People who regularly eat chocolate are more depressive, according to a study published in the Research in Archives of Internal Medicine.
The study shows those who eat at least a bar every week are more glum than those who only eat chocolate now and again.
Many believe chocolate has the power to lift mood, and the US team say this may be true, although scientific proof for this is lacking.
But they say they cannot rule out that chocolate may be a cause rather than the cure for being depressed.
Full article: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8644016.stm
Friday, 18 June 2010
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Giving up smoking 'reduces stress levels'
Smokers often say they need a cigarette to calm their nerves but a British study has found that chronic stress levels may go down after a person kicks the habit.
A study of 469 smokers who tried to quit after being hospitalised for heart disease found that those who stayed away from cigarettes for a year reported a reduction in their perceived stress levels.
Stress levels were essentially unchanged among heart patients who went back to smoking, according to researchers from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.
The study, reported in the journal Addiction, supported the theory that, at least for some people, smoking actually contributes to chronic stress.
Read more
A study of 469 smokers who tried to quit after being hospitalised for heart disease found that those who stayed away from cigarettes for a year reported a reduction in their perceived stress levels.
Stress levels were essentially unchanged among heart patients who went back to smoking, according to researchers from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.
The study, reported in the journal Addiction, supported the theory that, at least for some people, smoking actually contributes to chronic stress.
Read more
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Women naturally more susceptible to stress
Women are twice as vulnerable to stress as men because of greater sensitivity to a substance produced at times of anxiety, new research suggests.
Neuroscientists believe that the study could provide a "biological" reason why women are more likely to suffer from depression and stress disorders than their male counterparts.
The team found that the brains of females are more sensitive to a hormone produced at times of anxiety and thought to be involved in stress management.
They found that they are not only more sensitive to low levels of "corticotropin-releasing factor" (CRT) but less able to cope when levels are high.
The research was carried out in rats but CRT is known to play a role in all mammals including humans.
"Although more research is certainly necessary to determine whether this translates to humans, this may help to explain why women are twice as vulnerable as men to stress-related disorders," said the study leader Dr Rita Valentino, a neuroscientist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Women have higher rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety problems than men.
But no one has yet been able to pinpoint the reason for the difference.
The study of rats undergoing a forced swim that causes stress showed female animals had neurons that were more sensitive to CRF.
The scientists also found that stressed male rats adapted by making themselves less responsive to the hormone, but females did not.
Dr Valentino pointed out that other mechanisms also played a role in human stress responses. But it was already known that CRF regulation was disrupted in people with stress-related psychiatric disorders.
Since much of the previous animal research on stress used only male rodents, important sex differences may have gone undetected, she added.
"Pharmacology researchers investigating CRF antagonists (blocking agents) as drug treatments for depression may need to take into account gender differences at the molecular level," said Dr Valentino.
The research is published in the online journal Molecular Psychiatry.
Taken from Telegraph Online - here
Neuroscientists believe that the study could provide a "biological" reason why women are more likely to suffer from depression and stress disorders than their male counterparts.
The team found that the brains of females are more sensitive to a hormone produced at times of anxiety and thought to be involved in stress management.
They found that they are not only more sensitive to low levels of "corticotropin-releasing factor" (CRT) but less able to cope when levels are high.
The research was carried out in rats but CRT is known to play a role in all mammals including humans.
"Although more research is certainly necessary to determine whether this translates to humans, this may help to explain why women are twice as vulnerable as men to stress-related disorders," said the study leader Dr Rita Valentino, a neuroscientist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Women have higher rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety problems than men.
But no one has yet been able to pinpoint the reason for the difference.
The study of rats undergoing a forced swim that causes stress showed female animals had neurons that were more sensitive to CRF.
The scientists also found that stressed male rats adapted by making themselves less responsive to the hormone, but females did not.
Dr Valentino pointed out that other mechanisms also played a role in human stress responses. But it was already known that CRF regulation was disrupted in people with stress-related psychiatric disorders.
Since much of the previous animal research on stress used only male rodents, important sex differences may have gone undetected, she added.
"Pharmacology researchers investigating CRF antagonists (blocking agents) as drug treatments for depression may need to take into account gender differences at the molecular level," said Dr Valentino.
The research is published in the online journal Molecular Psychiatry.
Taken from Telegraph Online - here
Thursday, 3 June 2010
Coffee does NOT wake you up. It's all in your mind.
Many say their brain doesn't start working properly in the morning until they have had a cup of coffee.
But the stimulating effect for which caffeine is famous may be an illusion, say researchers.
Those who drink a lot of coffee may feel more alert after their first cup of the day.
But this is probably because it reverses the fatiguing effects of overnight caffeine withdrawal, say the researchers.
Their study suggests coffee drinkers may actually be better off without their habitual morning mug as it raises the risk of anxiety and high blood pressure.
Read more here
But the stimulating effect for which caffeine is famous may be an illusion, say researchers.
Those who drink a lot of coffee may feel more alert after their first cup of the day.
But this is probably because it reverses the fatiguing effects of overnight caffeine withdrawal, say the researchers.
Their study suggests coffee drinkers may actually be better off without their habitual morning mug as it raises the risk of anxiety and high blood pressure.
Read more here
Asthma risk 'linked to burgers'
Children who eat a Mediterranean diet have a lower risk of developing asthma, but eating three or more burgers a week is linked to a higher risk, research suggests.
Researchers looked at 50,000 children from 20 countries.
Writing in the journal Thorax, they said eating fruit, vegetables and fish appeared to protect against asthma.
But they said eating burgers could be linked to other unhealthy habits, which may be the real trigger factor.
More here at BBC Health
Researchers looked at 50,000 children from 20 countries.
Writing in the journal Thorax, they said eating fruit, vegetables and fish appeared to protect against asthma.
But they said eating burgers could be linked to other unhealthy habits, which may be the real trigger factor.
More here at BBC Health
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Acupuncture pain molecule pinpointed
There have been several reports in the medai of new findings on the efficacy of acupuncture in pain research.
The BBC science pages carries this report - here
The Daily Mail also had an article - here
The BBC science pages carries this report - here
The Daily Mail also had an article - here
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