Watching less TV may limit heart diseases linked to T2D; $145M health care fraud scheme; food insecurity could lead to heart disease over time – Morning Medical Update

Author(s):

Austin Littrell

The top news stories in medicine today.

Watching less TV may protect heart health in those at risk for Type 2 diabetes

A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that watching no more than one hour of TV daily may help to lower the risk of heart disease, especially for those with a genetic predisposition to Type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that prolonged TV viewing — two or more hours per day — was linked to a 12% higher risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, participants with high genetic risk for diabetes who limited TV time had a lower heart disease risk than even those with low genetic risk but longer viewing hours.

Texas pharmacist sentenced to 17 years for $145M health care fraud scheme

Texas pharmacist Dehshid “David” Nourian has been sentenced to 17 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $405 million in assets — the largest health care fraud forfeiture in U.S. history — after defrauding the Department of Labor. Nourian and co-conspirators paid doctors to prescribe unnecessary compound creams, billing federal programs up to $16,000 per prescription while producing them for just $15. Patients reported that the creams were ineffective, with some experiencing skin irritation. Authorities say the scheme funneled millions into shell companies to evade taxes, with Nourian now facing over $115 million in restitution.

Study links food insecurity to increased heart disease risk over time

Young adults facing food insecurity have a 41% higher risk of developing heart disease in midlife, according to a new study from Northwestern Medicine published in JAMA Cardiology. Researchers analyzed data over two decades and found that food insecurity significantly preceded heart disease. The study urges health care providers to screen for food insecurity in primary care and emergency settings to connect at-risk patients with community resources.