Social media warning labels; Parkinson’s disease detection in smartwatches; post-menopause protection – Morning Medical Update

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Social media warning labels

Throughout the last two years, research from the American Psychological Association (APA) has shown that social media makes young people vulnerable to specific content and functions on platforms that interact with neural and psychological vulnerabilities during adolescence. Now, the association is backing surgeon general Vivek Murthy’s recent advisement that social media platforms should come with warning labels for young users.

Mitch Prinstein, the chief science officer of the APA, said, “We applaud Surgeon General Vivek Murthy for calling attention to the potential dangers to children posed by social media platforms.”

Smartwatch detection for Parkinson’s disease

Currently, more than 10 million people around the world have Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition that has no cure. However, new research is suggesting that early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease could possibly be detected by a smartwatch. A new study in Nature suggests that smart watches paired with an app on a smartphone could be used to measure changes in Parkinson’s symptoms overtime in people in early stages of the disease.

Protecting your heart after menopause

A recent clinical trial from The Pennsylvania State University found that consuming beetroot juice on a daily basis may improve blood flow, reducing the risk of heart problems after menopause. Although, the trial did find that when participants stopped drinking beet juice after 24 hours, the beneficial effects decreased. Check out this article to read more about this potential new way to increase patient heart health after menopause.