How likely is a fungal apocalypse, like ‘The Last of Us’? Plus, stem cell transplant may have cured HIV, and more health news

HBO’s hit series “The Last of Us” envisions a world decimated by a fungal apocalypse.

A real-life insect fungus called Cordyceps makes the leap into humans, turning those stricken into violent zombie-like creatures that spread it to others through bites. Society collapses in a matter of days after the fungus emerges.

But viewers can relax: There’s very little real risk that Cordyceps itself could actually evolve to present the sort of risk to humanity displayed in the show, fungal infection experts say.

However, the show does accurately portray a number of factors — climate change, drug resistance, few reliable antifungal agents — that are increasing the health risks that various fungi and mold pose to humans, the experts add.

If you’re over 40, regular exercise may not only keep you fit — it might keep you out of the hospital, too, a large new study suggests.

Researchers found that among nearly 82,000 British adults, those who regularly exercised were less likely to be hospitalized for various health conditions in the coming years. The list included such common ills as pneumonia, stroke, diabetes complications and severe urinary tract infections.

The findings suggest that if middle-aged and older people added just 20 minutes of exercise to their daily routine, they could cut the risk of those hospitalizations by anywhere from 4% to 23% over seven years.

Experts said the study expands on what people typically see as the benefits of exercise — like a trimmer body, improved fitness and healthier heart.

Raiding the cookie jar or candy dish at grandma’s house may be a treat, but it can also help ruin children’s teeth.

And a new survey found more than two-thirds of mothers reporting that their kids’ grandparents gave youngsters sugary foods and beverages, with no limits on consumption.

“I have many happy memories of raiding the candy jar at my own grandparents’ house and, as a parent, I’ve hesitated with some of these talks myself,” said American Dental Association (ADA) spokesperson Dr. Genaro Romo, a Chicago-based dentist.

“Yet, cavities are the most common chronic childhood disease and can cause undue pain, as well as issues with speaking, eating, playing and learning,” Romo said in an association news release.

Women who give birth to bigger-than-average babies are susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes later in life, a new study suggests.

Large-for-gestational age infants are defined as those weighing 8 pounds or more, said lead study author Dr. Kartik Kailas Venkatesh, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University.

“In an environment of obesity, women are at a higher risk of having larger babies,” he said. “And they are also at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.”

Venkatesh said that women who deliver large babies most likely suffer from glucose intolerance that causes high blood sugar during pregnancy.

A man who underwent a stem cell transplant to treat his cancer is showing “strong evidence” that the procedure also cured him of HIV — the latest in a handful of cases doctors have reported.

The patient, a man in his 50s, was HIV-positive when he underwent a stem cell transplant to treat leukemia. The procedure effectively gave him a new immune system — critically, from a donor who had a rare gene mutation that makes body cells resistant to HIV infection.

That was a decade ago. Now, researchers are reporting, the patient has been off HIV medications for four years, with no signs that the virus remains in his body.

Experts were cautious about declaring it a definite cure, as HIV is a foe with many tricks in its quest to survive.

Researchers may have found a way for coffee-lovers to cut back without suffering symptoms of caffeine withdrawal like headache, fatigue, bad mood and irritability.

A new study found that people experienced fewer withdrawal symptoms with the substitute.

“A convincing cup of decaf has the power to reduce withdrawal symptoms a lot when the person drinking it is unaware it’s decaf. But our study suggests that even if they are aware it’s decaf, their withdrawal still subsides,” said Dr. Llew Mills, a senior research associate at the University of Sydney School of Addiction Medicine, in Australia.