Women Health News

Vaccines combat diseases and protect populations from outbreaks, but the life-saving technology leaves room for improvement. Vaccines usually are made en masse in centralized locations far removed from where they will be used. They are expensive to ship and keep refrigerated and they tend to have short shelf lives. University of Washington engineers hope a new type of … [Read more...]

Researchers at a breast cancer prevention clinic in Manchester, UK, have observed an increased uptake of preventative double mastectomies since May 2013, when Angelina Jolie announced that she had undergone the procedure. In a Letter to the Editor, published in the open access journal Breast Cancer Research, researchers from the Genesis Prevention Centre Family History … [Read more...]

Exposure to e-cigarette advertisements may enhance curiosity and usage among young adults, according to a study published this week in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research. Researchers at the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at Truth Initiative assessed more than 4,200 young adults (ages 18-34) and the impact of random assignment to exposure … [Read more...]

Texas Tech University sociology professor Jerome Koch has been studying body art -- both tattoos and piercings -- for years. And in that time, his research has turned up some pretty unexpected results. According to his new study, some interesting emotional correlations emerge among college-age respondents with four or more tattoos. Women with multiple tattoos report higher … [Read more...]

  Older adults that improved their fitness through a moderate intensity exercise program increased the thickness of their brain's cortex, the outer layer of the brain that typically atrophies with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Public Health. These effects were found in both healthy older adults and those … [Read more...]

As we age or develop neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, our brain cells may not produce sufficient energy to remain fully functional. Researchers discovered that an enzyme called SIRT3 that is located in mitochondria -- the cell's powerhouse -- may protect mice brains against the kinds of stresses believed to contribute to energy loss. Furthermore, mice that ran on … [Read more...]

As we age or develop neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, our brain cells may not produce sufficient energy to remain fully functional. Researchers discovered that an enzyme called SIRT3 that is located in mitochondria -- the cell's powerhouse -- may protect mice brains against the kinds of stresses believed to contribute to energy loss. Furthermore, mice that ran on … [Read more...]

Ultrasound is not just for babies anymore. For years, this imaging method that relies on soundwaves has been associated with obstetrics. But now, specially-designed tools are allowing doctors to find and treat muscle and joint injuries that in the past might have been overlooked. Leilani Straw planned to spend her retirement years exploring New York, until she developed a … [Read more...]

We have four major salivary glands and hundreds more in our mouth- not that we really notice, except when those glands are damaged. That’s when the pain and dryness can be excruciating. Researchers using a new method of growing cells may have found the answer for relief. Imagine having to carry water with you everywhere you go. It’s a way of life for people who have … [Read more...]

Glucosamine has been freely available in drugstores for many decades. It is widely used to treat arthritis and to prevent joint degeneration. Moreover, glucosamine is known to delay cancer growth. In addition, glucosamine reduces metabolism of nutritive sugars, as was already shown some 50 years ago. In 2007, Michael Ristow showed that too much nutritive sugar shortens the … [Read more...]

Boston University researchers have learned new information about the consequences of overeating high-calorie foods. Not only does this lead to an increase in white fat cell production, the type prominent in obesity, but it also leads to the dysfunction of brown fat cells, the unique type of fat that generates heat and burns energy. This study is the first to describe how … [Read more...]

Materials in contact with food preparation can result in human exposure to chemicals, including metal ions and toxic alloying components, a problematic issue for food surveillance authorities often raised to European Commissions food regulators. Research by Müller et al published in Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A examines chemical leaching into coffee from filter … [Read more...]

The daughters, but not the sons, of women who give birth at age 30 or older are more likely to experience symptoms of depression as young adults, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. "This study suggests that older maternal age is associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in young adult females," said Jessica Tearne, a … [Read more...]

Indiana University researchers have discovered a hormonal mechanism in hamsters that connects short winter days with increased aggression in females, and that it differs from the mechanism that controls this same response in males. The work, which advances basic knowledge on the connection between certain sex hormones and aggression, could go on to advance research on the … [Read more...]

