The use of obesity medication increased significantly in Finland last year – many more Finns were treated for obesity compared to 2023. At the same time, opinions are divided on the effectiveness of the treatment.
A total of 75,000 Finns used medicines for weight loss or obesity treatment in 2024. This is an increase of 20% compared to 2023, according to the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). In five years, the number of users has increased more than elevenfold.
Semaglutide, sold under brands such as Ozempic and Wegovy, is the most popular. Originally designed as a drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, this type of medicine is not reimbursed if it is used for obesity alone. This means that Finns have to foot the bill themselves, which can be over €260 each month.
It is also unclear how effective this type of weight loss medication really is, but Pia Pajunen, an expert physician at Kela, says it is not a quick fix for losing weight.
– If you stop using the obesity medication, the weight often starts to increase again quickly. It’s important that both doctors and patients are aware that research shows these medications generally need to be used long-term, she says in a press release.
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Colorectal cancer is increasing among young people in Sweden, according to research from the Karolinska Institute. Researchers suggest that lifestyle factors, such as sedentary behavior and obesity, may be the cause.
In the study, which was published in Annals of Oncology, researchers examined over 135,000 Swedish patients who had colorectal cancer between 1993 and 2019.
The results show that the number of younger people under 50 who develop this form of cancer has increased over the past three decades. For rectal cancer, the number of new cases among younger people has increased by 2.04 percent per year, and for left-sided and right-sided colon cancer, the increase is 2.41 and 2.64 percent per year respectively. Overall, the disease has become two to three times more common among younger people.
Detected later in younger patients
Younger patients also more often had metastatic cancer compared to older patients, suggesting they had lived with symptoms longer before the cancer was discovered. Researchers emphasize that it’s important for both the public and healthcare professionals to know that this type of cancer can also affect younger people. This is particularly important since the chance of curing cancer increases with early detection.
The study also shows that mortality has increased among both younger and older patients up to ten years after cancer diagnosis.
— This is remarkable, since patients are often considered cured after such a long time. Our results challenge that view and underscore the need for more research into why this is happening, as well as long-term follow-up and support for both young and older patients, says Cecilia Radkiewicz, researcher at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
Lifestyle may be the cause
It’s unclear what actually lies behind the increase in colorectal cancer among young people, but researchers believe it doesn’t appear to be driven by traditional risk factors such as inflammatory bowel disease or heredity. Instead, the results suggest that lifestyle factors may be decisive.
— Childhood obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and antibiotic use have been highlighted as contributing factors, although the underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear, says Radkiewicz.
Researchers have for the first time been able to demonstrate a direct link between inhaled nicotine from e-cigarettes and inflammatory markers in the blood.
Just a few puffs of an e-cigarette, or vape, containing nicotine can trigger inflammation in the lungs, according to research from Uppsala University in Sweden.
The researchers, who received funding from the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, tested 22 healthy individuals on two different occasions. The participants then smoked e-cigarettes both with and without nicotine for half an hour each.
When the researchers analyzed the blood samples, they found that participants exposed to nicotine-containing e-cigarettes showed elevated levels of inflammatory markers in their blood. According to the researchers, this could mean that just a few inhalations are enough to trigger an inflammatory reaction in lung tissue.
— The results are alarming, as they clearly show that e-cigarettes with nicotine are not a harmless alternative to cigarettes. We have long worked to spread scientifically-based knowledge about nicotine’s health effects, and this research strengthens our conviction that tobacco and new nicotine products should be treated equally under the law, says Kristina Sparreljung, Secretary General of the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, in a press release.
For the first time, researchers have been able to demonstrate a direct link between inhaled nicotine and specific inflammation markers in the blood that are connected to the lungs. The researchers believe the absorption rate is particularly concerning, as the body absorbs nicotine faster than with nicotine patches, for example.
— Our results are in line with previous studies where nicotine from e-cigarettes has been shown to affect blood vessels by increasing levels of vascular damage markers in the blood. It’s remarkable that even single occasions can produce biological effects. In the long term, this could contribute to the development of both lung diseases and cardiovascular disease, says Fariborz Mobarrez, lecturer and researcher at the Department of Medical Sciences at Uppsala University.
Obesity has overtaken smoking as the primary cause of heart attack among young adults in Sweden, a new study shows.
In the study, which was published in European Heart Journal – Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes, researchers followed 44,254 people aged 18–59 after they suffered their first heart attack. The study is a registry-based study and was conducted with support from the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.
