Women Health

Materials in contact with food preparation can result in human exposure to chemicals, including metal ions and toxic alloying components, a problematic issue for food surveillance authorities often raised to European Commissions food regulators. Research by Müller et al published in Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A examines chemical leaching into coffee from filter … [Read more...]

The daughters, but not the sons, of women who give birth at age 30 or older are more likely to experience symptoms of depression as young adults, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. "This study suggests that older maternal age is associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in young adult females," said Jessica Tearne, a … [Read more...]

Indiana University researchers have discovered a hormonal mechanism in hamsters that connects short winter days with increased aggression in females, and that it differs from the mechanism that controls this same response in males. The work, which advances basic knowledge on the connection between certain sex hormones and aggression, could go on to advance research on the … [Read more...]

A new inter-disciplinary study led by researchers at Tufts University found that coconut oil effectively controlled the overgrowth of a fungal pathogen called Candida albicans (C. albicans) in mice. In humans, high levels of C. albicans in the gastrointestinal tract can lead to bloodstream infections, including invasive candidiasis. The research, published in mSphere, suggests … [Read more...]

Monday mornings could be harmful to your health. Even routine sleep changes such as waking up early for work during the week may raise the risk of developing metabolic problems such as diabetes and heart disease, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers have long recognized that shift work … [Read more...]

Emerging evidence suggests that transgender women have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes compared with men and women in the general population. A preliminary study to be presented at Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases: Physiology and Gender compares the risks of metabolic disease of the two therapies that aid the transition from … [Read more...]

Two women, seated at a table, told their stories in quiet tones. A group of chefs, some standing, others seated, leaned forward eagerly, clearly interested in what these two women had to say. They peppered the women with questions: did food taste better cold or hot? Was texture an issue? Did a glass of wine before dinner help or hurt the flavor experience? The women have … [Read more...]

New research from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston indicates that diabetic patients who got their primary care from nurse practitioners did not have an increase in potentially preventable hospital admissions. "Our data analysis revealed that older diabetic patients who received all of their primary care from nurse practitioners had lower rates of … [Read more...]

Being bullied in childhood has been associated with increased risk for anxiety, depression and even eating disorders. But according to new research, it's not only the victims who could be at risk psychologically, but also the bullies themselves. Researchers at Duke Medicine and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine were surprised to find that in a study of … [Read more...]

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego report new insights into what nutrients fat cells metabolize to make fatty acids. The findings pave the way for understanding potential irregularities in fat cell metabolism that occur in patients with diabetes and obesity and could lead to new treatments for these conditions. The researchers published their findings online … [Read more...]

Drinking a second or third cup of coffee may do more than get you through a long day -- it may also reduce your risk of death from heart disease and other illnesses. In a study reported in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, people who regularly drank moderate amounts of coffee daily --less than 5 cups per day -- experienced a lower risk of deaths from … [Read more...]

Three in five Australians have been the target of online harassment and abuse, landmark RMIT University research reveals. Women and young adults are most likely to report being sexually harassed online, while one in 10 adults said someone had shared a nude or semi-nude image of them without their consent. Dr Anastasia Powell, from RMIT's Centre for Applied Social … [Read more...]

Cigarette smoking among obese women appears to interfere with their ability to taste fats and sweets, a new study shows. Despite craving high-fat, sugary foods, these women were less likely than others to perceive these tastes, which may drive them to consume more calories. M. Yanina Pepino, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in … [Read more...]

Much has been reported about the potential for increased risk of alcohol misuse after weight loss surgery (WLS), with most theories pointing to lower alcohol tolerance and a longer time to return to a sober state after surgery, but a new study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggests that upwards of half of high-risk drinkers are actually less likely to report … [Read more...]

Obese male mice and normal weight female mice produce female pups that are overweight at birth and in childhood, and have increased number of "terminal end buds" in their breast tissue -- the site where cancer often develops in rodents. The findings, presented by a Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher at the AACR Annual Meeting 2014, come from one of … [Read more...]

