For Tuesday, Nov. 7, WGN’s Dina Bair has new medical information, including:

Researchers find new link between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease

Obesity has long been linked to brain disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. 

Now scientists have figured out why excess weight may lead to neurodegenerative diseases.    

Scientists from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center found a high-sugar diet, which is common in obesity, causes insulin resistance in the brain. That prevents the body’s ability to clear neuronal debris ultimately raising the risk for degeneration in the brain. 

Doctors say the knowledge gives them a target to prevent and treat brain disorders and another reason to encourage patients to adopt a healthy diet.   

Processed foods damage teen livers

Ditching processed foods may help protect the liver. 

The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases reports on a study of teenagers. Among their findings, those who eat ultra-processed foods are more likely to have liver damage even at a young age. 

Since the foods are less expensive, low-income families are most at risk according to study authors. 

Teenagers who primarily ate processed foods were twice as likely to develop the most common form of liver disease than teenagers who ate more fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Season impact risk of respiratory disease death in hospital

Seasons matter when it comes to your health. 

The risk of dying in the hospital from respiratory illnesses is higher in the summer than in the winter. 

Colds, flu and RSV are more common in winter months and the number of hospital admissions was more significant in winter. 

However, researchers at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health found patients face a greater threat of serious respiratory consequences in warmer temperatures. 

The maximum number of hospital deaths from pneumonia, COPD and asthma occurred in patients during the summer and were strongly associated with high temperatures.