HLife | Healthy Living Redefined

Family Mealtime

Weight: A new national study suggests that preschool-aged children may have a lower risk for obesity if they regularly engage in one or more of three specific activities. These include eating dinner as a family, getting adequate sleep and limiting their weekday television viewing time. The study showed  that 4-year-olds living in homes with all three habits had an almost 40% lower prevalence of obesity than did children living in homes that practiced none of these routines. Each routine on its own was associated with lower obesity, and more routines translated to lower obesity, according to the analysis. The study appears online in the journal Pediatrics. While it may be difficult for some families to adhere to these routines regularly, the researchers stated that families with young children may want to consider what it would take for them to have these routines for their child, given the consequences.

Mind: When we’re feeling blue, we turn to comfort foods. When we’re happy, we get adventurous. The latest findings from an international team of social ad cognitive psychologists have confirmed this: A negative mood makes the familiar seem more attractive, while happiness makes novelty more attractive (and the familiar seem ‘blah’). The study published online in the journal Psychological Science confirmed what we already know – that people prefer the familiar – but the research showed that this is not always the case and that this preference changes depending on our moods. In the experiment, saddened participants showed the classic preference for the familiar. But patients who were put in good moods by making them recall good memories and playing appropriate music did not show this preference. “When you’re happy,” said professor Piotr Winkielman, lead author of the study, “known things, familiar things, lose their appeal. Novelty, on the other hand, becomes more attractive.”

Stomach: More benefits from probiotics. According to research published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, two lactobacillus strains can now be used to improve gastritis caused by the bacteria H. pylori. Lactobacillus fermenti and Lactobacillus acidophilus – commonly found in probiotic supplements – provide an alternative method to inhibit H. pylori infection efficiently without side effects associated with antibiotic treatment. Both strains showed significant anti-H. pylori activity, while L. fermenti showed even stronger and more efficient antagonistic activity, indicating that balanced digestive flora is key to treating diseases like gastritis and its derivatives.

Cancer: Soft drink consumption may increase risk of pancreatic cancer, according to research published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. In the study, consuming two or more soft drinks per week increased the risk of developing cancer of the pancreas by nearly twofold, compared to individuals who did not consume soft drinks. Although it is rare, pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of the disease and only 5% of people who are diagnosed with it are alive five years later.Mark Pereira, Ph.D., author of the study, said people who consume soft drinks on a regular basis tend to have a poor behavioral profile overall but the link of these drinks to pancreatic cancer may be unique. “The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cell growth,” said Pereira.

Taste: It looks like children’s response to intense sweet taste is related to a family history of alcoholism. “We know that sweet taste is rewarding to all kids and makes them feel good,” said study lead author Julie A. Mennella, PhD. “In addition, certain groups of children may be especially attracted to intense sweetness due to their underlying biology.” Sweet taste and alcohol activate many of the same reward circuits in the brain. Researchers tested children who had either a parent, sibling, grandparent or uncle with an alcohol addiction, and found that likeness for children with a family history of alcoholism was greatest among these children, and they also had higher “bliss points”, preferring more sugar than other children. This does not mean that those children will grow up to be alcoholics, said the researchers, but this does highlight a need to identify whether these clusters of children will require different strategies to help them reduce their intake of sweets. The study was published in the online edition of the journal Addiction.

Respiration: Hypnosis may be a tool to treat respiratory problems in children. According to research published in the journal Pediatric Asthma, Allergy & Immunology, symptoms such as difficulty taking a breath, a disruptive cough, hyperventilation, noise when breathing (gasps or squeaks), and difficulty swallowing despite normal lung function are conditions that may benefit from hypnosis because of the mind-body connection. Symptoms that are absent during sleep or that are triggered by an emotional response may be particularly responsive, as research shows that hypnosis is a valuable aid for easing a child’s anxiety and helping patients in general control their response to discomfort. “When breathing problems have a large mind-body component, resolution with hypnosis can dramatically reduce the need for expensive testing and medications,” said Harold Farber, MD, MSPH, Editor of the journal.

Sex: Most of us think of sperm as “the fastest one gets the egg”, but when in the male reproductive tract, sperm have to rest easy or they will wear themselves out prematurely before ever finding an egg. Scientists have long known that sperm’s activity level depends on their internal pH, and now they have finally found the channel that allows the tiny cells to rid themselves of protons, which renders them more alkaline, activates them, and kicks off the race to the finish line. Researchers identified the molecule that lets the protons out and makes this take place, and the conditions that pen this “pore”. These include  alkaline conditions as well as endocannabinoid, a substance present in both female and male reproductive tracts and that acts on the same receptors that the active component of marijuana does. This may explain why marijuana has been linked to impaired male fertility. “Marijuana likely activates sperm prematurely, leaving them burnt out in a matter of hours,” said Yuriy Kirichok, of the University of California, San Francisco. All of these findings may shed more light on controlling fertilization by modifying the activity of sperm in either direction, by preventing activation as a kind of male contraception or by giving sperm the extra boost they need. The study was published in the journal Cell.