The “hygiene hypothesis” holds that early exposure to a variety of microorganisms may decrease the risk for chronic inflammatory diseases, like asthma. Two Swedish studies that tracked 650,000 children found that exposure to farm animals and even dogs can have this kind of beneficial effect. Living on a farm cut kids’ asthma rate by half.… read on >
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains the fourth biggest killer in the United States. But only a fraction of the millions of people who could benefit from post-hospital rehab for COPD are doing so, new research shows. COPD is a progressive, debilitating and incurable respiratory illness, often tied to smoking. Many patients require supplementary oxygen… read on >
Coffee’s bitter taste shouldn’t be a selling point. But a genetic variant explains why so many people love the brew, a new study suggests. Bitterness evolved as a natural warning system to protect people from harmful substances. That means they should want to spit out coffee, the researchers said. But their study of more than… read on >
Prejudice directed at older people results in $63 billion in excess health costs each year in the United States, a new study claims. Ageism, which is the marginalization of the elderly in society, accounts for one of every seven dollars spent on the eight most expensive health conditions for Americans older than 60. Those conditions… read on >
Twenty percent of homicides of U.S. children ages 2 to 14 years are related to intimate partner violence, a new study indicates. That’s double the rate in the National Violent Death Reporting System, according to Harvard School of Public Health researchers. For the study, the researchers analyzed data on nearly 1,400 children in 16 states… read on >
A young child who has chronic anxiety may have trouble learning, Harvard University researchers say. Fears of the dark, monsters or strangers are common and are considered normal and usually temporary. But when fears extend to physical, sexual or emotional abuse, they can affect a child’s developing brain, the researchers noted. The school’s Center on… read on >
Kids who were born large and whose mothers developed a form of diabetes during pregnancy have nearly triple the odds of becoming overweight or obese in childhood, new research shows. “Just like smoking, alcohol consumption and other lifestyle choices, [women’s] weight prior to getting pregnant, and weight gain and blood sugar control during pregnancy may… read on >
Smoking and drinking often go hand-in-hand, stimulating pleasure centers in the brain. But there’s even more to this unhealthy relationship than meets the eye. Researchers have found that nicotine in cigarettes cancels out the sleepiness caused by alcohol, basically allowing people to keep drinking … and smoking. The two vices feed off of each other.… read on >
People who’ve suffered major traumatic injuries are at much greater risk for mental health problems and suicide, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data from more than 19,000 people in the Canadian province of Ontario who suffered serious injuries. Most of the injuries (89 percent) were accidental rather than intentional (for example, car crashes and… read on >
If the last flu season is any indication, you need to take steps now to protect yourself against infection, an infectious diseases expert warns. The 2017-2018 flu season in the United States was the worst since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began tracking the severity of annual flu seasons. There were nearly… read on >