A new inter-disciplinary study led by researchers at Tufts University found that coconut oil effectively controlled the overgrowth of a fungal pathogen called Candida albicans (C. albicans) in mice. In humans, high levels of C. albicans in the gastrointestinal tract can lead to bloodstream infections, including invasive candidiasis. The research, published in mSphere, suggests … [Read more...]

Monday mornings could be harmful to your health. Even routine sleep changes such as waking up early for work during the week may raise the risk of developing metabolic problems such as diabetes and heart disease, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers have long recognized that shift work … [Read more...]

Emerging evidence suggests that transgender women have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes compared with men and women in the general population. A preliminary study to be presented at Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases: Physiology and Gender compares the risks of metabolic disease of the two therapies that aid the transition from … [Read more...]

Two women, seated at a table, told their stories in quiet tones. A group of chefs, some standing, others seated, leaned forward eagerly, clearly interested in what these two women had to say. They peppered the women with questions: did food taste better cold or hot? Was texture an issue? Did a glass of wine before dinner help or hurt the flavor experience? The women have … [Read more...]

New research from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston indicates that diabetic patients who got their primary care from nurse practitioners did not have an increase in potentially preventable hospital admissions. "Our data analysis revealed that older diabetic patients who received all of their primary care from nurse practitioners had lower rates of … [Read more...]

Being bullied in childhood has been associated with increased risk for anxiety, depression and even eating disorders. But according to new research, it's not only the victims who could be at risk psychologically, but also the bullies themselves. Researchers at Duke Medicine and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine were surprised to find that in a study of … [Read more...]

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego report new insights into what nutrients fat cells metabolize to make fatty acids. The findings pave the way for understanding potential irregularities in fat cell metabolism that occur in patients with diabetes and obesity and could lead to new treatments for these conditions. The researchers published their findings online … [Read more...]

Drinking a second or third cup of coffee may do more than get you through a long day -- it may also reduce your risk of death from heart disease and other illnesses. In a study reported in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, people who regularly drank moderate amounts of coffee daily --less than 5 cups per day -- experienced a lower risk of deaths from … [Read more...]

Three in five Australians have been the target of online harassment and abuse, landmark RMIT University research reveals. Women and young adults are most likely to report being sexually harassed online, while one in 10 adults said someone had shared a nude or semi-nude image of them without their consent. Dr Anastasia Powell, from RMIT's Centre for Applied Social … [Read more...]

Cigarette smoking among obese women appears to interfere with their ability to taste fats and sweets, a new study shows. Despite craving high-fat, sugary foods, these women were less likely than others to perceive these tastes, which may drive them to consume more calories. M. Yanina Pepino, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in … [Read more...]

Much has been reported about the potential for increased risk of alcohol misuse after weight loss surgery (WLS), with most theories pointing to lower alcohol tolerance and a longer time to return to a sober state after surgery, but a new study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggests that upwards of half of high-risk drinkers are actually less likely to report … [Read more...]

Obese male mice and normal weight female mice produce female pups that are overweight at birth and in childhood, and have increased number of "terminal end buds" in their breast tissue -- the site where cancer often develops in rodents. The findings, presented by a Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher at the AACR Annual Meeting 2014, come from one of … [Read more...]

Diets rich in potassium may help protect the heart and kidney health of patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). Individuals with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of developing kidney failure and heart disease. To examine whether higher intake sodium and … [Read more...]

Salk Institute researchers have found that an experimental drug candidate aimed at combating Alzheimer's disease has a host of unexpected anti-aging effects in animals. The Salk team expanded upon their previous development of a drug candidate, called J147, which takes a different tack by targeting Alzheimer's major risk factor--old age. In the new work, the team showed that … [Read more...]

Women with apple-shaped bodies -- those who store more of their fat in their trunk and abdominal regions -- may be at particular risk for the development of eating episodes during which they experience a sense of "loss of control," according to a new study from Drexel University. The study also found that women with greater fat stores in their midsections reported being less … [Read more...]