Women's Health: Abusive men put female partners at greater sexual risk ♦ highly refined carbohydrates increases risk of depression ♦ Gastric bypass surgery lowers women's alcohol tolerance

Gastric bypass surgery lowers women's alcohol tolerance Women who have gastric bypass surgery to lose weight should keep a close eye on their alcohol consumption, according to a study. The researchers found that changes in how alcohol is metabolized after surgery can speed its delivery into the bloodstream, resulting in earlier and higher peaks in blood-alcohol levels.

Consuming highly refined carbohydrates increases risk of depression A diet high in refined carbohydrates may lead to an increased risk for new-onset depression in postmenopausal women, according to a study. The study looked at the dietary glycemic index, glycemic load, types of carbohydrates consumed, and depression in data from more than 70,000 postmenopausal women who participated in the National Institutes of Health's Women's Health Initiative Observational Study between 1994 and 1998.

Combined impact of smoking, early menopause on mortality Women may now have yet another reason to quit smoking given the results of a new study. The Swedish study involving 25,474 women is the first to quantify the combined effects of smoking and age at menopause on overall mortality in terms of survival time by investigating the role of smoking as a possible effect modifier.

Abusive men put female partners at greater sexual risk Men who were physically and sexually abusive to women were more likely than non-abusive men to engage in behaviors that exposed them and their partners to sexually transmitted infections.