This is the best suburb in Bay Area, study says

(KRON) -- San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose are three of the Bay Area's most well-known cities. A large amount of the region's workforce is based in those three cities.

However, a lot of those workers don't live in those cities. Some elect for perhaps cheaper and more spacious living options in a Bay Area suburb, including one in the North Bay.

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Tiburon was named the best Bay Area suburb, according to a study by SmartAsset released on Wednesday. The study took into account three main factors: "jobs score," "affordability score" and "livability score."

Out of 494 suburbs analyzed, Tiburon ranked as the 124th best in the U.S. Other Bay Area suburbs to make the list: Half Moon Bay (267th), Mountain View (272th), Palo Alto (285th), Napa (439th) and Sausalito (455th) The suburbs analyzed all had populations between 5,000 and 10,000.

Tiburon received a jobs score of 93.93, an affordability score of 7.30 and a livability score of 80.32.

For context, Brownsburg (near Indianapolis, IN) ranked number one overall among all U.S. suburbs. Brownsburg received a jobs score of 100, an affordability score of 73.23 and a livability score of 96.35. Its affordability score was well above Tiburon's (7.30).

Here’s how much income it takes to be among the top 1% in your state

• 

SmartAsset: Bay Area cities listed in "Best (and Worst) Suburbs to Live In Near a Large City"

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Methodology

SmartAsset analyzed data for places located within 15 minutes to an hour by car from 87 large cities across the country (population of 250,000 or more).

Jobs score took into account median household income, five-year income growth, 10-year employment growth, job diversity and unemployment rate. Affordability score looked at housing costs relative to income, home value-to-income ratio, average effective property tax rate and estimated annual cost of living for an individual. Livability factors in high school graduation rate, dining and entertainment establishments as a percentage of all establishments and violent and property crimes per 100,000 people.

The three factors/scores listed above were averaged out, and the suburbs were ranked accordingly. The suburb with the highest average score ranked at the top of the list.

The full study can be viewed here.

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Two-thirds of COVID vaccine side-effects are just a placebo effect, study says

BOSTON, Mass. (StudyFinds.org) - Could the majority of side-effects people feel after getting the COVID-19 vaccine all be in their heads? That’s what a new study claims, finding that more than half of the adverse effects patients experience are not from the actual vaccine, but a psychological reaction to it.

The psychological phenomenon called the “placebo effect” happens when people feel an improvement in their symptoms that is not directly related to their treatment or medication. Instead, the improvement comes from how the patient thinks they should feel following treatment. When people believe the treatment can cause harm, people may experience unpleasant side-effects, also known as the “nocebo effect.”

“Adverse events after placebo treatment are common in randomized controlled trials,” says lead author Julia W. Haas, PhD, an investigator in the Program in Placebo Studies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in a media release. “Collecting systematic evidence regarding these nocebo responses in vaccine trials is important for COVID-19 vaccination worldwide, especially because concern about side effects is reported to be a reason for vaccine hesitancy.”

The researchers studied the data from 12 clinical trials testing the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. All trials had information on adverse events reported by 22,578 participants who received a placebo vaccine and 22,802 participants who received the actual COVID-19 vaccine.

1 in 3 not receiving the COVID vaccine still reported side-effects

After the first injection, more than 35 percent of participants in the placebo group reported systemic adverse events — reactions that affect the whole body — such as fever. One in five (19.6%) in the placebo group reported headaches and 16.7 percent reported fatigue. Sixteen percent of the placebo group also experienced pain, redness, or swelling at the site of injection.

For comparison, 46 percent of actual vaccine recipients reported at least one systemic adverse event and two-thirds had one local adverse event. Previous studies show that coronavirus vaccines can produce temporary side-effects ranging from mild aches to more severe conditions including blood clotting. In this trial however, the team found a staggering 76 percent of the adverse effects reported by vaccinated patients were from the nocebo effect.

