Could having heart disease risk factors in childhood sow the seeds of thinking declines in middle-age? It looks like it might, new research claims. “I think it was not so big of a surprise for us, but maybe for the scientific community who have been focusing mainly on the midlife risk factors and old-age cognition,”…  read on >  read on >

Looking for a morale boost or some solid encouragement? If so, socializing the old-fashioned way — live and in-person — will likely do more to lift your spirits than online interactions, new research suggests. It’s the key takeaway from a survey of more than 400 college undergraduate students. “We wanted to see if the social…  read on >  read on >

Heart complications are rare among college athletes who have had COVID-19, according to a small study. “Our findings may offer reassurance to high school athletes, coaches and parents where resources for testing can be limited,” said senior author Dr. Ranjit Philip, assistant professor in pediatric cardiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, in…  read on >  read on >

Women who get pregnant within a year of having weight-loss surgery are more likely to have preterm and smaller-than-normal babies, a new study suggests. Dutch researchers said their findings support current recommendations to avoid pregnancy for 12 to 24 months after weight-loss (bariatric) surgery. “We should encourage women who wish to conceive after bariatric surgery…  read on >  read on >

Air pollution isn’t hard on the hearts of adults only, suggests a new analysis that found it can raise blood pressure in kids as young as 5. Children experienced increases in blood pressure if they had short-term exposure to air polluted with coarser particles or long-term exposure to finer airborne particles, and that also happened…  read on >  read on >

It’s long been known that obesity is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 in infected people. But new research suggests that the connection may be even stronger for men than women. Researchers at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City analyzed data from more than 3,500 COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital between early March…  read on >  read on >