The medical world in 2023 saw advancements and worrying trends. Editors Andrea Rice, Maria Cohut, and Yasemin Nicola Sakay addressed the year’s best science and health. Anti-obesity GLP-1 medications improved cardiovascular health, the first RSV vaccine, ‘Arexvy,’ was approved, and lecanemab for Alzheimer’s was approved despite safety concerns.
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Exploring Concerns: Artificial Sweeteners and Cancer, Rising Colon Cancer Rates in Young People
The cancer risk of artificial sweeteners, particularly sucralose, seemed intriguing. Researchers found that sucralose-6-acetate, a metabolite of sucralose, may damage DNA and raise cancer risk.
The study was done on human blood cells, therefore individuals would need to drink an unreasonable amount of sucralose-sweetened beverages every day to see equivalent effects.
Young people’s increased colon cancer rates were also concerning. The risk has risen in 20 years, including abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, diarrhea, and iron deficiency anemia. Lifestyle variables like sedentary work, food, family history, and health may increase colon cancer cases.
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Debating the Absence: Challenges in Developing Male Contraceptives and Exploring Health Complexities
The lack of male oral contraceptives caused debate. Male condoms and vasectomies are scarce despite the 1960s availability of female contraception. There is no male birth control pill, citing clinical trials that were terminated due to mood disorders and depression. Why women utilize contraceptives with negative effects while male contraceptives are difficult to produce was questioned.
It revealed complexity, such as the need for more research on artificial sweeteners’ health impacts, the multivariate nature of rising colon cancer rates, and the difficulties of designing a male birth control pill.