The results show that three out of four young adults who suffered a heart attack had at least one known risk factor – most commonly high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, or obesity. Furthermore, the study shows that obesity has overtaken smoking as the most common risk factor in this age group. The reason is that the number of smokers has decreased, but at the same time the proportion suffering from obesity has increased markedly. For example, one in four suffered from obesity in 2006, and more than one in three in 2021.
— It is concerning that the proportion of people with obesity has overtaken the proportion of smokers as the most common risk factor among young adults. But it also shows that we can do much to prevent heart attacks by finding and treating risk factors in time, says Moa Simonsson, researcher and senior physician in cardiology at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, in a press release.
Difference between men and women
Men run a greater risk of suffering a heart attack compared to women and are often affected earlier in life. At the same time, the study shows that women who suffer heart attacks often have more risk factors, but also that they have a worse prognosis after a heart attack.
— It seems that women who have a heart attack need to have a heavier burden of risk factors than men to be affected. This shows that we need to understand more about women’s particular risks, such as complications during pregnancy, says Simonsson.
An anesthesiologist with 20 years of experience told US senators how he developed a life-threatening lung disease after covid-19 vaccination. Dr. Robert Sullivan was one of the witnesses in a Senate hearing on vaccine injuries held by the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee organized a hearing on July 15 titled “Voices of the Vaccine Injured” where people who claim to have been injured by covid-19 vaccines were able to share their experiences. Dr. Robert Sullivan, a licensed physician and certified anesthesiologist with over 20 years of active practice in Maryland, was one of the key witnesses.
Dr. Sullivan described a dramatic change in his health condition after vaccination. The same month he received his first mRNA dose, he had been featured in the Wall Street Journal’s fitness column for his aerial circus performances.
— I was strong, healthy, and thriving. Just three weeks after my second dose, I couldn’t go up a flight of stairs without gasping for air, Sullivan told the senators.
The doctor developed constant chest pain, heart arrhythmias and overwhelming fatigue. An echocardiogram later confirmed damage to his heart and lungs.
— The diagnosis was pulmonary hypertension. I had damage and narrowing of the blood vessels in my lungs, restricting blood flow and straining the heart. This isn’t like regular high blood pressure. Pulmonary hypertension is usually progressive and fatal even with treatment. There is no cure, Sullivan explained.
The system didn’t respond
Dr. Sullivan reported his injury to VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System), the US system for reporting vaccine adverse events. Despite VAERS collecting his medical records, he never heard from the US health authorities FDA or CDC.
— I believed in the system. I believed I would be heard. When I wasn’t, I channeled that disbelief into collaborating with the British Medical Journal on a report about the system’s failures. What I learned is chilling. If you are harmed, you are on your own., Sullivan said.
He explained that most doctors he knows have never heard of VAERS, and even fewer understand that there are mandatory reporting requirements. Sullivan was never taught about VAERS during his medical education and stated that it still isn’t taught.
Research predicted the problems
During his own research, Dr. Sullivan discovered that a scientist from Georgetown University had predicted exactly his type of injury in the same month the vaccines began rolling out.
— He warned that spike protein, exposure, whether from the virus or from the shot, could harm the blood vessels in the lungs and placenta, Sullivan recounted.
The doctor referenced studies showing that spike protein from the SARS-1 virus also caused vascular damage in animals, and that many hospitalized covid patients develop pulmonary hypertension.
Broad vaccination perspective despite personal injury
When Senator Johnson asked about doctors’ attitudes toward vaccines, Dr. Sullivan surprised by explaining that he is still “enthusiastic about vaccination” and that he sees covid injections as something entirely different.
— I’m not vaccine injured. I’m injured by an mRNA therapeutic. I was very careful in my testimony to use the word shot, Sullivan clarified.
He explained that training for vaccines is now limited to memorizing the schedule, but that the hidden cost of injuries is not studied or taught.
Spike protein toxicity
Senator Johnson raised the question of spike protein toxicity and criticized that many symptoms are now attributed to “long covid” instead of potential vaccine side effects.
— There are many ways to lose with this new MRI technology. There are problems with the nanoparticle. There is a separate set of problems with synthetic mRNA. It persists in some people 700 days and counting now, Dr. Sullivan responded.
He explained that when the body is instructed to manufacture a protein that is presented on the cell surface, it creates a precondition for autoimmune disorders, and that the spike protein itself is biologically active.
— It was published in December 2020, although not widely known, that that was causing damage to placenta and to lung, Sullivan added.
Dr. Sullivan concluded his testimony with an appeal for recognition and transparent information for patients, emphasizing the importance of truly informed consent in all medical treatment.
