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It’s Not Just Menopause to Blame for Older Women’s Flagging Sex Drive

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It’s not uncommon for a woman’s sex life to slow down with age, but hormones aren’t the only reason she might not be in the mood, a new study suggests. Postmenopausal issues, such as vaginal dryness or pain during sex, definitely put a damper on a woman’s desire. But just as often, it was issues with her partner that brought sexual activity to a halt. “Low libido is common in older women — about 40% of older women have low libido,” said study author Dr. Holly Thomas. “Yet, women in our study reported that they considered sex to be an important part of their lives,” she added. “I think the biggest message from our study though, is that low libido has a lot of causes,” and treatment will vary in each case. Thomas is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She and her colleagues interviewed 15 women. They also conducted three focus groups with a total of 21 women who were in their 60s and sexually active. Most of the women were white and heterosexual. Eighty-three percent were married or living with their partner. The most common reasons for a lack of desire included: Postmenopausal conditions: After menopause, the lack of estrogen can cause symptoms that make sex less pleasurable, and even painful. Vaginal dryness, a feeling of tightness and a…  read on >

Most Parents Struggle to Spot Depression in Teens

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Most American parents say they might have trouble distinguishing between a teen’s typical mood swings and possible signs of depression, a new survey finds. The nationwide poll of 819 parents with at least one child in middle school, junior high or high school found that while one-third were confident they could detect depression in their children, two-thirds said certain things would make it difficult. About 30% of parents said their child is good at hiding feelings and 40% said they struggle to differentiate between their child’s normal mood swings and signs of depression, according to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at the University of Michigan. The poll was published Monday. “In many families, the preteen and teen years bring dramatic changes both in youth behavior and in the dynamic between parents and children,” poll co-director Sarah Clark explained in a university news release. “These transitions can make it particularly challenging to get a read on children’s emotional state and whether there is possible depression,” she added. “Some parents may be overestimating their ability to recognize depression in the mood and behavior of their own child,” Clark noted. “An overconfident parent may fail to pick up on the subtle signals that something is amiss.” The poll also found that 1 in 4 parents said their child knows a peer or classmate…  read on >

Health Tip: Eat for Now, and the Future

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(HealthDay News) — Sustainable eating practices — knowing where food comes from and how to sustain the sources — helps us plan for now and the future, says the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Looking past the supermarket shelf and learning how your food is produced is a first step. The school suggests: Plan your meals around vegetables and fruit. Minimize the amount of meat you eat. Choose seafood that isn’t at risk of being overfished. Look for local produce at farmer’s markets.

America’s Sweet Tooth Starts From Infancy

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Bad eating habits begin at a young age in American children, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data from more than 1,200 babies (aged 6 to 11 months) and toddlers (12 to 23 months) between 2011 and 2016. They found that 61% of babies and 98% of toddlers consumed added sugars in their typical daily diet, mainly in flavored yogurt and fruit drinks. Infants consumed about 1 teaspoon of added sugars daily (about 2% of their daily calorie intake); toddlers consumed about 6 teaspoons (about 8% of their daily calories). The main sources of added sugar for infants were yogurt, snacks and sweet bakery products. For toddlers, the top sources were fruit drinks, sweet baked products and candy. Asian toddlers consumed the fewest added sugars (3.7 teaspoons); blacks, the most (8.2 teaspoons). The study was published online Nov. 14 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “This has important public health implications since previous research has shown that eating patterns established early in life shape later eating patterns,” lead investigator Kirsten Herrick said in a journal news release. She’s a researcher with the Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings did bring some good news: The percentage of babies and toddlers whose daily diets include added sugars declined, as did the…  read on >

Not Getting Enough Shut-Eye? You Have Plenty of Company

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More Americans are having trouble falling and staying asleep, and smartphones and technology are probably to blame, researchers report. Their analysis of data from nearly 165,000 adults nationwide showed that the number who reported difficulty falling asleep at least once a week was up 1.4% between 2013 and 2017, and those who had trouble staying asleep rose 2.7%. Those percentages may appear small, but it means that as many as 5 million more adults have sleep problems, according to study leader Zlatan Krizan, a professor of psychology at Iowa State University (ISU), in Ames, Iowa. “How long we sleep is important, but how well we sleep and how we feel about our sleep is important in its own right,” Krizan said in a university news release. “Sleep health is a multidimensional phenomenon, so examining all the aspects of sleep is crucial for future research.” The study was published online recently in the journal Sleep Health. Krizan and his team could not say what’s contributing to the increase in sleep problems, but technology is likely a factor, according to lead author Garrett Hisler. He’s a former ISU graduate student who is now a postdoctoral associate at the University of Pittsburgh. “We know from our previous research there is a correlation between smartphone use and insufficient sleep among teens,” Hisler said in the news release. “If we’re…  read on >