After the second dose, only 32 percent of the placebo group reported systemic side-effects and 12 percent reported local side-effects. Conversely, the vaccine group continued to report more side-effects. More than six in 10 (61%) had systemic adverse events and 73 percent continued to report local adverse events. The analysis revealed over half (52%) of the side-effects among vaccinated individuals came from the nocebo effect.

“Nonspecific symptoms like headache and fatigue – which we have shown to be particularly nocebo sensitive – are listed among the most common adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination in many information leaflets,” says senior author Ted Kaptchuk, director of the Program in Placebo Studies and the Therapeutic Encounter at BIDMC.

“Evidence suggests that this sort of information may cause people to misattribute common daily background sensations as arising from the vaccine or cause anxiety and worry that make people hyper alert to bodily feelings about adverse events.”

The findings appear in the journal JAMA Network Open.

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Watch out for these 5 early omicron symptoms, study says

(NEXSTAR) – Wondering if you have a cold or the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus?

Well, based on the top five symptoms according to the Zoe Covid Study, it might be hard to tell.

The British symptom study utilized data uploaded to an app by residents of London, where omicron is spreading rapidly and is expected to be the dominant variant by Christmas, according to Professor Tim Spector, the study's lead scientist.

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Researchers looked at symptoms reported between Oct. 3-10 when the delta variant was dominant and compared those to the most recent period, Dec. 3-10, when omicron was spreading rapidly.

The top five symptoms reported in December were:

1. Runny nose
2. Headache
3. Fatigue (either mild or severe)
4. Sneezing
5. Sore throat

"As our latest data shows, omicron symptoms are predominantly cold symptoms, runny nose, headache, sore throat, and sneezing, so people should stay at home as it might well be COVID," Spector said. "We are also seeing two to three times as many mild infections in people with boosters in omicron areas as we do in delta variant areas, but they are still very protective and a vital weapon."

The cold-like symptoms reported three days after a positive test, were not vastly different from those of the delta variant, researchers found. The early data suggests that omicron arrives with symptoms distinct from earlier variants, which caused more flu-like, initial symptoms.

Experts warn that it's too early to assume that omicron, which is highly transmissible and heavily mutated, will end up being a mild variant.

"In the New Year cases could hit a peak higher than anything we've ever seen before," Spector said of the variant's spread in the UK.

Omicron spreading in the U.S.

President Joe Biden’s administration has resisted tightening any restrictions, but also sketched out dire scenarios for the unvaccinated in a plea for hesitant Americans to get the shot.

“For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death, for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm,” White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said Friday, echoing the president's own comments earlier this week.

The new variant is already in “full force” in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, with new cases hitting a one-day record of more than 8,300 on Thursday. But new hospitalizations and deaths – so far – are well below their spring 2020 peak and even where they were this time last year, city data shows.

The coronavirus also interrupted sports in the U.S. again. The NFL announced Friday that three games would be pushed from the weekend to next week because of outbreaks. The league has not specified whether the cases came from the omicron variant.

The Radio City Rockettes called off four performances scheduled for Friday because of breakthrough COVID-19 cases in the production. Hours later, the Rockettes canceled the rest of this season's performances "due to increasing challenges from the pandemic." The popular holiday program generally has four shows per day in December at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.

Dr. Stanley Weiss, a Rutgers University epidemiology professor, said officials need to react faster, citing a willingness to redefine fully vaccinated to include booster shots, for example.

“Everyone wants us to be through with this pandemic, but in order to get us through it, we can’t ignore the realities of what’s going on and what is needed,” Weiss said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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• Watch out for these 5 early omicron symptoms, study says

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Stimulus check update: A fourth payment would be critical for many, study says

(NEXSTAR) – As the U.S. confronts rising inflation, slower job gains and a crippled supply chain, a new study finds that the Americans most in need of a stimulus check at the beginning of the pandemic continue to suffer most.

The three rounds of stimulus checks spanning two presidencies were critical to lower earners, researchers with the Capital One Insights Center found, but didn't go far enough.

