What We're Reading: Obesity and Cancer; Second Patient Treated Under Right-to-Try; Brain Aging

Obesity and Cancer Risk

The risk of developing obesity-related cancer is on the rise, especially among young adults. A study published in Lancet Public Health found that for 6 of the 12 obesity-related cancers—multiple myeloma, colorectal, uterine, gallbladder, kidney, and pancreatic—the risk of disease increased among those aged 25 to 49, with risk increases more prevalent among those younger. While incidence, with the exception of colorectal cancer, also jumped for older adults, the increases were smaller.

Right-to-Try Advocate Receives Treatment Under Law

Sex Differences in Brain Aging

A prominent right-to-try advocate has confirmed that he is receiving access to an experimental treatment for his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis under the right-to-try law, reported STAT News. Matt Bellina is the second patient to receive treatment under the law that was approved in May 2018. The treatment comes from BrainStorm, which is currently running a phase 3 trial for a stem cell treatment for the disease.Women’s brains tend to age more slowly than men’s, according to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study found that while age reduces the metabolism of all brains, women’s brains remain more youthful throughout their lifespan, suggesting that sex differences during brain development have implications for subsequent trajectories of brain aging.