In over a decade, for the first time, obesity rates in the United States is declining. As per a recent study published last Friday in the journal JAMA Health Forum, it was found that the obesity numbers in the United States have gone down slightly from 46% in 2022 to 45.6% in 2023. While it is only a slight decline, it is also important to note that it is the first drop recorded in almost a decade.

"What we're seeing for the first time is that curve is bending and shows a sign of hope for something that was really a threat to American public health for so many years," said John Brownstein, co-author of the study, who is also the chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

How was the study conducted?

The study reviewed the body mass index (BMIs), a measure of obesity of 16.7 million US adults over a 10-year period. The average BMI rose annually to 30.25, which is considered obese, however, after 2022, a different trend was noticed. It plateaued in 2022, and then dropped to 30.21 in 2023.

Weight Loss Drugs

Brownstein and his team also noted that women and adults aged 66 to 75 saw the greatest drop in obesity rates. Whereas people who live in the South, where there was the highest dispensing rate of weight loss drugs, also known as the GLP-1 receptor agonist, also so a sharp decline in obesity.

Semaglutide is also one of the drugs in the class of the GLP-1 agonists, and also an active agent found in the popular drug like Ozempic and Wegovy. The United States also saw a 700% increase in the use of weight loss drugs, and not as a side-product for diabetes, but specifically for weight loss from 2019 to 2023, mentions a 2024 study titled Shifting Trends in the Indication of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Prescriptions: A Nationwide Analysis, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. However, these medicines are also used to mainly treat type 2 diabetes or combination of diabetes and obesity.

This is, what Brownstein thinks, has helped a slight decline in the obesity rates in the United States.

ALSO READ: When Ozempic And Wegovy Fail To Work- Why GLP-1 Drugs Aren’t The Magic Bullet For Everyone

What are the other reasons?

Brownstein mentions that there are other reasons too for this slight decline. For instance, looking at the pharmacy prescription, it was seen that while South had the highest dispensing rate of weight loss medication, this area also saw a disproportionately high number of COVID-19 deaths, especially among its obese population.

Another reason, mentions Benjamin Reader, paper's co-author and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, is the change in lifestyle. "You have this emergence from COVID, of which people are potentially starting to be more active again, stopping the sedentary habits that they picked up during COVID," said Reader. "All of these forces are at play, and I don't think we can disentangle them from this data."

However, obesity still remains a critical public health issue. Other experts have pointed out that there is a need to look at this positive indicator in a specific database. While this could mean that people are doing better, however, it is also important to see if these factors last long and how the rats play out over time. As of now, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 60% of the adults in the United States are obese, and have high blood pressure, while 23% have diabetes.

ALSO CHECK OUT: These Are The Most 10 Obese States In the US

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has urged travellers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for Umrah and the upcoming pilgrimages to ensure they are vaccinated against meningococcal disease with the MenACWY vaccine. This notice has been issued in the backdrop of the ongoing outbreaks of serogroup W (MenW) disease, which is associated with travel to KSA.

As of now, UKHSA has confirmed 5 cases of MenW disease between February and March 2025 in people who had recently returned from KSA or had close contacts with those who returned to England and Wales.

What Is Serogroup W (MenW) Disease?

As per the 2014 study published in Cambridge University Press, these strains have been emerging throughout the current century with most of the isolates belonging to the sequence type (ST11)/electrophoretic type (ET37) clonal complex (ST11/E37 CC). This has been particular since the international outbreak following Hajj 2000.

Meningococci are capsulated bacteria. The international emergency was first reported following the annual Hajj season in Saudi Arabia in March 2000. This is a serious bacterial infection that can lead to severe illness and even death. It is characterized by the onset and can manifest in various ways, including meningitis, septicemia and pneumonia. MenW IMD has increased in the recent years.

What Are The Symptoms?

It can start with a high fever, headache, stiff neck, vomiting, and a petechial or purpuric rash.

In some cases there could be atypical presentations too, especially when the patient has pneumonia, septic arthritis, and upper respiratory or ophthalmological symptoms.

A "2013 strain" is also associated with gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea ad vomiting.

What Happens In This Disease?

Invasive meningococcal disease is rare, however, it is a serious condition. What happens here is that the lining of the brain and spinal cord gets inflamed and thus it can kill people or leave them with life-changing disabilities.

What Are Pilgrims Asked To Do?

Travellers performing Hajj or Umrah, as well as seasonal workers, must show proof of a valid MenACWY vaccination certificate, issued between 10 days and 3 to 5 years before arriving—depending on the type of vaccine they received. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) also recommend that all travellers to Saudi Arabia consider getting the quadrivalent MenACWY vaccine, especially in light of the ongoing MenW outbreak.

What Does The Expert Say?

Dr Shamez Ladhani, who is a Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA said, "The MenACWY vaccination is essential for pilgrims travelling to KSA for Umrah and Hajj, particularly given recent cases among UK returnees and their families. Meningococcal disease can be fatal and may leave survivors with serious lifelong conditions including hearing loss, brain damage and limb amputations. Pilgrims should ensure vaccination at least ten days before travel and remain vigilant for symptoms like sudden fever, severe headache, stiff neck, or rash. If you or anyone at home becomes unwell with any symptoms of meningitis within two weeks of returning from Saudi Arabia, contact your GP or NHS 111, mentioning your recent travel history, or dial 999 in case of emergency."

