Women Health News

High dietary intake of sodium and potassium may speed the progression of kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings could impact dietary recommendations to help safeguard patients' health. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health challenge because it is common, … [Read more...]

If you are struggling with weight gain, you might be surprised to know that your parents had it easier -- they could eat more and exercise less, and still avoid obesity, according to a recent study out of York University's Faculty of Health. "Our study results suggest that if you are 25, you'd have to eat even less and exercise more than those older, to prevent gaining … [Read more...]

New research suggests that the movements involved in fidgeting may counteract the adverse health impacts of sitting for long periods. In a study published today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, a team of researchers, co-led by the University of Leeds and UCL, report that an increased risk of mortality from sitting for long periods was only found in those who … [Read more...]

When it comes to treating depression, how well a person responds to a fake medicine may determine how well they'll respond to a real one, new research finds. Those who can muster their brain's own chemical forces against depression, it appears, have a head start in overcoming its symptoms with help from a medication. But those whose brain chemistry doesn't react as much to a … [Read more...]

Using explosive weapons in populated areas in Syria has disproportionately lethal effects on women and children and should be urgently prohibited, say a team of international experts in The BMJ today. For Syrian children, explosive weapons such as bombs and missiles, were the most lethal, the findings show. This is the first study to analyse the impact of different … [Read more...]

If you have an itch, you have to scratch it. But that's a problem for people with a condition called "chronic intractable itch," where that itchy sensation never goes away--a difficult-to-treat condition closely associated with dialysis and renal failure. In a new study, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) describe a class of compounds … [Read more...]

The more a parent smokes, the more their teenage son or daughter will also smoke. Teenagers are much more likely to smoke and be dependent on nicotine if a parent is dependent on nicotine, especially daughters if their mother is dependent on nicotine. Results of the study by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute appear … [Read more...]

An innovative interventional radiology treatment has been found to offer chronic migraine sufferers sustained relief of their headaches, according to research being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's Annual Scientific Meeting. Clinicians at Albany Medical Center and the State University New York Empire State College in Saratoga Springs used a treatment … [Read more...]

Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome are more than twice as likely to have migraine headaches, reports a study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery -- Global Open®, the official open-access medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). The association also runs in the other direction, with migraine patients having higher odds of carpal tunnel syndrome, … [Read more...]

Inadequate supervision by parents during early adolescence forecasts a host of behavior problems, including problem drinking. The risk of alcohol abuse arising from inadequate parental supervision is particularly high for girls who reach puberty early, according to a new study by researchers at Florida Atlantic University. "Parental Supervision and Alcohol Abuse Among … [Read more...]

Across the country, many employees are seated at desks for the majority of an eight-hour workday. As technology creates an increase in sedentary lifestyles, the impact of sitting on vascular health is a rising concern. Now, researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found that when a person sits for six straight hours, vascular function is impaired -- … [Read more...]

Commuting to work by walking on quieter side streets rather than main roads can help people avoid exposure to peaks in harmful air pollution, according to new research presented today at the European Respiratory Society's International Congress, 2015. Black carbon is one of the components of air pollution, and comes from incomplete combustion by diesel vehicles. It is known … [Read more...]

Pioneering new research by the University of Exeter could revolutionize global diagnostic procedures for one of the most common forms of epilepsy. Scientists from Exeter have investigated using mathematical modelling to assess susceptibility to idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) by analysing electrical activity of the brain while the patient is in a resting … [Read more...]

A new study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics has analyzed the long-term effects of psychotherapy on borderline personality disorder. Authors report the effect of DBT compared to TAU on inpatient service use, and a follow-up 6 months after the end of treatment. Data on psychiatric hospitalisation were collected by interviewing patients at two … [Read more...]

A commonly prescribed antidepressant may alter brain structures in depressed and non-depressed individuals in very different ways, according to new research at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The study -- conducted in nonhuman primates with brain structures and functions similar to those of humans -- found that the antidepressant sertraline, a selective serotonin … [Read more...]

