With the increasing popularity of soccer around the world comes a corresponding uptick in soccer-related injuries. And considering that fútbol fever has grown particularly rapidly among women in recent years—the number of female soccer players grew by 19% between 2000 and 2006, to 26 million players—female futbolistas have been
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Girls who begin menstruating at a younger age may have a greater risk for developing heart disease later in life, according to new findings published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The study included 15,807 middle-aged and senior women, whose cardiovascular health and mortality were tracked from 1993 to 1997,
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It’s New Year’s Eve, and for many people that means some confetti, bubbly and even a midnight kiss. But if you hope that for that kiss to turn into something more, safe sex advocates emphasize the importance of curbing your cocktail intake, and remembering contraception. Research sponsored by the sexual health non-profit group Marie
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Raising children in an über-hygienic atmosphere may inhibit immune system development key to fighting infection and disease later in life, according to a new study from researchers at Northwestern University. Researchers followed a group of more than 3,000 Filipino children from their mother’s third trimester of pregnancy through 22
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The growing number of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in hospitals may in part be driven by physicians’ tendency to over-prescribe antibiotics to avoid being sued by disgruntled patients, according to a study published this past fall in the American Journal of Therapeutics. Researchers from New York Medical
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Informally, it’s a measure medical professionals have been using for centuries—if an adult patient looks “old for his age,” that’s generally considered a sign of poor health. A new study published in the British Medical Journal put that folk wisdom to the test, in a study of more than 1,800 twins ages 70 and older. As part of the
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In hospital settings, disinfectants are regularly used to prevent the spread of bacteria and prevent infection, but a new study published in the January issue of the journal Microbiology, suggests that too much exposure to a disinfectant may actually cause harm by creating bacteria that can not only resist the cleaning product, but some
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Despite the prevalence of anecdotal evidence suggesting the benefits of exercise in reducing period-related discomfort, a new study from researchers at Birmingham University in England indicates that how much you work out may not necessarily impact the severity of menstrual cramps. The study, first highlighted by the BBC and published in
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Girls who begin having sexual intercourse at a younger age may have a significantly higher risk for developing cervical cancer, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Cancer. As the BBC reports, in a study of some 20,000 women, investigators from the International Agency for Research on Cancer found that those who
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Outdated water standards may mean people are drinking tap water that is legally clean, but likely unhealthy, according to a series of investigative reports from Charles Duhigg at the New York Times. While some 60,000 chemicals may be present in the public water supply, only 91 are currently regulated by the Environmental Protection
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In the last decade or so, there has been a steadily growing trend in U.K. hospitals of banning bedside flowers. Citing the inconvenience of caring for the blooms, the potential hazard of water dripping onto electronic equipment, and the potential “risk of infection” posed by the stagnant water in vases, medical facilities from Dorset in
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Data released this month by the Centers for Disease Control shows that average U.S life expectancy at birth has reached an all-time high of 77.9 years. The latest information from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that, from 2006 to 2007 average life expectancy increased by more than two months.
Smaller fingers may create a more precise sense of touch, according to a study published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience. Anecdotally, researchers have observed that women tend to have a finer sense of touch than men, but until now it wasn’t very clear why. This new research suggests that it may just have to do with their
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