Burger King’s website or app will get a free Whopper.

A year after roping off its borders to tourists, the European Union (EU) will allow entry to vaccinated travelers from countries that have low infection rates. 

The possibility has been in the EU’s decision-making pipeline for a while, but the bloc confirmed it on Wednesday as part of its recommendations for lifting travel restrictions for visitors. Airlines and travelers alike are already gearing up for an EU reopening. Searches for flights to Europe increased by 19% at United Airlines, an airline spokesperson told Skift.

But, if you’re a vaccinated American and your inner wanderlust is anxious to say “Sprachen de Deutsch” or “¡Estoy aquí, España!”, you should know that you’re not included in the EU’s plans just yet. 

The EU will supposedly issue an approved list of "safe" destinations later this week, although reports say the bloc didn’t disclose exactly when reopening its borders will be implemented. Add to that the possibility that member states like Italy and France might be given the power to override a blanket welcome and establish their own requirements, such as quarantine measures and proof of vaccination.

“The European Union’s risk-based, science-driven plan to reopen international travel will hopefully spur the U.S. to heed the many calls for a plan and timetable to safely reopen our borders,” U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow said in a statement emailed to ConsumerAffairs.

Not ready to include the U.S.

Dow said all the right conditions are in place: the number of vaccinations continues to increase, infections are slowing down, and if inbound visitors can prove they’ve been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19, everyone wins — except Americans, for now.

“Vaccinated Americans can travel to other countries because EU governments know they’re essential tourism spenders and will safely support economic recovery. The U.S. is being left off the UK and EU safe list because we aren’t yet moving forward to let international visitors back in,” Dow said.

An EU official told CNN that the bloc will take reciprocity into account when drawing up its list. But for now, it’s recommending that countries with less than 75 cases per 100,000 people be included. The U.S. does not meet that mark, however. According to STAT, the U.S. is currently at 10,101 cases per 100,000 people -- a far cry from the EU’s recommendation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet to comment on the lifting of the EU’s travel restrictions, but the facts are not in the American traveler’s favor. In its latest Risk Assessment Level for COVID-19, the CDC charts the U.S. as “Level 4 - Very High.”

While it’s not a tit-for-tat situation, the CDC reminds tourists from certain EU countries that — for the moment — they are prohibited from entering the United States. Those countries include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

A new study conducted by researchers from the American College of Cardiology explored the heart health risks associated with drinking alcohol. According to their findings, alcohol can almost immediately impact heart rhythm, which can also increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib). 

“Alcohol is the most commonly used drug in the world, and there is still a lot we don’t understand about what it does to our bodies, and in particular, our hearts,” said researcher Dr. Gregory M. Marcus. 

“Based on our data, we found that alcohol can actually influence the likelihood that an episode of AFib will occur within a few hours, and the more alcohol consumed, the higher the risk of having an event.” 

Alcohol’s impact on heart rhythm

The researchers had 100 participants with intermittent AFib involved in the study. Over the course of four weeks, the group wore monitors on their ankles and hearts that measured both alcohol consumption and heart rate. The participants self-reported on the heart monitors any time they surpassed three alcoholic beverages, and the researchers conducted interviews with the group to determine their typical lifestyle habits and medical histories. 

Over the course of the study, more than half of the participants experienced an AFib episode within hours of drinking alcohol, and the more they drank, the higher the likelihood of an AFib episode; however, even having just one drink led to complications with heart rhythm. 

“There is conventional wisdom that alcohol is ‘good’ or ‘healthy’ for the heart, based on observational studies, but that relates to coronary heart disease and heart attack,” Dr. Marcus said. “These new data present an interesting conundrum regarding the overall risks versus benefits of alcohol in moderation. But the data is very clear that more is not better when it comes to alcohol; those who drink more have a higher risk of heart attack and death.” 

Based on the blood alcohol reading from the ankle monitors, the researchers learned that each 0.1% increase in blood alcohol concentration increased the risk of an AFib episode by 40%. Surpassing two drinks in one sitting made AFib incidents three times more likely to occur for the participants. 

“When patients ask me what they can do to avoid an AFib episode, I tell them the evidence suggests that they should minimize, if not completely eliminate, alcohol,” Dr. Marcus said. “But we have to consider quality of life as well, which is both relevant to arrhythmia symptoms and the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine once in a while for some. So, it’s not as simple as instructing everyone to avoid alcohol.” 

A new report published by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is recommending that colorectal cancer screenings begin at age 45. 

The team explained that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) hasn’t updated its recommendations for colorectal cancer screenings since 2016, which suggest that consumers aged 50 and above should be checked for the disease. Now, in an effort to increase the likelihood of early detection, USPSTF experts are recommending that screenings should instead begin at age 45. 

“We are now seeing patients even younger than 45 -- in their 20s and 30s -- who are being diagnosed with this cancer and often at very late stages,” said researcher Dr. Kimmie Ng. “Clearly the USPSTF recommendation to start screening at age 45 will not be enough to catch those young people who are diagnosed.” 

Testing earlier can lead to better health outcomes

In 2018, the American Cancer Society lowered its recommendation for colorectal cancer screenings from age 50 to age 45. Now, experts at the USPSTF are looking to do the same. Based on the growing number of young people being diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer, the team hopes that lowering the age of screenings will get consumers the treatment they need at an earlier juncture. 

To better serve consumers, the task force analyzed all available data on the risks of colonoscopies, the rate of diagnoses, and how age plays a role in diagnosis and treatment. They determined that lowering the age comes at little risk to consumers, and it can effectively detect diseases at an earlier age. 

The official recommendation from the USPSTF would also be beneficial because it would require screening measures to be covered by insurance. Less than 70% of eligible consumers are actively keeping up with these screenings, and experts hope that these findings “will make colorectal cancer screening, which is so important, available to millions more people in the United States, and hopefully many more lives will be saved by catching colorectal cancer,” Dr. Ng said. 

Increasing incidence of colon cancer in young people

Experts from the USPSTF made these changes to their recommendations based on data from the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network Colorectal Cancer Working Group. They learned that the rates of both colon and rectal cancer are increasing most rapidly among 20- to 29-year-olds compared to 40- to 49-year olds. 

“A concerning increase in colorectal cancer incidence among younger individuals (ie, younger than 50 years; defined as young-onset colorectal cancer) has been documented since the mid-1990s, with 11% of colon cancers and 15% of rectal cancers in 2020 occurring among patients younger than 50 years, compared with 5% and 9%, respectively,” said Dr. Ng. 

While the cause for this uptick in colorectal cancers in young people remains unknown, experts hope that lowering the recommended age of screenings will allow more consumers to receive treatment in the earliest stages of the disease.