Any woman who has given birth knows that shedding baby weight can be a long and arduous process. Now scientists are finding that women who start off with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher—technically obese—are at a huge disadvantage. According to the new study, slated to appear in next month’s issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, …
Medicine
Internet virgins search web, boost brain power
If you have someone in your life who stubbornly refuses to get in line by going online, here’s a carrot. Yesterday, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, presented their study showing that when adults (ages 55 to 78) go online their brains get bigger. Well, maybe not physically bigger, but they did reclaim …
Breast cancer diagnosis hits well-educated women hardest
For any woman, a breast cancer diagnosis is a sucker punch to the gut, but a new Australian study finds that more well-educated women fare worse psychologically than their less-educated peers. For the cohort study, 1,684 women were recruited within 12 months of being diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Each woman completed a standard, …
Think before you drink for your health
In our science-via-soundbite culture, it’s easy to glom onto health news that validates the things we love—what? coffee might prevent Alzheimer’s? pass the triple Americano—and ignore headlines that threatens to dampen the fun, such as the drawbacks of drinking.
Everyone’s heard the news that moderate drinking may thwart heart …
Part time work may have health benefits for retirees
For people who had been considering retirement but now remain in the job market because of the economic slump, there may at least be a salubrious silver lining. According to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, retirees who transition to a part-time or temporary job before leaving the
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Calling on canines for cancer clues
If slobbery kisses and adoring tail wags weren’t enough to secure dogs’ reputation as man’s best friend, a new initiative from some creative cancer researchers may do just that. By recruiting pet dogs with naturally occurring cancers into clinical trials, oncologists may be able to develop treatments that could eventually be used
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Can the make up of your breast tissue influence your risk for cancer?
For all of their oversimplification on the pages of Playboy or on the streets at Mardi Gras, breasts are pretty complex body parts. And better understanding their unique composition of glands, lobes, lobules, fatty tissue, and ducts may help physicians better determine which women are at highest risk for breast cancer. In fact,
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Does targeting fast food joints actually help combat obesity?
A law put into effect in July 2008 that banned fast food restaurants in a section of Los Angeles for one year may have been well intended, but missed the point, according to a study by the non-profit research organization, RAND Corporation, published online in the journal Health Affairs. Economist Roland Sturm and natural scientist …
Preventing childhood burn injuries
Between 1990 and 2006, overall numbers of burn injuries among children dropped by 31%, according to a study published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics. Yet while that decrease is cause for celebration—for parents and pediatricians alike—authors of the large scale study, which analyzed some two million burn injuries
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One surefire tip for a long and healthy life
Sometimes it seems that every day offers a new, contradictory health finding. One day screening for prostate cancer is recommended; the next it’s not. One day the hot new superfood is acai berries. The next it’s dark chocolate, red wine, or fatty fish. Just about every new diet plan or exercise regime raises doubts about effectiveness or …
Study: women with strong thigh muscles have less knee pain from osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis of the knee is a leading cause of disability—and discomfort—in older adults, yet while many people may show signs of the condition, not all experience pain as a result. According to a study published in the September 15 issue of the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology, it appears that, while leg strength doesn’t make
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Could medical imaging using radiation actually be causing harm?
Medical imaging techniques ranging from CT scans to myocardial perfusion imaging (or imaging of the heart), have become a regular part of medical diagnostics. Yet, according to a study published in this week’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, it isn’t yet clear whether the radiation necessary for these imaging procedures
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Women have a slightly higher risk of dying in the month after a heart attack
According to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, after surviving a heart attack, women have a slightly higher risk than men of dying in the next 30 days. The finding, researchers say, likely reflects the differences in the type of heart failure women experience, as well as the severity of the
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