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The study started in spring of 2020, with the authors administering surveys to a nationally representative group of Americans every four to eight months to learn more about the virus' impact, from how they used their stimulus checks to their view of the U.S. economic recovery.

The respondents fell into three annual income groups – less than $25,000, $25,000 - $100,000 and over $100,000. Lower earners were much more likely than other groups to have spent the final stimulus payment on bills, the study found.

Part of the reason for that, researchers said, was the lack of recovery for the nation's poorest.

A lopsided recovery

The study found that while job and income loss was devastating during the spring 2020 wave of COVID-19 in the U.S., how Americans faired in the year since varied greatly depending on several factors.

During that spring, 32%-36% reported income loss – a number that hasn't changed much for the lower third of earners. For the other two groups, however, the study found that only half of respondents were still reporting income loss. Underemployment was also 12% more likely among Black and Hispanic/Latinx workers than white workers.

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Economic insecurity was also a common theme among middle earners, however. The study found that debt levels were higher for one in five respondents in spring of 2021 than before the pandemic.

In 2020, real incomes and the number of full-time workers were already tumbling.

According to U.S. Census findings, the median household income in the U.S. went down by 2.9% from $69,560 in 2019 to $67,521 in 2020, the first time it had significantly dropped since 2011. The real median earnings fell 1.2% from $42,065 to $41,535, as did the number of full-time workers, which fell by 13.7 million.

Calls for fourth stimulus check

For many Americans, finding the money for looming mortgage, credit card and utility bills is a monthly cycle of anxiety. The study found that in April of 2021, 46% of lower earners said they would have come up short in paying their expenses without the stimulus money.

After the third stimulus check – the $1,400 payment under the American Rescue Plan – that balancing act became tougher for many lower earners. Nearly a third of low earner reported in August 2021 that they had to borrow money from friends and family to take care of their bills.

The cost of childcare compounded the struggle to pay bills for many, with 50% of lower earners and 30% of middle earners saying in August that they were either forced to cut back on working to take care of children or give up their jobs entirely. This is compared to 18% of higher earners.

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While it seems unlikely that Congress will approve a fourth round of stimulus checks – as Republicans and Democrats spar over funding the government and the Biden administration's now-$2 trillion spending package to improve social services and fight climate change – Capital One Insight Center researchers aren't the only ones calling the stimulus payments critical to the U.S. recovery.

In September, nonpartisan advocacy group The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) warned that the cost of goods and services is rising for people with fixed incomes, months before next year’s federal cost-of-living bump.

Government economic experts estimated recent increases in inflation mean the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2022 will approach 6%, a whopping jump from the 1.3% COLA awarded for this year.

Now, The Senior Citizens League is mounting a campaign to urge Congress to pass a fourth round of stimulus checks that would send $1,400 payments to Social Security recipients only.

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‘Fast carbs’ don’t make you fat, study says

(StudyFinds.org) - Although many trendy diets try to limit carbs, not all carbohydrates are the same. Most of the weight gain anxiety dieters get revolves around the belief that eating “fast carbs” will make you fat. However, a new study finds there’s really no difference between fast or slow carbs when it comes to weight gain — or weight loss.

In a report commissioned by the Grain Foods Foundation, scientists discovered little difference in how high-glycemic and low-glycemic foods impact weight management. The glycemic index (GI) ranks how quickly a certain food raises blood sugar levels. The theory is that high-GI foods raise glucose levels and insulin secretion, which may lead to health issues through overeating.

Moreover, scientists believe high-GI foods promote fat storage and increase a person’s obesity risk. However, a review of nearly two million adults across 34 previous studies finds the impact of fast carbs is no more harmful than slow carbs.

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“This study is the first to definitively demonstrate that fast carbs do not make you fat,” says study co-author Glenn Gaesser, PhD, a professor of exercise science in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University, in a media release. “Contrary to popular belief, those who consume a diet of high-GI foods are no more likely to be obese or gain weight than those who consume a diet of low-GI foods. Furthermore, they are no less likely to lose weight.”

