Seniors, pick up those knitting needles, some paintbrushes or that favorite novel, because new research suggests that having a hobby is linked to having lower depression in older people. Hobbies might include anything from gardening to playing games, arts and crafts, volunteering, reading or being part of a club, according to the study, which spanned numerous countries and included more than 93,000 people ages 65 and older. “Our study shows the potential of hobbies to protect older people from age-related decline in mental health and well-being. This potential is consistent across many countries and cultural settings,” said lead author Karen Mak, of University College London’s Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care. Data came from people who had enrolled in five studies in the United States, Japan, China, England and 12 other European countries. Researchers analyzed data spanning four to eight years, finding that having a hobby was linked to decreases in depressive symptoms and increases in happiness and life satisfaction. Although this observational study couldn’t prove cause-and-effect, it nevertheless suggests there might be an association between hobbies and happiness, according to the study. The results remained even after adjusting for other factors such as partnership status, employment and household income. “Of the four outcomes, life satisfaction was most strongly linked to hobby engagement. Hobbies may contribute to life satisfaction in our later years through many…  read on >  read on >

When you have COVID-19, when are you most infectious? Researchers are getting closer to an answer, with a new study finding that folks exhale the highest amounts of virus during the first eight days of their illness. Scientists found that patients exhale quite a bit of virus during the first several days — as many as 1,000 copies of airborne virus per minute. Those levels drop steeply by day eight, however, when a person exhales only about two copies per minute. “This information speaks directly to when someone with COVID-19 should isolate; when they are more likely to infect other people by breathing out virus into the air around them; and when they become much less likely to spread the infection,” lead study author Gregory Lane, a senior research project manager at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago, said in a university news release. The study’s aim was to figure out “how much virus a patient is exhaling into the environment over the course of their infection and for how long,” study co-author Christina Zelano added in the news release. She’s an assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern. The study authors invented and utilized a portable, non-invasive device to collect breath samples. “The vast majority of research on viral loads over the course of a COVID-19 infection has been based on nasal or…  read on >  read on >

Young people who vape are more likely to experience chronic stress, though it isn’t clear whether it was the stress that brought on the vaping or the vaping that caused the stress, investigators say. “Research is starting to show how vaping affects young people’s physical and mental health,” said Dr. Teresa To, a senior scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. “Our previous research has shown that those who vape are more likely to suffer an asthma attack. In this study we were particularly interested in the relationship between vaping, mental health and quality of life among young people,” To said in a news release from the European Respiratory Society. For the new research, investigators used the data from the Canadian Health Measures Surveys, a national survey that included 905 people between 15 and 30 years of age. About 13% said they had used e-cigarettes. Researchers found that young people who vape were more likely to be physically active but were also more likely to report experiencing extreme chronic stress in their lives. “Chronic stress can lead to mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. It’s important for young people experiencing chronic stress to be given support early on to help them avoid resorting to unhealthy coping mechanisms like vaping or smoking,” To said. “Vaping is not an effective way to…  read on >  read on >

As this summer has shown, the massive smoke plumes generated by wildfires can dirty the air of regions many miles away. Now a new study is raising the question of whether that pollution is contributing to suicides in rural America. Researchers found a correlation between air pollution from “drifting” wildfire smoke and a rise in U.S. counties’ suicide rates. The connection was not seen everywhere, however: It was concentrated in rural counties, and among certain groups with a relatively heightened suicide rate to begin with: white, working-age men without a college education. For every 10% increase in wildfire air pollutants, the study found, a rural county’s monthly suicide rate rose by 1.5%, on average. The study was published Sept. 11 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It cannot prove that dirty air is to blame. And experts said it’s unclear exactly what is going on. But the findings add to evidence tying air pollution — and more broadly, climate change — to mental health consequences. Recent studies have linked exposure to heavy air pollution to aggression and increased risks of depression, anxiety and even dementia. And there is some understanding for why “junk in the air” might harm not only physical health, but mental health, too, according to David Molitor, the lead researcher on the new study. Tiny particles in air pollution, including…  read on >  read on >

Babies who have more mature microbes in their gut are less likely to have allergy-related wheezing and asthma in early childhood, according to new research. “Our studies on the Barwon Infant Study showed that a more mature infant gut microbiota at one year of age was associated with a lower chance of developing food allergies and asthma in childhood. This appeared to be driven by the overall composition of the gut microbiota rather than specific bacteria,” said Dr. Yuan Gao, a research fellow at Deakin University in Geelong, Australia. “We then hypothesized that advanced maturation of the infant gut microbiota in early life is associated with decreased risk of allergy-related wheeze in later childhood,” Gao said. Study findings were presented Sunday in Barcelona at a meeting of the European Respiratory Society. The Barwon Infant Study (BIS) has been ongoing in Australia since 2010. More than 1,000 babies were recruited between 2010 and 2013 and researchers have been following them as they grow. They studied the bacteria present in fecal samples collected from the babies at age 1 month, and again at 6 and 12 months. At one- and four-year reviews, parents reported whether their children had developed allergy-related wheeze or asthma during the past year. The team also did skin-prick tests to see if children had allergic reactions to any of 10 foods as well…  read on >  read on >

SATURDAY, Sept. 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) – Lots of parents are giving their children the supplement melatonin to help with sleep, but is it safe? In a new survey, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) found that 46% of parents — what it called a “shocking number” — have given melatonin to children under the age of 13. About 30% gave their teenager melatonin to aid in sleep. Yet, there is little evidence that melatonin helps with insomnia in children, the AASM said. A natural hormone that helps regulate the body’s internal clock, melatonin may seem like a simple solution, the AASM said. Yet the organization noted important safety concerns. Parents should talk to a health care professional before giving melatonin or any supplement to children, the AASM advised. Melatonin supplements do not have U.S. Food and Drug Administration oversight in the way over-the-counter or prescription medications do, and the contents can vary widely among products and brands. In one study, researchers found that melatonin ranged from less than one-half to more than four times the amount stated on the label. Chewable tablets had particularly significant variability. Some of the supplements even contained other chemicals that require medical prescriptions. “Because many sleep difficulties children experience can be fixed with behavioral changes, parents should help their child establish consistent bedtime routines and practice good sleep…  read on >  read on >

There’s an adage that in romantic relationships, opposites attract. Now, a large, new study confirms that just like many old sayings, it’s wrong. In an analysis of about 200 studies involving millions of couples, researchers came to the conclusion that there is little behind the claim that opposites attract. If anything, the one about birds of feather flocking together is much closer to the truth. When it came to the hundreds of “traits” the study analyzed — from political leanings to smoking and drinking habits — partners were almost always more alike than different. It was only in relation to 3% of traits that people tended to pair off with someone who had different inclinations, according to the findings published recently in the journal Nature Human Behaviour. To be fair to the adage, the findings do not mean that people rarely find themselves attracted to someone who is much different from them. “We looked at cohabiting and co-parenting couples,” explained lead researcher Tanya Horwitz, a doctoral candidate at the University of Colorado Boulder. “So, this study speaks to long-term relationships.” On average, the findings show, long-term partners are similar in a host of ways — from religious and political beliefs, to educational background and certain aspects of intelligence, to lifestyle habits. The results are based on data from 199 published studies involving millions of male-female…  read on >  read on >