Animal study suggests heavy drinking in adolescence associated with lasting brain changes

Animal study suggests heavy drinking in adolescence associated with lasting brain changes: Heavy drinking during adolescence may lead to structural changes in the brain and memory deficits that persist into adulthood, according to an animal study published October 29 in The Journal of Neuroscience. The study found that, even as adults, rats given daily access to alcohol during adolescence had reduced levels of myelin — the fatty coating on nerve fibers that accelerates the transmission of electrical signals between neurons. These changes were observed in a brain region important in reasoning and decision-making. Animals that were the heaviest drinkers also performed worse on a memory test later in adulthood. The findings suggest that high doses of alcohol during adolescence may continue to affect the brain even after drinking stops. Further research is required to determine the applicability of these findings to humans.

Headache condition linked to weight-loss surgery - LA Times

Headache condition linked to weight-loss surgery - LA Times: Neurologists generally diagnose spontaneous intracranial hypotension, which can bring on sudden headaches and nausea while a person is upright, in tall, lanky people. But research published this week in the journal Neurology found, in searching through the medical records of some 338 patients with the condition, 11 -- or 3.3% -- had had bariatric surgery.

Study on coffee, weight loss retracted | UTSanDiego.com

Study on coffee, weight loss retracted | UTSanDiego.com: A 2012 study showing that green coffee bean extract helps dieters lose weight has been retracted, and a company selling the extract has paid a $3.5 million fine to the Federal Trade Commission for touting the unproven research in its advertising.

The FTC said Applied Food Sciences issued a misleading news release about the study, which it had commissioned, and then sent out a second news release promoting its extract after the topic was highlighted on "The Dr. Oz Show."

People with type 2 diabetes are physically less able to recover from stress

People with type 2 diabetes are physically less able to recover from stress: People with type 2 diabetes are physically less able to recover from stress, finds a study by scientists at UCL and the University of Zurich, funded by the British Heart Foundation.

Could sun exposure help prevent obesity, diabetes? - Medical News Today

Could sun exposure help prevent obesity, diabetes? - Medical News Today: It is common knowledge that sunlight exposure - specifically, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation - is a leading cause of skin cancer. As such, health organizations - such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - recommend that to reduce the risk of developing the disease, we stay in the shade, use sunscreen and wear protective clothing.

Simple snack may offer Alzheimer's protection | Fox News

Simple snack may offer Alzheimer's protection | Fox News: As the threat of Alzheimer's disease grows, a simple snack may offer some protection. Researchers in New York say via Eureka Alert that walnuts can help improve learning, memory, and motor skills and reduce anxiety—at least in mice.

The scientists, led by Dr. Abha Chauhan, fed mice different diets comparable to one ounce or 1.5 ounces of walnuts daily in humans. Those given the walnuts performed far better in mazes and other tests, the Washington Post reports.

Diabetes symptoms mistaken as signs of aging | Medical Alert - WBAL Home

Diabetes symptoms mistaken as signs of aging | Medical Alert - WBAL Home: There are sneaky signs of diabetes that many people ignore, and according to the American Diabetes Association, 8 million people don't even know they have the disease, and the longer you wait, the worse it gets.

5 reasons women live longer than men | Fox News

5 reasons women live longer than men | Fox News: Life expectancy in the U.S. is at an all-time high, according to a report released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And while the news that we’re living, on average, to the ripe old age of 78 years and 9 ½ months isn’t that surprising, there is one stat that is: A girl born in 2012 can expect to live to 81.2 years—almost 5 years longer than a boy baby born the same year, who’s likely live to age 76.4. Weaker sex, indeed.

“Men are biologically and sociologically at a disadvantage from the time they’re conceived to the time they die,” said Dr. Marianne Legato, professor emerita of clinical medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and founder and director of the Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine. Here’s why:

Eating this fruit every day can help you lose weight | Fox News

Eating this fruit every day can help you lose weight | Fox News: How it works: These compounds--fiber and polyphenols--remain undigested until they’re fermented in the colon, where they act as food for friendly bacteria and help your body outweigh the bad bacteria that thrives on junk food, said lead study author and food scientist Giuliana Noratto. This restored microbial balance appears to reduce chronic inflammation, which increases the risk of obesity, and boosts feelings of fullness to help stave off overeating.