These Sports Are Most Likely to Send Young Americans to the ER

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Of all sports, football sends the most U.S. males to the emergency room, while cheerleading and gymnastics most often do the same for women and girls, a new report finds. And, overall, U.S. emergency departments see about 2.7 million patients between the ages of 5 and 24 for sports-related injuries each year, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In some cases, these injuries might even be a gateway to opioid addiction: Opioid painkillers were given to ER patients suffering from a sports injury in about one in five cases, the study found. That number rose to nearly half (46%) among young adults aged 20 to 24. “As we have learned from the opioid crisis, many patients move from appropriately prescribed opioid medications to misuse of opioids,” noted Dr. Teresa Amato, who directs emergency medicine at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, in Forest Hills, N.Y. She wasn’t involved in the new research. “I would encourage any parent with a child that has a sports-related injury who is being evaluated in an emergency department to have an open and frank discussion about pain control and if opioids are needed,” Amato said. “Of course, in some cases there will be a need for these medications, but the discussion prior to dispensing or prescribing opioids may prevent misuse later…  read on >

Almost Half of Older Americans Fear Dementia, Try Untested Ways to Fight It

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Many Americans believe they are likely to develop dementia — and they often turn to unproven ways to try to better their odds, a new study suggests. In a survey, researchers found that almost half of Americans in their 50s and 60s believed they were at least “somewhat likely” to develop dementia. Yet few — 5% — said they had talked to their doctor about ways to lower their risk. Instead, one-third or more were taking fish oil, vitamin E or other supplements to help ward off memory decline — even though none have been proven to have such benefits. “It certainly seems like people believe that supplements or fish oil help preserve their memory,” said lead researcher Dr. Donovan Maust, a geriatric psychiatrist at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Maust said that might reflect “excitement” over initial research suggesting that certain supplements might ward off memory decline — excitement that wasn’t tempered when later studies failed to show benefits. The findings, published online Nov. 15 in JAMA Neurology, are based on 1,019 adults aged 50 to 64 who were surveyed in 2018. They were asked whether they thought they were “somewhat likely,” “very likely” or “unlikely” to develop dementia in their lifetime. Overall, 44% believed they were somewhat likely, while 4% chose the “very likely” option. How accurate were they? It’s hard…  read on >

America’s Sweet Tooth Starts From Infancy

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Bad eating habits begin at a young age in American children, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data from more than 1,200 babies (aged 6 to 11 months) and toddlers (12 to 23 months) between 2011 and 2016. They found that 61% of babies and 98% of toddlers consumed added sugars in their typical daily diet, mainly in flavored yogurt and fruit drinks. Infants consumed about 1 teaspoon of added sugars daily (about 2% of their daily calorie intake); toddlers consumed about 6 teaspoons (about 8% of their daily calories). The main sources of added sugar for infants were yogurt, snacks and sweet bakery products. For toddlers, the top sources were fruit drinks, sweet baked products and candy. Asian toddlers consumed the fewest added sugars (3.7 teaspoons); blacks, the most (8.2 teaspoons). The study was published online Nov. 14 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “This has important public health implications since previous research has shown that eating patterns established early in life shape later eating patterns,” lead investigator Kirsten Herrick said in a journal news release. She’s a researcher with the Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings did bring some good news: The percentage of babies and toddlers whose daily diets include added sugars declined, as did the…  read on >

Health Tip: Managing Financial Stress

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(HealthDay News) — More than three-quarters of Americans say money is a significant cause of stress for them, says the American Psychological Association. To help manage financial stress, the association encourages people to: Remain calm and stay focused. Identify financial stressors and make a plan. Recognize how you currently deal with stress related to money. Turn challenging times into opportunities for growth and change. Ask for professional support from financial planners and psychologists.