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Older people who have cataracts removed may be gaining more than better vision. Research published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that they are nearly 30 percent less likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, than are people with cataracts who do not have the surgery. (Searing, 1/9)

Exercise is good for you. Breaking a sweat has been shown to improve nearly every organ in the body, fight nearly every disease doctors diagnose and improve nearly every health condition that you might live with on a daily basis. It gets even better. A new study finds exercise boosts levels of a protein known to strengthen communication between brain cells via synapses, which may be a key factor in keeping dementia at bay. (LaMotte, 1/10)

Researchers have identified a possible link between psychological stress and Crohn's disease. In a study led by Canada's McMaster University and the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, and published in the journal Nature, the authors said that mouse models found that stress hormones suppressed the innate immune system that normally protects the gut from Enterobacteriaceae. Enterobacteriaceae is a group of bacteria, including E. coli, which has been linked to the inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. (Musto, 1/8)

About 14,976 pounds of beef sticks sold at Walmart and other retailers nationwide were recalled Saturday because of misbranding and failure to declare milk, a known allergen, on its product label. The beef sticks come from the Wisconsin-based company Abbyland Foods Inc. and came in packages labeled "Iowa Smokehouse Original Smoked Beef Sticks," according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The smoked beef sticks were produced from Nov. 15 to Nov. 17, 2021 and were packaged in two-pound, clear plastic bags. (Shen, 1/9)

Digital behavioral health programs are making a bold pitch to payers, employers, and patients themselves: Shell out upfront for our virtual coaching and remote monitoring, and we’ll save you money by avoiding costly complications from diabetes and other diseases in the long run. For diabetes, which nearly tops the list of chronic health conditions by cost, many virtual programs are promoting continuous glucose monitoring as part of that promise. “We just started to see that with CGMs, it’s a foregone conclusion that they’re going to be the dominant solution,” said Sean Duffy, co-founder and CEO of digital care company Omada Health. The devices, which stream users’ blood glucose data throughout the day, are most commonly used by people who need multiple daily doses of insulin to manage their diabetes, but “this isn’t just for people who inject insulin,” said Duffy. “We decided that it was going to be table stakes and Omada needed to power CGM and coaching in a really deep way.” (Palmer, 1/10)