The news on eating a whole food, primarily plant-based diet just keeps getting better. Three new studies add more support to the idea that these kinds of foods are good for the brain. The first found that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables—compared to one made up mostly of processed, sweetened foods—lowers the risk of …
Pregnant women who light up, don’t always fess up
A new study casts doubt on the accuracy of self-reported smoking during pregnancy. The study, published last week in the British Medical Journal, involved a random sample of 3,475 pregnant women in Scotland. Researchers compared the women’s self-reported smoking status with results of blood tests that measured the women’s recent nicotine …
More Headaches for Pain Patients
Two articles—one in the Wall Street Journal, the other in the Washington Post—suggest that while the situation is easing for those whose pain is relieved by marijuana, those who require stronger, prescription painkillers are facing more obstacles to relief.
The Post covers a call by two Democratic Senators for the Drug Enforcement …
More Evidence Favoring Flu Vaccines in Pregnancy
Pregnant and considering whether or not to get a flu vaccine? Three new studies—as well as a growing body of research related to the effects of flu on the developing fetus—suggest that vaccination is the best option. In the studies, vaccinated women who were pregnant during flu season were much less likely to have premature or …
Rapid Antidepressants? Perception Changes Fast; Mood, Not So Much
Do antidepressants actually start to work immediately? Although people with depression don’t usually feel better right away, a fascinating new study suggests that these medications change the way people see the world within hours, not the two to six weeks that patients typically must wait before they sense that their mood has lifted. …
Early Trauma, Diet and Cancer: Holocaust study probes links
A link between exposure to traumatic stress and cancer has long been suspected—but researchers don’t yet fully understand how severe stress could produce this insidious effect or which types of cancer might be most affected. A new study of cancer risk amongst Holocaust survivors offers some clues.
The research also suggests that …
Lack of insurance factors into children’s deaths
If you haven’t had your life-isn’t-fair moment today, here it is: a lack of health insurance might have led or contributed to the deaths of nearly 17,000 hospitalized U.S. children during the past 20 years, according to new research from scientists at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, MD.
The study, appearing tomorrow in …
The Real Date Rape Drug
Should young women worry about “spiked” drinks and “date rape” drugs? A new study published in the British Journal of Criminology including surveys of both American and British coeds suggests that the real problem is what’s already in the glass, not what a surreptitious date or stranger might add to it.
“The students who …
Weighing pain relief and cancer risk: A new study may ease some fears about TNF inhibitors
During the past decade, a new class of drugs, called TNF inhibitors, has improved the lives of tens of thousands of people who suffer from painful autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and Crohn’s disease. But there is a catch: the same drugs that offer unmatched pain relief today might trigger a …
More Good Fertility News: Egg Freezing, IVF and Academics
More good news on fertility: three new studies presented at a recent meeting of fertility doctors found that frozen eggs are as good as fresh– and that babies conceived via in-vitro fertilization (IVF) appear to be smarter than those conceived the old-fashioned way.
The research was presented at the latest meeting of the American …
Depression may intensify response to flu vaccine in pregnant women
Pregnant women with significant signs of depression may react more strongly to the seasonal flu vaccine than women with milder cases of the common mood disorder, according to a new study slated to appear in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. The study was small but carefully designed. Researchers had 22 pregnant women fill out …
Newer Isn’t Always Better: Pap Smear Version
Over the last 15 years, the vast majority of American gynecologists have switched from using the traditional “pap” smear to screen for cervical cancer to another screening method called “liquid based cytology” (women may know the test by the popular brand name, ThinPrep). But a new study of nearly 90,000 women in Holland finds …
American Cancer Society calls for better monitoring of exposure to carcinogens
A new report from the American Cancer Society (ACS) calls for honing strategies to monitor people’s exposure to cancer-causing chemicals in the environment, including enhancing toxicity testing, enforcing regulatory standards, and lowering the public’s exposure when possible. Authors of the report put minimizing exposure to …
