Being bullied as a youngster may lead to lifelong struggles in adulthood. New research warns that victims of teenage bullying face a 40% greater risk for mental health problems by the time they hit their mid-20s. Young adults with a history of adolescent bullying may also see their odds for unemployment spike by 35%, investigators found. For the study, they tracked bullying among more than 7,000 students between the ages of 14 and 16 in the United Kingdom. The teens were interviewed at regular intervals until age 21 and again at age 25. “Examples of bullying we studied include being called names, being excluded from social groups, having possessions stolen, or being threatened with or experiencing violence,” said study author Emma Gorman. Based on that definition, roughly half the students — 70% of whom were white — were bullied between 2004 and 2006. “Girls were more likely to experience psychological forms of bullying, such as name-calling and exclusion from social groups, and boys were more likely to be victims of violent bullying,” Gorman said. By age 25, those who had been bullied as teens were much more likely to have mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, and to struggle with finding a job, the study found. “Among those who were employed,” Gorman added, “pupils who experienced bullying had 2% lower income.” The more…  read on >

Having sex after a heart attack is a concern not only for men, but for many women, too. Because of fear and a lack of information, many may think it’s no longer possible to enjoy a sex life. Fortunately, that’s rarely the case. However, while many women do resume their sex lives within months after having a heart attack, they often do so fearing how sex could affect their hearts. There are also other factors that affect a woman’s feelings toward sex, which go beyond the purely physical. Many people become depressed after a heart attack and that can affect their desire for sexual activity. Needed medications can cause sexual dysfunction. Also troubling, many heart attack sufferers’ concerns about sex often remain hidden from their doctors. In fact, many women who’ve had a heart attack never talk to their doctors about resuming their sex life or their fears of doing so. Too often, doctors fail to bring up the issue themselves. For the women who do have this conversation, it’s usually they — not their doctors — who broach the subject. Doctors are often unsure exactly what advice to give even though experts say that, for most people, sex after a heart attack is a low-risk activity. Bottom line: Many women and men have questions about their sexuality after a heart attack. It’s important to…  read on >

A boy who wondered if snakes flick their tongues to smell prompted a surprising new discovery about how human senses work. Turns out your tongue helps you smell, according to researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia — a team that included the curious 12-year-old’s dad. Taste and smell had been thought to be independent senses that didn’t interact until input from each reached the brain. But senior author Dr. Mehmet Hakan Ozdener said his son’s question prompted him to rethink that belief. Ozdener’s new study found that odor-detecting sensors in the nose (functional olfactory receptors) are also present in the taste cells on our tongue. This suggests that interactions between the senses of smell and taste may begin on the tongue and not in the brain, researchers said. They said their findings could lead to new ways to modify food flavors to promote healthier eating. “Our research may help explain how odor molecules modulate taste perception,” Ozdener, a cell biologist, said in a Monell news release. “This may lead to the development of odor-based taste modifiers that can help combat the excess salt, sugar and fat intake associated with diet-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes.” Results of a series of lab experiments were published April 24 in the journal Chemical Senses. The distinctive flavor of most foods and drinks comes more…  read on >

Despair runs rampant through Generation X as these Americans struggle through middle age, a new study reports. So-called indicators of despair — depression, suicide, drug and alcohol abuse — are rising among those in their late 30s and early 40s, and it’s occurring across-the-board, researchers say. “These are getting worse as people age through their 30s,” said lead researcher Lauren Gaydosh, an assistant professor with the Vanderbilt University Center for Medicine, Health and Society. “For example, heavy drinking is really peaking again, almost to levels equivalent to where they were at college age.” Previous studies have drawn attention to these “deaths of despair,” but initially it appeared they were occurring mainly among poorly educated whites, Gaydosh said. These new findings indicate that despair is pervasive throughout Generation X, affecting people regardless of their race, background or family income. “Mortality, particularly for middle-aged people 45 to 54, has actually been increasing for the past several decades,” Gaydosh said. “The fact that indicators of despair are more generalized is concerning. It could mean these increases in mortality might spread more broadly, across all demographic groups.” Gaydosh and her colleagues tracked despair indicators among a group of people who were in grades 7 through 12 in 1994-1995, which places them among the youngest members of Generation X. Gen X is considered to consist of people born from the…  read on >