Ultraprocessed foods linked to body fat gain in children
Children who ate more ultraprocessed foods showed stronger activity in a part of the brain involved in reward, and that brain response was linked to greater gains in body fat over the following year, a new study found. The study — published October 2026 in JAMA Network Open — followed 46 children ...
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No increased stroke risk found after COVID-19 and flu vaccinations
A large multisite study found that bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, flu vaccination, and same-day administration of both vaccines were not associated with an increased risk of first-ever ischemic ...
RSV vaccine protects older adults for at least 3 seasons
An RSV vaccine continued to protect adults aged 60 and older against RSV-related hospitalization and emergency department visits for at least 3 seasons after vaccination, according to a new study by ...
Five questions for Dr. Casey Luc
Casey Luc, PhD, MPH, an epidemiologist with expertise in HIV epidemiology in underserved communities, is the fifth Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemic Intelligence Service officer to ...
Physical activity may reduce risk of poor COVID-19 outcomes
April 14, 2021A Kaiser Permanente study of nearly 50,000 people with COVID-19 suggested that regular physical activity provided strong protection from hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, and death. Even exercising inconsistently lowered the odds for severe COVID-19 outcomes when compared to people who were not active at all. The study, led by investigators in Kaiser Permanente Southern California, ...Read more...Most patients’ end-of-life care wishes are met
April 6, 2021The vast majority of patients make their end-of-life care wishes known to loved ones, and nearly 90% of the time those wishes were carried out according to Kaiser Permanente research published April 6, 2021, in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. “There is a common perception that people don’t often document or tell others about their ...Read more...KPSC teams with Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech to assess real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines
March 30, 2021Researchers from Kaiser Permanente Southern California are collaborating with Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, the makers of the 2 first authorized COVID-19 vaccines, to study their vaccines’ effectiveness in real-world settings in preventing the disease and reducing its severity. Questions these studies will evaluate range from how long protection lasts to how well vaccines perform against variants ...Read more...New CIRT research projects aim to improve care
March 30, 2021The Care Improvement Research Team has awarded funds for 7 new research projects led by Southern California Permanente Medical Group scientists and physician researchers on COVID-19 and other health topics to help improve the care physicians provide for their patients. “This kind of research provides important new evidence to our frontline clinicians,” said Nancy Gin, MD, ...Read more...5 questions for … Dr. Shireen Fatemi
March 30, 2021Shireen Fatemi, MD, FACE, FACP, is an endocrinologist at the Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center. She was recently named the 2020 Southern California Permanente Medical Group Physician Researcher of the Year. Dr. Fatemi is the chief of Endocrinology in the Department of Internal Medicine and former assistant area medical director at Panorama City. She ...Read more...Residents lead advances in understanding of “broken heart” syndrome
March 29, 2021Research led by internal medicine residents at the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center has surfaced new insights into Takotsubo syndrome, a condition that closely resembles a heart attack. Most importantly, the findings link beta-blocker treatment with improved clinical outcomes. This project began in 2019, when residents Christopher Lau, MD, Sarah Chiu, MD, and Rohith Nayak, ...Read more...Diabetic eye damage reflects future cardiovascular risks
March 29, 2021People with type 2 diabetes may develop diabetic retinopathy, an eye condition that can lead to vision loss. Now, a study of over 77,000 Kaiser Permanente Southern California members shows that greater severity of diabetic retinopathy is strongly associated with a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, congestive heart failure, and death from any cause. “Preventive ...Read more...Pneumonia vaccine may affect course of COVID-19
March 10, 2021One type of pneumonia vaccine, the PCV13 vaccine, may affect the course of COVID-19 for some older adult patients, new research shows. The Kaiser Permanente study was published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. “Kaiser Permanente members who received the PCV13 vaccine appeared to be diagnosed with COVID-19 less often, and when they were, they seemed ...Read more...Dr. Fatemi named 2020 Researcher of the Year
March 9, 2021Shireen Fatemi, MD, FACE, FACP, an endocrinologist at Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center, has been named the 2020 Southern California Permanente Medical Group Researcher of the Year. The award has been given each year since 2007 to recognize a physician or surgeon for his or her outstanding contributions to the research community. Dr. Fatemi ...Read more...Scientists and physicians continue to research COVID-19 risks and outcomes
March 3, 2021As the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, researchers and physicians at Kaiser Permanente Southern California are analyzing the data collected and lessons learned over the first year of the pandemic to find better ways to test, treat, and care for patients. On January 26, a few of the researchers and scientists shared their latest projects at a ...Read more...