Tomato-rich diet found to lower risk of prostate cancer, study says | Fox News

Tomato-rich diet found to lower risk of prostate cancer, study says | Fox News: When it comes to staying prostate-cancer free, there's nothing like a routine checkup at the doctor's office ... or, easier yet, some tomatoes.

It turns out that putting away 10 portions of the not-a-vegetable a week can lower your risk of developing prostate cancer by 18 percent, according to new research published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

6 superfoods to cut your cravings | Fox News

6 superfoods to cut your cravings | Fox News: These compounds are called "thylakoids," and they're found in the chloroplasts of green plants. In a small study conducted at Sweden’s Lund University, overweight women who drank 5 grams of spinach extract each morning for 12 weeks lost an average of 11 pounds (compared to 7.7 pounds for those swigging a placebo). But here's the most interesting thing: The extract group reported a 95% reduction in cravings for sweet and fatty foods and found it easier to stick to three daily meals. And these effects were immediate, kicking in after just one day

Melton Lab Cells Could Help Cure Type 1 Diabetes | News | The Harvard Crimson

Melton Lab Cells Could Help Cure Type 1 Diabetes | News | The Harvard Crimson: According to a report published in the journal Cell on Oct. 9, this development is the first to yield beta cells that closely resemble normal functioning beta cells, in the quantities necessary for cell transfer and pharmaceutical use.

“This is an important venture for the field of stem cell research, with real potential to transform treatment for diabetics,” said Daniel G. Anderson, an MIT professor working with Melton’s laboratory on preparations for clinical implementation.

Mouse study shows Ibuprofen may make old lungs look young | Fox News

Mouse study shows Ibuprofen may make old lungs look young | Fox News: Research conducted by my team at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center using old mice showed that the lungs become more inflamed with age. Cells isolated from the lungs had more gene expression for pro-inflammatory pathways, as well as an increase in pro-inflammatory proteins within the lungs themselves.

We fed old mice a diet supplemented with ibuprofen and found that this simple change could lower lung inflammation. The inflammatory proteins in cells from old mice resembled levels in young mice. Essentially, ibuprofen made the lungs of old mice look young

New diabetes breakthrough 'bigger than the discovery of insulin' | Fox News

New diabetes breakthrough 'bigger than the discovery of insulin' | Fox News: Scientists have long sought a better solution, and a team at Harvard is now announcing that, 15 years into its research, it has successfully coaxed human embryonic stem cells into ones that produce insulin.






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When those cells were transferred to diabetic mice, they behaved as healthy cells do and regulated blood sugar. "We can cure their diabetes right away—in less than 10 days," researcher Doug Melton tells NPR.

An Apple a Day Keeps Obesity Away Study Suggests

An Apple a Day Keeps Obesity Away Study Suggests: According to a recent study, an apple a day may keep obesity away. Researchers at Washington State University say that in particular, the Granny Smith variety of apple could provide a degree of protection from what is considered to be one of the greatest health threats in the United States. The study was led by Giuliana Noratto and the findings were published in the journal Food Chemistry.

Roche breast cancer drug 'unprecedented' in extending lives | Fox News

Roche breast cancer drug 'unprecedented' in extending lives | Fox News: A new breast cancer drug from Roche has shown "unprecedented" benefits in extending lives in a clinical trial and experts urged its widespread use for women with an aggressive form of the disease.

Patients with a type of breast cancer known as HER2 positive, which makes up about a quarter of all breast cancers, who were given Perjeta on top of older medicine Herceptin and chemotherapy lived 15.7 months longer than those on Herceptin and chemotherapy alone.

6 foods that help fight the flu | Fox News

6 foods that help fight the flu | Fox News: Getting your flu shot isn't the only way you can help prevent the flu. What you eat can also help lower your odds of coming down with a nasty bug, says Rachel Berman, R.D., health content manager for About.com. Check out her favorite flu-preventing foods:

60-second fix for a stiff neck | Fox News

60-second fix for a stiff neck | Fox News: A knot in any muscle is a nuisance, but it's especially frustrating when the offender is lodged in your neck or upper back. (Turning your head should not induce searing pain...) And while getting a massage can work out the kink, chances are you don't have time on your way to work to swing by the spa.