The UKHSA has also advised the following guideline for UK travellers:

• avoid consuming raw or undercooked animal products
• avoid contact with camels and animal waste
• practise good hygiene, particularly washing hands after visiting farms, barns or markets

In a landmark development for patients who live with a rare and painful skin condition, the US Food and Drug Administration or the FDA has approved Zevaskyn (prademagene zamikeracel) for the treatment of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa or RDEB. This is an inherited disorder that causes the skin to be extremely fragile. I also leads to chronic wounds, bleeding, and tearing even from minor friction or trauma.

As per the 2015 study published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, there are four major subtypes of the skin disorder, which comes from the heterogeneous group of inherited mechanobullous disorder hat is caused by mutation in genes that encode structural proteins in the skin. The overall condition is referred to as epidermolysis bullosa, and one of its type is RDEB, which further comes with two main subtypes of dystrophic EB.

Zevaskyn is now the first and only autologous cell-based gene therapy approved for both adult and pediatric patients living with this life-altering condition.

Why Is This A Breakthrough In Gene Therapy?

Zevaskyn represents a new era in wound care and gene therapy. Unlike traditional treatments that only manage symptoms, this one-time surgical application targets the underlying genetic mutation responsible for RDEB. The therapy uses the patient's own skin cells, which are genetically modified to produce a functional version of the missing COL7A1 gene, critical for anchoring skin layers together.

"Zevaskyn is not just a bandage—it’s a breakthrough that may help change the course of this disease for many," said Madhav Vasanthavada, Ph.D., Chief Commercial Officer at Abeona Therapeutics, the biopharmaceutical company behind the treatment.

How Was It Approved?

The FDA based its approval from the results of two clinical trials: a phase 1/2a study and the pivotal phase 3 VITAL study.

Phase 1/2a Trial: In this study, seven patients with 38 chronic wounds received a single Zevaskyn application. Researchers observed a significant and long lasting improvement at treated sites during the median follow-up of seven years.

Phase 3 VITAL Study: This was a larger study that included 43 patients with large unhealed or non healing wounds. After six months, 81% of those wounds treated by Zevaskyn, showed at least 50% healing, as compared to only 16% in the control group, who had received the standard care.

These outcomes were not only statistically significant but also clinically meaningful, especially for patients who have previously struggled with limited treatment options.

Zevaskyn also showed a favorable safety profile across both studies. No treatment-related serious adverse events were reported. The most common minor side effects were procedural pain and itching, affecting approximately 5% of participants.

"This therapy offers hope for patients and families who have lived too long without effective solutions," said Vasanthavada. “We’re confident in Zevaskyn’s ability to deliver long-term results and are committed to making it widely accessible.”

Access For Patients

To ensure access, Abeona Therapeutics plans to collaborate with both commercial insurers and government payers. The company aims to develop outcome-based agreements that reflect the long-term benefits of a single application of Zevaskyn, reducing the need for repeat procedures or ongoing wound care costs.

With FDA approval, Zevaskyn is set to be a game-changer in the treatment of recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa—offering patients more than just relief, but a meaningful step toward healing.

Florida is on the brink of becoming the second taste to ban fluoride in public drinking water. It will join Utah, which had become the first state to enact the ban just last month. While this was opposed by dentists and national health organizations, who had also warned against this move to lead to more medical problems, dental problems and also affecting low-income communities disproportionately, Spencer Cox, Republican Gov. Signed the legislation regardless.

The Controversial Bill

The bill has received final approval from Florida lawmakers on Tuesday and is now being headed to Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' desk for approval. DeSantis' administration has been an outspoken critic of adding fluoride to community water systems. They have argued that high fluoride levels could potentially affect children's intellectual development. The same concern was quoted by Cox to ban fluoridated water. This is based on the paper published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics that concluded that there may be a link between high levels of fluoride and lower Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Their research indicated a possible neurodevelopmental harm to pregnant people or young children if they are exposed to drinking water containing at least 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per litre- a level more than twice what's recommended (0.7 mg/L) for the US water supply. It is important to note that in many American states and Western countries, pregnant women and children receive fluoride from many sources, making their exposure to this mineral way too high from the recommended levels.

However, the study does not the safe levels of fluoridated water which is safe for use. In fact, these levels are also regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

What Do The Republicans Want?

The bill, sponsored by Republican state Representative Kaylee Tuck, does not explicitly mention fluoride but mandates the removal of fluoride and other additives from the state's water systems.

According to Tuck, the legislation focuses on removing additives related to health, rather than water quality itself. "Anything that relates to water quality, removing contaminants, things like that, we're not touching that," she stated. "It's anything that has to do with health, so fluoride, vitamins, whatever else it is."

The Resistance

There has been local resistance to from the local authorities in Florida. The Miami-Date County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava expressed her dismay with this move and stated that this will undermine the overwhelming support of medical professionals for the practice of fluoridating water. She said that ending fluoridation could lead to harmful consequences, especially for the vulnerable families, who would lost access to a cost-effective method of preventing tooth decay.

Fluoridation has been a standard practice in many parts of the U.S. for decades, and it has been credited with significantly reducing the incidence of cavities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fluoride helps to strengthen tooth enamel and make it more resistant to cavities.

Health Benefits Of Flouride

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that plays an essential role in maintaining strong, healthy teeth. It helps replace minerals lost from tooth enamel due to normal wear and tear. Additionally, fluoride can help reverse early signs of tooth decay by remineralizing the enamel. It also reduces the production of acids by bacteria in the mouth, which further helps prevent plaque buildup.

Beyond dental health, fluoride is also beneficial for bones. It stimulates new bone formation and has been shown to protect against conditions like osteoporosis. As such, fluoride is not only important for dental care but also for overall skeletal health.