EFFECT OF CARBONATION ON BRAIN PROCESSING of Sweet Stimuli in Humans Carbonation has been shown to change the mind’s perception of sweetness, eventually making it difficult for the brain to tell the difference between sugar and artificial sweeteners, according to an article recently published in the journal Gastroenterology. The paper’s lead author, Rosario Cuomo, MD,...
FULL MOON Eclipses Good Night’s Sleep Ever blamed the full moon for certain behavioral quirks? A new study finds that lunar phases affect sleep patterns, just as folklore has always told. Christian Cajochen, PhD, at the University of Basel, Switzerland, and his team of researchers studied 33 sleep lab participants for three years starting in...
PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS Associated With Thyroid Disease Women with thyroid diseases are at a greater risk for developing complications during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism shows. Thyroid conditions affect up to 4% of all pregnancies, with primary hypothyroidism being the most prevalent disease, according to...
SODIUM LEVELS in Processed and Restaurant Food Largely Unchanged Food manufacturers have not lived up to their pledge to voluntarily reduce the amount of sodium in packaged and restaurant foods, say researchers for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. In a study published online in JAMA on May 13, the team, led by...
PAID DIETERS Lose More Weight With obesity contributing to “presenteeism,” a lack of productivity while at work due to health problems, employers are looking for ways to combat this costly problem. A new study shows that one way they could save money is by paying their employees to lose weight. Jeffrey Kullgren, MD, MS, MPH,...
Obese Children May Lose Pounds With SELF-HELP Self-help guides may offer obese children an opportunity to lose weight on their own, according to a new study. Recent estimates put the number of overweight or obese children in the U.S. at 12.5 million, but losing the excess pounds is an uphill battle that often requires treatment...
Less TV, MORE SPERM Too much TV watching not only affects the mind—it can also impact sperm levels, according to a recent study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Sperm quality has sunk over the past decades in most Western countries. One possible factor for this is an increase in sedentary behavior. Audrey J....
Intermedin’s Role in FERTILITY Intermedin, a peptide expressed in many of the body’s major organs, has been shown to have important benefits in establishing pregnancy. A new study seeks to discover how intermedin (IMD)—found in organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, placenta, uterus, and ovaries—is expressed during reproductive implantation. Madhu Chauhan, PhD, led a...
