Getting married may help prevent high blood sugar, a vibrating pill could ease constipation, and more health news

Getting hitched could help middle-aged and older folks get a better handle on their blood sugar, a new study reports.

People living with a spouse appeared to be better able to maintain lower blood sugar levels than single folks, according to the findings.

This benefit held regardless of the state of their relationship, the researchers added. Whether bickering or snuggling, married folks tended to have better blood sugar control.

For the study, the investigators evaluated data from more than 3,300 people aged 50 to 89 living in England between 2004 and 2013.

Nearly half of older adults report at least one symptom of addiction to highly processed food, according to the results of the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging released on Jan. 30.

Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues analyzed survey results from 2,163 adults (aged 50 to 80 years).

Overall, 13 percent of older adults met criteria for an addiction to highly processed food. Compared with men, women were more than twice as likely to meet criteria for addiction to highly processed food (18 versus 8 percent). Younger adults (aged 50 to 64 years) were also more likely to meet addiction criteria than older adults (17 versus 8 percent). These symptoms were also more common among men (17 percent) and women (34 percent) reporting being overweight versus about the right weight (1 and 4 percent, respectively).

A variety of sandwiches, salads, wraps, snacks and yogurt made by the company Fresh Ideation Food Group have been recalled because of potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

All of the products have a “Fresh Creative Cuisine” label or an identifier on the bottom of the label with the Fresh Creative Cuisine name, the Baltimore company said in its recall notice.

The items also have a fresh through or sell through date ranging from Jan. 31 through Feb. 6.

Products could have been purchased at retailers, in vending machines and on transportation services from Jan. 24 through Jan. 30 in Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia, the company said.

Parents in the United States may assume baby food is free of impurities, but a recent research review highlights the much different reality: Most foods made for babies and toddlers have some amount of toxic heavy metals.

The contaminants include metals, such as lead and arsenic, that can harm brain development, and contribute to learning and behavior problems in children. And they are found in everything from rice cereals to formula to pureed vegetables.

It’s an issue that’s been known for decades, yet most parents are probably unaware of it, experts said.

Massachusetts legislators have proposed a bill that would allow prison inmates to donate their organs or bone marrow as a way to trim the length of their sentence.

While some experts wonder about the ethics of such a law and whether it would even be allowed under federal law, a Democratic sponsor of the bill, state Rep. Judith Garcia, told the Associated Press it could reduce health inequities from “the vicious cycle of unjust incarceration and over-policing of Black and Brown communities.”

While Black and Hispanic people tend to have a higher need for organ donation because of certain health conditions, discriminatory incarceration rates limit matches and lead to long waitlists for Black people, Garcia explained.

A new treatment for chronic constipation may bring relief without having to use drugs.

It’s a vibrating pill called Vibrant that stimulates the colon as it passes through the body.

Although the pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last August, doctors can start prescribing Vibrant this week.

“We are working right now with insurance companies to obtain coverage in commercial plans,” Cathy Collis, chief commercial officer for Vibrant Gastro Inc., told CNN. “But until we get that coverage, our goal and commitment is to make sure that this is accessible and affordable to patients.”