Some Health Headlines Making News

Katy Muldoon

Posted Aug 25, 2012

A bit of deliciously happy health news: Evidence mounts that chemicals in chocolate, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, teas and certain other foods are mood-enhancers.

Close the books, power off the computer and go to sleep: High school students who sacrifice sleep to study more than usual are more likely to have academic problems the following day, according to a new longitudinal study focusing on daily and yearly variations of students who sacrifice sleep to study. The research, which appears in the journal Child Development, was conducted at University of California, Los Angeles, according to medicalxpress.com.

And speaking of school: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a reminder recently that animals in school and day-care centers can spread disease, but there are ways to minimize risk.

Learn to say "No, thanks," ladies. While long-term marriage appears to curb men's alcohol consumption, it's associated with a slightly higher drinking level among women, research from University of Cincinnati shows.

Consider looking inward. If you're older, mindful meditation can reduce loneliness and improve your immune system, researchers find.

A healthy self-image goes a long way. Normal weight teen-agers who think they're fat might grow up to be overweight, according to Norwegian researchers. The reason, they surmise: psychosocial stress, which is associated with gaining weight around the waist.

Get those reps up, guys. Men who do weight training regularly -- say, for 30 minutes per day, five days per week -- may be able to reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 34 percent, according to a new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and University of Southern Denmark researchers.

- Katy Muldoon; twitter.com/katymuldoon

©2012 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.)

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