Heena Sharma Blog

It turns out that drinking multiple diet drinks daily may not be a very good idea for post menopausal women. A new study finds that it is associated with an increased risk of having a stroke caused by a blocked artery. The study was published in Stroke, a journal of the American Heart Association. The study is one of the first to look at the association between drinking artificially sweetened beverage and the risk of specific types of stroke in a large, racially diverse group of post-menopausal women. Compared with women who consumed diet drinks less than once a week or not at all, women who consumed two or more artificially sweetened beverages per day were: 23 per cent more likely to have a stroke; 31 per cent more likely to have a clot-caused (ischemic) stroke; 29 er cent more likely to develop heart disease (fatal or non-fatal heart attack); and 16 per cent more likely to die from any cause. Furthermore, researchers found risks were higher for certain wome...

Are you searching for a partner with whom you can share personality traits? Relax. The key to relationship happiness could be as simple as finding a nice person, a new study has found. The study showed that despite popular belief, sharing similar personalities may not be as important as most people think, suggesting that it had almost no effect on how satisfied people were in their lives and relationships. "People invest a lot in finding someone who is compatible, but our research says that may not be the end," said Bill Chopik, Associate Professor at Michigan State University in the US. "Instead, people may want to ask, 'Are they a nice person?' 'Do they have a lot of anxiety?' Those things matter way more than the fact that two people are introverts and end up together," said Chopik. For the study, the researchers measured the effects of personality traits on well-being in 2,578 heterosexual couples who have been married for roughly...

Fathers experience more well-being and satisfaction than mothers in their parenthood and even when interacting with their children, a new study suggests. Researchers from the University of California in the US analysed three separate studies consisting of 18,000 people that looked at the scale of happiness, psychological satisfaction, depressive symptoms and stress among others. The first two studies compared the well-being of parents with that of people who do not have children. The findings published in the journal "Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin", showed that fathers reported greater satisfaction with their lives and feelings of connectedness to others. They also reported greater positive emotions and fewer daily hassles than mothers, or relatives or peers without children. They even showed fewer depressive symptoms than men without children, whereas mothers reported more depressive symptoms than women who do not have children. Read ...

A daily dose of caffeine may safely boost the brain development and lung function in premature babies , according to researchers, including one of Indian origin. In neonatal intensive care units, or NICUs, premature babies born under 29 weeks are given a daily dose of caffeine to ensure the best possible start to life, said researchers from the University of Calgary in Canada. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, shows the earlier the dose of caffeine can be given, the better. "Caffeine is the most commonly used drug in the NICU after antibiotics," said Abhay Lodha, an associate professor at the University of Calgary. "It's important that we understand the long-term effects of caffeine as a treatment and ensure these babies are not only surviving, but have quality of life down the road," Lodha said. He collaborated with researchers from the University of British Columbia and Mount Sinai Hospital to analyse data from 26 NICUs ac...

https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/poor-nutrition-during-pregnancy-may-advance-menopause-118120600505_1.html?utm_source=SEO&utm_medium=PB While it is known that inadequate nutrition during foetal development can cause diabetes and heart disease, a new study warns that it could also lead to early menopause at age younger than 45. Prenatal malnutrition was also associated with a higher risk of premature ovarian failure. Natural menopause is a milestone of ovarian aging that results in the end of a woman's reproductive years. Conversely, an early menopause is associated with increased risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, depression, and memory changes and changes in vaginal and sexual health, according to researchers. "The findings showed that food deprivation during early foetal life affects how long the future ovaries function," said Joann Pinkerton, executive director from the North Am...

While insomnia is one of the most common symptoms of menopause, undergoing surgical menopause is likely to worsen the sleep disorder , warns a new study. Surgical menopause is often accompanied by more psychological and physical difficulties and nearly 20 per cent of post-menopausal women reported sleep disturbances. Research has linked insomnia to high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, diabetes and other ailments. "Early surgical menopause is known to be associated with more severe menopause symptoms," said JoAnn Pinkerton from the University of Virginia in the US. "That is why it is important to assess sleep quality in women after surgery that leads to menopause, because insomnia and disrupted sleep can cause fatigue, mood changes and lower quality of life," Pinkerton added. Read Complete Article Business Standard

While it's a known fact that there are many physical and mental health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies, according to the latest research, this might be due to genetic changes induced by breastfeeding. Dr Lester, one of the lead researchers said, "What we found is that maternal care changes the activity of a gene in their infants that regulates the infant's physiological response to stress, specifically the release of the hormone cortisol." " Breastfeeding was associated with decreased DNA methylation and decreased cortisol reactivity in the infants. In other words, there was an epigenetic change in the babies who were breastfed, resulting in reduced stress than those who were not breastfed," said Dr Lester. Read Complete Article Business Standard

A recent study suggests that children with mothers who use marijuana are more likely to try it at a younger age. According to the research, when mothers use marijuana during the first 12 years of their child's life, the children are more likely to start using cannabis at an earlier age than those with mothers who don't use it. Natasha A. Sokol, lead investigator of the research said, "Early initiation is one of the strongest predictors of the likelihood of experiencing health consequences from marijuana use. In a shifting regulatory environment in which we expect adult marijuana use to become more normative, developing a deeper and more nuanced understanding of social risk factors for early initiation is a critical step in intervention design and delivery." "Incorporating maternal cannabis use into our understanding of the important risk factors for early initiation may help us better identify at-risk youth for more tailored or intensive preven...