The study authors add that “GI, as a measure of carbohydrate quality, appears to be relatively unimportant as a determinant of BMI or diet-induced weight loss.”

A more balanced diet is better for health

In 27 of those studies which compared the differences between high and low-GI foods, 70 percent showed that a dieter’s BMI was either the same or actually lower among people eating high-GI foods. Eight studies added that low-GI foods (slow carbs) were no better than fast carbs for weight loss or burning fat.

“The review questions the premise that low-GI diets lead to substantially better weight control outcomes and reminds us of the many other qualities of carbohydrates that are far more important to consider: for example, nutrient density, dietary fiber and whole grain content, and percentage of added sugar,” says Siddhartha Angadi, PhD.

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“The key takeaway is that carbohydrates, regardless of type, can be part of a healthy diet and have a place on a healthy plate,” adds Miller Jones, PhD. “Over the past few decades, we’ve seen the blanket vilification of carbs, processed foods, and foods made with refined grains. Science has shown that these foods in the right balance can be part of a dietary pattern that can promote a healthy weight and reduce disease risk.”

“The truth is that eating a wide variety of carbohydrates, from fast-carb white bread to slow-carb bran flakes and pairing them with smart choices from all the food groups can provide the nutritional benefits that healthy carbs, especially whole and enriched grain staple. foods, can offer,” Jones concludes.

The findings appear in the journal Advances in Nutrition.

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Wildfire smoke linked to increased COVID-19 risk, study says

RENO, Nev. (KTXL) – A new study suggests that exposure to wildfire smoke is linked to an increased risk of contracting COVID-19.

"During the second half of the summer of 2020, two crises converged on residents of the western United States: the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread wildfires," the study stated. "Air pollution is detrimental to health in general and to respiratory health in particular."

According to the study, led by the Desert Research Institute, a 17.7% increase in COVID-19 cases was found in Reno, Nevada, following prolonged smoke exposure caused by wildfires between Aug. 16 and Oct. 10, 2020.

“Our results showed a substantial increase in the COVID-19 positivity rate in Reno during a time when we were affected by heavy wildfire smoke from California wildfires,” said Daniel Kiser, an assistant research scientist of data science at DRI and co-leader of the study.

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The study found that Reno, whose intermountain valley location "restricts the dispersion of pollutants," was exposed to higher concentrations of fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke for longer periods of time in 2020 than any other metropolitan area, including San Francisco.

“We believe that our study greatly strengthens the evidence that wildfire smoke can enhance the spread of SARS-CoV-2,” said Gai Elhanan, an associate research scientist of computer science at DRI and co-leader of the study with Kiser.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wildfire smoke is conducive to lung infections like the coronavirus.

"Wildfire smoke can irritate your lungs, cause inflammation, affect your immune system, and make you more prone to lung infections, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," the CDC stated.

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As part of preparing for a wildfire, the CDC suggests people get vaccinated against COVID-19 "as soon as you can."

"COVID-19 vaccines help protect you from getting sick or severely ill with COVID-19 and may also help protect people around you," the CDC stated.

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High levels of cancer-causing ingredients in several sunscreen brands, study says

(WJW) - An independent study claims several popular brands of sunscreen contain high levels of benzene, a known carcinogen.

Out of nearly 300 different sunscreen products, 27% contained benzene, according to Valisure. 

Valisure is an online pharmacy that tests medications and supplements for safety and consistency. 

Valisure says it analyzed 294 unique batches of sunscreen from 69 different companies. Fourteen batches of sunscreen contained between 2.78 and 6.26 parts per million of benzene. 

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Currently, the FDA has a restriction on benzene in products set at 2 parts per million. But the agency also says "if their use is unavoidable in order to produce a drug product with a significant therapeutic advance, then their levels should be restricted"

Valisure is asking for a recall of the affected products.

"Benzene is known to cause cancer in humans according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the World Health Organization, and other regulatory agencies," Valisure says.

You can check the list of studied sunscreens here.

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