Hormone Changes Make Some Males React To Competition Like Bonobos, Others Like Chimpanzees The average man experiences hormone changes similar to the passive bonobo prior to competition, but a "status-striving" man undergoes changes that mirror those found in a chimpanzee, say researchers from Duke and Harvard universities... Go to Source Testosterone Gel Increases Risk Of Heart Attacks And High Blood Pressure In Older Men - Treatment Phase Of Clinical Trial Stopped According to a trial in older men using testosterone gel treatment, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, using testosterone gel results in a higher risk of adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and high blood pressure (hypertension) compared to a placebo. The trial was stopped because of these adverse events... Go to Source Higher Testosterone Tied to Heart Trouble in Older Men Further study may unravel whether hormone levels actually cause the problem, researcher says Go to Source
High Sugar Content in Packaged Toddler and Baby Food Products Fifty three percent of food products specifically targeted to babies and toddlers in Canadian grocery stores have an excessive proportion -- more than 20 per cent -- of calories coming from sugar, according to a new study by University of Calgary professor Charlene Elliott. Go to Source National School Lunch Program Increases Educational Achievement, Study Finds A new article from the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management is the first to evaluate the long-term health and educational effects of participation in the National School Lunch Program. The study finds that the program leads to a significant increase in educational opportunity and attainment, but an insignificant increase in health levels from childhood to adulthood. Go to Source Early-Life Exposure To BPA May Affect Testis Function In Adulthood Exposure to environmental levels of the industrial chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, in the womb and early life may cause long-lasting harm to testicular function, according to a new study conducted in animals. The results are being presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego... Go to Source Drinking Alcohol During Pregnancy May Damage Semen Quality in Sons Mothers who drink alcohol while they are pregnant may be damaging the fertility of their future sons, according to new research being presented at the 26th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Rome. Doctors in Denmark found that if mothers had drunk 4.5 or more drinks
Read More Post a comment (1)New formula gives first accurate peak heart rate for women A new gender-based formula based on a large study provides a more accurate estimate of the peak heart rate a healthy woman should attain during exercise. It also will more accurately predict the risk of heart-related death during a stress test. Researchers found women's normal peak rate is lower than men's. The old formula -- 220 minus age -- used for almost four decades, is based on studies of men. The new formula for women, based on the new research, is 206 minus 88 percent of age. Go to Source A Little Biking May Help Premenopausal Women Stay Slim Riding a bike is as effective as walking briskly at helping premenopausal women keep from gaining more weight, a new study reveals. Biking is particularly helpful at keeping pounds off such women who are overweight or obese, said study lead author Anne C. Lusk, a research fellow in the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "Women of normal body weight can certainly benefit from biking," she noted. "But specifically for overweight and obese premenopausal women, bicycling just two to three hours per week makes them 46 percent less likely to gain more than 5 percent of their initial body weight over the long run." Go to Source What Exercise Science Doesn’t Know About Women? Scientists know, of course, that women are not men. But
Read MoreTwo new studies question how individual our choices really are. Thoughts? - ERG Brand 'Personality' May Affect How Consumers See Themselves Some consumer brands represent "personalities" that can change the way people feel about themselves -- especially if they think their own personal qualities are already set for life, according to new research. "Using brands with appealing personalities can rub off on the way consumers see themselves, even if the brand is used for only a short time," University of Minnesota researchers Deborah Roedder John and Ji Kyung Park wrote in their report, which is scheduled to be published online in the Journal of Consumer Research. One of the four studies they conducted found that women who carried a Victoria's Secret shopping bag in a local mall for an hour perceived themselves as more feminine, glamorous and good-looking compared with how women who carried a plain pink shopping bag saw themselves. Go to Source Why Do You Like What I Like, but I Don't Like What You Like? When we like a product, do we think others will like it, too? And when we believe others like a product, do we like it as well? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says these two questions are fundamentally different. "The answer to the first question (Will others like it?) requires people to start with their own product preferences, which we call projection," write authors Caglar
Read More Post a comment (0)Public transit systems contribute to weight loss and improved health, study finds Increasing the availability of public transit systems is one among a number of modifications to the built environment that offers opportunities for increasing physical activity and reducing the prevalence of obesity and its associated problems. In a new study, researchers found that construction of a light-rail system (LRT) resulted in increased physical activity (walking) and subsequent weight loss by people served by the LRT. These findings suggest that improving neighborhood environments and increasing the public's use of LRT systems could improve health outcomes and potentially impact millions of individuals. Go to Source
