Children's Health: Childhood concussions impair brain function ♦ Why do chronically lonely teens stay lonely? ♦ Chewing slowly helps prevent excessive weight gain in children

Why do chronically lonely teens stay lonely? For chronically lonely adolescents, even the rare invitation to a social event is likely to be met with suspicion: 'It's not that I'm worthy, I just got lucky,' they'll tell themselves. And when not included in a gathering of peers, the chronically lonely teen will attribute it to some personal flaw. Chronically lonely individuals may respond to social situations in ways that perpetuate rather than reduce their loneliness.

Chewing slowly helps prevent excessive weight gain in children Waiting 30 seconds in between bites of food allows children to realize they're no longer hungry before they overeat -- preventing excessive weight gain.

Childhood concussions impair brain function Pre-adolescent children who have sustained sports-related concussions have impaired brain function two years following injury. Over a million brain injuries are treated annually in the U.S. While organized sports at all levels have implemented safety protocols for preventing and treating head injuries, most pediatric concussions still result from athletic activities.

Candy games stimulate appetite At least once a week, two thirds of all children of primary-school age will play an internet game that was created to draw attention to a brand. Most of these advertisements are for snacks and candy. Only 6% of these children are aware that such advergames are advertisements. In the meantime, such games do affect their behavior.

Women's Health: Window into women's sexuality ♦ Weight gain between pregnancies linked to increased risk of stillbirth ♦ Live together or get married?

Window into women's sexuality Heterosexual women have more diverse patterns of sexual response than previously reported, new research shows. Among women, say the authors, there is significant diversity among women in their sexual attractions to other women and men, regardless of sexual identity.

Incarcerated mothers impact children's future criminal involvement Children of incarcerated mothers are twice as likely to be arrested, convicted and incarcerated as adults. The survey, conducted in four waves, includes data on social, economic, psychological, and physical well-being, as well as information on the family, neighborhood, community, school, friendships, peer groups, and romantic relationships, to see how behavior and environment are linked to health and achievement outcomes.

Live together or get married? Study finds similar emotional benefits When it comes to emotional health, young couples -- especially women -- do just as well moving in together as they do getting married.

Weight gain between pregnancies linked to increased risk of stillbirth and infant death Mothers of healthy weight during their first pregnancy who gain even a moderate amount of weight (around 6 kg in a woman of average height) between their first and second pregnancies increase the risk of their baby dying in its first year of life.

Food Research: Diet lacking soluble fiber promotes weight gain, mouse ♦ Vitamin D pill a day may improve exercise performance and lower risk of heart disease

Diet lacking soluble fiber promotes weight gain, mouse A new study highlights the importance of the gut microbiome in maintaining intestinal and metabolic health and suggests that eating more foods high in soluble fiber may help prevent metabolic disease and obesity.

Vitamin D pill a day may improve exercise performance and lower risk of heart disease Taking vitamin D supplements can improve exercise performance and lower the risk of heart disease.

Obese people need more vitamin E, but actually get less Obese people with metabolic syndrome face an unexpected quandary when it comes to vitamin E -- they need more than normal levels of the vitamin because their weight and other problems are causing increased oxidative stress, but those same problems actually cause their effective use of vitamin E to be reduced.

Even a little is too much: One junk food snack triggers signals of metabolic disease We hate to ruin Thanksgiving, but a new report suggests that for some people, overindulgence at the dinner table or at snack time is enough to trigger signs of metabolic disease

Women's Health: Most healthy women would benefit from light meal during labor ♦ Magnesium during labor may reduce risk of fever in mothers and complications in babies

Physical activity has greater impact on body composition in postmenopausal women Everyone knows that exercise is good for you, regardless of your age. But a new study shows that some types of physical activity have a greater impact on body composition in postmenopausal compared to premenopausal women.

Unhealthy pregnancy weight gain tips the scales for mothers seven years later For the first time, researchers studied the association between gestational weight gain and long-term weight retention among a multiethnic urban population. Results show that mothers with excessive weight gain during pregnancy weighed more and had greater body fat seven years after delivery if they began pregnancy at normal or at slight overweight and suggest that excessive gestational weight gain has long-term consequences for women who are normal weight or a little overweight before pregnancy.

Most healthy women would benefit from light meal during labor Most healthy women can skip the fasting and, in fact, would benefit from eating a light meal during labor, suggests new research. Improvements in anesthesia care have made pain control during labor safer, reducing risks related to eating, researchers note.

Magnesium during labor may reduce risk of fever in mothers and complications in babies Women who received magnesium sulfate during labor were less likely to develop maternal fever, a condition that can lead to a variety of complications in newborns including difficulty breathing, seizures, cerebral palsy and a condition known as “floppy baby syndrome,” characterized by inadequate muscle tone.

