The Independent reports on a new study that suggests eating a mediterranean-style diet rich in leafy vegetables may decrease the incidence of birth defects. Link
[tags]women’s health,birth defects,diet,vegetables[/tags]
The New York Times reports on a new study carried out by Japanese researchers which shows that whether your earwax is wet or dry is correlated to how much you sweat and your level of body odor. Those with wet earwax tend to perspire more and have more body odor, while those with dry earwax tend to perspire less and have less odor. The researchers believe that this “earwax gene” may be a consequence of some other evolutionary adaptation and is unlikely to have increased fitness itself. Link
[tags]studies,genes,evolution [/tags]
A new study led by Simon Baron-Cohen of the University of Cambridge reveals that people who tend to be “systemizers” have a greater likelihood of having autistic children. He cites several studies in support of this thesis. In the first, it was shown that fathers and grandfathers of autistic children were twice as likely to work in a systematizing profession such as science or mathematics. Another showed that those with autistic children scored higher on questionnaires of autistic traits. In addition, brain scans of mothers with autistic children have shown brain activity more typically associated with males.
He theorizes that the rise in autism may be a consequence of greater opportunities for people with this personality type meet. As an example, he suggests that the increase in international travel for conferences and the higher participation of women in the workforce may bring them in more frequent contact. Link
[tags]studies,autism,children[/tags]
Researchers at Glasgow University have new evidence that morning exercise increases emotional wellbeing more than evening exercise. Subjects were evaluated using questionnaires filled out after a one hour areobic session performed either at 8 a.m. or 7 p.m. Both groups rated higher than the control group who had done no exercise, but the morning group achieved a 48% morale boost, while the evening group achieved only a 19% improvement. This would help explain previous studies which show that those who exercise first thing in the morning tend to stick with it longer than those who exercise later in the day. Link
[tags]studies,exercise,mood,aerobics[/tags]
A new study funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests obesity in some individuals may (at least in part) be traced to a common virus known as an adenovirus. Researchers knew that the infection rate of this virus was higher in obese populations than lean ones, but a direct connection had never been shown. Now researchers have evidence of causation, at least in animals. Infected chickens and mice given the same food gained substantially more bodyfat than their uninfected cohort. Link
[tags]studies,obesity,viruses[/tags]