The Science of Happiness | Deseret News

The Science of Happiness | Deseret News: Ten things that supremely happy people do:

Happy people surround themselves with other happy people. Joy is contagious. People are four times more likely to be happy in the future with happy people around them.

Happy people try to be happy. When happy people don’t feel happy, they cultivate a happy thought and smile about it.

Exoskeleton offers paralyzed vets options to walk

Exoskeleton offers paralyzed vets options to walk | Fox News: “A new generation of bionics is restoring touch and natural movement to those who have lost a limb, transforming the lives of more than 2,000 injured veterans since 2000,” Dippolito said.

The system used by Linfoot, manufactured by Ekso Bionics of California, was developed in part with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA.

Alzheimer's Is Type 3 Diabetes | Big Think | Devil in the Data

Alzheimer's Is Type 3 Diabetes | Big Think | Devil in the Data: The idea that Alzheimer's is a form of diabetic disease has been gaining currency in medical circles for almost ten years. The accumulated evidence is now so strong that many specialists are now comfortable referring to Alzheimer's as type 3 diabetes.

This shouldn't come as a surprise. Insulin doesn't merely signal the body's somatic cells to take up glucose; it also governs the brain's uptake of glucose. And glucose is what powers the brain. It's the brain's primary energy molecule.

Walk 30 minutes each day to prevent obesity, diabetes and lower risk of cancer, expert reveals | Mail Online

Walk 30 minutes each day to prevent obesity, diabetes and lower risk of cancer, expert reveals | Mail Online: Walking for half an hour a day is equivalent to taking a 'magic pill' that combats ageing and prevents premature death, an expert has said.

Dr James Brown surprised an audience at the British Science Festival by presenting the myriad benefits of a pill that could maintain healthy living and improve quality of life.

The wonder-drug was able to prevent obesity and diabetes, lower the risk of some cancers, relieve depression and anxiety, increase mobility, and reduce the chances of hip fracture by 40 per cent.

It also improved the ability to think and reason, slowed the progression of Alzheimer's disease, cut arthritic pain by 50 per cent, boosted energy levels, reduced fatigue and led to a 23 per cent lower risk of dying.

Statins And Diabetes: A Clearer Picture Emerges

Statins And Diabetes: A Clearer Picture Emerges: In recent years, the medical community has become increasingly aware that taking statins can result in slightly higher glucose levels, and this can lead to a diagnosis of diabetes in a small but statistically significant number of people. But it has been unclear whether the diagnosis of diabetes in people taking statins also places them at increased risk for the microvascular complications linked to diabetes. Now, an observational study published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology finds that among people newly diagnosed with diabetes, statin users are less likely than nonusers to develop most of these complications. (The beneficial effects of statins in reducing macrovascular complications — cardiovascular disease — in diabetics and others is well established in people at high risk for these events.)

Drug Testing & Safety: What’s the Connection? -- Occupational Health & Safety

Drug Testing & Safety: What’s the Connection? -- Occupational Health & Safety: The U.S. Department of Labor has reported that drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace causes 65 percent of on-the-job accidents and that 38 percent to 50 percent of all workers' compensation claims are related to the abuse of alcohol or drugs in workplace. Drug testing programs provide a powerful deterrent to drug use on the job. Employers who are drug testing are committed to reducing occupational injuries and illnesses and to sending a clear signal they care about their employees.

What Are the Costs Associated with Marijuana Legalization? -- Occupational Health & Safety

What Are the Costs Associated with Marijuana Legalization? -- Occupational Health & Safety: It has been said that by regulating marijuana like alcohol, teen use will decrease; but taking into account that in 2009 more than 70 percent of teens 18 years and under had experienced drinking alcohol, it does not seem possible that treating marijuana as alcohol will result in less use by teens (NIH, 2009). When adolescents use marijuana regularly, they can experience a lasting 6-8 point I.Q. reduction that, for most people, drops them significantly for potentially completing their education and gaining substantial future employment (Meier, et al., 2012).