When Parents Smoke, Kids' Weight, Behavior May Suffer Two new studies suggest there's a connection between parents who smoke and kids who are heavier or misbehave more than other children. The researchers haven't definitively proven that lighting up puts kids at risk for bad behavior and extra pounds. In fact, it may be impossible to ever prove a cause-and-effect because it's considered unethical to assign some parents to smoke and then see what happens. Still, the findings "tighten the link" between parents who smoke and physical and mental health problems in their kids, said Dr. Jonathan Winickoff, an associate professor of pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital, who co-wrote a commentary accompanying the research. Go to Source Decay of baby teeth may be linked to obesity, poor food choices, study suggests Preschool children with tooth decay may be more likely to be overweight or obese than the general population and, regardless of weight, are more likely to consume too many calories, a new study indicates. Go to Source Lifestyle intervention reduces preschoolers' body fat, improves fitness Migrant children are at increased risk of obesity, but a new study shows that a program teaching multiple lifestyle changes to predominantly migrant preschoolers and their parents helps the children reduce body fat and improve fitness. In the United States, about 14 percent of children ages 2 to 5 years are obese, statistics show. Go to Source Non-Invasive prenatal blood test to detect chromosomal abnormalities in fetus Researchers in The Netherlands believe they are on the verge of developing a
Read More Post a comment (0)Obesity, weight gain in middle age associated with increased risk of diabetes among older adults For individuals 65 years of age and older, obesity, excess body fat around the waist and gaining weight after the age of 50 are associated with an increased risk of diabetes, according to a new study. Go to Source High fructose, trans fats lead to significant liver disease, says study Scientists have discovered that a diet with high levels of fructose -- levels equivalent to that in high fructose corn syrup -- and of trans fats not only increases obesity, but also leads to significant fatty liver disease with scar tissue. Go to Source Aerobic exercise safe and effective for rheumatoid arthritis patients, experts say Researchers have determined that cardio-respiratory aerobic exercise is safe for patients with stable rheumatoid arthritis. The team found that RA patients who exercised regularly had improved function, less joint pain, and greater quality of life. Go to Source
Creatine, a legal dietary supplement not banned by leagues, may be linked to oblique injury epidemic Hamstring pulls and ACL tears suddenly seem so old-fashioned, so outdated, as irrelevant as carbon paper, eight-track tapes and Friendster. Nearly one month into the 2011 season, oblique muscle injuries have emerged as Major League Baseball's trendiest ailment. More than a dozen players have been sidelined with oblique injuries this season. Yankee star Alex Rodriguez sat out two games last week with a minor oblique injury. His teammate, Curtis Granderson, injured his oblique during spring training. Jason Bay finally returned to the Mets on Thursday after spending the first three weeks of the season on the disabled list with a strained left rib cage. That same day Angel Pagan left the Mets' game against Houston in the fifth inning after tweaking his oblique while facing Astros pitcher J.A. Happ - who has also missed part of this season with an oblique problem. So why the sudden surge in injuries to obliques, those broad, flat muscles that attach the rib cage and the pelvis? Why are so many ballplayers sitting out with sharp pains in their sides? Creatine, a legal dietary supplement that is not banned by MLB, NFL, NBA or NCAA, is an amino acid that boosts lean muscle mass and strength. Studies show it's effective for sports like baseball, tennis and golf, activities that require intense but brief bursts of energy and not so effective for sports that require endurance, such as running and soccer. Creatine, according to
Read More Post a comment (1)Gay men's bilateral brains better at remembering faces: York U study Gay men can recall familiar faces faster and more accurately than their heterosexual counterparts because, like women, they use both sides of their brains, according to a new study by York University researchers. Go to Source Stomach Hormone Ghrelin Increases Desire for High-Calorie Foods, Study Finds The "hunger" hormone ghrelin, which acts in the brain to stimulate hunger and increase food intake, heightens the appeal of high-calorie foods over low-calorie foods, according to a study being presented at The Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego. Go to Source Certain Obese People Are Not at High Risk of Heart Disease, Diabetes, Study Finds Obese people without metabolic risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, do not have the elevated cardiovascular risk typical of obesity, but they represent only a small percentage of the obese population, according to a long-term study. Go to Source Cancers of Sweat Glands, Other Skin-Related Structures May Be Increasing in United States Cutaneous appendageal carcinomas -- tumors of the skin appendages such as hair, nails, sweat glands and mammary glands -- are rare but rates appear to be increasing in the United States, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Go to Source Cartoon Characters Sell Kids on Unhealthy Foods Popular cartoon characters are influencing the taste preferences of very young children, and not in a positive way, a new study suggests. Researchers found that the branding
Read More Post a comment (0)Americans spend twice as much as residents of other developed countries on healthcare, but get lower quality, less efficiency and have the least equitable system, according to a report released on Wednesday. The current report uses data from nationally representative patient and physician surveys in seven countries in 2007, 2008, and 2009. It is available here. In 2007, health spending was $7,290 per person in the United States, more than double that of any other country in the survey. Australians spent $3,357, Canadians $3,895, Germans $3,588, the Netherlands $3,837 and Britons spent $2,992 per capita on health in 2007. New Zealand spent the least at $2,454. This is a big rise from the Fund's last similar survey, in 2007, which found Americans spent $6,697 per capita on healthcare in 2005, or 16 percent of gross domestic product. Go to Source
