DR MICHAEL MOSLEY: Mystic Mike’s predictions for 2024’s BIG medical milestones

By Liam On Dec 30, 2023

It's been a good year for medical advances, from new drugs for Alzheimer's disease to new applications of artificial intelligence, such as reading cancer scans.

Looking ahead to 2024, I expect to report on much more fascinating research – so here Mystic Mike takes out his crystal ball and makes predictions about stories that will make headlines in the coming year…

WEIGHT LOSS REMEDIES TO TREATE DRINKING PROBLEMS

Probably the biggest story this year was when a new generation of anti-obesity drugs, led by semaglutide (brand names Ozempic or Wegovy), went mainstream. Many celebrities, even Boris Johnson, said they had used or were using the drug to lose excess pounds.

In his column for the Mail, Boris said he injected himself in the hope it would put an end to his habit of 'raiding the fridge at 10.30pm for the cheddar and chorizo, washed down with wine'. Then he started experiencing side effects and stopped taking the injections.

Mystic Mike takes out his crystal ball and makes predictions about stories that will make headlines next year

Semaglutide works by mimicking the action of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which, among other things, reduces appetite.

These drugs are undoubtedly here to stay and will become cheaper and easier to administer (for example, we will soon be taking pills instead of injecting ourselves). But I think we'll hear more in the coming year about its use in treating other addictive behaviors, such as smoking and excessive drinking. That's because some people who take semaglutide have reported that it has curbed their cravings for cigarettes.

A small study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in November was the first to show that semaglutide reduces alcohol dependence. But other studies are underway, including one at the University of North Carolina involving 48 heavy drinkers given the drug or a placebo for eight weeks. This study will be completed in April 2024.

'GENE EDITING' CAN HELP CANCER PATIENTS

The idea of being able to treat someone with an inherited genetic disease by replacing defective genes with ones that work well is a promise that has been presented to us for years – and last November Britain became the first country to approve gene editing. a possible cure for two inherited blood disorders: sickle cell disease and thalassemia.

In both cases, gene defects result in abnormal red blood cells, which in turn can lead to severe anemia, organ damage and premature death. Researchers at Imperial College London have managed to collect stem cells from the bone marrow of patients with these diseases, cut out the bad genes, replace them with good ones, and then inject those cells back into the patients – in the hope that the restarted stem cells would then produce normal, healthy red blood cells.

Last November, Britain became the first country to approve gene editing as a possible cure for two inherited blood diseases: sickle cell disease and thalassemia.

In recent clinical trials, researchers showed that this is exactly what happened in the majority of patients.

In the future, we can expect to see more patients with these conditions treated with gene editing – and I expect this technique will also be widely used for cancer (where doctors would insert genes into the white blood cells of the immune system and encourage them to attack cancer). and kills the cancer). For example, there is a clinical trial looking at using this approach to treat adults with breast, colon or lung cancer, with results expected next year.

In the future, gene editing could potentially be used to treat more of the other 6,000 diseases caused by a single genetic 'spelling mistake'.

MEN START TAKING THE CONTRACEPTION PILL

Another medical advancement that has been a long time coming, but may finally take off soon, is the male contraceptive pill. A Nottingham-based drug development company, Quotient Sciences, has announced that a group of British men will be the first in the world to try a new hormone-free contraceptive pill for men, with results expected in 2024.

Quotient Sciences has announced that a group of British men will be the first in the world to try a new hormone-free contraceptive pill for men

The pill, which goes by the unsexy name YCT-529, prevents sperm-producing cells from accessing vitamin A.

We've known since the 1930s that depriving animals of vitamin A causes infertility, but it's taken nearly 90 years and rigorous science to get to a drug whose manufacturer says is 99 percent effective at blocking the sperm production and is 100 percent reversible, without side effects. Previous attempts at a male birth control pill failed because they targeted the male hormone testosterone, leading to problems such as weight gain, acne and a decreased sex drive.

POOP PILLS FOR A LONGER LIFE

One search that has recently shifted from science fiction to fact is how to reverse the aging process. And thanks to a flood of money flowing into research, we'll see some big discoveries in 2024.

But a low-tech way to slow aging is to stimulate your microbiome (gut microbes). A 2018 study from the University of East Anglia showed that transplanting the fecal microbiota (i.e. poop) from young mice into old mice via a nasogastric tube could reverse the signs of aging in the gut, eyes and brain turning back.

A low-tech way to slow aging is to stimulate your microbiome (gut microbes).

And now a number of companies have found success with 'crapsules', pills containing various strains of specially grown bacteria extracted from human poop, doing away with the whole sordid issue of poop transplants. Trials are underway to treat everything from obesity to liver disease. Keep an eye out for this in 2024.

But until then, I wish you all a happy and healthy 2024!

As the Mail recently reported, all people on New Year's Eve suffer eye injuries from corks flying out of champagne, sometimes at a speed of 50 miles per hour. This gives you less than 0.05 seconds to react and can cause blindness.

To prevent this, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends allowing sparkling wine and champagne to cool thoroughly before opening. This traps more of the carbon dioxide gas that causes the bubbles in the wine and reduces the explosive force when you remove the cork.

Of course, point the bottle away from yourself and others. Turn the bottle while holding the cork, rather than the other way around. And hold it when it comes out.

5 simple steps to make you feel happier in the coming year…

'Being happier' is a laudable New Year's resolution, but easier said than done? On New Year's Day at 12.04 am I have a Radio 4 show, a Happiness Special, with five tips from Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, bestselling author of Happy Mind, Happy Life.

He recommends talking to people you don't know, writing a “deathbed diary,” changing your relationship with your phone, simplifying life so you have fewer decisions to make, and rethinking how you respond to setbacks .

I find the idea of talking to strangers, perhaps in line while waiting for coffee, somewhat terrifying – but Rangan assures me that there is evidence that even brief interactions with strangers will improve your mood – and theirs. A deathbed diary is a way to assess whether you have the right priorities. Imagine looking back on your life. What are three things you want done? Write these down and live by these principles.

Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, was so shocked by a prematurely published obituary describing him as a 'merchant of death' that he changed his will and bequeathed his fortune (worth over £250 million today). to finance prizes. awarded annually in perpetuity to 'those who have brought the greatest benefit to humanity'.

When it comes to phones, it turns out that excessive use makes us anxious; it also disrupts sleep.

Likewise, there is evidence that having to make many choices, especially when it comes to trivial matters, taxes the brain and causes stress. So Rangan's message is to keep life simple – for example, limit your wardrobe so you don't have to worry about what to wear.

Perhaps his most surprising tip is “using social friction as free therapy.” In other words, use any setbacks and challenges to build self-confidence and happiness.

So if someone is rude to you, don't beat yourself up, put yourself in their shoes and ask why they said that. Often it has nothing to do with what you've done, but something that's going on in their lives.

Rangan's point is that happiness is very much a product of our own thoughts and beliefs. That makes 'I'm going to work on being happier' a feasible solution.