Children's Health: Policies on children's tech exposure confusing ♦ Pupil response predicts depression risk in kids ♦ Childhood stress fuels weight gain in women

Pupil response predicts depression risk in kids How much a child's pupil dilates in response to seeing an emotional image can predict his or her risk of depression over the next two years.

Childhood stress fuels weight gain in women When it comes to weight gain for women, childhood stress appears to be a bigger culprit than stress during adulthood, finds an American national study. Interestingly, though, neither childhood nor adult stress was associated with weight gain for men.

Policies on children's tech exposure confusing Guidelines on children's exposure to radio frequency waves from technology are confusing for parents, new research suggests. The review found a wide variety of different protocols and guidelines across 34 countries.

Potential treatment option for children with Ewing's sarcoma A new therapeutic alternative for children who suffer from a malignant pediatric tumor bone and soft tissue called Ewing's sarcoma has been discovered by a research consortium. Ewing's sarcoma is the second most common bone cancer and affects children and youth. Currently, if diagnosed early and there is no metastasis it can be cured in 80% of cases but between 25% and 30% of cases are diagnosed when it has metastasized and survival drops to 20%

Adolescent exposure to e-cigarette tv ads increases likelihood of future use Adolescents who are exposed to e-cigarette TV advertising are more likely to try e-cigarettes in the future, according to a groundbreaking experiment. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance that negatively affects adolescents' brain development, with increased anxiety and depression, and may make them more susceptible to conventional cigarettes.

Weight Loss Research: Weight loss, combined with vitamin D, reduces cancer ♦ To shed weight, go vegan ♦ What effect does marijuana really have on weight gain?

Weight loss, combined with vitamin D, reduces inflammation linked to cancer, chronic disease For the first time, researchers have found that weight loss, in combination with vitamin D supplementation, has a greater effect on reducing chronic inflammation than weight loss alone. Chronic inflammation is known to contribute to the development and progression of several diseases, including some cancers.

Want to be seen as more loving and a better cook? Do you want to be seen as a better cook and a more loving parent? It's as easy as serving a vegetable at dinner, according to recent research. Families are most likely to consume vegetables at dinner time, yet only about 23% of dinners contain a full serving of vegetables..

Online computer game can help shed weight, reduce food intake A simple new computerized game could help people control their snacking impulses and lose weight. Psychologists report that participants lost an average of 0.7kg and consumed around 220 fewer calories a day whilst undergoing the week of training

To shed weight, go vegan People on a vegetarian diet, and especially those following a vegan one that includes no animal products, see better results than dieters on other weight-reducing plans. In fact, they can lose around two kilograms more on the short term.

What effect does marijuana really have on weight gain? While cannabis alters the functions of neurobiological circuits controlling appetite, its effect on weight gain is complex since several factors appear to be involved. The main finding of the study shows that long-term cannabis use indeed influences weight gain, although its effects may differ by gender.

Weight Loss Research: Thunder god vine potential obesity treatment ♦ Skipping meals linked to abdominal weight gain ♦ Potential obesity treatment targets

Potential obesity treatment targets the two sides of appetite: Hunger and feeling full Our bodies' hormones work together to tell us when to eat and when to stop. But for many people who are obese, this system is off-balance. Now scientists have designed a hormone-like compound to suppress hunger and boost satiety, or a full feeling, at the same time. Obese mice given the compound for 14 days had a tendency to eat less than the other groups.

Average-sized models could sell more fashion The fashion industry could benefit from using average-sized models rather than size zero in marketing campaigns.The study considered the impact of using average and zero-sized models in marketing campaigns.

Skipping meals linked to abdominal weight gain Skipping meals sets off a series of metabolic miscues that can result in abdominal weight gain. In the study, mice that ate all of their food as a single meal and fasted the rest of the day developed insulin resistance in their livers -- which scientists consider a telltale sign of prediabetes..

Thunder god vine used in traditional Chinese medicine is a potential obesity treatment An extract from the thunder god vine, which has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine, reduces food intake and causes up to a 45 percent decrease in body weight in obese mice. The weight-loss compound, called Celastrol, produces its potent effects by enhancing the action of an appetite-suppressing hormone called leptin..

