ScienceDaily: Living Well News

BPA exposure linked to autism spectrum disorder, study reports Posted: 02 Mar 2015 12:07 PM PST A newly published study is the first to report an association between bisphenol-A (BPA), a common plasticizer used in a variety of consumer food and beverage containers, with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children.

Is 'the dress' white and gold or blue and black? Visual perception expert weighs in Posted: 02 Mar 2015 10:42 AM PST On Feb. 26, a picture of a cocktail dress originally uploaded to the blog Tumblr swept the Internet and managed to divide the population over a simple question: What color is the dress? Some viewers saw gold and white while others insisted the dress is blue and black. Some people claimed they could see either interpretation, but only one of them at a time. It made people stop and ask, "What exactly is going on with this image?"

Growth screening could help detect celiac disease in kids Posted: 02 Mar 2015 09:29 AM PST Screening for five growth parameters helped detect celiac disease (CD) with good accuracy in both boys and girls because growth falters in most children with CD, according to a new article. CD is an immune-mediated disorder brought on by gluten and characterized by a variety of nonspecific symptoms including poor growth, short stature and poor weight gain.

Peanut consumption associated with decreased total mortality and mortality from cardiovascular diseases Posted: 02 Mar 2015 09:16 AM PST Researchers have examined the association of nut and peanut consumption with mortality among low-income and racially diverse populations and found that intake of peanuts was associated with fewer deaths, especially from heart disease.

Study on adolescent bariatric surgery safety concludes Posted: 02 Mar 2015 09:15 AM PST Cardiovascular risks of severe pediatric obesity, assessed among a recent study, have been recently published. The authors found that severely obese adolescents carry not only excess weight, but also have much higher risk for CVD than previously realized. Of the 242 participants in the cohort, 95 percent had at least one CVD risk factor. Seventy-five percent had elevated blood pressure (including hypertension and pre-hypertension), 50 percent had unhealthy cholesterol levels, and nearly three-quarters of the group were insulin resistant. Importantly, the study also confirmed that increasing weight in teenagers is associated with increases in blood sugar and blood pressure.

Lycopene may ward off kidney cancer in older women Posted: 02 Mar 2015 09:15 AM PST A higher intake by postmenopausal women of the natural antioxidant lycopene, found in foods like tomatoes, watermelon and papaya, may lower the risk of renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer, scientists report.

Mutation may cause early loss of sperm supply Posted: 02 Mar 2015 07:52 AM PST Problems in a gene responsible for producing the protein TAF4b leave mice -- and maybe men -- unable to sustain sperm production. As embryos, mice lacking the protein failed to develop an adequate number of key cells in the sperm production process and as adults they quickly lost their initial fertility.

Why nitrate supplementation may increase athletic performance Posted: 02 Mar 2015 07:50 AM PST Walk down the aisles of any food supplement store and you'll see that the use of nitrate supplements by athletes and fitness buffs has been popular for years. The hope is that these supplements will increase endurance, and possibly other performance/health benefits, by improving the efficiency at which muscles use oxygen. Now, a research study helps explain how some of these supplements may work.

Study identifies teens at-risk for synthetic marijuana use Posted: 02 Mar 2015 06:16 AM PST One of the first American national studies to examine risk factors for use of synthetic marijuana among a large, nationally representative sample of teens. Popular among teens, in 2011, synthetic marijuana was used by more than one out of ten (11.4%) high school seniors in the US, making it the most commonly used drug after real marijuana.

On-board school bus filtration system reduces pollutants by 88 percent Posted: 02 Mar 2015 06:16 AM PST An on-board air filtration system developed specifically for school buses reduces exposure to vehicular pollutants by up to 88 percent, according to a new study.

Pediatricians face increasing pressure to delay vaccinations, and more are giving in to parents' requests Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:13 AM PST Pediatricians are facing increasing pressure from some parents who want to spread out the recommended vaccine schedule for their children by postponing vaccines, pointing to a need for improved programs that support timely vaccinations, according to a new study.

Kids who lack sympathy more likely to share with virtuous friends Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:11 AM PST Children who sometimes lack sympathy for others are more likely to share resources with those friends if they respect their morals suggests a paper. The study sought to explore the reciprocal relations of sympathy and respect in promoting sharing among children and adolescents.

Treadmill performance predicts mortality Posted: 02 Mar 2015 04:08 AM PST Analyzing data from 58,000 heart stress tests, Johns Hopkins cardiologists report they have developed a formula that estimates one's risk of dying over a decade based on a person's ability to exercise on a treadmill at an increasing speed and incline. For example, a 45-year-old woman with a fitness score in the bottom fifth percentile is estimated to have a 38 percent risk of dying over the next decade, compared with 2 percent for a 45-year-old woman with a top fitness score.

Impact of a supermarket on children's diets Posted: 26 Feb 2015 09:23 AM PST Locating full-service supermarkets within neighborhoods considered to be “food deserts” may not result in healthful dietary habits or reductions in childhood obesity -- at least in the short term, according to a new study.

Young drinkers of flavored alcohol beverages who only consume supersized versions at increased risk of negative outcomes Posted: 25 Feb 2015 01:39 PM PST Underage drinkers of flavored alcoholic beverages who exclusively consume the supersized versions are more than six times as likely to report suffering alcohol-related injuries compared to underage youth who drink other types of alcoholic beverages, according to a new study.