An early study suggests that a synthetic triglyceride oil called triheptanoin may provide hope for people with Huntington's disease. The study is published in the January 7, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Huntington's disease is inherited and causes nerve cells to break down in the brain, especially areas involved … [Read more...]

In the span of a decade, Canada has gone from ecstasy importer to global supplier of the illegal party drug. At the same time, even newer designer highs -- sometimes just a mouse-click away -- are flooding the drug market faster than legislation can keep pace. It's a worrying problem that University of Alberta researchers say requires more education to help Canadians … [Read more...]

A blogger's weight affects her or his credibility with readers seeking food advice, according to a Cornell study published online and in a forthcoming print issue of the journal Health Communication. The study revealed that when a blogger is overweight, as shown in the blogger's photo, readers are far more skeptical of the information that blogger provides when compared with … [Read more...]

While most of us worry about the fat cells building up on the fleshy parts of our bodies, scientists have started to pay serious attention to another kind of fat cell deep inside our bones, in what's called the marrow. Today, they've published new important clues about this little-understood kind of fatty tissue -- including the discovery that there are two different … [Read more...]

Women who have inherited mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are more likely to develop breast cancer or ovarian cancer, especially at a younger age. Approximately 5 percent of women with breast cancer in the United States have mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 based on estimates in non-Hispanic white women. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers recently conducted the largest U.S. … [Read more...]

People who get dizzy several minutes after standing up may be at risk of more serious conditions and even an increased risk of death, according to new research published in the September 23, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Feeling dizzy, faint or light-headed after standing due to a sudden drop in blood pressure can be … [Read more...]

There are fewer smokers in the current generation of adolescents. Current figures show about 25 per cent of teens smoke, down dramatically from 40 per cent in 1987. But are those who pick up the habit doing so because they have a negative self-image? Does the typical teenaged smoker try to balance out this unhealthy habit with more exercise? And if so, then why would an … [Read more...]

Some research has suggested that omega-3 fatty acids, abundant in fish oils, can relieve inflammation in Crohn's disease. But a new study using software developed by Duke scientists hints that we should be paying closer attention to what the other omegas -- namely, omega-6 and omega-7 -- are doing to improve or worsen the disease. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory disease … [Read more...]

People with a genetic predisposition for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) significantly increased their odds of developing the blinding eye disorder if they had a history of heavy smoking and consistently did not exercise or eat enough fruits and vegetables, according to an observational study of women funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes … [Read more...]

An oral capsule that vibrates as it moves through the digestive tract has shown notable promise as a non-pharmacological treatment for constipation, according to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW). In the pilot study, the vibrating capsule was found to nearly double the weekly bowel movements of patients suffering from chronic idiopathic constipation … [Read more...]

Up to 15 percent of the general adult population is affected by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and most patients struggle to find effective drug therapy. A new guideline from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) provides these patients and their physician's guidance. The new guideline and accompanying technical review have been published in Gastroenterology, the … [Read more...]

In human cells, shortened telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, are both a sign of aging and contribute to it. Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have found that the dietary supplement alpha lipoic acid (ALA) can stimulate telomerase, the enzyme that lengthens telomeres, with positive effects in a mouse model of atherosclerosis. The … [Read more...]

Kaycee M. Sink, M.D., M.A.S., of the Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C., and colleagues evaluated whether a 24-month physical activity program would result in better cognitive function, lower risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia, or both, compared with a health education program. Epidemiological evidence suggests that physical activity is … [Read more...]

What do a prominent physiologist and two-time survivor of pancreatic cancer and a world-renowned researcher whose landmark discoveries on aspirin, drug therapies of proven benefit and therapeutic lifestyle changes that have saved more than 1.1 million lives have in common? They are both passionate about the importance of regular physical activity in reducing risks of dying from … [Read more...]