Obesity, weight loss change splicing pattern of obesity, type 2 diabetes genes Alternative splicing of obesity and type 2 diabetes related genes may contribute to the pathophysiology of obesity, according to research. Obesity leads to changes in the splicing pattern of metabolically relevant genes such as TCF7L2 and INSR, resulting in impaired insulin action. However, weight loss, induced by either obesity surgery or a very low-calorie diet, reverses these changes

Weight Loss Research:Extra weight decreases mortality from type 2 diabetes ♦ Occurrence of obesity complications ♦ Blocking obesity-associated protein

Carrying a little extra weight decreases mortality from type 2 diabetes Patients with type 2 diabetes who are overweight but not obese live longer than those who are underweight or normal-weight. Researchers call this effect the 'obesity paradox.' Walking or cycling to work could help you lose weight Leaving your car at home could help shed pounds – according to new research. Given that car use is high, the findings strengthen the case for incentivising walking or cycling to boost population health. New player in the occurrence of obesity complications Metabolic complications of obesity and overweight, such as type 2 diabetes, are an important challenge to public health. Teams of researchers have succeeded in elucidating part of the mechanisms involved in the development of these metabolic complications associated with obesity. Moving to a depressed neighborhood linked to weight gain Certain regions in the United States are characterized by a higher prevalence of obesity, which suggests that a person's socioeconomic, physical, and social environments can affect opportunities for healthy behaviors that might prevent excess weight gain  A new study has found that people who moved to more socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods gained additional weight. Blocking obesity-associated protein stops dangerous fat formation By changing mouse genes to block a protein associated with obesity, scientists have prevented fat from forming around the animal's' internal organs, even when the animals eat an unhealthy diet. The study found that these genetically engineered mice also retained their sensitivity to insulin (normally blunted by obesity), despite gaining weight.

Weight Loss Research: Tackle our addiction to salt and fat by altering foods ♦ Obesity-related receptors ♦ Obese patients improve after bariatric surgery ♦

Obesity-related receptors have a unique structure  Researchers have studied the structure of two receptors of adiponectin, a protein that is associated with obesity and diabetes. The researchers hope that in the future this work will pave the way toward designing drugs that target these two receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, to reduce the early mortality associated with diabetes.

Obese patients improve physically, mentally after bariatric surgery  Bariatric surgery, or reduction of gastric capacity, is one of the longer lasting options to achieve considerable weight loss in obese people. A researcher has participated in a study that confirms that the effects of this relatively complex medical surgery are not only physical, but also psychological

Choice of protein- and carbohydrate-rich foods may have big effects on long-term weight gain Small changes to the types of protein- and carbohydrate-rich foods that we eat may have a large impact on preventing long-term weight gain. The study also suggests that changes in refined carbohydrates can enhance -- or offset -- the weight-gain or weight-loss effects of certain protein-rich foods.

Scientists tackle our addiction to salt and fat by altering foods' pore size, number Food scientists have learned that understanding and manipulating porosity during food manufacturing can affect a food's health benefits. They report that controlling the number and size of pores in processed foods allows manufacturers to use less salt while satisfying consumers' taste buds. Meticulously managing pore pressure in foods during frying reduces oil uptake, which results in lower-fat snacks without sacrificing our predilection for fried foods' texture and taste.

Promoting maternal interaction improves growth, weight gain in preemies

An intervention to teach mothers of preterm infants how to interact with their babies more effectively results in better weight gain and growth for the infants, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.

A subsequent study showed that infants who had the benefit of a major component of this intervention more rapidly developed the muscle control needed for feeding successfully from a bottle. The initial findings were published online in the Journal of Perinatology and the subsequent study in Advances in Neonatal Care.

Briefly, the intervention involved teaching mothers to recognize and respond to the subtle cues their preterm infants were hungry — far less pronounced than term infants. Mothers were also taught how to provide appropriate social and physical stimulation — such as soothing talk, and gentle massages — to spur their infants’ neurological development.

Infants born preterm often are not developed enough to feed on their own. Typically, the muscle control needed for infants to feed unassisted does not completely develop until the 34th week of pregnancy. Infants born before this time usually are fed through a nasogastric tube — a line passed through the nose and down the throat into the stomach. The study authors developed the intervention to help mothers stimulate their infant’s alertness before feeding so that the infants would be better able to feed by mouth. The intervention also sought to spur the infants’ social behaviors, such as keeping alert and looking at the mother, and neurological development, in hopes of offsetting at least some of the developmental delays often seen in preterm infants.

“Preterm infants who fail to gain sufficient weight are at a higher risk for delays and even impairments in cognitive ability and motor skills,” said Valerie Maholmes, Ph.D “We are hopeful that this intervention will prove to be an important tool in safeguarding the long-term health of an extremely vulnerable group of infants.”

