Public Health
A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has confirmed that chocolate is a favorite snack for people when they are feeling down.
Researchers found that both women and men eat more chocolate as depressive symptoms increase, suggesting an association between mood and chocolate. Future studies will be required to determine the basis of this association, as well as the role of chocolate in depression, as cause or cure, researchers say.
Results of the study were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine this week.
The study examined the…
I'm a big fan of arch-skeptic Bob Park, but his position on cell phones and cancer is just too simplistic:
Yesterday, the cell-phone controversy was taken to a new and substantially lower level. The Cohort Study on Mobile Communications (COSMOS) was launched in the UK to determine whether microwave radiation from wireless devices can induce cancer. It will track 250,000 users for 30 years to catch any slow growing cancers. Note the built-in job protection. The study will look for neurological diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers as well. Participants aged 18-69 are being recruited in…
Scientists studying the DNA marker profiles between smokers and non-smokers have found several genetic variants that are associated with key smoking behaviors.
In a new Nature Genetics paper, the international research team reported that three genetic regions are associated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day, one with smoking initiation and one with smoking cessation.
The variants on chromosome 15 associated with heavy smoking lie within a region that contains nicotinic receptor genes, which other scientists have previously associated with nicotine dependence and lung cancer.…
Consumption of 100 percent fruit juice is closely linked to improved nutrient intake and overall diet quality in children, according to the PR firm for the makers of apple juice.
Despite the fact that fruit juice is nutritionally very similar to soda, two new studies from the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center and Baylor College of Medicine clearly highlight the benefits of drinking 100 percent fruit juice, say the people who want to sell more juice.
Researchers used data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to compare the diets of juice…
Are you overweight? Do you want to slim down? Forget about exercising and dieting because there is actually a way to magically cure poor eating habits.
A new study examining the effects of psychological acupuncture suggests that the practice can reduce food cravings for up to six months in people who are overweight or obese.
The study did not show any significant impact on body weight or body mass index (BMI) after six months, but the results of a 12-month follow-up are still being analyzed, the authors say. Cross your fingers.
The results of the study will be presented at the…
Osteoporosis is a risk factor for hip fractures, and a study published in BMC Research Notes has found that martial arts training is a suitable way to teach seniors with osteoporosis how to fall down safely, avoiding injury.
Working with six healthy adults, scientists measured the force of their falls and compared it to known information about the amount of impact a patient with osteoporosis could withstand. The falls taught in this study all involved turning a fall into a rolling movement by bending and twisting the trunk and neck, and researchers believe it is possible for older people to…
Health Mullahs everywhere have a brand new set of statistics to push when they lobby the government for more tobacco regulations. A new study in Revista Española de Cardiología suggests that active and former smokers are likely fatter than non-smokers.
The authors of the study say their results confirm that nicotine addiction is not an effective way of to prevent obesity.
Researchers followed 7565 college students over a four-year period. After adjusting for age, sex, initial BMI and lifestyle, weight gain in people who stopped smoking during the study was higher the more cigarettes they…
Listening to your iPod or mp3 player for several hours at a time could put your hearing at risk, according to the least fun science article ever written.
The editorial, published today in the British Medical Journal, points out that personal music devices such as MP3 players can generate levels of sound at the ear in excess of 120 decibels, similar in intensity to a jet engine, especially when used with earphones that insert into the ear canal.
More than 90% of teenagers from Europe and the United States surveyed use the newfangled contraptions. Overall, their use "has grown…
A mother's shorter height is associated with a reduced growth rate and a higher death rate for her children, among 54 low- to middle-income countries, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA.
Researchers say the association suggests the presence of "an intergenerational transmission from mother's own nutrition, disease, and socioeconomic circumstances during her childhood to her offspring's health and mortality in their infancy and childhood."
Scientists investigated the potential long-term effects of maternal stature on offspring mortality, underweight, stunting, and wasting in…
Daily consumption of added sugars in the U.S. averages 3.2 ounces (15.8 percent of daily caloric intake) and has increased substantially since 1977-1978, when added sugars contributed only 10.6 percent of the calories consumed by adults, according to a new study in JAMA.
The study also points out that consuming higher amounts of added sugars is associated with lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and higher levels of triglycerides, which are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
"In the United States, total consumption of sugar has increased substantially in…