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Before you drink that jigger of vodka, Pregnant Mom, read this. According to The Vancouver Sun, a University of British Columbia study says that babies whose moms drank alcohol while they were in the womb couldn't feel pain. The researchers observed how babies responded when they were screened for metabolic diseases, a standard test which included pricking and squeezing baby's heels to collect blood samples.
They measured heart rates, facial grimace, and other pain indicators and they saw that moms who tossed down more than 14 drinks while pregnant had babies whose pain response were dulled. Previous studies have shown that infants who have abnormal reactions to pain were most at risk for problems later in life.
If you're having a hard time getting pregnant, you can also start blaming the couch (or your bed). According to Reuters, a UC Berkeley School of Public Health study says that your typical flame retardant can disrupt reproductive and hormonal functions enough to make making babies more difficult for you. Women with high PBDE levels in their blood were found to take longer in getting pregnant, up to a year in most cases. (Couples who take more than 12 months to conceive are often classified as "infertile" by doctors.)
PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers), the chemicals found in common flame retardants, are "nearly universal" in countries where there are very strict fire regulations, the US most especially. PBDE is usually found in chairs and sofas, especially in polyurethane foam with a pre-2004 production date. Researchers have this to say: "People concerned about PBDEs [could] use wet mops and/or vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters, wash their hands frequently, and cut down on eating meat, as PBDEs tend to lodge in fatty tissue", though they admit that main exposures are through dust, air, and food.
Parents can only do so much! According to CTV News, a Boston Children's Hospital study says crib death or SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)--the leading cause for death among infants up to a year old in the United States--may be due to lower levels of serotonin and its precursor tryptophan hydroxylase, in the brain. Findings show that babies who died in their sleep due to SIDS had 26% less serotonin and 22% less tryptophan hydroxylase than normal.
Serotonin is a hormone that helps in brain functions and is manufactured in that part of the brain that also controls breathing during sleep. Although this finding suggest that SIDS is more a biological abnormality, researchers say that parents should still have their babies sleep on their backs, clear baby's crib of any obstruction, and protect baby from second-hand smoke. Knowing serotonin is a culprit is a step towards coming up with a treatment that will check which infant is at risk for SIDS.
Avid internet surfers beware! According to the Guardian, a Leeds University study says that people who tend to surf the Net "excessively"--those who live and breathe the Internet--are more likely to suffer from moderate to severe depression than those who are not obsessed with keeping up with the world wide web. Most Web-obsessed junkies frequent three kinds of websites: online gaming, online communities, and porn-related websites.
Socialization--or a lack of it in the real world--may be a key to the tendency to be more depressed. Researchers say that depression-prone Net addicts are more socially engaged on the web than in the real world. I wonder why?
According to Psych Central, a University of Bristol's Department of Experimental Psychology study says that the "high" that coffee-drinkers experience after having it may just be the caffeine returning them to "normal".
Because of frequent intake of the beverage, drinkers experience acute caffeine withdrawal when they go long hours without coffee, experienced as tiredness and reduced alertness. The withdrawal symptoms are reversed, seen as "perking up", after they've had their coffee "fix
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According to Business Week, an Institute of Epidemiology (Ulm University, Germany) study says that children who had three or more hamburgers weekly could influence the incidence of asthma and wheeze. On the other hand, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fish--often known as a "Mediterranean diet"--could reduce these conditions. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables as well as omega-3 fatty acids in fish may explain the reduced rates of asthma and wheeze in the children who consumed these foods.
The study confirmed an Australian finding that fatty meals are the likely culprits behind an "increased inflammation and reduced lung function." According to a pulmonologist at the Miller School of Medicine (University of Miami), the study suggests that "one of the explanations for asthma is probably related to diet."
According to the Daily Telegraph, an Imperial College London study says that a simple urine test could possibly lead to early "prevention" of autism. Children with autism have been known to suffer gastrointestinal problems due to certain microbes. Scientists looked into the chemical by-products of these bacteria in the urine, and results of the study showed that children could be diagnosed as early as six months.
Current autism testing waits for symptoms to show in children. The condition at present can only be established as early as the second year, by which time "a lot of damage has [already] been done." This breakthrough could lead to an early alleviation of the symptoms. The researchers will expand the study to include a bigger base of younger children in the next two years, and the urine test could be viable within five years.
According to Booster Shots, an LA Times blog, study says that a lower IQ in men has a definite link to an increased risk in attempting suicide. More disturbing, the ones with the lowest IQ were more likely to commit suicide 90% of the time, regardless of age or lifestyle.
The authors say there are several reasons for the link, foremost of which is that men who are less smarter, so to speak, tend to have money problems and don't do well in socialization. They also nurse habits that are harmful to their health, like binge drinking. Researchers point to the fact that the smarter you are, the better and more creative you can be at problem solving and thus, at coping with life stressors
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