1/7/15 Health News: Can Sugar Make You Sick? ♦ Poor sleep causes weight gain ♦ Cold virus replicates better at cooler temperatures

Studies show like between sugar and disease

Is sugar making us sick? A team of scientists at the University of California in San Francisco believes so, and they’re doing something about it. They launched an initiative to bring information on food and drink and added sugar to the public by reviewing more than 8,000 scientific papers that show a strong link between the consumption of added sugar and chronic diseases. The … Continue Reading

Poor sleep causes weight gain, susceptibility to diabetes

People who suffer breathing and heart rate abnormalities, called obstructive sleep apnea, are likely to develop diabetes, and the risk increases if they have a hereditary proclivity, scientists report Continue Reading

Cold virus replicates better at cooler temperatures

The common cold virus can reproduce itself more efficiently in the cooler temperatures found inside the nose than at core body temperature, according to a new study. This finding may confirm the popular yet contested notion that people are more likely to catch a cold in cool-weather conditions. Continue Reading

11/9/14 Health News: GMO Industry- “Poison First, Regulate Later” ♦ Camel Dairy Milking Approved ♦ Consumption of added sugars up ♦ Secondhand smoke causes weight gain

Genetically Engineered Food: The Criminality of the GMO Biotech Industry. “Poison First, Regulate Later”

The GM Contamination Register database has been run by Genewatch and Greenpeace for about ten years and contains cases dating from 1997 to the end of 2013 [1]. The authors of a new paper, published in the International Journal of Food Contamination, analysed the 400 or so cases in the database by crop and country [2]. GM rice accounts for about a third of contamination cases, …Continue Reading

Sunshine Coast camel dairy milking an untapped natural resource

Updated November 09, 2014 00:38:53 A Queensland dairy has just received Safe Food accreditation to sell pasteurised camel milk to the public from their Sunshine Coast farm. The creamy milk tastes similar to cow's milk, but has a slightly saltier aftertaste, and is higher in vitamins C and B6 as well as iron. But getting a camel to let you milk it is just as tricky as it sounds … Continue Reading

U.S. adult consumption of added sugars increased by more than 30% over three decades

While recent studies indicate that added sugar consumption has begun to decline, no research has examined whether these changes have persisted, or are consistent across critical subpopulations. Researchers examined five nationally representative surveys about food intake in the U.S. from 1977 to 2010, and found that added sugar consumption by American adults has increased by about 30% in the last three decades Continue Reading

Secondhand smoke can cause weight gain

New research is challenging the decades-old belief that smoking cigarettes helps keep you slim. A study finds that exposure to cigarette smoke can actually cause weight gain. But here's the kicker: Secondhand smoke is the biggest culprit  Continue Reading

4/17/14 Health News: SECOND LOOK AT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA LAW ♦ How You Digest Carbs Influences Weight Gain ♦ Eating Beans, Lentils, Peas Lowers LDL ♦ Do Fat Teens Die Earlier?

MURDER, ILLNESSES PROMPT SECOND LOOK AT RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA LAW IN COLORADO

After months of keeping their hands off implementation of Colorado’s voter-approved initiative for recreational marijuana, the state’s political establishment may be having some second thoughts. Two bills filed late in the Colorado Legislature appear to be on a fast track to put the first real limits on recreational marijuana since voters passed Amendment 64 in... Continue Reading

How You Digest Carbs May Influence Weight Gain, Study Says

The way your body digests carbohydrates may affect your risk for obesity, a new genetic study indicates. Researchers focused on a gene called AMY1, which is responsible for an enzyme in the saliva called salivary amylase. When food enters the mouth, the enzyme begins the process of starch absorption that continues in the digestive system. Starches are a type of carbohydrate. People typically have two copies of AMY1, but the number of copies can vary widely. It's believed that higher numbers of the gene evolved in response to diets that contained greater levels of starch, Continue Reading

Diet Rich in Beans, Lentils, Peas Lowers LDL

People who consumed a serving a day of dietary "pulses" -- such as beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas -- significantly reduced their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, a meta-analysis concluded. Those whose diets included a median pulse intake of 130 g/d had lower LDL cholesterol levels than those on a control diet (mean difference -0.17 mmol/L, 95% CI -0.25 to -0.09), according to John L. Sievenpiper, MD, PhD, of the University of Toronto in Canada, and his co-authors. The results were "equivalent to a reduction of about 5% from baseline" and consistent with the results of two previous meta-analyses, they wrote online in CMAJ.Continue reading

Do Fat Teens Face an Early Death?

Life expectancy gains seen over the last half-century do not appear to extend to adults who were overweight or obese in adolescence, according to a large study spanning several decades. Overweight and obese teens in the study were more likely to die before reaching the age of 50 than their normal-weight peers,Continue reading