Diets rich in potassium may help protect the heart and kidney health of patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). Individuals with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of developing kidney failure and heart disease. To examine whether higher intake sodium and … [Read more...]

Salk Institute researchers have found that an experimental drug candidate aimed at combating Alzheimer's disease has a host of unexpected anti-aging effects in animals. The Salk team expanded upon their previous development of a drug candidate, called J147, which takes a different tack by targeting Alzheimer's major risk factor--old age. In the new work, the team showed that … [Read more...]

Women with apple-shaped bodies -- those who store more of their fat in their trunk and abdominal regions -- may be at particular risk for the development of eating episodes during which they experience a sense of "loss of control," according to a new study from Drexel University. The study also found that women with greater fat stores in their midsections reported being less … [Read more...]

Improved thinking. Decreased appetite. Lowered blood pressure. The potential health benefits of dark chocolate keep piling up, and scientists are now homing in on what ingredients in chocolate might help prevent obesity, as well as type-2 diabetes. They found that one particular type of antioxidant in cocoa prevented laboratory mice from gaining excess weight and lowered their … [Read more...]

Wrist fractures are common among postmenopausal women who are younger than 65 and a new UCLA-led study suggests that they may also predict more serious fractures in other parts of their bodies later in life. The researchers on the study, published in the November issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, found that one in five women who had experienced a broken … [Read more...]

Many neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, are marked by impaired motor skills. In addition, growing evidence suggests there's a link between some neurodegenerative diseases and body weight. A recent NIH study, for example, found that adults who are obese or overweight at midlife may be at risk for earlier onset of Alzheimer's … [Read more...]

Self-weighing can be a useful tool to help adults control their weight, but for adolescents and young adults this behavior may have negative psychological outcomes. Researchers from the University of Minnesota tracked the self-weighing behaviors of more than 1,900 young adults as part of Project EAT (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults) and found increases in … [Read more...]

Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a key molecule that could lead to new therapies for people with celiac disease, an often painful and currently untreatable autoimmune disorder. Celiac disease is a food sensitivity to dietary gluten contained in cereals. In people who are genetically predisposed, gluten containing food will trigger an immune response that … [Read more...]

  Among patients with peripheral artery disease and intermittent claudication (cramping pain in the legs due to poor circulation in the arteries, aggravated by walking), a combination therapy of endovascular revascularization (an invasive procedure to improve blood flow in an artery) followed by supervised exercise resulted in greater improvement in walking distances … [Read more...]

Customizing an avatar to better resemble its human user may lead to improved health and exercise behaviors, according to a team of researchers. "There's an emerging body of research that suggests that avatars in virtual environments are an effective way to encourage people to be more healthy," said T. Franklin Waddell, a doctoral candidate in mass communications, Penn State. … [Read more...]

A chemical that could potentially be used in eye drops to reverse cataracts, the leading cause of blindness, has been identified by a team of scientists from UC San Francisco (UCSF), the University of Michigan (U-M), and Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL). Identified as a "priority eye disease" by the World Health Organization, cataracts -- caused when the lenses of … [Read more...]

Health campaigns that target teens based their social groups and subcultures, such as hip hop, preppy or alternative, can be an effective tool in dissuading adolescents from engaging in risky behaviors such as smoking and drinking, suggests a survey of the literature and a case study. The findings will be presented at the APHA meeting in Chicago on Nov. 3. "In public … [Read more...]

Vitamin D has been studied extensively in relation to bone health as well as cancer. Now, a team led by a researcher at the University at Buffalo has discovered that vitamin D may play a significant role in eye health, specifically in the possible prevention of age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, among women who are more genetically prone to developing the sight-damaging … [Read more...]

Osteoporosis is one of the chief reasons why the elderly often suffer broken bones from relatively minor injuries. Postmenopausal women in particular experience a relatively rapid loss in bone mass due to a reduced concentration of oestrogen, which is responsible for strong bone growth during youth. Maintaining bone mass requires physical exercise and vitamin D, which is mainly … [Read more...]