A major review reveals that research indicates people who are obese may be more likely to become depressed, and people who are depressed may be more likely to become obese. People who are obese may be more likely to become depressed because they experience themselves as in poor health and are dissatisfied with their appearance. This occurrence was particularly prevalent among women and those of high socio-economic status. People who are depressed may be more likely to become obese because of physiological changes in their hormone and immune systems that occur in depression. Also, they have more difficulty taking good care of themselves because of symptoms and consequences of depression, such as difficulty adhering to fitness regiments, overeating, and having negative thoughts. Treatments such as exercise and stress reduction can help to manage both obesity and depression at the same … Read more

Delaying an adolescent’s school start time by one hour has a positive effect on his or her cognitive performance according to a new study. The study, authored by Orna Tzischinsky, PhD, of Emek Yezreel College in Israel, focused on 47 eighth graders from two classes, who were divided into experimental and control groups for a two-week period. On week one, the experimental class began their school day one hour later than usual (at 8:30 a.m.), while the control class began at the regular time (7:30 a.m.). On week two, both classes began at 7:30 a.m. The subjects were asked to maintain their habitual sleep-wake pattern. Actigraphs were worn to monitor sleep-wake patterns. On the fifth day of each week, the students performed a cognitive test. According to the results, during the first week, the experimental class woke up 51 minutes … Read more

Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the world. Even so, numerous people with cardiovascular disease have none of the common risk factors such as smoking, obesity and high cholesterol.  Researchers have now discovered a new link between gum disease and heart disease that may help find ways to save lives. In recent years chronic infections have been associated with a disease that causes “furring” of the arteries, called atherosclerosis, which is the main cause of heart attacks. “A number of theories have been put forward to explain the link between oral infection and heart disease,” said Professor Greg Seymour from the University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand. “One of these is that certain proteins from bacteria initiate atherosclerosis and help it progress. We wanted to see if this is the case, so we looked at the role … Read more