Laura Blue

Laura Blue is a senior contributing health writer for TIME.com. She first began writing for TIME's Canadian edition as an intern in 2004, and then spent four years as a staff reporter for the magazine's international editions, first in New York and later in London, before leaving to pursue a Ph.D. in demography at Princeton University. She is interested in evidence-based medicine, clinical trials and the effects of our day-to-day behaviors — think diet, exercise, smoking and stress — on health and longevity. She lives in Baltimore.

Articles from Contributor

Childhood

Psychological Abuse: More Common, as Harmful as Other Child Maltreatment

By Laura Blue July 30, 2012

Psychological abuse — including demeaning, bullying and humiliating — may be the most prevalent form of child maltreatment. Yet it’s among the hardest to identify or to treat

Behavior

Testosterone, the Power Hormone

By Laura Blue July 27, 2012

Biology meets history in a new book on revolution, riot and the sex hormone testosterone. Author Karin Kneissl explains

Work & Life

It’s Called the Graveyard Shift for a Reason

By Laura Blue July 27, 2012

A new study confirms that shift workers — people who work late nights, irregular hours or mixed night-and-day schedules — are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke

Emergency Care

Diagnosing Heart Disease, Faster

By Laura Blue July 26, 2012

Adding a test can help doctors diagnose heart disease among people who arrive in the emergency room with chest pains. The test helps patients get home faster — but the jury’s still out on whether it’s good for them overall

Obesity

We Burn as Many Calories as Hunter-Gatherers, So What Makes Us Fat?

By Laura Blue July 26, 2012

Contrary to conventional wisdom, detailed energy measurements show that while hunter-gatherers may be more physically active than the rest of us, they don’t burn more calories thanks to their lower metabolisms

Memory

To Boost Memory, Shut Your Eyes and Relax

By Laura Blue July 25, 2012

Just 10 minutes of wakeful rest may help us absorb new information into memory

Depression

Unplug! Too Much Light at Night May Lead to Depression

By Laura Blue July 24, 2012

Mood disorders join a long list of ailments linked to late-night exposure to artificial lighting, TVs and computer screens

Prevention

Severely Obese Kids Have Heart Disease Risk Factors as Early as Age 2

By Laura Blue July 24, 2012

A Dutch study finds that high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar are the norm, not the exception, among severely overweight children and adolescents

Child Development

The Lasting Effects of Neglect: Altered Brain Structure in Children

By Laura Blue July 24, 2012

Fortunately, good foster care can help neglected children catch up developmentally, in part

AIDS

HIV Treatment Results Are Improving — But Maybe Not as Much as We Thought

By Laura Blue July 23, 2012

The proportion of U.S. patients who receive effective treatment has jumped from 45% in 2001 to 72% in 2010, according to a large national study, but that’s still lower than some previous estimates

Obesity

Lucky Mice: Researchers Have Found a Protein that Mimics the Effects of Exercise

By Laura Blue Jan. 12, 2012

A newly discovered protein could help both mouse and man gain all the benefits of exercise without breaking a sweat

Breast Cancer

Do Antiperspirants Cause Breast Cancer?

By Laura Blue Jan. 12, 2012

Parabens, a major compound in antiperspirants, are found in many breast tumors. But they’re present in tissues of non-users as well

Aging

Brain Aging: What’s Nintendo Got to Do With It?

By Laura Blue Jan. 12, 2012

Grandpa and grandma may be wrestling the grandkids for the Nintendo, thanks to a study showing Brain Age can improve cognitive function