Health News Roundup: Diets with more fiber, yogurt tied to lower risk of lung cancer

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Immigration raids tied to worse mental health among Hispanic Americans

Hispanic Americans may experience worsening mental health when immigration arrests spike, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined data on people who identified as Hispanic or Latino in nationally-representative behavioral health surveys administered from 2014 to 2018. Overall, more than one third of these participants reported at least one day of poor mental health in the previous month, and about 11% reported frequent mental distress.

Diets with more fiber, yogurt tied to lower risk of lung cancer

Even among smokers, people who eat more fiber and yogurt may be less likely to develop lung cancer than those who don't consume much of these foods, a research review suggests. Researchers examined pooled data from 10 previous studies that included a total of almost 1.45 million adults in Asia, Europe, and the United States. After following people for an average of 8.6 years, 18,822 cases of lung cancer were documented.

U.S. vaping-related deaths rise to 47, cases of illness to 2,290

U.S. health officials on Thursday reported 2,290 confirmed and probable cases and 5 more deaths from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, taking the total death toll to 47 so far this year. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 2,172 cases and 42 deaths from the illness.

Most U.S. planned home births are not low-risk

Experts recommend that home birth only be considered for low-risk pregnancies, but that's often not what happens in the U.S., where no formal guidelines exist, researchers say. U.S. data on intended home births from 2016 through 2018 show that more than 60% of the pregnancies had risk factors that could lead to complications and possibly maternal or infant death, authors report in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Many LGBT people in China forced into illegal 'conversion therapy': groups

Many LGBT people in China are being forced to undergo "conversion therapy", often done by unscrupulous, unlicensed providers in a sector that operates with little oversight by the authorities, rights groups said. Though widely discredited by doctors, conversion therapy is an attempt to change a person's sexual orientation through various means such as hypnosis, drugs, acupuncture and even electric shock therapy.

Canadian teen developed 'popcorn lung' type injury from vaping: report

Researchers in Canada have identified a new kind of vaping-related lung injury they believe is linked to flavorings in conventional vape pens, causing symptoms similar to the "popcorn lung" injury seen in workers exposed to flavorings in microwave popcorn. The case, published on Thursday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, involved a 17-year-old male who developed a form of bronchiolitis, a serious and irreversible lung injury caused by chemical exposure.

Sedentary teens risk health, hearts and minds: WHO study

Teenagers worldwide are jeopardizing their health by failing to get enough exercise to reduce their risk of obesity and cardiovascular diseases, a World Health Organization-led study released on Friday warns. The study, based on data from 1.6 million people in 146 countries, found that more than 80% of adolescents aged between 11 and 17 did not meet a WHO recommendation for at least an hour of physical activity a day.

Rural young women more likely to have babies after unplanned pregnancies

More teenage girls and young women in rural communities become pregnant for the first time on purpose and carry first pregnancies to term, compared to their urban counterparts, a U.S. study suggests. Both trends may reflect poorer access for rural teens and young women to family planning options, researchers conclude in the American Journal of Public Health.

Healthcare battles in Democratic White House race could carry risk in 2020, polls show

A trio of polls released ahead of Wednesday's Democratic presidential debate showed a majority of Americans support Medicare for All, but offered conflicting signals about whether the proposed healthcare overhaul could hurt the party in the November 2020 general election. As with the previous four debates, Wednesday's televised clash in Atlanta is likely to be dominated by the intra-party battle over how best to expand healthcare coverage to millions of Americans.

Johnson & Johnson loses pelvic mesh class action in Australia

More than 1,350 Australian women won a seven-year-old class action lawsuit on Thursday against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for misleading patients and surgeons about the risks of the pharmaceutical giant's pelvic mesh implants. The suit is one of many J&J has faced in the United States, Canada and Europe over the implants, used to treat urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, in which organs shift from normal positions. J&J in October agreed to pay nearly $117 million to resolve claims in 41 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

(With inputs from agencies.)